Chapter 501 - Xian Fan
Everyone was aware that the Phoenix Maiden was Di Zuo’s fiancee. She fled in defeat so it was understandable that Di Zuo, as her fiance, would take her side. However, no one expected for it to escalate to a life and death battle.
But then again, it was not too strange either. Li Qiye didn’t only defeat the maiden but also killed the Divine Spark Prince. The two sides had reached an irreconcilable point so Di Zuo would take revenge for his little brother-in-law!
The crowd eagerly held their breaths, waiting to see if Li Qiye would accept the challenge or not! The truth was that everyone was looking forward to this fight.
“Fellow Daoist Di Zuo, our Guardian is training in seclusion.” Daoist Bao Gui shook his head and said: “I’m afraid we can’t meet your demand at this moment. If you want to fight, then wait till our Guardian comes out.”
This answer invoked a rowdy commotion from the unhappy ghost cultivators. One of them scowled and said: “Hmph! That Li guy is definitely too afraid to show up for the battle.”
Another one sneered: “That is just what a human ant does — only picking on the weak. Well, Sir Di Zuo can slay that brat Li as easily as turning his palm! At the moment, that ant is probably cowering in fear. Actually, he might have already run away.”
“He doesn’t have the choice to refuse!” Di Zuo’s overbearing voice came again: “It is better to tell him to come out, or else bear the consequences!”
“What consequences?” A lazy voice appeared: “A wild dog like you will come and bite me?” Li Qiye leisurely appeared with Lan Yunzhu right behind him. He furrowed his brow at Di Zuo and asked: “You want to fight?”
Li Qiye’s arrival immediately shut the ghost cultivators up while the human cultivators instantly became excited. A human cultivator looked at the ghost cultivators who were yelling earlier and quipped: “Who is this Di Zuo? Li Qiye is our human race’s young Immortal Emperor! You think someone like Di Zuo can stop our young Immortal Emperor’s path?”
In the Sacred Nether World, the relationship between the humans and ghosts was quite poor. It was especially obvious since a few ghost tribes relied on their numbers and strength to bully the humans, causing resentment to form in the hearts of many human cultivators.
Li Qiye’s sudden rise to fame and killing of ghost cultivators elated many humans with pride.
The ghost cultivators became annoyed from the remark and refuted: “That junior Li is nothing! Just wait and see, our Sir Di Zuo will kill him within three moves!”
And this was met by an instant rebuttal from the humans: “What’s so great about Di Zuo? He isn’t much compared to our young emperor. Our young emperor can also kill him within three moves!”
Suddenly, a bunch of cultivators began to argue, and many people joined both sides. The ghost race despised the humans while the humans also hated the ghosts.
Di Zuo sat in the sky above the Thousand Carp River’s camp to look down at Li Qiye as he gravely said: “I’m just afraid you won’t fight.”
Li Qiye cracked his knuckles. It was obvious that he was itching for a fight as he said: “We can fight any time!” Recently, he had created a new merit law and he wanted to test its strength. Di Zuo would make a great sharpening stone!
“Very well! You choose the time!” Di Zuo said in a very domineering manner: “I shall take your dog life for sure! From now on, I shall be the only one to kill you, and I will use your head to warn the human ants that those who oppose me shall be slain without mercy!” He then took out his flag and threw it towards the river sect’s camp. His flag’s power was quite formidable; once it pierced the ground, it would mean that those in its vicinity would become his enemies and outsiders must not intervene.
“Clank!” However, Di Zuo’s flag did not reach the Thousand Carp River’s camp and instead was struck by a ray in midair. This ray was a golden plume that shattered the flag into pieces.
Everyone was startled; someone actually destroyed Di Zuo’s flag. This was akin to opposing Di Zuo, and very few in the Sacred Nether World would dare to do this.
At this point, everyone saw a person standing in the air. This individual was adorned with a full set of divine armor. The golden plume then flew back into this armored person’s hand and revealed itself to be a piece of golden armor.
No one saw when this person got there. The person was covered in divine armor from head to toe and one couldn’t see their face nor determine their gender.
This divine armor was huge. It was half again the height of an ordinary man and decorated with bright colors. Within these bright colors were five strange images. There was a divine tree that towered into the sky, a flame that burned the air, an immense earth that stretched far and wide, a vast ocean that spanned the horizon, and an opened treasure trove glistening with wealth. These five images floated up and down and were very spectacular, moving as if it was the opening of an immortal world, as if this armor was from originally from said world, or perhaps it was even the tool to reach this immortal world.
The sudden appearance of this armored person caused everyone to look at each other and murmur: “Who… is this person?”
It didn’t matter if many cultivators didn’t know this person, a nobody daring to destroy Di Zuo’s flag was too arrogant.
Di Zuo’s eyes became as bright as a divine lamp after seeing the person. He then exclaimed: “Xian Fan!” Two divine lights shot out from his eyes and flew towards the divine armor as if he wanted to see through it. 1
“What is so great about the ghost race?” A sound as clear as metal emanated from within the divine armor: “Daring to call my human race ants?!” It was very difficult to tell whether it was a man’s or a woman’s voice since it carried a metallic tone.
“Then let me see just how great a genius from the ghost race is!” The armored person declared.
“Xian Fan, you really wish to oppose me?” Di Zuo glared at the divine armor and retorted with gravity. 2
“Di Zuo, wait until you become an Immortal Emperor, then you can speak to me with that kind of tone. As of now, you are still far from it, yet you still dare to bluster in front of me?” The voice from the divine armor responded.
“Xian Fan, you want to fight? Fine, wait until I finish my business here, then I’ll deal with you at any time!” Di Zuo spoke in a serious manner. His aura was quite unstoppable and aggressive.
“No need to wait when we can do it now!” The Xian Fan adorned with divine armor retorted.
A person named Xian Fan who was completely covered with divine armor suddenly appeared and challenged Di Zuo! Despite this show of overbearing arrogance, no one had ever heard of this person before.
“Xian Fan!” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed by Li Qiye’s side: “They finally came out. This person is really heaven-defying.” 3
“Who is Xian Fan? What’s his background? How come such an unknown person dares to challenge Sir Di Zuo?” Many confused ghost cultivators looked at each other.
No one knew who Xian Fan was because they had never heard of this name before.
“Is this a human expert?” Even the human cultivators were lost. This person named Xian Fan was clearly backing the humans, but even they themselves had never heard of this fella before.
“Xian Fan!” A great character from the southern Distant Cloud clapped his hands together and said: “I remember now. More than ten years ago, the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom had a descendant named Xian Fan, but the person disappeared later on and never showed their face again.”
“The descendant of the Immortal Kingdom?” The crowd was shocked and the ghost cultivators no longer dared to look down on the newcomer.
The Immortal Kingdom was a lineage with two emperors, so it had one less emperor than the Myriad Bones Throne. However, it was not any weaker than the throne of bones.
Keep in mind that there was a legend about the young Immortal Emperor Di Yu obtaining a grand creation from the Prime Ominous Grave. Some people later on speculated that he even opened a supreme treasure trove inside. Because of this, many people believed that the Immortal Kingdom had quite a great secret reserve!
“The descendant of the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom?” A person murmured. Not too many had heard about this particular descendant.
For a very long time now, the Immortal Kingdom’s prestige stood strong over the world, but they kept a very low profile and rarely participated in external matters.
Many didn’t know the Immortal Kingdom’s sect master or the next descendant because ever since the Immortal Kingdom became reclusive, it slowly disappeared from everyone’s eyes.
“Come to think of it, the Immortal Kingdom really did have a descendant. I heard that, at that time, a few lineages attended the ceremony. In addition, only emperor’s lineages in the Distant Cloud were invited, including the Thousand Carp River.” A sect master from the Distant Cloud suddenly recalled.
Xian Fan — this was the descendant of the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom, but this very mysterious person was not famous in the Sacred Nether World. No one knew Xian Fan’s background or gender.
In the past, at the successor’s appointment ceremony, the Immortal Kingdom didn’t declare it to the world and instead only invited a few people. Only emperor’s lineages like the Thousand Carp River were invited, and no ghosts were present!
At this point, Di Zuo and Xian Fan were at an impasse in the sky. Di Zuo was glaring at the divine armor while Xian Fan — within this armor — had their expression shrouded.
As the main character of this turmoil, Li Qiye was suddenly forgotten by everyone. He was quite surprised to see the five wondrous images inside the divine armor.
“This guy is pretty good, what is his background in the Immortal Kingdom?” Li Qiye asked Lan Yunzhu who was standing by his side.
Lan Yunzhu glanced at her master. Daoist Bao Gui also participated in the successor ceremony that year and knew some secrets. He then replied: “I don’t know the exact details, but they’re most likely human. The Immortal Kingdom kept Xian Fan’s background a secret, and Xian Fan maintained a low profile as well. However, one thing is certain; after the ceremony, Xian Fan did an amazing deed.”
Chapter 502 - Five Elements Immortal Armor
“They must have entered the Immortals’ Domain.” Li Qiye looked at Xian Fan in the sky and said.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but be taken aback, and even Daoist Bao Gui was astonished as he said: “How does Young Noble know?”
Keep in mind that this matter was highly confidential. Moreover, characters like Daoist Bao Gui knew how to keep a secret, so this matter couldn’t have spread easily.
Li Qiye chuckled and said: “It’s no big deal, the Five Elements Immortal Armor on Xian Fan’s body makes it very obvious. This thing had always been hidden in the Immortals’ Domain and no outsider had seen it before. One must go into the deepest parts of the Immortals’ Domain and come out alive; then, they would also be able to get some items, such as this Five Elements Immortal Armor!”
“Young Noble knows about the Immortals’ Domain?” Daoist Bao Gui couldn’t help but ask in amazement: “This… is very secretive, very few outsiders know about it.”
“Others are different, and I’m not included in this group.” Li Qiye smiled and continued: “Future generations assumed that Immortal Emperor Di Yu uncovered a supreme treasure inside the Prime Ominous Grave, but the truth was far from this. The emperor instead obtained an immortal land, the Immortals’ Domain at the mouth of the Immortal Kingdom.”
He then smiled at the old daoist and arched his chin towards Xian Fan who was dealing with Di Zuo, asking: “What does Sect Master know about this person?”
“Very little. Although I participated in the successor’s ceremony that year, I didn’t meet Xian Fan. Very few know about Xian Fan’s background and identity, including the Simple Mountain disciples. I only know that Xian Fan was dubbed the descendant and the kingdom continued to keep Xian Fan’s identity a secret.” The old daoist shook his head and responded.
“A bit Interesting.” Li Qiye then stroked his chin while looking at Xian Fan, who was entirely shrouded by the Five Elements Immortal Armor.
Keep in mind that when a great power chooses their successor, especially an emperor’s lineage, it was to be a grand and formal occasion. The descendants must successfully undergo rigorous assessments.
Xian Fan becoming the descendant yet still being able to keep their identity a secret was a very rare thing amongst the great powers.
“I heard there was a reason why Xian Fan was chosen; rumor has it that Xian Fan was the one who opened the Immortals’ Domain.” Daoist Bao Gui explained: “Outsiders know very little about this Immortals’ Domain. It was mentioned that after Xian Fan opened it and was dubbed the descendant, Xian Fan immediately went into the domain. That was the most recent news about him.”
“Not surprising.” Li Qiye continued to stare at Xian Fan and replied: “Owning the Five Elements Immortal Armor already proves Xian Fan’s extraordinariness. With such talent and strength, it is not strange for this person to rule the Immortal Kingdom in the future.”
“Is that armor really that amazing?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s not only amazing, its origin can scare people to death. After all, it’s very ancient.” Li Qiye answered: “It is not something one can just wish for. Without training and luck, even an Immortal Emperor would not be able to get it. It is not just an immortal armor.”
“Boom!” Di Zuo suddenly made a move during the standoff between the two. His hand became a heavenly seal that descended. The entire nine heavens and ten earths were trapped as the stars were exhausted and the sun and moon lost their brilliance.
This all-encompassing heavenly seal was like the suppression of an emperor — unstoppable and irreversible. Millions of existences trembled like servants when faced with this emperor’s aura.
Di Zuo’s first move shocked everyone in this battle in the sky. Both young and old were shivering in fear. Di Zuo was indeed different from ordinary people; his first move was so heaven-shaking!
“Thunk—thunk—thunk—” The Five Elements Immortal Armor on Xian Fan’s body shot out numerous spirit lights that instantly turned into a majestic golden wall that spanned to the horizon; even hordes of enemies would be unable to penetrate this defense.
“Boom!” Di Zuo’s star-destroying seal fiercely slammed into this spirit wall, but it couldn’t break through. The wall only shook a bit and didn’t collapse.
People didn’t expect for Xian Fan’s divine armor to be this magical. It wasn’t only a set of armor, it was also a weapon with many mystical forms.
“Let’s go to the outer heavens! Take out your emperor’s weapon, I do not want to have the weapon’s advantage!” Xian Fan uttered with complete confidence, then he rushed to the outer firmament like a flying dragon or a dancing phoenix. His posture made it seem as if he could travel to the moon to pluck the stars in the sky.
With a serious expression, Di Zuo also roared. The Scarletflame Qilin screeched as well. With its burning flames, it instantly stepped into the upper horizon to chase after Xian Fan.
“A battle in the outer heavens?” Many couldn’t help but glance at each other. Wasn’t a battle at this location a really high level fight? Most of the time, only Virtuous Paragons or Immortal Emperors would choose the outer heavens as their battlefield.
The reason was very simple. When such heaven-defying existences fought, no place on earth would be able to withstand their destructive force. Even a sacred ground or divine earth fortified with blessings would not necessarily be able to survive.
“They are both young Immortal Emperors, so they immediately picked the outer heavens for their battle. Quite domineering.” Some people couldn’t help but murmur.
This was not without logic since if Di Zuo took out his emperor’s weapon, it would have a transcendent power capable of shattering the mountains and seas. Picking the outer heavens for their showdown was quite reasonable.
Di Zuo and Xian Fan then rushed into the sky while many predecessors chased right after them.
“Come, we’ll go watch.” This was a battle between geniuses so it was very tempting to become spectators. The descendants and geniuses from the great powers also chased right after them. Those with a lower cultivation couldn’t do so since traveling to the outer heavens was not easy. Only those with a great cultivation could reach space, or else they would have to have some amazing treasures.
“Should we go watch too?” Lan Yunzhu asked Li Qiye. A battle between geniuses was definitely brilliant and one would benefit from observing the fight.
Li Qiye shook his head, showing zero interest. He then said: “There is nothing to see. No matter how heaven-defying Di Zuo may be, he won’t be able to kill that person. Even with an Immortal Emperor True Treasure in his grasp, it still wouldn’t break through the defense of the Five Elements Immortal Armor.”
“The armor is that powerful?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but emotionally ask. In the eyes of all cultivators, Immortal Emperor True Treasures were unbeatable.
“It’s not just that the armor is amazing. By coming back alive from the Immortals’ Domain and even bringing back the armor, this Xian Fan is definitely no lesser than Di Zuo.”
Lan Yunzhu became a lot more serious after hearing this. A genius like her also wanted to challenge the three heroes, so now with the addition of Xian Fan, she had one more opponent to be wary of.
When Li Qiye intended to go back to his quarters, a daoist holding an old banner suddenly popped out of nowhere. This daoist was young, but he carried an experienced demeanor and had a mysterious smile on his face. The daoist smiled then spoke to Li Qiye: “Hehe, Boss, I finally found you.”
“Are you a member of the Heart-ghost Tribe? This is quite a rare sight in the contemporary times.” Lan Yunzhu was surprised to see the daoist appearing out of nowhere.
The Heart-ghost Tribe was a mysterious ghost tribe in the Sacred Nether World. They excelled in calculations and reading the future. Legend states that they were punished by the heavens, so their members lived in reclusion ever since.
This daoist was Daoist Heaven Calculating, the one who Li Qiye met right outside of the lost mythical island, the one that had calculated Li Qiye’s fate.
Although Lan Yunzhu revealed his origin, the daoist was not surprised. He only smiled and said: “Fairy Lan is indeed worthy of being the river sect’s descendant; your vision is as bright as a torch — quite impeccable.”
“Alright, stop sucking up. Have you calculated it?” Li Qiye spoke to the daoist.
Having heard this, the daoist became serious and looked around before carefully taking out a piece of yellow paper. He then handed it over to Li Qiye and replied: “I didn’t let you down, the result of the calculations is written here.”
Li Qiye looked at the piece of yellow paper then back at the daoist before asking: “Are you sure? There are absolutely no mistakes?”
“Absolutely zero mistakes, this little one guarantees it with his life!” The daoist then solemnly continued: “Boss, in order to calculate this for you, this little one had to defy the heavens and almost became ashes from the punishment!”
Lan Yunzhu was quite curious about what this Heart-ghost member calculated for Li Qiye. Judging from their solemn expressions, it must be something very serious. Unfortunately, Lan Yunzhu couldn’t see the contents of the paper before Li Qiye put it away.
After putting the piece of yellow paper away, Li Qiye told the daoist: “Very good. Since you have done me a favor, I shall give you a creation. Follow me into the Prime Ominous Grave, your fortune is waiting inside.”
The daoist immediately became joyous and he smilingly said: “This little one knew that Boss was an auspicious man. Meeting Boss is my fortune.”
Lan Yunzhu could only shake her head while thinking that this fella really knew how to flatter others. She didn’t know that Daoist Heaven Calculating once read Li Qiye’s palms and was scared out of his wits as if he had seen a ghost.
“We’ll open the Prime Ominous Grave right now.” Li Qiye told Daoist Bao Gui: “The exact fortunes found inside will be up to your own luck.”
“Get ready, we’re going into the Prime Ominous Grave now!” Having heard this, Daoist Bao Gui immediately gave the command with excitement.
And it wasn’t only him, even the elders couldn’t contain their eagerness. The Prime Ominous Grave was something coveted by many since time immemorial.
They didn’t expect to have the chance to enter the grave in this lifetime. For as long as one could remember, those who were lucky enough to see the opening of the grave already enjoyed a great fortune.
Outside of the grave, while many cultivators regretted not being able to go to the outer heavens to watch the battle between Di Zuo and Xian Fan, someone noticed that the Thousand Carp River was preparing to leave. The elders followed Li Qiye towards the large monument of the Prime Ominous Grave.
Chapter 503 - Prime Ominous Grave’s Opening
Some cultivators shuddered once they saw Li Qiye walking towards the huge monolith. They quickly told the seniors of their sects: “He is about to open the Prime Ominous Grave!”
Everyone knew that the key was in his hands, so seeing Li Qiye approach the grave caused many people to become excited. Was it time for the grave to be opened?
“Quickly pack up and get ready to enter the Prime Ominous Grave!” Suddenly, chaos spread like wildfire. Within the radius of ten thousand miles right outside of the grave, the atmosphere was boiling with commotion as all the armies began to pack up.
Countless great powers quickly followed Li Qiye to the Prime Ominous Grave, creating an extremely spectacular scene. Right behind him was a sea of people rushing forth like waves. Many were extremely eager; they rubbed their hands together wishing that they could soar forward into the grave instantly.
“It’s almost time. Finally, the Prime Ominous Grave! Oh how many generations have passed since it was last opened.” The great powers such as the Myriad Bones Throne and the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom followed as well. Everyone came for the grave, so now that it was nearing the time of its opening, no one wanted to give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Amitabha.” A buddhist chant resounded. Monk Dazhi suddenly appeared and chased right after Li Qiye. He then cheerfully smiled and said: “Benefactor Li, ah wait, Brother Li, you are about to open the grave so do you have anything nice for me? Maybe you have a huge creation to give to me?”
“Something nice for you?” However, before Li Qiye could answer, right next to him, Lan Yunzhu fiercely glared at the monk and stated: “Jian Xuan, I heard that you were playing around back at the Soaring Remembrance Village and tricking the villagers to get free meals! After bullying our Thousand Carp River like this, you still want us to treat you?”
“No… No, no… Fairy Lan misunderstood…” Monk Dazhi was startled and quickly explained: “Fairy Lan, this little monk is one who slays evil with a merciful heart. I definitely wouldn’t take a single coin from the good men and women back at the village. My heart only wishes to enlighten others and save the world. I only went to the secular world for cultivation…”
“Does enlightening others include being a monk who eats meat and drinks?” Lan Yunzhu stared at him and exclaimed: “Don’t tell me you didn’t eat bowl after bowl while gorging yourself with wine at my house!”
“Umm…” Monk Dazhi quickly replied: “Amitabha… Fairy Lan, there is a proverb: an empty sack cannot stand upright. When this monk slays evil, there are times where I will get hungry, right? Hehe, plus, this monk didn’t eat that much, you are surely mistaken. The one who ate a lot was Brother Li. When he was a guest at your house, he was treated very well. Uncle and Aunt gave him good food and wine, and as for the reason… I’m sure Fairy Lan already knows.” The monk then winked at Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu.
With this accusation, Li Qiye glared at him and said: “Fake Monk, don’t make up stuff or else I’ll tell your fiancee where you are. Then we’ll see where you will run.”
Before this many people, Monk Dazhi couldn’t show that he was afraid of his wife, so he arched his chest and patted it before declaring: “Brother Li underestimates me too much. Since when was I afraid of a woman?”
At this time, a red-clothed lady suddenly appeared behind the monk and coldly said: “Since when did you become so brave like this?” This person was both Monk Dazhi’s senior sister and his fiancee.
Seeing the lady in red, Jian Xuan’s expression immediately changed as he turned around to run. However, Li Qiye instantly made a move. Since Monk Dazhi was not ready, he was trapped by Li Qiye.
“Hey, hey, hey, Brother… What are you… doing?!” Monk Dazhi exclaimed in fear. He couldn’t run even if he wanted to since Li Qiye had made him immobile.
“Nothing much, it’s just that running all day long is not the right thing to do, so you have to properly face her.” Li Qiye smiled and said before throwing the monk towards the lady in red.
“Brother Li, you can’t treat me like this! We are brothers, how can you sell out a brother like this…!” The monk started to scream.
However, Li Qiye ignored him and led the group across several mountains. The unwilling screams of the monk still echoed from afar, causing Lan Yunzhu to shake her head in amusement and say: “He deserves it. Not wanting to be the Nether Crossing descendant and instead escaping to be a monk… He’ll receive a good lesson now that he has been caught.”
Monk Dazhi was an interesting person. The Nether Crossing Swamp was an emperor’s lineage. To eventually become the sect master of such a lineage was something countless people desired. Unfortunately, he didn’t give a damn and secretly escaped from the swamp, creating turmoil within the sect.
***
The huge monument stood proudly on top of a mountain range and pierced straight into the clouds as if it was a door that guarded the hills behind it.
Only by opening this monument would one be able to enter the grave, and this required the key from Necropolis.
After the grave closes, no one would be able to keep the key since it would disappear. Even a heaven-defying Immortal Emperor would not be able to change this fact. And so, in order to open the grave once more, one had to go to Necropolis to find the key.
Standing before this monument, everyone would sense a majestic atmosphere without exception. It was as if this place buried a supreme existence across the eons. However, no one knew whether such an existence was buried here or not.
There was no name on this monument since it was carved out from a giant boulder. With a more careful observation, it didn’t look like it was carved by men. Instead, it was more like this was the original appearance given by the heavens.
When Li Qiye stood before it, the crowd behind him also stopped. Everyone held their breaths, waiting for him to open the Prime Ominous Grave.
No one dared to steal the key from Li Qiye’s hands since the elders of the river sect were all here. Making a move at this time was akin to opposing the river sect. Not to mention average great powers, even emperor’s lineages didn’t want to do so. Moreover, everyone could go in, so why the need to break the friendly facade with the Thousand Carp River just for a key?
While the rest were waiting, Li Qiye took out the key. Although it was called a key, it was more like an edict scroll.
Li Qiye then opened this scroll and it emanated a bright brilliance. Dao runes appeared and lights jumped up and down like ripples of waves; these runes and lights eventually encompassed the entire monument.
People became quite tense and excited to see this light cover the monument. It had been a very long time since the grave’s previous opening. Just being here alone was considered to be the luckiest moment in their lives.
“Clang clang clank!” At this time, huge characters began to fly out of the edict scroll, then they flew towards the monument and imprinted themselves onto it, creating powerful and divine clanking sounds. The words carved onto this monument were very archaic and were in shapes that resembled branches or tadpoles. Even the great characters from the throne of bones that were sealed underground didn’t know what these words were. They were ancient to the point of being untraceable; even the longest living person would not be able to understand the contents.
After the monument was completely carved with words, the entire thing lit up. With a series of rumbles, the huge monument slowly sank into the ground.
Everyone nervously stared at the spot where the huge stone was sinking. No one wanted to miss a single detail.
“Rumble!” After a series of sounds, the boulder finally went all the way down to the ground, and the mountain range right behind it opened. The entrance was like a great pass, like a prehistoric beast waiting with its mouth wide open to devour trespassers.
“It has been opened!” Seeing this great pass, someone excitedly screamed.
“We’ll go in now.” Li Qiye looked at the great pass with narrowed eyes and told the group of Lan Yunzhu. He then led them into this mountain pass.
“We’ll also go in!” The cultivators right behind him also excitedly exclaimed. Wave after wave of people rushed towards the mountain pass.
The place suddenly became lively as many cultivators squeezed into this mountain pass. No one wanted to be left behind because they feared that they might miss a great opportunity or a legendary creation.
However, when they all rushed inside, they came to an abrupt halt as they found themselves standing at the top of a precipice where a chasm was placed before them. Taking a second look at the surroundings made them realize that this was nothing but an endless space.
Below them was an endless abyss. One more step would end with them falling to the unknown beyond.
This was completely different from the Prime Ominous Grave in their imaginations. Most of them thought that the Prime Ominous Grave was a cemetery. After entering, they assumed that there would be a gigantic cave or an underground tomb of some sort.
Chapter 504 - Corpseblood Cloud
However, there were neither graves nor underground tombs or even any coffins at that. It was nothing like their imaginations, there was only an endless void.
“This… is the Prime Ominous Grave?” Someone asked with disappointment while standing before this vast nothingness.
“This is all there is?” Another unwilling fella couldn’t help but murmur.
“Maybe this is just the entrance and there are other places here.” A sect master from a great power said: “Come, we’ll go take a look.” With that, he took out a flying ship and flew towards the emptiness.
However, a terrifying event occurred; the moment the ship floated into the air, it seemed to have lost its power and fell into the abyss.
“Ahhh—!” Shrill screams emanated from below. The ship was carrying several hundred experts so the sudden drop left them frightened. Since they were all experts, their first reaction was to fly out of the ship.
However, the result was still the same; they couldn’t fly. At this place, all cultivators lost their ability to fly. In this split second, no matter which spatial techniques they tried or what type of treasure they used, all was for naught. It was like a mortal stepping on air then falling right back down.
These hundred cultivators lost their minds in horror as they yelled out ear-piercing screams in the air. Everyone witnessed these experts fall down into the endless abyss like shooting stars flying to an unknown destination.
After seeing this scene, everyone became startled and some even shouted: “How… could this be?!” There were some cultivators and sects that wanted to fly, but they immediately halted their steps and shuddered in silence.
A royal lord from a powerful country who was completely pale shouted with shaking legs: “Impossible! There were even Heavenly Sovereigns onboard!”
Keep in mind that at a certain level, cultivators could fly up high and soar across the planes — this was common sense. If suddenly, cultivators were not able to fly, then this would be a huge hit to everyone.
“This is a void zone. Even a Virtuous Paragon would fall down and perish.” Inside the ancestral mountain of the throne of bones, an ancient voice came forth.
Shivers encroached upon the listeners. They didn’t know what a void zone was, but if even Virtuous Paragons couldn’t escape death, then they understood how terrifying a void zone must be.
“What… is that over there?” A keen observer pointed at something in the far distance and quickly asked.
After they heard this question, everyone stared at the horizon and noticed groups of gigantic red clouds approaching. These clouds were as red as blood; it was as if blood was flowing out from them. They formed a line, creating the illusion of a river of blood from afar.
In an instant, these blood clouds reached the cliff. When the first cloud touched the stone precipice, it immediately rebounded towards a different direction. The other red clouds also did the same.
“These are the legendary Corpseblood Clouds.” An ethereal voice came from the Simple Precious Tree; no one knew who the speaker was.
Right when one group of red clouds reached the cliff, the Simple Precious Tree instantly flew on top of these clouds with a swish. These clouds suddenly unleashed countless tentacles to devour this tree, but immortal lights from the tree descended to stop these blood tentacles.
Under the watchful gaze of everyone present, the Simple Precious Tree rode these blood clouds to the far distance — towards the unknown.
After seeing the successful attempt, everyone immediately understood what was going on: “So we have to ride these clouds!”
At this time, an old cultivator jumped on top of a nearby red cloud. The red cloud suddenly trembled as countless foggy strings that resembled tentacles rolled around this old cultivator’s body. The unwary cultivator was immediately ensnared.
“Ahhh!” This cultivator immediately turned into a bloody mist without leaving behind even a bone.
After seeing such a terrifying scene, many aghast cultivators realized that it was not so simple; these red clouds were extremely dangerous.
“Buzzz!” The ancestral mountain rode away on a group of Corpseblood Clouds since it easily blocked the danger from these clouds.
The next to follow suit was the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom, the Yin Yang Master, the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground… All the great powers jumped onto the clouds since they had the power to easily block the clouds’ power.
After seeing the great powers’ success, the smaller factions didn’t want to linger behind and also jumped on these clouds.
“We’ll go too!” Some sects and cultivators successfully used their treasures and merit laws to survive the bloody fog. However, those who failed to do so screamed and were turned into bloody vapor.
“We need to work together.” Instantly, many smaller factions and vagrant cultivators formed an alliance to ride the drifting blood clouds into the distance.
Li Qiye, as the person who opened the grave, was in no hurry. He only chuckled at the sight of people jumping on these blood clouds.
“Sect Master, you can bring everyone on that group of clouds over there.” Li Qiye then told Daoist Bao Gui.
“What about you guys?” Daoist Bao Gui asked. He understood that Li Qiye must have a reason for picking that particular group of clouds for them.
Li Qiye answered: “Yunzhu and Daoist Heaven Calculating will follow me.” Although he was speaking, his gaze remained on those Corpseblood Clouds. He silently counted the quantity of these drifting clouds.
After seeing that the clouds Li Qiye chose were approaching, Daoist Bao Gui shouted and then rode the gigantic carp along with the elders towards the cluster. The carp easily blocked the bloody fog and it took the river sect’s elders towards the distance.
The other sects and cultivators didn’t dare to compete for this cluster of clouds against an emperor’s lineage like the river sect.
After seeing the river sect’s elders ride the blood clouds far away, Lan Yunzhu asked: “Do we go now?”
“Not yet.” Li Qiye was still gazing at the clouds while counting the number that had passed by.
Not long after, fewer and fewer cultivators remained. Many sects and cultivators successfully rode these clouds off into the distance. The weaker sects also managed to repel the blood clouds after joining forces and rode away in jubilation. They finally made it to the Prime Ominous Grave, and the method to everlasting life awaited them.
As the crowd became thinner, Li Qiye finally picked a group of clouds after waiting for a long time. Seeing the approaching clouds, Li Qiye told the daoist and Lan Yunzhu in a serious tone: “Get ready, you two stop the bloody fog and listen to my commands.”
Daoist Heaven Calculating and Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what was so mysterious about these clouds, but they both took in deep breaths without daring to be careless as they gazed at them.
The clouds moved even closer, then Li Qiye pulled the two of them and shouted: “Jump!” He then dragged the both of them onto the bloody clouds.
The moment they jumped, the bloody fog emerged and countless tentacles soared towards the three. The daoist to the left of Li Qiye raised an old banner; universal laws descended like a phoenix and dragon and stopped these tentacles. On the other hand, Lan Yunzhu to his right only quietly shouted; she didn’t seem to take any action, but the stars surrounding her easily stopped the bloody fog.
As the two of them stopped the offense, Li Qiye calmly stood in the middle. When they made it on top, Li Qiye closed his eyes and silently calculated the trajectory of these clouds.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist didn’t know what Li Qiye was doing. However, they remained extremely cautious against the nonstop onslaught from the bloody fog.
The three of them rode the Corpseblood Clouds far away and noticed that many clouds were lining up to create a river of blood that flowed towards the vast void.
One didn’t know how long this bloody river was, but once they reached a certain location, these clouds would part and each of them would fly towards a different direction! From here, all the clouds dispersed in their own way like ships on a mighty ocean.
The cultivators that rode these clouds could not alter their course. Even the most invincible beings were helpless in this regard.
After seeing the clear difference in directions for these clouds, Lan Yunzhu and the daoist understood why Li Qiye had to pick a cloud cluster for the Thousand Carp River.
“So these clouds fly to different places.” Daoist Heaven Calculating quietly whispered as the three of them drifted towards an unknown destination.
At this point, there were no other clouds around them. This group of clouds floated in the vast emptiness like a vessel at sea, causing passengers to worry about when a huge wave would come and strike them.
“Of course, they do not fly to the same destination. Each group has their own end, and this end would become the individual’s creation. Whether one gets a good destination to start would depend on whether they picked the right cloud or not.” Li Qiye explained with closed eyes as he was still deducing the trajectory of the drifting clouds.
Chapter 505 - Ominous Grave’s Secret Realms
“How does one know whether the endpoint of a cloud is bad or good?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask. However, Li Qiye, with his eyes closed, had already focused his thoughts and didn’t answer her question.
The three of them rode the clouds for a very long time. All of a sudden, Li Qiye spoke with a deep intonation: “Get ready to jump down.”
“What?!” Li Qiye’s words caused the other two to exclaim in fear.
This place was a boundless and endless expanse. Jumping down was no different than courting death. They saw — with their own eyes — the fate of the cultivators who jumped down.
“Jump!” But the two didn’t have time to think since Li Qiye already pulled the two of them down from the clouds.
The three of them started falling down like meteors and lost all control of themselves. Lan Yunzhu and the daoist were almost scared to death. They tried to use flying techniques, but even the best technique would not be able to lift them in this place.
They then wanted to take out flying treasures, but Li Qiye yelled at them: “Don’t move!”
The stunned daoist and Lan Yunzhu finally resigned themselves and didn’t take out their treasures. They then closed their eyes while freefalling.
“Ah—” Screams tore through the sky while the three of them fell down like shooting stars into the bottomless void.
They fell for an unknown amount of time before finally feeling a soft, cotton-like sensation. A soft force broke their hard fall.
“Pop!” The three of them fell to the ground and could smell the muddy ground.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist became ecstatic; the smell of mud was indeed wonderful. After falling for so long, standing on hard ground made them feel very lucky. Being in control was such an exciting thing!
After calming down, they took a look around and became dumbfounded. They saw shining lights in the sky and realized that the cotton-like sensation was the boundary in the sky. They fell from a high place and eventually broke through the boundary in the sky to reach this place.
Li Qiye got up and Lan Yunzhu quickly stood as well. She then took in the scene before her eyes with astonishment.
Before her was a huge lake with water so clear that it was like a piece of jade. The soft blowing wind gave a comfortable feeling, and there were many rocks around this place. These round rocks that were randomly lying around formed a big rock. This scene would cause spectators to think that they were at some lake back in the Sacred Nether World and not the Prime Ominous Grave. The daoist got up and asked in surprise after seeing the big lake: “Where is this place?”
This scene greatly differed from the grave in his imagination. With rippling waves and clear water, unsuspecting people would think that this was a paradise. Who would suspect that they were in the Prime Ominous Grave that was filled with ghastly and nether energy?
“A Secret Realm in the Prime Ominous Grave.” Li Qiye sat down and calmly spoke: “After entering the Prime Ominous Grave and riding the blood clouds, there would be a stopping point. However, being at a bad stopping point would make it very difficult. After leaving the stopping point, one would reach a Grave Realm.”
“What is this Grave Realm?” The daoist curiously asked.
Li Qiye looked at him and replied: “They are almost no different from continents, but going to the wrong place will result in death. However, if one goes towards the right direction, then they might gain a great creation. There are five Grave Realms in the Prime Ominous Grave. As long as you can find a dao platform, then you can teleport to any of the five Grave Realms. To those who come inside the grave, the first stopping point would be their first test of luck. Whether they can find anything or not will be up to their own fortune.
“However, once they reach the Grave Realms, it will no longer be left to just luck. In order to obtain King Medicines or treasures, besides having the luck to reach the right place, they would also need sufficient strength, wisdom, and talents!
“In short, the stopping points are based on luck while the Grave Realms are based on one’s ability.” Li Qiye continued with a smile: “With sufficient strength, one might come back victoriously, but if unlucky, this might become their burial ground. This Prime Ominous Grave… It is not dangerous yet also very dangerous; this would depend on the ambition of the individual. If one is satisfied with what they have, then the chance of leaving alive is high.”
After hearing Li Qiye’s explanation, the two obtained a better understanding of the Prime Ominous Grave. Lan Yunzhu then looked at the big lake and asked: “What about a Secret Realm?”
Li Qiye responded: “Secret Realms are not found inside Grave Realms. Just like its name, no one knows where these Secret Realms are located or how many there are. Entering a Secret Realm is pretty simple; one just has to jump down from a blood cloud. Of course, the requirement is that they have to pick the right spot so that what awaits them is indeed a Secret Realm and not death.”
“How does one know where these Secret Realms are?” The daoist asked.
Li Qiye looked at him and shook his head to say: “No one knows. It is up to luck and fate. If you choose correctly, then congratulations, you have obtained a creation. If you choose incorrectly, then I’m sorry, you are dead. However, your Heart-ghost Tribe has a peerless calculation technique, right? You can try it if you are interested.”
“No, no, I don’t want to try!” The daoist startlingly exclaimed while waving his hands: “A burial ground like this place is a taboo of the heaven and earth. One cannot just calculate it. If one forcefully does so, then a calamity would befall upon them. Our Heart-ghost Tribe once had an ancestor who wanted to obtain the method of everlasting life in the Prime Ominous Grave. I heard afterward that this ancestor forcefully calculated to search for this mythical method and was struck by lightning, dying on the spot. Moreover, at that time, the rest of our tribe also suffered the heaven’s wrath and were struck by lightning for a whole day, resulting in heavy losses.”
“That means… the Prime Ominous Grave really has a method for everlasting life?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but emotionally inquire.
“I’m not sure, but the forcefulness of our ancestor brought a calamity upon us. Logically speaking, this method should truly exist. If not, then there might be something else that the heavens doesn’t want others to know.” The daoist shook his head. He would always speak with a serious demeanor when it came to this topic.
“The method for everlasting life? I know about this.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist were frightened. Lan Yunzhu then asked in shock: “Is there really a method for everlasting life?”
Everlasting life was something that cultivators had always chased after. There was a rumor stating that even Immortal Emperors would not have an eternal life; however, their final destinations were also unknown. Some said that they all died while others said that they had traveled to the legendary tenth world!
“If there was truly such a method, then I would risk my life to seize it.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued: “There are ways to achieve everlasting life, and the grave does indeed have things that would allow for people to live for a very long time. However, the price that must be paid is beyond your imaginations.”
“What is it?” The daoist curiously asked. Everlasting life was tempting to everyone; countless old undyings sealed themselves for this very reason.
However, using Blood Era Stones for sealing purposes would not grant them eternal life; it was simply a form of escaping from the withering of time. After one leaves the stone, they still wouldn’t be able to escape death!
Li Qiye only smiled mysteriously and didn’t answer the daoist. The daoist only sighed since he knew that he shouldn’t pry further.
“What is the difference between a Secret Realm and a Grave Realm?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask while staring at the crystal-clear lake.
“It’s very simple, one would obtain a creation just by entering a Secret Realm. You would only have to risk yourself once since there is only one chance with the Corpseblood Clouds.” Li Qiye answered.
Daoist Heaven Calculating couldn’t help but wonder: “Risking one’s life by jumping down in exchange for a creation — is this worth it? This is nearly suicidal! There’s practically no chance for survival.”
Picking the right spot to jump was quite an impossible task. Only the heavens knew where these Secret Realms were amongst the vast emptiness. Picking the right spot was harder than finding a needle in a haystack!
“As long as you are lucky, it is worth it!” Li Qiye added with a smile: “The origin of the Prime Ominous Grave is beyond your imagination; each Secret Realm has a defining treasure. If you can get such a treasure and are content with it, then you can leave without going to a Grave Realm. The defining treasures of the Secret Realms are extremely amazing.”
“Every Secret Realm has its own defining treasure?” Lan Yunzhu asked with surprise: “Then how many Secret Realms are there? If there are a lot of them, then wouldn’t these treasures be too common and worthless?”
“You are overthinking it.” Li Qiye laughed and stated: “If there are countless Secret Realms, then there would be no need to pick. Just close your eyes and jump down since even a fool would be able to reach a Secret Realm. It is really difficult to find the exact amount of Secret Realms in the grave. In my opinion, there is only one.”
“Oh god, there is only one?” Daoist Heaven Calculating was scared out of his mind. He almost fell to the ground due to his weakened legs. With a blanched expression, he said: “Boss, did you just guess? The probability of surviving is probably lower than fishing a needle out of the sea!”
Chapter 506 - Secret Realm Elves
Thinking about having to choose a direction in this vast, endless void left Daoist Heaven Calculating with feeble knees. He was very scared, especially since there was only one Secret Realm. Earlier, if they were just a bit unlucky and picked the wrong time to jump, it would all be over. At this point, he couldn’t help but become drenched in cold sweat.
“What, you don’t trust me?” Li Qiye coldly glared at the daoist and asked: “Besides, I wasn’t afraid to die so what are you afraid of? Is your life more valuable than mine?”
“Haha, it’s a bad habit of mine.” The daoist wryly laughed: “The more one understands the workings of clairvoyance, the more they will be afraid of death. Ever since I was young, I would calculate every time I went outside to see if there was any danger or not. Hehe, but this little one knows that Sir is my auspicious spirit, and I’m sure that by following Sir, the star of luck will shine upon me!”
Li Qiye laughed while enjoying the daoist’s ass-kissing.
“Enough with your haughty laughter.” Li Qiye’s enjoyment caused Lan Yunzhu to angrily glare at him and say: “Within that endless void, how did you know that the Secret Realm was right here?”
The truth was that, when Li Qiye revealed that there might only be one Secret Realm in the entire Prime Ominous Grave, she was also scared out of her wits. Recalling that one wrong jump might have killed them left her shivering in fear.
She also didn’t notice anything special about the spot that Li Qiye chose. Even if she was asked to do it again, she wouldn’t be able to find the exact same spot. There were no discernable characteristics in that vast and empty space.
While Lan Yunzhu stated her question, Li Qiye was looking at the large lake ahead in a daze. He ceased his thoughts and smiled mysteriously before answering: “That is a secret only meant for me to know.”
Of course, he couldn’t tell her that he had been here before and how someone else had told him about the Secret Realms. After conducting many experiments, Li Qiye finally stumbled upon the method to find this Secret Realm. Fortunately for him, he was immortal, thus having ample time.
Like what the Ancestral Flow Master had said before, the Dark Crow was immortal, thus Li Qiye had the guts to experiment. Nevertheless, it still came at a cost along with a kind of pain that not just anyone could tolerate.
Li Qiye smiled and said: “Okay, the creations are right in front of you guys. Take your pick.” Having said that, he walked closer to the large lake.
Lan Yunzhu and Daoist Heaven Calculating also quickly chased after him. They went by the disorderly rock formation and inadvertently stepped on some round rocks.
The moment they did so, two round rocks suddenly pushed them away and abruptly stood up.
“Yah! Who is so blind as to actually step on me?!” Lan Yunzhu and the daoist became aghast when the two round rocks suddenly stood up and spoke.
At this time, they stared at the two rocks while being dumbfounded. No, they were not rocks but clearly two people, two dwarves. These dwarves were short and stout, yet they had long and sharp ears. Their green skin and pointy noses resulted in a very funny and weird appearance.
Cultivators usually saw many strange things, but to suddenly witness such a spectacle would frighten even the more courageous adventurers.
The daoist stared at the two dwarves in disbelief and exclaimed: “Oh man, what the hell is this thing?!”
“What the hell are you?! We are the Secret Realm’s elves, understand, little brat?”
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist were stunned. The Secret Realm’s elves — this sounded very pleasant, but it was completely different from the elves in their imaginations. No one would ever believe a dwarf calling themselves an elf.
“Don’t mind them, they are new and didn’t know that you guys were sleeping.” Li Qiye said with a wide smile.
“Hmph! No deals, no picking, don’t bother us!” The two Secret Realm’s elves were dissatisfied and loudly snorted. Then, they quickly rolled up their bodies back on the ground. They looked just like pudgy rocks once again.
At this moment, Lan Yunzhu and the daoist finally understood that what was ahead of them were not rocks, all of them were “elves.”
“Okay, go now and watch your steps. Don’t stomp on the Secret Realm’s elves. Disturbing someone’s sleep is very rude.” Li Qiye cheerfully said.
“You did it on purpose, right? You didn’t warn us beforehand so that we would stomp on these Secret Realm’s elves.” Lan Yunzhu quipped at him.
“Well… I simply forgot to mention it.” Li Qiye chuckled and leisurely replied.
In response, Lan Yunzhu only glared at him in a lively manner with a hint of playful flirtation. She was a beauty no less than the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden.
She and the daoist then carefully made their way through the sleeping elves and followed Li Qiye to the large lake.
Li Qiye sat down by the lake and stared at the surface in quiet contemplation as if he was recalling something.
He had come here in the past. After many experiments, he finally found this Secret Realm. He also brought someone else here, but unfortunately, they didn’t obtain the greatest creation.
It was a time worth remembering, a time filled with laughter. Although Li Qiye was only a Dark Crow at that time, he liked to stand here to quietly listen to this happy laughter.
Lan Yunzhu noticed him sitting in a trance, so she sat down by his side and asked: “What’s wrong?” She felt that he had something on his mind.
In her memories, Li Qiye had always been nonchalant as if nothing seemed to be able to shake his dao heart. But this time, he had turned sentimental; this word didn’t seem to be a suitable description for a ferocious and overbearing person like him.
If it wasn’t happening before her eyes, she would think that it was an illusion since she didn’t expect this out of him.
Li Qiye withdrew his gaze then looked over at Lan Yunzhu and asked: “Is the Exquisite Jewel from the Thousand Carp River still there?”
“The Exquisite Jewel?” Lan Yunzhu answered: “That is our emperor’s weapon, so of course it is still there. The jewel is an unbeatable foreign dao mysterious treasure left behind by our patriarch. It was personally refined by the patriarch as well.” 1
Lan Yunzhu found it strange and didn’t know why Li Qiye suddenly asked about the sect’s emperor’s weapon.
“That’s true, your Immortal Emperor Qian Li did personally refine this amazing foreign dao treasure. This jewel incited greed from many, but very few people could understand its profundities.”
Lan Yunzhu, of course, knew this. Many generations of geniuses with the greatest talents in the river sect had studied the jewel and had great harvests. This also applied to her.
However, this was not why she found it strange, it was more about Li Qiye’s sudden attention to it. The patriarch didn’t only leave behind one Immortal Emperor Life Treasure, so she felt that something was amiss when Li Qiye specifically brought up the jewel.
“Why are you bringing it up?” Lan Yunzhu looked at him and asked: “Is there something strange about it?” Intuition told her that Li Qiye knew more about the river sect than they themselves did. For example, the Yin Yang Pond and the Golden Divine Willow.
“Just curious.” Li Qiye answered with a smile: “I’ve long heard about the fascinating Exquisite Jewel of your Thousand Carp River, so I couldn’t help but ask. Everyone is inquisitive by nature to an extent.”
“Stop!” Lan Yunzhu snappily glanced at him and said: “Uncle, don’t act as if I don’t know what you are like. Don’t always lie without batting an eye, it is extremely obvious.”
“Then I’m very happy.” Li Qiye replied: “This shows that us husband and wife have a mental connection; you are like a worm in my stomach!”
“You are the worm! So gross!” The angry Lan Yunzhu tried to kick him while gritting her teeth. Her expression showed that she wanted to beat him up.
On the side, Daoist Heaven Calculating just acted as if he didn’t see anything. With the two flirting like this, as an outsider, the daoist knew how to act; it was as if he was invisible.
“Okay, since we are here, let us not waste any more time. You two can pick your own creations. Remember, there is only one chance. What you get is up to your own fortune.” 2
“The creation is in this lake?” Daoist Heaven Calculating asked and stared at the large lake. Coming from the Heart-ghost Tribe, he was a very skilled diviner.
Li Qiye noticed the daoist’s interest in the lake and said: “Of course. There is a great creation in the lake. It is one that encompasses the entire Secret Realm. Do you want this one?”
“I wonder if I am fated to obtain it?” The daoist indeed was very interested. He understood that when Li Qiye said that it was a great creation, it must be indescribably heaven-defying and unparalleled.
He already knew that following Li Qiye into the Prime Ominous Grave was a great fortune, so if he could obtain this creation, then his trip would be over. He understood the heaven’s will and didn’t want to be too greedy.
Li Qiye said: “Very well. If you have the ability, then I shall give you this great creation. Go first. If you can get it, then it belongs to you.”
“Thank you, Sir.” The daoist was happy to hear this and quickly bowed towards Li Qiye. After hearing this, he knew that Li Qiye had a method of obtaining this creation, but Li Qiye was giving him a chance.
Chapter 507 - Legendary Grand Creation
The daoist took a deep breath and put on a solemn expression. He lit up some incense and fixed his clothes, then he slowly took out a turtle shell before finally sitting down with crossed legs.
Seeing the daoist’s appearance, Lan Yunzhu laughed and asked: “You want to take the great creation, not someone’s fortune. What are you taking out the turtle shell for?”
The embarrassed daoist smiled and answered: “Items created by the heavens are one of a kind and not just anyone can enjoy them. Even seizing it might not be a good thing, so I will calculate my own fate to see if I can bear such a supreme treasure or not.”
“There is such a belief?” Lan Yunzhu asked with skepticism. Then she smiled and said: “Then since our Thousand Carp River has Immortal Emperor Life Treasures and True Treasures, doesn’t that mean we will also be punished by the heavens?”
The daoist shook his head in response: “Fairy Lan, our Heart-ghost Tribe is different from the Thousand Carp River. Our divining tribe obeys the heavens while your Thousand Carp River goes against the heavens. If we calculate anything too amazing, we’ll suffer a heavenly punishment.
“According to our calculations, your Immortal Emperor Qian Li continuously went against the heavens until they reached the level of Immortal Emperor. This means that, to a certain extent, the will of the heavens allowed the emperor to carry the Heaven’s Will. The emperor then created a supreme emperor’s foundation for the Thousand Carp River to protect it for millions of years.” When it came to fortune telling, the daoist blabbered on incessantly.
“Against the heavens? In accordance with the will of the heavens?” While she listened, Lan Yunzhu became very interested. Generally, cultivators didn’t care for divination and only considered fortune tellers to be street charlatans.
Li Qiye chuckled and shook his head to add: “This matter is very mysterious, but you can put it like this: Your Thousand Carp River is an emperor’s lineage with sufficient strength. You guys have emperor’s laws so the sect has become quite mighty. Even those who want emperor’s weapons would not dare to maneuver against you.
“But now let’s talk about a smaller sect. For example, a smaller sect or a vagrant cultivator possessing several emperor’s weapons or a mythical scripture — would they be able to protect them? Once found out, they would be annihilated within several days.”
“Ah…” Li Qiye’s simple explanation made the daoist speechless. He eventually added: “Sir’s argument is indeed an alternative explanation, there is some truth to it.”
“Very well. In your divination teachings, there is this saying: only the courageous will prosper. It doesn’t matter if you will be able to bear it or not, take the chance to grab it first then decide later. Which invincible existence didn’t face hardships? Those who reached the apex all went through countless life and death trials and through baptisms of blood.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued with a grin: “Like you said before, you would calculate for yourself before leaving home. In a generation such as this, you might as well never leave the house since it is safest to stay there like a turtle in its shell.”
“Well…” The daoist scratched his head and pondered for a while before replying: “Sir makes a lot of sense. Haha, my habit of calculating can’t be fixed.”
At this point, he couldn’t help but ask: “Sir, how does one take the great creation from this place?”
“You must have a certain something or win the acceptance of this Secret Realm. There is another simple and direct method — just jump straight in. If you are lucky like a heaven’s son, then maybe the Secret Realm will accept you and you will obtain the great creation after diving in.” Li Qiye smiled, then he added: “But think about it carefully. If you directly jump in, the probability of dying in there is a lot higher than coming out alive.”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but startlingly exclaim: “Didn’t you say that there was no danger in a Secret Realm? Why would he die by jumping in? What is the point of even talking about the creation then?”
“Where can you acquire a defining treasure so easily? Of course, obtaining a creation would be difficult as well.” Li Qiye shook his head with a smile.
“Okay, let me calculate to see what item would be accepted by the Secret Realm.” The daoist took a deep breath and decided. In the end, he couldn’t change his occupational habit.
“Craa—craa—craa—” With a serious expression, the daoist meticulously shook his turtle shell, creating crisp sounds.
“Ding ding ding ding!” Finally, he threw the turtle shell to the ground to see how he could procure this great creation.
“Crack!” However, the turtle shell immediately shattered the moment it touched the ground. With a blanched expression, the daoist took several steps back while shivering as if he had just taken a hammer to the chest.
Seeing this sudden development shook Lan Yunzhu with a jolt as she asked: “What happened?”
“It is incalculable.” Li Qiye shook his head and answered.
“The heaven’s punishment!” The daoist no longer dared to divine any further. As a Heart-ghost member, he understood the significance of the heaven’s punishment.
He struggled to heave in a deep breath to calm down before bowing towards Li Qiye: “I’m grateful for Sir’s chance, but unfortunately, I cannot own this creation. Maybe it will bring about a calamity to my entire tribe.”
“Is the heaven’s punishment that terrible?” Lan Yunzhu saw the fear in him and emotionally asked.
“That was only a warning from the heavens. If I force myself to divine it, then maybe I will share the same fate as my ancestor. And it wouldn’t just be my death, maybe my entire tribe would face the heavenly lightning as well. These creations are extremely heaven-defying and I don’t think I should own such items. Even obtaining one by chance would not necessarily be a blessing.”
“What about me? You think I can take it? Or rather, do I have the fortune and ability to enjoy the defining treasure?” Lan Yunzhu asked Li Qiye.
Li Qiye answered with a smile: “You? With regards to the Thousand Carp River’s power as well as divination, you should have sufficient fortune to bear it. However, do you know how to acquire it?” Here, he pointed at the daoist and said: “If he risks his life to calculate as a Heartless Mirror Master, then maybe he will find out some clues, but you… You don’t know anything…
“That is why I gave him a chance. Others won’t be able to know, only Heartless Mirror Masters of the Heart-ghost Tribe have the chance to figure it out.”
“Heartless Mirror Master?” Lan Yunzhu looked at the daoist and startlingly uttered: “Legend has it that these masters are born with natural calculating divine pupils in your Heart-ghost Tribe!”
“Indeed, Fairy Lan, I am naturally born without a Heartmirror, so I am pitied by the heavens.” The daoist didn’t dare to boast and only answered truthfully: “However, being born with divine pupils for seeing is not necessarily a good thing.”
Everyone knew that Heart-ghost members were born with a Heartmirror, but Daoist Heaven Calculating was born without one. Most members without a Heartmirror would not be able to become a diviner. However, there was a certain chance of them having divine pupils. These people were called Heartless Mirror Masters and were destined to be great diviners since the moment of their birth!
“And so, only a Heartless Mirror Master like him has a certain chance of divining the secret. You, on the other hand, cannot unless you have something else to assist you.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Lan Yunzhu immediately looked at Li Qiye and revealed a sparkling smile, a smile that encompassed charm and beauty, a smile that was crying for sympathy. She then said: “Then tell me about this creation, or just help me get it.”
“Sorry, but you have to obtain this creation by yourself.” Li Qiye shook his head and added: “Me bringing you here is already a creation in and of itself.”
Lan Yunzhu angrily elbowed him and glared as she said: “Stingy, nevermind then.”
Li Qiye then shifted his attention to the daoist and said: “You still have a chance. If you can figure out the ultimate meaning, then you can still grab it without having to do anything. Granting you the power of the divine pupils could only be seen as the heavens loving Heartless Mirror Masters.”
“Thank you for your kindness.” The daoist was reasonable and said: “Obtaining this supreme treasure is useless if I won’t be alive to enjoy it. This little one does not have the fortune to enjoy such a precious treasure.”
“Hmph! Fine, then just forget about this defining treasure.” Lan Yunzhu coquettishly said: “You can grab this thing yourself, I will go get a different creation. Quick, tell me how to get a different one.”
Li Qiye chuckled and pointed at the sleeping elves by the lake, saying: “Go wake them up. You guys can pick an elf and trade something with them. Whatever you get will depend on your own fortune.”
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist stared at the sleeping elves by the lake. They were like round rocks without any movement at all.
“What should we trade?” Lan Yunzhu asked.
Li Qiye answered: “It’s very simple, they like golden things the most. Take out something with a sparkling golden color, but of course, gold is best. They like gold a lot.”
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist suddenly became silent. In the eyes of mortals, gold was indeed very precious, but it was trash in the eyes of cultivators for they had no need for mortal items.
Some vagrant cultivators, especially weaker ones who often mingled with the mundane world, would have a lot of gold in their pockets. Sadly, Lan Yunzhu came from an emperor’s lineage so she had no need for such things.
Chapter 508 - Exchange
“Ah… Hmm… It seems that I have a little bit.” The daoist searched his pockets to see if he could find any gold. He was more fortunate than Lan Yunzhu; since he regularly calculated others’ fortune, he coincidentally had some gold. After spending half a day looking, he finally had a few bits of gold.
He then excitedly asked Li Qiye: “Young Noble, will each elf have different treasures?”
“Yes! Each elf has their own special treasure. You are free to do as you please.” Li Qiye smiled and added: “If you want, you can try to divine it as well to see which elf is right for you.”
“That… won’t be necessary, I’ll just test my luck.” The daoist simply closed his eyes and picked a random “rock.” He wanted to test his luck for a change.
“What do you want?” The awakened elf was very annoyed. Any sleeper being woken would be unhappy. The elf then glared at the daoist and angrily exclaimed: “Brat, if you are not here to trade, then I’ll beat you into a pig’s head!”
The daoist opened his palm to show off the bits of gold and quickly said: “I want to trade for a creation.”
The elf’s green eyes immediately opened up wide after seeing the sparkling gold bits in the daoist’s hand. His sleepiness immediately disappeared. Li Qiye was right, these elves really liked gold.
“I want all of it!” The elf quickly gathered all the gold bits into his own pocket, then he took a look at Daoist Heaven Calculating: “Oh, a ghost, and a lying swindler ghost at that!”
The daoist became speechless when the Heart-ghost Tribe were dubbed lying swindlers by the elf. He let out a wry smile and tried to explain: “I am part of the Heart-ghost Tribe, we specialize in divining for others.”
“I know.” The elf said with a clearly disinterested appearance: “There is nothing redeeming about these ghosts!”
The daoist was completely dumbfounded once again. What could he say to counter these words?
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu both exploded in laughter; the daoist became quite embarrassed.
“Take it. Because of the gold, I’ll give you the Divine Board of River Luo. Hmph, if you didn’t give me gold, I would never have decided to give you such a nice item like this!” The elf threw a treasure towards the daoist then coiled up and went back to sleep.
The daoist looked at the divine board in his hands. His eyes brightened and he emotionally exclaimed: “This… This is a great treasure for divining. It’s even better than the turtle shell left behind by my ancestors!”
“Of course.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Inside the Prime Ominous Grave, the fortunes in this Secret Realm are amazing. As long as you have the luck to enter, you will have a great harvest.”
“Thank you for your help.” The daoist bowed again towards Li Qiye. If Li Qiye didn’t bring him along, then he wouldn’t have been able to enter this Secret Realm.
“Now it’s your turn to test your luck.” Li Qiye smiled at Lan Yunzhu and continued: “If you are lucky, maybe you will be able to trade for something great.”
Lan Yunzhu looked at the group of elves but couldn’t make a decision right away. After looking at them for a while, she then looked over at Li Qiye with puppy dog eyes.
“Don’t look at me, I will not give you a treasure.” Li Qiye denied as he shook his head.
Lan Yunzhu cheerfully smiled and said: “Uncle, your eyes are as bright as torches and are sharp enough to see through all things; will you choose an elf for me?” She acted a bit coquettishly like a pampered child and continued on: “I know that Uncle is a person who knows all things under the heavens and above the earth. My admiration for you spans as long as the endless rivers…”
“Okay, stop flattering me, it’s so fake.” Li Qiye angrily said: “I will pick an elf for you.”
Lan Yunzhu then threw a gentle and lovable smile at him and said: “I knew that Uncle was a nice person!”
“Don’t keep on using the beauty trap or I’ll really have you tonight.” Li Qiye’s direct words left Lan Yunzhu flustered. She quickly elbowed his chest and angrily shouted: “Go die, pervert!”
Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh. After looking for a while, he pointed to a sleeping elf: “That one, maybe you will have an unexpected harvest.”
Lan Yunzhu happily ran over and woke up the sleeping elf.
“What do you have to trade with me?” The elf got up and asked.
Lan Yunzhu immediately took out some shining golden items and placed them in front of the elf.
Who said only the Secret Realm’s elves liked bright things? Women also loved them. The items she took out were not treasures, they were just some of her jewelry. Even the most simple and elegant girl would carry some golden jewelry around, and female cultivators were no exceptions.
The drowsiness immediately went away as the elf stared at Lan Yunzhu’s items. This elf looked at one thing and touched another; all of them were definitely to his liking.
Li Qiye looked at the elf touching the items and smiled to say: “Aizz, girls always have things that these elves like the most; they’ll always have eight to ten pieces of golden jewelry.”
“I want all of them!” The elf shouted. This came as no surprise since Lan Yunzhu’s jewelry were all very finely crafted. Who wouldn’t like them?
Lan Yunzhu then excitedly responded: “Then what treasure will you take out to trade with me?”
“The Reverse-time Shuttle is something I really like, it’s extremely precious.” The elf took out a round container and replied. 1
Standing beside them, Li Qiye immediately said: “Trade it.”
Under Li Qiye’s instruction, Lan Yunzhu grabbed the round container right away and pushed her items into the elf’s hands. She then smiled and said: “Deal!”
The elf was very happy and coiled himself, falling back to sleep.
Lan Yunzhu then ran back to Li Qiye while holding the round container. She was the river sect’s descendant, a high and above goddess in the eyes of others, but at this moment, she was like an excited little girl in front of Li Qiye.
“What is this treasure?” Lan Yunzhu handed the container over to Li Qiye and asked.
Li Qiye took a careful look. The simple and round lines were extremely smooth; ordinary people would not be able to see what was magical about it. He rubbed the container and praised: “Good stuff, very amazing.”
“What are the mysticisms behind this Reverse-time Shuttle?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t see through it, so she asked again.
Li Qiye had seen countless treasures. He noticed some clues but didn’t want to tell Lan Yunzhu. He instead answered with a smile: “You have to study this yourself. Only then would it become a treasure that belongs to you. Then, it would not be limited to being only a tool or a weapon.”
“Fine, I’ll meditate on it by myself later then.” Lan Yunzhu gave him a look and said. Nevertheless, she was still quite happy to have this Reverse-time Shuttle. As an imperial descendant, she had seen emperor’s weapons before, but this Reverse-time Shuttle had a different significance. It was something that she traded for with Li Qiye’s guidance, so she liked it a lot.
“Okay, Uncle, we both got treasures so it is your turn. We can leave once you obtain a treasure too.” Lan Yunzhu urged Li Qiye.
Li Qiye sat by the lake and took out a treasure box; inside was a burning turtle. This was the turtle taken from Nightsea, a Yang Night-turtle.
After Li Qiye’s training, this turtle became very obedient unlike its previous rebellious self.
“What kind of divine turtle is this?” Lan Yunzhu noticed the flames on top of the divine universal chains and asked.
Even the most unaware individual would know that this turtle was extraordinary.
“A Yang Night-turtle from Nightsea.” Li Qiye’s forehead loosened up as a brilliance suddenly flashed. A universal law chain locked the turtle once again.
“There are turtles in Nightsea?” The daoist asked in astonishment: “I’ve never heard of anyone fishing anything out of Nightsea besides Nightfish!”
Lan Yunzhu was also surprised. Up till this point, the people of the Sacred Nether World knew that Nightsea only had Nightfish. For millions of years, there had never been any tales indicating otherwise.
Now, a turtle suddenly showed up from Nightsea. Anyone would know that this turtle must be extremely heaven-defying.
Li Qiye looked at the turtle in his palm and said: “We’ll make a deal. You go get something for me, and I’ll give you a creation as well as find someone to take you back to Nightsea. In the future, when you become accomplished with the dao, the Ancestral Flow will take care of you inside Necropolis. Of course, if you don’t want to, I won’t force you, but I have to let you know that I will be making a turtle hot pot tonight. Don’t even dream about escaping, it is useless with my divine chain around you.”
“You call this a deal? You are clearly threatening it.” Lan Yunzhu threw a frustrated glance at Li Qiye and said.
Li Qiye’s eyes squinted as he smiled and said: “You are right, I am threatening it and I’m not joking around.”
When Li Qiye narrowed his eyes, not to mention Lan Yunzhu who knew him too well, even the turtle in his hand shuddered. It felt that if it couldn’t escape, then its fate would be even worse than becoming turtle stew.
“If you agree to the deal, then nod your head and I’ll grant you a creation.” Li Qiye smiled and said. At this point, his demeanor appeared to be very harmless, but Lan Yunzhu and the daoist both shivered. They felt that Li Qiye’s current appearance was the most frightening.
Chapter 509 - Obtaining The Treasure
Nightsea was known to only have Yang Nightfish, so the existence of this turtle was already amazing in itself. This turtle definitely had to be a creature with intelligence. After hearing Li Qiye, it immediately nodded.
“That’s good, I like sensible people.” Li Qiye said as he smiled. Li Qiye then solemnly took out a bottle and carefully poured a drop of Myriad Star Water. The small bottle of Myriad Star Water had been used several times already, so now Li Qiye treasured every single drop.
“You… You are too wasteful! You are feeding a turtle Myriad Star Water!” Lan Yunzhu’s heart was bleeding. This was not her first time seeing Li Qiye’s wasteful extravagance. Back at the Thousand Islands, he had done something similar, but now, it was ridiculous to the point where he actually fed a turtle this valuable water.
She painfully said: “Do you not feel any remorse for doing so? Do you know how valuable this water is? This is something even Immortal Emperors desire, yet you are giving it to a turtle! You… have gone too far!”
“What? This… Is the legendary Myriad Star Water only meant for Immortal Emperors?” The daoist stammered after hearing this. He couldn’t help but stare in a daze with his tongue tied.
He had only heard of this supreme celestial item while other people actually questioned its existence. One drop of Myriad Star Water was even more valuable than a drop of emperor’s blood. And now, Li Qiye had actually fed this turtle an item more valuable than emperor’s blood!
If this sort news were to be spread, countless people would be frightened to death. Some would definitely question the legitimacy of such a statement.
“This is way too luxurious, way too prodigal…!” After a long time, the daoist finally managed to utter one sentence. He wouldn’t have believed such a thing if he didn’t see it with his own eyes. He had seen extravagant spending before; some who hailed from emperor’s lineages would use Virtuous Paragon Refined Jades as their pocket change.
However, those people were nothing compared to Li Qiye. Using Myriad Star Water to feed a turtle — who could be more wasteful than him? Being wasteful to such an extent was beyond literary description. A drop of Myriad Star Water could reverse life and death in a last-minute situation. Such a precious item was a priceless treasure.
Li Qiye nonchalantly said: “The turtle requires Myriad Star Water to stimulate its potential. Otherwise, it can’t go into that place.”
The turtle knew that this drop of water was good stuff, so it stuck out its tongue and sucked in the water without wasting any.
“Buzzz!” The moment it swallowed the liquid, the flames erupting on its body became even stronger. The universal divine chains intertwined with the fire as if they were about to become an immortal chapter.
In the blink of an eye, these chains covered the entire turtle as if it was a turtle shell.
“Is it worth it? A drop of star water is even more precious than emperor’s blood.” After seeing the turtle taking in the water, Lan Yunzhu asked.
“Completely worth it.” Li Qiye nodded his head instantly and replied: “If I can obtain this creation, then it would absolutely be worth it.”
“If? Only if?” Lan Yunzhu glared at him and said: “Do… Do you know what the word ‘if’ means?”
It wasn’t as if Lan Yunzhu had never seen treasures before. On the contrary, since she came from the Thousand Carp River and was its descendant, she had seen many unparalleled items. However, one drop of star water was not something just anyone could get. One could negotiate with emperor’s lineages for emperor’s blood, but the star water couldn’t be bought even with money.
Using the star water to make a gamble was too grand. The daoist shuddered; witnessing such decisiveness was quite rare.
Li Qiye smiled and responded: “It shouldn’t be a problem unless something unexpected happens.”
Lan Yunzhu angrily glared at him and said: “You should have just given it to me instead of wasting it like this.”
Li Qiye retorted by pointing at his lips and teased: “If you kiss me, then I can think about giving you a drop of star water.”
Her face was immediately flushed red as she angrily cursed: “Go to hell! Shameless!”
Li Qiye only laughed in response. Then, with a buzzing sound, ten palaces appeared and slowly opened. A tree branch appeared from within one of the palaces.
“Ten palaces…” The daoist absent-mindedly murmured after seeing the ten palaces above Li Qiye’s head.
The news of Li Qiye having nine stars and ten palaces had already been spread everywhere, but seeing it was completely different from just hearing about it. Witnessing it with his own eyes left the daoist shaken.
At this point, the withered stump that resembled a hand flew out of one of Li Qiye’s Fate Palaces and fell onto the turtle’s back. Its branches then seemingly turned into tentacles and latched onto the turtle’s body.
The turtle had a shell made out of divine chains and a withered trunk that looked like a hand, so its appearance became quite strange. The daoist and Lan Yunzhu didn’t understand the logic behind this combination.
“Why did you put the branch on the turtle’s back?” She then curiously asked. She had seen this withered trunk before, back when Li Qiye obtained it on the islands. At that time, he used a precious young leaf and grinded it into a liquid in order to obtain this tree trunk.
Seeing the dried trunk with little shoots full of life, Li Qiye smiled and replied: “The turtle is the guide. No one can enter this Secret Realm’s lake. Only death awaits those who fall in, but an existence like this Yang Night-turtle is able to survive. Of course, the turtle itself can’t take the item, so it requires the tree trunk to be accepted by the Secret Realm.”
The daoist, who was skilled in calculating, recognized that this tree trunk was extraordinary, so he curiously asked: “What kind of divine tree is this dried tree?”
For it to be accepted by this Secret Realm, this tree trunk must have a heaven-frightening origin.
“At the very least, it is a divine tree that you cannot calculate or else you will suffer the heaven’s punishment.” Li Qiye said with a grin.
Li Qiye then let go of the turtle and patted its back: “Go, help me get that thing and you will be free.”
The turtle then crawled into the lake and instantly disappeared below the surface.
Li Qiye sat by the lake and calmly watched the water. Although he had a relaxed demeanor, his intense gaze towards the lake showed that he was very serious.
Lan Yunzhu sat next to him and looked at the lake as well. She didn’t dare to speak; it was as if she thought that speaking would disturb the existence in the lake.
Previously, the daoist had read Li Qiye’s palm and was scared out of his wits. Now, Li Qiye’s seriousness made him wonder what the defining treasure of this place could be. What item could make him so solemn?
Time passed by, but the lake was still very calm. It was as if nothing had happened, as if the turtle had dived down and escaped.
After a long period of time, Lan Yunzhu became worried and quietly asked: “Could it be that the turtle has run away?”
“I’m not worried about it escaping.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued: “Even if it was ten times more courageous, it still wouldn’t dare to flee from me.” His eyes were still fixated on the water.
“What is the defining treasure of this place?” She inquired once more. Lan Yunzhu believed that Li Qiye’s horizons were wide; an ordinary treasure wouldn’t be able to tempt him. Something capable of such a deed must be unique in this world.
Li Qiye hesitated for a bit before eventually answering: “I don’t know.” After pausing, he added: “I hope that it is what I think it is, I really hope so.”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but become surprised at this answer. His hesitation spoke plenty since it was quite rare to see such an expression on his face. He was not the indecisive type, but now, he was not certain and was lacking confidence.
This was something Lan Yunzhu had never seen before. Even when he said he wanted to destroy the Myriad Bones Throne, he was still full of absolute confidence!
However, this time was different. What was it that made him so unsure?
“Boom!” The entire Secret Realm shook as if something was affecting it. This caused the lake to ripple with waves while water shot up high and splashed everywhere.
“Success!” Li Qiye became ecstatic. He stood up to gaze at the rippling water.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist became nervous as well. They stared at the surface, waiting for the turtle to appear.
After a good while, the surface calmed down as the waves receded, then the turtle finally emerged and swam to the shore.
It was apparent that the turtle was greatly fatigued; even a single step took all of its strength. The turtle shell created by universal laws had been completely shattered and cracks were visible on its body. Although it had swallowed a drop of star water, its wounds still didn’t quickly heal.
Chapter 510 - Realm’s Defining Treasure
It was clearly wounded as the flames on its body had been extinguished. If it didn’t drink a drop of star water beforehand, it would have died in the lake even if it had ten lives.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist were quite shocked. It wasn’t because that the turtle was wounded, but because of the hand-like tree trunk.
At this time, the withered trunk exuded boundless immortal lights with waves of immortal laws descending upon it. Each immortal law derived the most profound grand dao in this world; it was as if they could collapse the heavens and cause chaos to the Yin and Yang. It was as if these immortal laws came from the body of a supreme immortal.
Even geniuses like Lan Yunzhu couldn’t handle looking at these lights. Her legs even became weak. These laws instilled awe and fear to those in its presence; when these laws approached, Lan Yunzhu and the daoist could feel that the laws were suppressing their own grand dao while their grand dao was screaming and struggling under the might of this new law.
Lan Yunzhu cultivated a Heaven’s Will Secret Law, but it could not oppose this immortal law. How frightening was it for even a secret law to fail to oppose it?
Inside these endless immortal lights was an indiscernible “something.” The lights were simply too bright, so Lan Yunzhu had to activate her heavenly gaze — powered by her secret law — just to see the thing inside.
It was a book, a very old book. It seemed to have been created in a natural process, so it was more of an item crafted by the heaven and earth than a book. This book harmonized with the world as if it was one with everything.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t imagine the power this book would exude once the pages were flipped. Once the pages of this book were turned, maybe the heaven and earth would shake, or maybe myriad worlds would lose their music. The sky could cry tears of blood while the earth could tremble!
Li Qiye looked at this book and emotionally murmured: “Yes… So it was true. Just like what I theorized, it really does exist!”
In the past, Li Qiye — as the Dark Crow — became friends with the Ancestral Flow Master and experienced many things together. The master said that the Prime Ominous Grave’s Secret Realm hid a book, so Li Qiye had always been searching for it. A unique book, a book coveted by Immortal Emperors, a book so precious that they would pay any price to obtain it.
Later on, he didn’t only come to the Prime Ominous Grave once or twice. Sometimes, he wouldn’t get any treasures. If that was the case, he would only research the stopping points of the Corpseblood Clouds. In the end, hard work paid off and Li Qiye found this Secret Realm.
Another time, Li Qiye brought Immortal Emperor Qian Li here, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to obtain the book. This book had always lingered in his mind, so he began to study even more and read countless ancient books and tablets. Finally, he had stumbled upon a method.
In this generation, he found the dried trunk so he finally had the chance to try out his theory. He wasn’t very certain because the book’s existence itself was merely speculation; the Ancestral Flow Master wasn’t sure either.
Moreover, there were most likely several Secret Realms in the Prime Ominous Grave and not just this one. In summary, Li Qiye didn’t have much confidence, but this book was worth the gamble.
And it was not in vain; just like he had speculated, this Secret Realm indeed had this book. The legends were real, and the secrets in this book must be real as well.
The turtle climbed onto the shore where Li Qiye quickly grabbed the book. The always-nonchalant Li Qiye was unable to contain his emotions as he caressed the book and exclaimed: “It really is this book! The heavens didn’t let me down!”
The daoist asked while being visibly moved: “What kind of precious book is this?” He didn’t know what it was outside of the fact that it must be very amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Li Qiye took a deep breath and put the book away as one of his Fate Palaces sucked in the dried trunk. Seeing the cracked body of the turtle, Li Qiye took out the bottle and fed it another drop of Myriad Star Water.
After taking in this drop, the turtle became lively again. The water’s medicinal effect started to close its wounds.
Lan Yunzhu glared at him once more and exclaimed: “You are too lavish. One drop alone is enough to scare others to death, but another drop?! Do you want everyone in this world to drop dead from horror?!”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t be blamed for this overreaction. If others witnessed such a thing, they would pray that they could turn into a turtle to enjoy the Myriad Star Water.
On the other hand, the daoist could only wryly smile. No cultivators in this world were comparable to this turtle; they never had the chance to taste one drop, let alone two.
“This is for its contribution. It’s very worthy.” Li Qiye smiled and said as he tapped the bottle of water: “You are now free. When the time is right, I will tell someone to drop you off at Nightsea.”
It was as if the turtle understood Li Qiye’s words since it happily rubbed against him. Li Qiye’s brows relaxed as he withdrew the universal divine chains that were latched on the turtle’s body.
A while after he obtained the book, a buzzing sound suddenly appeared. From the lake rose a dao platform where a portal slowly opened. It was time for them to leave.
Li Qiye looked at the opening portal and told the other two: “Come, it is time for us to enter the five Grave Realms.”
Lan Yunzhu and Daoist Heaven Calculating decisively followed Li Qiye into the portal. It suddenly turned dark as they were teleported out of the Secret Realm to another location.
Lan Yunzhu opened her eyes and saw a majestic scenery with mountain ranges. The taller mountains were mainly formed from numerous smaller stones and boulders, but a few were also single unified rock formations. Because of this, the shapes of these mountains were quite strange. Some appeared to be eggs while others looked like pillars. Two or three of them placed next to each other formed a giant gate.
Standing here gave the illusion that there was nothing other than rocks, as if this was a world of stone.
“The fluctuation of minerals here is quite strong.” Lan Yunzhu felt a strange aura and startlingly exclaimed: “Could this place be specialized in giving birth to treasure metals and divine stones?”
“You are correct.” Li Qiye smiled in response: “There are five Grave Realms in the Prime Ominous Grave, and each of them is different. Later on, some people divided the five into five Great Realms: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. You are standing in the place others refer to as the Metal Realm.
“Five elemental realms…” The daoist thought to himself. This was different from his imagination.
“You can also put it this way: each of the five realms has their own special characteristic. For example, this Metal Realm specializes in giving birth to treasure metals and divine stones. If one wants to find grand dao treasure metals or destiny true stones, then this is the right place to be. There are minerals and ores in this realm.” Li Qiye paused for a moment before continuing: “If you want to find spirit medicines and grasses, or even the legendary King Medicines, then you should go to the Wood Realm because it has them in great quantities; it has the best ingredients in this world.”
“Is this place not the Prime Ominous Grave?” The puzzled Lan Yunzhu asked: “There is no grave here, so why is it called the Prime Ominous Grave?”
“You want to see graves?” Li Qiye smirked and said: “Then go to the Earth Realm. The graves that you want to see will be at that location, and all of them are beyond your imagination. One has to prepare well before going, and this realm would be best saved for last.”
“Why is that?” The daoist curiously asked.
Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and explained: “The Earth Realm is also called the Prime Grave, or the Center Realm. Although the five realms are not directly adjacent to each other, the other four circle the Earth Realm. The Prime Grave is the most dangerous out of all of them, so if you want to test your fortune in that place, you have to be mentally prepare to die. If you can make it out alive, then you will surely obtain a great creation; of course, the majority of people die inside. One out of ten coming out alive is putting it nicely, it’s more like one out of ten thousand.”
Lan Yunzhu inquired: “Why is it so dangerous? Are there ghosts there?”
“Hahaha, ghosts?” Li Qiye smiled and answered: “If they were ghosts like the members of the ghost race, then it would not be scary at all. Once you enter the Prime Grave, you will find out just what the scariest ghosts in this world are.”
“There really are ghosts?” The daoist asked again.
Although people called the Ghost Immortal Race ghosts, these ghost immortals had never accepted this title. The truth was that they weren’t ghosts, they were existences with flesh and blood.
Some other existences were also called ghosts, such as the sentiments, but they were also not real ghosts. They were only lingering sentiments, different from the ghosts the mortal world thought of.
Chapter 511 - Mysteries of the Destiny Stones
In fact, these so-called “real ghosts” had never been seen before. Cultivators didn’t believe in ghosts, just like how they did not believe in true immortals.
“Well…” Li Qiye squinted his eyes then chuckled: “That is hard to say, but if you want to find out, then go to a grave in the Earth Realm. If you have the chance to crawl inside, maybe you will actually meet a real ghost.”
“Ah, forget it.” The daoist jumped and felt a chill crawl down his spine as if he was being stared at by a ghost.
Li Qiye chuckled then looked towards the far horizon. Every time he came to this place, he would always want to go to a certain location. He knew that there was something even he could never obtain, but he could still give it another shot.
While Li Qiye stared at the far horizon, the daoist took out another turtle shell and shook it.
“What are you trying to calculate?” Li Qiye looked at this daoist that was stricken with his occupational habit and asked: “Are you trying to calculate the Prime Grave?”
“Hmm…” The daoist wryly smiled and responded: “I don’t dare to calculate the Prime Grave because the heavenly lightning will strike me dead. Hehe, but even if I can’t do so, I can still calculate my own luck. Not about the future and not about the heaven’s will, only my own fortune to see which Great Realm is right for me.”
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what to say. The daoist was indeed a natural seer; he wanted to divine every single thing — this habit ought to be fixed.
“There is no need to calculate.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued: “Go to the Fire Realm if you want a suitable realm; that place is right for the Heart-ghost Tribe. Follow your heart and you will surely benefit greatly.”
After hearing this, the daoist stopped shaking his turtle shell and quickly asked: “Really?”
“Go and see for yourself. Of course, you can also calculate to see, but I trust that I am not wrong.” Li Qiye answered with a smile.
“This little one definitely believes in Sir and will follow your suggestion.” The daoist quickly put away his shell and asked: “How does one reach the Fire Realm?”
Li Qiye pointed towards a direction and said: “Go straight ahead from here and you will find a dao platform. Go through the portal and it will teleport you to the Fire Realm.”
“Thank you, Sir, for your guidance!” The daoist bowed and quickly showed his gratitude: “This little one will not bother you any longer. I shall go ahead to find the Fire Realm.”
“Go, your harvest will not be small.” Li Qiye smiled in response.
The daoist bid farewell to the other two and went towards the direction Li Qiye pointed to. The daoist was already satisfied from entering the Secret Realm with Li Qiye so now he wanted to see if he could find his own fortune by himself.
Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye watched as the daoist departed.
Afterward, Lan Yunzhu asked: “Where do we go now? Will we meet up with Master’s group?”
Li Qiye smirked and looked at Lan Yunzhu to say: “Would you like a destiny true stone?”
“Destiny true stone?” Lan Yunzhu shook her head and replied: “I already have my own true fate treasure. It was created from quite an exceptional destiny true stone.”
The stone mentioned by Lan Yunzhu was quite amazing. In the end, the river sect was an emperor’s lineage and she was its descendant, so the stone she owned would naturally not be mediocre.
Li Qiye added with a smile: “But this place has even better destiny true stones, ones that are more suitable for you. Of course, this is only if you are meant to have one.”
Lan Yunzhu smiled and gave him a look: “Uncle, don’t try to trick me. My true fate treasure was created from an eight heavenly accumulations destiny true stone, it’s only a bit worse than one with nine heavenly accumulations. Even the true fate treasure of the throne of bones’ descendant is just barely better than mine; his Imperial Spear has nine accumulations.”
Among these destiny stones, having nine accumulations would be the upper limit so destiny stones with nine accumulations were the best. It was no wonder why Lan Yunzhu said that her own stone wasn’t bad; this was already being very humble. Eight accumulation destiny stones were worthy of being called priceless treasures while nine accumulation stones were items that could only be obtained with great luck.
Li Qiye shook his head and said: “Girl, more often than not, the strength of a true fate treasure is not due to the amount of heavenly accumulations. Moreover, the quality of these stones is not dependent on the amount either. Since time immemorial, not all true fate weapons of Immortal Emperors were crafted from nine accumulation destiny stones. In addition, most invincible existences did not search for only nine accumulation destiny stones because refining them did not always yield the strongest true fate weapon.”
Lan Yunzhu gave him a coy look and said: “Uncle, I know. My master already taught me this basic common sense when I started cultivating. There is only the most suitable destiny stone and not the strongest destiny stone. The quantity of the heavenly accumulations in these stones is only something the world uses for ordering, it’s not to distinguish their strengths…”
“I don’t need Uncle to explain this to me.” Lan Yunzhu gave him a stern look and continued on: “For example, Immortal Emperor Bu Zhan. His Immortal Emperor True Treasure was only crafted from a single heavenly accumulation destiny stone, but it was still unbeatable in the nine heavens and ten earths. Hence the previous phrase: there is only the most suitable destiny stone, and not the strongest destiny stone.”
In fact, the stories of Immortal Emperor Bu Zhan circulated for generations. His weapon that was made from a single accumulation destiny stone became a miracle even amongst the weapons of Immortal Emperors.
“You are correct, finding the most suitable stone is the most crucial aspect for cultivators.” Li Qiye smiled and continued: “But keep in mind that there are also other details to these destinty stones. This is why these stones were classified by a grand system all this time. For example, if we have two stones where both of them only have one heavenly accumulation, if one of them contains inflammation fire while the other contains the dao of a Vermillion Bird, which one do you think is stronger? Both of them belong to the fire element.”
“Of course I know this. If the cultivator trains with a heavenly fire fate law, then the stone with the inflammation fire will be stronger, but if they train with a fiery bird fate law, then it would be the stone with the Vermillion Bird.” Lan Yunzhu snickered and said: “Uncle, don’t test me, this is only common knowledge.”
Li Qiye smiled and continued his questioning: “Very good, now let’s have two destiny stones with two heavenly accumulations. One of them has the inflammation fire and mysterious ice while the other has the dao of a Vermillion Bird and Fiery Vulture. Which one do you think is stronger?”
“Hmm…” Lan Yunzhu contemplated before answering: “If we were using the same fate laws described earlier, then the second destiny stone is stronger. The first destiny stone is affected by the conflict between fire and ice, so even the cultivator cultivating the heavenly fire fate law would be weakened by this. The second one has both the dao of the Vermillion Bird and Fiery Vulture — these are both fiery birds, so it will make the fiery bird fate law even stronger.”
Li Qiye chuckled and said: “Worthy of being the Thousand Carp River’s descendant, you’re not too stupid.”
Lan Yunzhu responded by stomping on Li Qiye’s foot and glaring at him: “Uncle, what are you trying to say? If you keep on teasing me, you better watch out!” Lan Yunzhu gritted her teeth while taking on a fierce pose.
Li Qiye was still smiling as he continued on: “Then I’ll test you again. We’ll use the same two cultivators again, one with the heavenly fire fate law while the other with the fiery bird fate law. Then we’ll give them the choice of two new destiny stones…
“These two have three heavenly accumulations. One of them has inflammation fire, mysterious ice, and pure Yang. The other has the dao of a Vermillion Bird, the dao of a Fiery Vulture, and Samadhi Flames. Which do you think is the suitable stone for them?”
“Hmm…” Lan Yunzhu pondered for a moment before answering: “In theory, both cultivators are fire cultivators. Although the Samadhi Flame is not of the fiery bird’s branch, it clearly augments the other two dao. The first destiny stone might have the pure Yang flame which is also of the fiery branch, but the mysterious ice dao conflicts with the pure Yang flame and inflammation fire. Even if the pure Yang flame and the inflammation fire support each other, causing them to become several times stronger, the conflict with the mysterious ice will result in their power getting weakened. Thus, logically speaking, the second destiny stone is stronger.”
Lan Yunzhu was the descendant of the river sect so she had vast knowledge in this regard, thus her answer was very reasonable.
“You’d be wrong.” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “When one cultivates a good heavenly fire fate law and refines the stone into one’s own true fate treasure, then the three heavenly accumulations in this stone will change. The pure Yang dao will become an incubator to refine the mysterious ice dao. Then, the mysterious ice and inflammation fire dao will combine together with Yin and Yang, giving birth to a new supreme Yin Yang dao! With this True Treasure, this fiery flame cultivator’s initial heavenly fire fate law would become the most tyrannical fate law in this world!”
“Really?” Lan Yunzhu skeptically asked.
“Of course, it is true. This theory is called the heavenly accumulation fusion. When a destiny stone is refined into a new true fate treasure, if you can combine several accumulations together to form an entirely new accumulation, its power would be even stronger and more formidable…
“Indubitably, this fusion has very stringent requirements. It is very rare to see a destiny stone with fusible accumulations. This type of destiny stone is much rarer than a nine heavenly accumulations destiny stone.”
Chapter 512 - Adventures in the Metal Realm
“Heavenly accumulation fusion…” Lan Yunzhu pondered for a good while before replying: “I think I have heard of it before… Oh, right! Master had mentioned it in the past; this fusion is only possible in theory and even till now, cultivators do not accept such a way of thinking. They think that this type of fusion is merely theoretical speculation.”
“Then you are mistaken.” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “Discussions of this fusion have existed since a very ancient time and it is not just a theory. Later on, during the Desolate Expansion Era, the person to carry it out was Immortal Emperor Can Long of the Soaring Immortal Sect. The world knows that the emperor’s true treasure was created from a three heavenly accumulations destiny stone, but very few people are aware that this true treasure has all three dao fused together.”
“Someone actually managed to carry out this type of fusion…?” Lan Yunzhu quietly murmured.
Li Qiye nodded and added: “It wasn’t only Immortal Emperor Can Long, some other invincible existences had done it during the Emperors Era as well. Future generations were unaware of it, but the few who were privy to this secret considered these fusions to be the most supreme of destiny stones.”
“Three dao are existences, six dao are grand forms, and nine dao are deities!” Lan Yunzhu murmured on: “Supreme fusions…”
These destiny stones were birthed by the heaven and earth, so each of these heavenly accumulations took on the form of a circle and were grand dao that followed a very particular and finely crafted system.
Three accumulations were called existence dao, such as the sword tiger, mulberry tree, and fiery vulture. Stones with four to six dao were called grand images because they would give birth to an even stronger dao. For example, if a six accumulations stone contained the three dao listed above, then the sixth dao might be of powerful forms such as the sun and moon or the Yin and Yang.
As for the nine accumulations destiny stones… Stones that had seven or more accumulations would have a possibility of containing one dao of the deities. A nine accumulations stone would definitely contain at least one.
Due to this particular system, the majority of cultivators believed that a grand form dao was stronger than an existence dao while a deity dao was naturally stronger than a grand form dao.
It made sense for these cultivators to have this belief. For example, the dao of the true dragon — its power was certainly stronger than the dao of the great river. For tens of millions of years, because of this system, many cultivators truly believed that more accumulations was better. 1
“Ultimately, there is only the most suitable destiny stone and not the strongest one.” Li Qiye smiled and continued on: “This place is the best at producing the highest quality and rarest destiny stones in this world. Maybe you will be able to find a destiny stone more fitting or one that has the right fusion for yourself. Or, we can even take a step back and assume that you won’t be able to find said stones, but a nine accumulations destiny stone isn’t a bad choice either.”
Lan Yunzhu glared at him and snappily said: “Let’s go then, you think I can’t do it?”
Li Qiye chuckled and checked the direction before saying: “Let’s go over there. We’ll surely be able to find that place.” He then led the way.
The Metal Realm was full of rocks that were close together in an intricate pattern. It was easy to become lost while walking around in this place, but Li Qiye seemed to be completely unaffected. It was as if he had been here before.
“Have you been here before?” Seeing how Li Qiye was so carefree while leading the way, Lan Yunzhu looked at him and asked.
Li Qiye flicked her forehead and replied: “I told you to read more but you didn’t believe me. Reading the records of wise sages is very beneficial; one of the sages had left behind a map for the Prime Ominous Grave. If you had seen it before, then you would understand this place immediately.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t believe him and rolled her eyes to say: “Bah, how come I’ve never heard of the map of this wise sage?”
Li Qiye smirked and said: “This is because you lack the knowledge. You have a narrow view like a frog at the bottom of a well so of course you wouldn’t know about this map.”
“You are the frog with a narrow view!” Lan Yunzhu angrily retorted.
Li Qiye simply chuckled and flicked her forehead once more only to be met by her combative glare.
The Metal Realm was vast and full of boulders, stone mountains, rock formations, and shores with innumerable pebbles… There were very few trees in this scenery filled with rocks.
Many great powers and vagrant cultivators had come to the Metal Realm. They all quickly tried to find treasure metals and divine stones right away.
To cultivators, no one would ever waste this rare chance since the grave only opened once every several generations.
Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye didn’t get very far before meeting a few ghost cultivators.
“It’s Li Qiye!” At this time, Li Qiye enjoyed a notorious reputation since everyone knew that he could kill without blinking an eye. The ghost cultivators were especially cautious since Li Qiye had decapitated their people like cutting watermelons.
The weaker ghosts immediately retreated after they saw him.
Li Qiye then led Lan Yunzhu to their destination where they met many cultivators and great powers. Some sects wanted to dig at the mountains to find divine stones while others went deep into the caves to find legendary immortal metals.
Because this place produced a lot of great stone-based treasures, many cultivators and sects had great harvests. After crossing a large sandy beach, the two of them saw a master destroy half of this beach and he managed to dig out an imperial sandstone.
“Hahaha, Myriad Refined Sand! This is the king of all sand, a legendary imperial sandstone!”
“Go, now! Hurry up and dig, this imperial sandstone always comes in pairs; there is still another one down there!”
Other cultivators were sent into a frenzy after seeing someone dig out an imperial sandstone. They all began to crazily dig for the other one.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then passed by a large river and saw a group of cultivators diving down. They were all from the same sect and they seemed determined to search the river in its entirety before giving up. One disciple from downstream crazily screamed: “I found it, I found it! Master, I found the Myriad Water Source Stone!”
After hearing this, the group of cultivators soared downstream in jubilation. The sect master took a look at the treasure stone and joyously exclaimed: “This is indeed the Myriad Water Source Stone that the sect needs! Good, good job! Xiao Liuzi, you have done a great job. I’ll keep it in mind for now and will reward you after we return!”
The disciple who made this great contribution was very happy.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then crossed over another dangerous mountain ridge. Many cultivators here found many great things, and the joyous atmosphere affected plenty of cultivators in this realm.
The Prime Ominous Grave was one of the twelve burial grounds. This place was not peaceful or safe at all. The Metal Realm was one of the five Grave Realms, so it absolutely would not stay peaceful as a paradise for treasure seekers. It was also filled with dangers.
Once they passed the previously stated ridge, they found a ghost tribe decimating a huge mountain; the members of this tribe had to dig down for a thousand feet before finding the things that they wanted. After seeing the treasure, the ghost tribe master grabbed this divine metal and roared: “Look, this is the Heaven Devouring Furious Dragon Divine Metal in the legends!” The entire tribe drowned in happiness. 2
However, during their celebration, insects started to gather in the sky and formed a huge hole. “Buzzz!”
“Not good, Metal-eating Insects! Run!” Seeing the emergence of these insects that covered the sky, everyone lost their minds and tried to flee.
“Ahh!” Terrifying screams sounded out continuously. Although these experts ran for their lives, the speed of these insects was too fast and they caught the cultivators in an instant. All the experts in the tribe who participated in the excavation were devoured by the insects. After the insects flew away, only skeletons remained.
The insects ate the experts and then carried this divine metal back to their hole before disappearing inside.
Seeing several hundred experts turn into skeletons in an instant made all the spectators shudder in fear. No one dared to approach this area anymore, let alone attempt to grab that piece of draconic divine metal.
“What are Metal-eating Insects?” Lan Yunzhu looked at the group of insects that were seemingly made from steel and asked Li Qiye.
Li Qiye answered: “An extremely dangerous type of insect. They will eat just about anything, and they like divine metals the most. Their bodies are also extremely tough. It is rare to see them outside, but they are actually everywhere in the Metal Realm. Anyone who wants to dig out precious metals should be ready to meet Metal-eating Insects. They like to hide below these treasures. The bigger they are, the stronger they will be. Some stories even mentioned an insect ancestor swallowing an invincible existence.”
Not just anyone in the cultivation world could be called an invincible existence. For example, even paragons capable of starting their own countries or experts who were bestowed divine titles couldn’t be called invincible. Thus, one could only imagine how powerful these invincible existences must be. And yet, the Metal-eating Insects could still devour them — how terrifying was this?
However, the dangers of the Metal Realm went far beyond just these Metal-eating Insects. There were a few other dangers that simply couldn’t be described with words.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then passed by a plain and saw a great character of the Heavenly Sovereign realm rush out from a bottomless stone cave while screaming: “Run, run away!”
His entire body was stained with blood. The experts behind him were bloodied and battered as well.
Chapter 513 - Divine Dragon Mountain
“That’s the sect master of the Origin Sect!” Lan Yunzhu noticed this Heavenly Sovereign escaping from the cave and startlingly exclaimed.
“Ah!!” The group almost made it outside, but a tentacle suddenly whipped out with lightning speed and dragged all the experts behind the Heavenly Sovereign back inside.
The Heavenly Sovereign couldn’t escape either; another tentacle dragged him back in as well. Right after, the unwilling screams of the sovereign emanated from the cave: “No!!”
This scene caused the cultivators on the plain to stop what they were doing. They no longer dared to go closer to this cave.
“This time, the Origin Sect is finished. More than one thousand experts were annihilated altogether.” A completely pale cultivator explained since he witnessed everything: “I heard that they found a stone scripture inside that cave, so their entire sect rushed in. Who would have thought that all of them would die?”
“Just what kind of monstrosity is inside? Even a Heavenly Sovereign was helpless against it.” A quivering cultivator ran far away from the cave.
“What is inside?” Lan Yunzhu spectated from afar and asked in shock. A tentacle that overpowered even a sovereign — just how terrifying was this?
Li Qiye shook his head and said: “You can meet just about any monster in the Prime Ominous Grave. This place is treacherous, and when met by a supreme monstrosity, even a Virtuous Paragon would be doomed!”
“The grave is horrifying to this extent?” Her heart thumped after hearing his reply.
After seeing the elves in the Secret Realm, Lan Yunzhu felt that the Prime Ominous Grave was not that dangerous. Now, after seeing this scene, she finally realized that they were in the Prime Ominous Grave, known for its grim dangers.
Just how dangerous was this place? It was evident just by looking at the Metal Realm. Here, there weren’t only ferocious Metal-eating Insects, there were also some unnamed creatures. A sect found an old cave and noticed the treasure inside. Suddenly, a mist flew out and, after being enshrouded by it, all the experts suddenly became crazy.
Another expert forcefully pushed over a boulder as big as a peak in an attempt to find an ore vein underneath. However, before he could find anything, green water rushed out and melted all of his flesh, leaving behind mere bones.
There was also a powerful ghost tribe who took note of a divine stone deep in a ravine, but they were chased out by a legion of skeletons. These ghosts were running and fighting at the same time. In the end, they suffered heavy losses; only ten managed to escape with their lives.
In fact, such events happened every minute in the Metal Realm and the grave as a whole. Nevertheless, this still didn’t extinguish the cultivators’ greed for treasures.
The most tempting place in the Metal Realm was the Divine Dragon Mountain. Although the name suggested otherwise, there was not even a snake here, let alone a dragon.
It carried this name because the mountain had the appearance of a dragon soaring into the sky. It was both tall and long like a giant dragon soaring above the nine heavens.
The reason why people rushed here in droves was because this was the place that specialized in giving birth to destiny true stones. Even this was not enough to describe it; to be more exact, this place was covered with destiny stones.
Here, just by crouching down, one could pick up a destiny stone that ranged from one accumulation to nine accumulations. The Existence Destiny Stones were even more numerous; it was as if the mountain was paved with these stones. 1
After this news came out, those in the Metal Realm would go to the Divine Dragon Mountain to test their luck to see if they would be accepted by a Deity Destiny Stone. All cultivators wanted a stone of this level.
“Good news, the descendant of the Southern Ancient School has been accepted by an eight accumulations destiny stone and has taken it away.”
Another senior brother said: “Hahaha, my junior brother also got accepted by a seven accumulations destiny stone. It was right for him, so he took it away.”
An envious person recalled: “I heard the Saint Child of the Azure Bird Sacred Ground got accepted by six pieces of seven accumulations destiny stones at the same time. In the end, he took the Cold Bird destiny stone that was the most fitting for him.”
However, there were also those who took glee in the misfortune of others: “I gotta say, the oldest young noble from the Free Sect is the unluckiest. His talents are no less than any imperial descendant, but he wanted a nine accumulations destiny stone. Unfortunately, after going through all the Grand Form and Deity Destiny Stones, none of them were willing to leave with him.”
A cultivator curiously added: “Yeah, that is quite strange. The oldest young noble is brilliant and no weaker than a genius like the Titanic Crescent Saint Child. It seems that he had been cursed or something this time; not a single good destiny stone was willing to go with him.”
In the Metal Realm, this mountain was a hot topic and every second, someone would talk about the events that happened here. Many cultivators and sects from the other realms also quickly ran to the Metal Realm to try their luck after hearing about the Divine Dragon Mountain.
However, the Divine Dragon Mountain was a source of both happiness and insanity. Some people were accepted by the Great Form and Deity Destiny Stones, but there were others who searched the entire mountain and didn’t get accepted by any of them!
Li Qiye’s goal was also this mountain, so he took Lan Yunzhu there. Lan Yunzhu looked at the scene and uttered in disbelief: “No way!”
Li Qiye smiled and said: “This is only possible in the Prime Ominous Grave.”
In fact, it wasn’t just Lan Yunzhu, anyone else who came to this mountain would have the same shocked expression where they couldn’t believe their own eyes. This was simply impossible!
Li Qiye had seen this expression countless times. Everyone who came here would be frightened by this miracle!
The shape of this majestic soaring dragon mountain was not the reason why people were startled. It was because there were destiny stones all over the place; it was as if the mountain itself was built from these little stones.
Here, destiny stones were as common as pebbles, causing others to be dazzled. Countless people wished that they could move this entire mountain back to their home.
On this huge mountain, all types of destiny stones could be found. One accumulation stones that looked like crystals were everywhere. One could see a stone with the dao of a carp turning into a dragon. Another two accumulations stone had a Yang fire melting a metal. There was also a three accumulations stone with burning fire; multi-colored soft essences were being melted inside… Then, there were the eight accumulations destiny stones that combined itself with the grand dao while emitting golden and brilliant auspicious images. Meanwhile, the nine accumulations destiny stones resembled bones of beasts and had divine runes from a mythical beast, a Gluttonous Dragon.” 2
This treasure trove of destiny stones sent all spectators into a daze. No one could refrain from palpitating while looking at so many destiny stones. Each of them exuded a different colored light, giving the mountain an appearance of a multi-colored dragon soaring up high into the sky.
“How is this possible?” Lan Yunzhu asked in disbelief: “This many destiny stones would drive the entire world crazy.”
Remember, destiny stones were very rare, especially those with four accumulations or more. Grand Form and Deity Destiny Stones that couldn’t be bought with wealth were even more rare.
Normally, even if someone found a vein with destiny stones inside, at most there would only be a few dozen stones, and this would have already been considered a miraculous amount.
Now, the number of stones in front of them were too numerous to count, so how could people not be driven crazy?
Li Qiye pointed at the dragon mountain and said: “The majority of stones from this hillside and beyond are stones with four or more accumulations. If you want to find Grand Form and Deity stones, then your best bet is to go to the middle of the ridge.”
“What about stones of the supreme level that you mentioned before?” Lan Yunzhu looked at Li Qiye and asked: “Uncle, since there are so many destiny stones here, do you want to try to find a few dao fusion destiny stones?”
“That would depend on luck.” Li Qiye answered with a smile: “If you want to find some, then I’ll go with you. Any stones with four accumulations or less can be taken as you please, but if you actually find a dao fusion stone with four or more, then it would all be for naught if it doesn’t accept you.”
“I know, Uncle.” Lan Yunzhu smiled and gave him a charming glance: “And so, Uncle, I will hand the responsibility over to you. You have to find a destiny stone that accepts me, one that is the most suitable for me, and it is best if it is also a dao fusion stone.”
Anyone could grab Existence Destiny Stones as they pleased if they were fortunate enough to see some. However, as for stones of the Grand Form and Deity level — four accumulations or more… Without the acceptance of these stones, it would be useless even if the person really liked the stone since they couldn’t bring them along! Not even by force!
Chapter 514 - Dragon Mountain’s Destiny Stones
“All right.” Li Qiye teased her and said: “Because you are my fiancee, I will lend you a hand. If I can find a dao fusion destiny stone that is suitable for you, how will you repay me? With your body?” Li Qiye then gently touched her chin.
Lan Yunzhu gave him a charming glance and coyly smiled to say: “Uncle, do you want to be an old ox who eats young grass? My standard is very high, and you might not be the type that I like.”
Li Qiye flicked her forehead in response and said: “Girl, keep teasing me and I’ll really taste you completely.” Li Qiye’s words made her blush; she could only give him a scornful glare.
They then went to the mountain. Below their feet were bright destiny stones of different shapes and colors.
The two began to look at each of these stones. Some of them had the shape of burning metal while others looked like multi-faceted jewels. One that was more exceptional took on the appearance of a piece of Soaring Immortal Sacred Gold…
Although they were called Destiny True Stones, they were not pieces of rock. There were indeed some that looked like stones, but the majority of them were sacred metals.
Stepping on so many destiny stones caused the hearts of many people to beat faster; they were full of desires.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu weren’t the only ones at the Divine Dragon Mountain at the moment, many cultivators gathered here. Some were alone while others were in groups of three or five. There were even entire sects who came together just to test their luck.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu’s arrival caused many people to turn their gaze towards them: “Fierce Li Qiye and Fairy Lan of the Thousand Carp River…”
There was no need to elaborate on Li Qiye since his notoriety has recently been on the rise. With his demonstration of one battling tens of thousands, any ghost — including the big shots — would be wary when they saw Li Qiye.
It was the same for Lan Yunzhu. She was a famous beauty in the southern Distant Cloud and even the entire Sacred Nether World. She was the descendant of the river sect with dual saint talents, causing her fame to spread far and wide. Some people considered Lan Yunzhu and the Phoenix Maiden to be the two heaven’s proud daughters of the Sacred Nether World.
Lan Yunzhu had many admirers in these parts, so it was particularly intriguing when she came here with Li Qiye.
“Could it be that Fierce Li Qiye and Fairy Lan are both here to test their luck?” Someone commented after seeing the two of them.
A ghost cultivator who didn’t like Li Qiye sneered: “Pah, a human like that Li fella would, of course, come here to test his luck. People like him always want easy fortune.”
A human cultivator didn’t like these words and retorted: “Your Di Zuo is also the same. Just earlier, he also came here to test his luck.”
The ghost cultivator only scowled since he had no comeback.
Lan Yunzhu stepped on a bunch of destiny stones. Although only stones with four accumulations or less were here at the lower part of the ridge, it was a shame to not bring them back. Moreover, it was easy to do so since one didn’t need their acceptance.
Lan Yunzhu felt that it was a waste to ignore them, so she crouched down and picked up a few to bring back. Even if she didn’t use them, she could give them to the ordinary disciples back at the river sect.
However, Li Qiye stopped her from doing so. He shook his head and said: “We don’t need to waste time on these types of destiny stones. Also, this place is the Prime Ominous Grave; things here cannot be taken away so easily, especially at the Divine Dragon Mountain. These Existence Destiny Stones have Metal-eating Insects guarding them. They are currently hiding below these stones, so if you take them, these insects will fly out.”
Lan Yunzhu shuddered after seeing so many stones down on the ground and took a deep breath to ask: “Then all of these stones have Metal-eating Insects watching them?” At this time, she realized that they were not only standing on top of destiny stones, but also a monstrous insect nest. Maybe this entire mountain was their lair. Her scalp tingled at the thought of standing above so many insects.
Li Qiye saw through her expression and replied with a smile: “Don’t worry, if you don’t take away destiny stones with four accumulations or less, then the insects will not take the initiative to attack you.”
Having heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief since she had seen first-hand these terrifying insects. A few were manageable, but a swarm of them meant big trouble.
The majority of visitors didn’t come to this mountain for Existence Destiny Stones. After all, they were still relatively easy to find outside. People didn’t want to waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for ordinary destiny stones.
Cultivators didn’t stop at the base of the mountain and instead traveled to the middle ridges, aiming for stones with four or more accumulations. Some were even here for the nine accumulations stones.
A sect master led a group of disciples forward and ran all the way to the top. The sect master told his disciples: “Time is precious. First look for good destiny stones to see if any Deity Destiny Stone will recognize you.”
On their way up, a disciple noticed all these Existence Destiny Stones paving the way and felt that it was too much of a waste, so he couldn’t stop himself. However, the sect master noticed this right away and scolded him: “Little demon, come. Don’t waste time here and put your own life in danger! Existence Destiny Stones will have Metal-eating Insects guarding them! It is not worth your life!”
Under the sect master’s leadership, they all made it to the ridge safely. The disciples then began to look for Grand Form and Deity level stones that were suitable and would accept them.
Of course, there were also those who were tired of living. An old Heavenly Sovereign came to the Divine Dragon Mountain and his eyes immediately lit up. He then said with a sly smile: “I intend to create a sect so this many stones is just right for me.”
He then swung his sleeve to pick up dozens of destiny stones, but at the same time…
“Buzzz!” A bunch of Metal-eating Insects flew out from the ground.
This old sovereign snorted with extreme confidence as he spewed out a bunch of Extreme Yang Fire from his mouth. In the blink of an eye, these surging refined flames incinerated many insects. He then boldly proclaimed: “Insignificant insects!”
With that, he suddenly took out a bottle and opened it to suck up all the destiny stones.
“Buzzz!” However, this time, a Metal-eating Insect bigger than a thumb flew out.
Knowledgeable cultivators that were nearby became alarmed the moment they saw this insect: “Oh god, it is a Metal-eating Insect King!”
This old man confidently sneered: “This little insect dares to act so cockily?” He wanted to spew out more Extreme Yang Fire, but an abrupt scream came out instead: “Ahhh!”
The Insect King ignored the Extreme Yang Fire and penetrated the old man’s body in an instant.
“Crack crack!” This old man was devoured by the insect without a bone remaining.
This scene shocked everyone. A Heavenly Sovereign had no power to fight back against a Metal-eating Insect King — how frightening was this?
It wasn’t until the insect king crawled back into the ground that the aghast cultivators approached the area.
“Hahaha, this is the result of arrogance.” One cultivator quipped: “Two days ago, an amazing Heavenly King dug out a divine stone and met an insect king. This insect king ate him completely, yet a Heavenly Sovereign still dares to oppose one?”
Another pale cultivator recalled: “These insects are too ferocious. I heard that four Heavenly Kings from the Nether Crossing Swamp combined their strength yesterday to open a sealed cave, and they also met an insect king. The four of them ignored the treasures and fled instantly.”
After seeing the fate of this Heavenly Sovereign, the rest of the cultivators didn’t dare to touch any of the Existence Destiny Stones anymore. Losing one’s life for these destiny stones was not worth it.
However, such a scene was only the prelude. People calmed down and once again rushed to the mountain to find their own destiny stones.
At this time, someone found success. A young cultivator excitedly exclaimed: “Hahaha! I got a six accumulations destiny stone!” He then placed his hand on the stone. It was as if the stone had its own life; it jumped up several times and the cultivator immediately took it away.
Another young cultivator got pretty lucky and was accepted by three destiny stones, all of which were jumping alongside him. He was quite hesitant since he didn’t know which one to pick.
His master happily stroked his beard after seeing his disciple being accepted by three stones and said: “Hu Zi’s talents are really good for you to be accepted by three stones at once. One of them is even a six accumulations stone!”
Chapter 515 - Searching For Destiny Stones
Another senior happily added: “Indeed! Hu Zi will surely reach the Heavenly Sovereign realm ten years from now.”
Destiny stones with four or more accumulations would pick their masters. The choosing process had no rigid conditions or special standards. Normally, cultivators with greater talents would be accepted by more stones, but this was only what usually happened and not an absolute rule.
These stones had their own consciousness, especially those with four or more accumulations. They knew which masters would allow them to shine.
Seeing his disciple’s hesitation on choosing a stone, the master advised him: “Hu Zi, pick the spring one. Although this stone only has five accumulations, with the spring inside, it fits very well with your fate law.”
Any wise cultivator, especially a master, would not advise their disciples to pick the stones with the most heavenly accumulations over a more suitable one. The latter was the only way for a cultivator to actually unleash their full potential.
After hearing his master’s words, the young cultivator picked the one with the spring accumulation. After he chose this stone, although the other two stones also accepted him, they no longer jumped and went back to their original spot.
Cultivators could only have one true fate treasure, so they could only pick one destiny stone. Even if they were chosen by several stones, they could only pick one and couldn’t bring the others with them.
For those who already had a true fate weapon, if they did not give up their previous true fate weapon, then the newly chosen destiny stone would fly away; it would not stay with its master.
Of course, this situation was only for Grand Form and Deity level stones, Existence Stones didn’t have this restriction.
The treasury of great powers only had Existence level stones. If cultivators wanted a better one, they would have to go out and look on their own!
Thus, the mountain became very busy. Even those who already had a true fate weapon came to find a better or more suitable stone.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu, on the other hand, stayed at the bottom section of the mountain. Usually, people would rush towards the upper ridges, but Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu decided to stay at the base. Here, they were picking from a group of stones, garnering askance gazes.
The general consensus was that the stones at the lower areas were not worth the time; all of them contained less than four accumulations. Moreover, they were also guarded by insects.
“Hahaha, is this Li fella afraid of being humiliated? He doesn’t dare to go to the ridges out of fear that no stones would accept his crappy innate talents. People would laugh at him so he is staying at the base.” A young ghost cultivator who was hostile to Li Qiye couldn’t help but sarcastically utter.
“Oh? So you are a genius then?” A human expert struck back instantly: “Does a genius like you have any great battle records? Although Young Noble Li, our human race’s pride, doesn’t have any heaven-defying innate talents, he can slay ghost geniuses like dogs. Tens of thousands of ghosts were annihilated by the young noble’s bare hands.”
“You!” The ghost cultivator angrily glared at this human expert.
However, the human expert came from a great power, thus he fiercely gazed right back at the ghost without apprehension.
“Sup? Not convinced? Then go have a shot at Young Noble Li. Just like you said, our Young Noble Li’s innate talents aren’t that great, so a ghost genius like you should be able to beat him within three to five moves, right? Please go and challenge our young noble.” The human expert sneered.
Even though he was reddened with rage, the young cultivator gave up in the end. Although ghost cultivators hated Li Qiye and humans were only ants in his eyes, he didn’t have the courage to challenge Li Qiye. Li Qiye could slay even Heavenly Sovereigns, let alone someone like him.
Although other people didn’t sneer at Li Qiye like this ghost cultivator, the majority wondered why he was staying down at the base for so long.
“What are they trying to do?” Smart cultivators, even those from the ghost race, didn’t dare to hold Li Qiye in disdain. Moreover, a genius like Lan Yunzhu was also with him. Both of them were no fools.
“Maybe they are just trying to find a suitable stone rather than one with a large amount of accumulations. Remember that back in the Ancient Ming Era, Immortal Emperor Bu Zhan’s Marching Battle Spear was refined from a one accumulation destiny stone. Just think about some more; that year, the emperor had a battle for every single step he took and still proudly smiled over the nine heavens. With his spear, he killed till myriad worlds lost their colors. Countless Immortal Emperor True Treasures and invincible weapons were overshadowed in the presence of his spear.”
“That makes sense, and this applies to the truly devilish geniuses.” Not all cultivators agreed with the theory that was just stated. An older cultivator stroked his chin and commented: “Personally, I think the more accumulations, the better. I crave for a nine accumulations stone. Just think about it, the power of a Deity Destiny Stone! It would be as if the gods themselves descended.”
Another great character did not support this view and countered: “Not necessarily. Even if you have a nine accumulations stone with one Deity dao, do you think you have the ability to control this Deity dao? You do not cultivate emperor’s laws, so you will have difficulty in trying to control this Deity accumulation. In other words, a Deity accumulation, in your hands, is no different than trash.”
“No way. Without trying, how would you know that I can’t control a Deity accumulation?” The old cultivator was not convinced.
In just a moment, these two cultivators quarreled.
In fact, the theories about Destiny True Stones had always been debated. There were both proponents and opponents to the idea of there being only the most suitable stone, no strongest one.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu searched at the base of the mountain for a very long time. He couldn’t find a suitable one for Lan Yunzhu, but he made several stones jump for him.
Li Qiye noticed a destiny stone that looked just like a piece of jade. He crouched down and picked it up: “This one isn’t bad.”
“Buzzz!” The moment he picked it up, a Metal-eating Insect crawled out of the ground and flew towards Li Qiye at an extreme speed. However, Li Qiye was even faster. Before the insect could strike him, it had already been pinched between his two fingers.
“Crack!” The insect was crushed.
“What physique do you cultivate?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask after seeing how Li Qiye easily disposed the insect.
Others might not know, but Lan Yunzhu was certain that Li Qiye cultivated an Immortal Physique. However, his physique gave her a very strange feeling and she couldn’t tell which one it was.
Even in her wildest dreams, she wouldn’t expect for Li Qiye to cultivate two Immortal Physiques. This matter was absolutely impossible.
“Well… You will find out later.” Li Qiye cheerfully replied and put away the chosen destiny stone.
Lan Yunzhu noticed that he picked some very unique stones as if he knew what he wanted to do: “Do you feel like these stones can reach dao fusion?”
“Not necessarily for me.” Li Qiye shook his head in response: “I might not be suitable for dao fusion, but the chance is great with the right person. Maybe then, I can create a miracle.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t say anything. Dao fusion accumulation was merely a theory in the eyes of many people; the majority of cultivators had never even heard of it before.
After almost scouring the entire base of the mountain, the two were still unable to find a suitable stone for Lan Yunzhu.
“Since it has come to this, we’ll go up the mountain and look there.” Li Qiye lifted his head to look at the mountain and narrowed his eyes to say: “Use the Cyclical River of Fate for your dao foundation. As far as I know, there is a destiny stone very suitable for your circumstances. It definitely exists, but I’m not sure if it is still there or not.”
After hearing this, Lan Yunzhu angrily glared at him and said: “What?! You knew that there was a suitable stone for me on the mountain yet you didn’t say it and instead made me foolishly look with you here?”
Li Qiye looked at her fierce appearance and responded with a grin: “Girl, pay attention to your demeanor. You are a fairy of the river sect, someone famous for your beauty and your elegant, virtuous, and transcendent manners. Don’t you feel like your reputation will be ruined with such a scary appearance?”
“You—” Lan Yunzhu almost vomited blood from his teasing. She gritted her teeth to say: “Damn you, one day I’ll properly take care of you!”
Li Qiye didn’t care for her threat and leisurely said: “I am only doing this for your sake and maybe to save you some face. It is best to find a suitable stone down here because if we go up there and that stone doesn’t accept you, it would be very embarrassing. Everyone knows that you are a genius — a fairy, so if you get rejected by a stone, wouldn’t that ruin your reputation completely?”
Chapter 516 - The Stone At The Peak
Lan Yunzhu’s cheeks reddened from anger as she glared at Li Qiye and said: “Uncle, you look down on me too much! In the past, back at the sacred lake, I was accepted by three destiny stones at the same time, and all of them had eight accumulations! I am still very confident even if it is a nine accumulations destiny stone.”
Li Qiye laughed and said: “Like I said before, having more accumulations doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better. Although a few stones might not have eight or nine accumulations, they are still very arrogant. A few special stones would not accept anyone no matter how great their talents are.”
“Hmph! How about we make a bet then?” Lan Yunzhu snappily gave him a stern look and continued: “Now, tell me where that stone is so I can take a look at just how amazing it is.”
“Of course.” Li Qiye smirked and said: “But what do you want to bet? Don’t cry when you lose!”
Lan Yunzhu suddenly withdrew her angry glare as a playful glimmer appeared in her round eyes. She was all smiles as she said: “Uncle, how about we make it a big one? When we go up the mountain later, how about we bet on who will be accepted by more destiny stones? The person who is accepted by more stones will be the winner. What do you think, Uncle?”
Li Qiye looked at her and grinned as he replied: “Do you really want to bet?” He then thought of something very interesting and asked: “Do you think you will win?”
While puffing her cheeks, Lan Yunzhu smiled and said: “Of course. Don’t tell me Uncle is too scared? Even a little girl like me dares to bet. If you lose, then just give me one drop of Myriad Star Water.”
Li Qiye chuckled in response and replied: “Ah, so this little girl wants my Myriad Star Water. However, if you lose, what will you hand over to me?”
Lan Yunzhu arched out her plump breasts and said: “Uncle, I can handle losing. Treasures, immortal items, pills… Just say the words. If I have it, then I absolutely won’t cheat you!”
Li Qiye rubbed his chin then stared at her from top to bottom and smirked in an obscene manner as he said: “Treasures do not appeal to me. How about this? If you lose, then will you undress tonight for my viewing pleasure.”
“Undress my ass, you perverted scoundrel!” The flushed Lan Yunzhu screamed then tried to kick Li Qiye.
Li Qiye couldn’t keep himself from laughing. Then, he leisurely asked with a smirk: “So do you dare or not?”
Lan Yunzhu’s angry and blushing maiden face, combined with her gentle eyes full of watery sparkles, were movingly beautiful.
However, before the two of them could decide, one person descended to the Divine Dragon Mountain from the sky.
New arrivals and cultivators that were already here all became shocked when they saw this person: “The Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom’s descendant!”
“Xian Fan!” Lan Yunzhu also exclaimed.
It was Xian Fan who flew down from the sky. He was still shrouded by his Five Elements Immortal Armor so no one could see his face or figure. From beginning to end, no one knew whether the person inside was male or female. The only thing that they could tell was that it was indeed a human named Xian Fan, the descendant of the Immortal Kingdom.
Even the most arrogant ghosts couldn’t help but become anxious when they saw his arrival: “An existence that can fight against Sir Di Zuo…” Both geniuses and older characters didn’t dare to view him with disdain.
A person gazed at the immortal armor and stated with fear: “It is a shame that the grave opened so early; Di Zuo and Xian Fan couldn’t decide the victor since both of them had to run here.”
In the past, the younger generation didn’t dare to challenge the prestige of the three heroes. Later on, Li Qiye swept through the ghost race and massacred thousands to announce his presence in the Sacred Nether World. People then knew that a ferocious monster had come from the human race, one that could challenge the authority of the ghosts.
Now, there was also Xian Fan, someone who had been completely unknown. Xian Fan was different from Li Qiye; others speculated that Li Qiye could challenge Di Zuo, but Xian Fan actually fought against Di Zuo. It was an extremely flashy battle and the victor couldn’t be decided before both of them quickly headed for the Prime Ominous Grave.
“Our human race’s saint duo is no weaker than the ghost race’s three heroes. Haha, we will not be weaker than the ghosts this generation. The future Immortal Emperor has yet to be decided!” An excited human cultivator exclaimed while looking at Xian Fan: “The ghosts have the three heroes while we have our saint duo!”
Recently, busybodies had nicknamed Li Qiye and Xian Fan as the human race’s saint duo!
This title sounded very unpleasant to the ghosts, but the ghosts had been keeping quiet recently.
Among the ghosts, Di Zuo’s prestige reached far and wide and never allowed for others to provoke him. Both the older and younger generations of the ghosts greatly valued Di Zuo. Who would have thought that Xian Fan could fight evenly with Di Zuo? Although this fight abruptly ended, people had to accept that Xian Fan had the ability to oppose Di Zuo.
Before this, the ghost race, especially the young ones, looked down on humans. But now, there appeared Fierce Li Qiye and then the mysterious Xian Fan. The young ghosts could no longer maintain their arrogance.
“Quite formidable.” Lan Yunzhu looked at Xian Fan’s state and whispered: “Even Di Zuo wouldn’t have any advantages against him.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t watch the battle between the two, but she could deduce the result of the fight after seeing Xian Fan’s current appearance.
“It’s nothing surprising.” Li Qiye looked at the armor and said: “Obtaining this armor proved his extraordinary worth. This thing is very careful when it chooses its master because it is quite proud!”
This situation was completely within Li Qiye’s expectations. There was no need to see Xian Fan’s cultivation level or which emperor’s law he cultivated. Just the armor adorned on Xian Fan’s body told Li Qiye many things. The armor was a symbol of power; if one was not strong enough, they wouldn’t be able to own this armor.
Xian Fan reached the dragon mountain and immediately ran to the peak instead of stopping by the base. A cultivator murmured at this sight: “Could it be that he is also here for that stone?”
“Possibly.” The ghosts paused their business and gazed at Xian Fan.
Xian Fan arrived at the top in one breath.
“He really is here for that stone…” An aware old cultivator murmured while looking at the mountain: “Does he actually want to try it too?”
Another sect master added: “It makes sense. Lunhui and Di Zuo came along with the imperial descendants. Those who are qualified all want to give it a shot.”
“What is at the top of the mountain?” Lan Yunzhu didn’t know anything so she asked Li Qiye after seeing Xian Fan ascend to the top.
Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and looked at Xian Fan before replying: “A destiny stone. A unique stone of this world, a stone that no one has ever obtained since time immemorial.”
At this moment, all eyes were on the peak. A ghost cultivator asked: “Tian Lunhui failed and the same goes for Sir Di Zuo. Will Xian Fan be able to do it?”
“I don’t know, but it won’t be a surprise if he fails as well.” A tribe master from the northern Misty Field said: “According to the records of the Nether Crossing Swamp, after ascending the throne, Immortal Emperor Ming Du had also come here. Legend says that he wanted the stone to accept him as its master. Unfortunately, the emperor failed and that stone didn’t leave with him.”
“What?! Even an Immortal Emperor couldn’t get its acceptance? But he was an Immortal Emperor!” Many people were shocked after hearing this. It would be understandable if it was a young emperor before his ascendancy. In the end, no one knew who would actually become the next Immortal Emperor until they reached the end of the road.
But at that time, Immortal Emperor Ming Du was already an invincible emperor, an existence that roamed free in the nine heavens. However, that stone still didn’t pick him, and this news came as a surprise to many people.
“What kind of stone is this? It didn’t even accept an Immortal Emperor?” Lan Yunzhu was also shaken after hearing this.
There was nothing in this world that was stronger than an Immortal Emperor, yet this stone still didn’t pick him. This was simply astonishing!
“It is indeed a very proud stone.” Li Qiye murmured as he looked at the peak.
Whether one was a human or a ghost, all eyes were on Xian Fan. The ghosts didn’t want Xian Fan to succeed at all because Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui, the two with the highest talents among the ghosts, both failed. If Xian Fan could do it, then it would harm the pride of the ghost race.
In fact, since people knew that there was a stone that didn’t even accept an Immortal Emperor, many geniuses all came to test their luck to see if they could get chosen by this rock.
In the span of a few short days, countless people had come. Di Zuo, Tian Lunhui, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child, the Ghost Insect Evil Child, and other imperial descendants had all attempted to obtain this stone. Other prodigies and nameless juniors came as well.
However, no one was successful in gaining the stone’s acceptance.
Chapter 517 - Arrogant Stone
Xian Fan reached the top and found that there was a stone the size of a water basin. It was grey without any sheen and completely inconspicuous like a random pebble on the street. If this stone was located at a different location, no one would give it a second glance.
Due to its ordinary appearance, nobody would think that this stone was very precious.
“Is this stone really as magical and amazing as what the legends say?” It wasn’t just a couple people who had this thought since many felt that it was quite out of place in relation to its myths.
“Yes it is.” An older person said: “Not to mention anything else, so many have failed already, not just the group of Sir Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui. Two days prior, an ancestor of the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom came and wanted to forcefully take it away, but he couldn’t move it at all.”
Having heard this, the group gasped and asked for confirmation: “Even an All-Eras ancestor couldn’t move it?”
The ancient kingdom had two emperors so its ancestor must be very brilliant as well. An ordinary ancestor from a regular great power couldn’t compare with him. However, even an amazing person such as this couldn’t move this stone one bit — this was a very horrifying thought. The ancestor was for sure a Virtuous Paragon, but he still failed to move this ordinary stone.
“Is that stone really so heaven-defying?” Lan Yunzhu had dual saints talents and was very sensitive, but she still couldn’t feel any special aura emanating from the stone.
Li Qiye looked at the stone and replied with a smile: “If you can obtain it, any price would still be worth it. This unique stone is different from all the other stones. Even the prosperous eras of the past would find it difficult to give birth to a stone like this. Immortal Emperor Ming Du tried to forcefully take it away, but he was not successful either.”
“Even the emperor failed after using force?” Lan Yunzhu’s heart sank. She asked once more: “The tales indicate that emperors are the only existences that can forcefully take destiny stones away — is this not true?”
“No, this is correct.” Li Qiye nodded his head and said: “However, this is not an easy thing to do. If an emperor does so too often, they would suffer a backlash. This stone over there may be unique, but if an emperor risks their life, maybe they would be able to take it away. However, the price is too high.”
At this time, Xian Fan was sitting at the top with one hand placed on the stone. His blood energy circled around his hand in the shape of a dragon and phoenix. Although this energy was not very dense, the roars caused people to palpitate. It felt like a divine wave smashing them into the air. Xian Fan’s blood energy was indeed too powerful.
These waves of energy caused others to lose their colors. No wonder why Xian Fan could fight evenly against Di Zuo.
This blood energy from his palm eventually descended on the stone, aiming to harmonize with it. However, this stone spared him no face and shot this blood energy right back at him.
Nevertheless, Xian Fan was a brilliant talent and he did not give up very easily. His energy surged as a true dragon shot out from his palm while an immortal phoenix circled his wrist. The aura of the phoenix and dragon were extremely domineering. If this aura erupted, then even the sky would collapse and the stars would fall.
Such a mighty and aggressive gesture caused others on the mountain to change their expressions. Xian Fan’s power was enough to reign over the younger generation.
Thunderous rumbles resounded as the entire mountain shook. The blood energy that danced on his hand was extremely aggressive; it smashed into the stone like a flood. Xian Fan wanted to harmonize his energy with the stone.
Another loud bang came out as if the world was blown apart. Although Xian Fan’s blood energy was overbearingly mighty, the backlash from the stone was even more heaven-defying. Xian Fan was forced to take several thumping steps back.
Because of the armor he adorned, one couldn’t see Xian Fan’s expression. However, everyone could imagine his shocked expression. It was probably just like the rest of the spectators: “Amazing, that stone is really amazing. A heaven’s proud child like Xian Fan would probably be happily accepted by a nine accumulations destiny stone, but that rock denied him.”
A ghost cultivator nodded his head and commented: “Sir Di Zuo’s true fate weapon was refined from a nine accumulations destiny stone. I heard that he was chosen by two nine accumulations stones, then he picked one afterward. Sir Di Zuo really wanted this stone, but unfortunately, he was rejected as well.”
“What a shame.” The human cultivators were quite disappointed at Xian Fan’s failure.
Meanwhile, the ghost cultivators heaved a sigh of relief because both Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui had failed before this.
If Xian Fan had been successful, then it would be the same as slapping the face of the entire ghost race. This would have meant that the most powerful genius of the ghost race was not equal to that of the human race.
Xian Fan couldn’t help but become dejected after failing to gain the stone’s recognition. He didn’t linger for long and he didn’t care to look at the other nine accumulations stones before leaving either.
“Uncle, it is our turn.” Lan Yunzhu smiled and said to Li Qiye.
“Oh? You also want that stone? But I feel like you don’t have a chance, and this is not just me looking down on you. That stone is very arrogant.” Li Qiye smilingly responded.
Lan Yunzhu let out a light and charming smile and said: “Uncle, nevermind that stone. Although I am conceited, I do not think that I am better than an Immortal Emperor. I’m more interested in that other stone you talked about earlier.” Lan Yunzhu then tilted her head in a playful manner and looked at Li Qiye to say: “Uncle, do you dare to bet on you getting the approval of that stone as well? You are a person full of confidence, right? Let us see if you are better than Di Zuo, Tian Lunhui, and Xian Fan by getting that stone’s approval.”
Li Qiye’s interest was piqued as he narrowed his eyes to say: “If that stone accepts me as its master, what will you do?”
“Uncle is boasting again.” Lan Yunzhu showed off another graceful posture and smilingly responded: “Rather, you should phrase it as what you will do when you lose.”
“If I lose, then I will give you an amazing item worthy of someone like you.” Li Qiye grinned and continued: “However, if you lose, then undress tonight so I can have a look.”
Lan Yunzhu chuckled and said while being slightly flustered: “Perverted Uncle, wait until you win, then we can talk!”
Lan Yunzhu turned around and went towards the top. After taking several steps, she wanted confirmation so she turned back to ask: “Do you dare to take this bet, Uncle?”
“Sure, you think I’m afraid of you?” Li Qiye chased after her and the two walked shoulder-to-shoulder up the mountain. This attracted the gazes of many others. Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu had been staying at the base for a very long time, so this sudden climb garnered quite a bit of attention.
One person speculated: “Could it be that Li Qiye and Fairy Lan also want to give the stone at the top a try?” This was reasonable because anyone who came here would want to give it a shot. Lan Yunzhu had even more reasons to do so. She was the river sect’s descendant and someone with dual saint talents; her talents had been discussed and praised by others for a very long time.
Recently, Li Qiye had also become famous for his ferocity and how he was quickly catching up to Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui. He was a gifted genius, so it was not strange for him to want to give it a try.
A ghost cultivator sneered and said: “Hmph! That Li guy has no chance of success. How could he be better than the likes of Sir Di Zuo? And even if he is Sir’s equal, Li Qiye absolutely will not be able to surpass him! Sir Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui had both failed, and even your human race’s Xian Fan failed as well. That Li guy certainly can’t do it!”
This was not the ghost race being conceited. It was just that their most wonderful geniuses had tried and failed, and the same goes for Xian Fan. They didn’t believe that Li Qiye could do it and felt that no matter how powerful he was, at best, it would be on par with Di Zuo. This was already a high evaluation for him.
Meanwhile, the human cultivators hoped that Li Qiye would be successful. Alas, they didn’t have too much hope. Outside of Chan Yang, all the best geniuses in the Sacred Nether World had tried to gain the approval of this stone. None of them had succeeded, and the human cultivators didn’t feel like Li Qiye could surpass all of them either.
From the halfway point of the ridge and up, all the destiny stones were above the Existence level. There were even nine accumulations stones when Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu got there.
Standing at the juncture, Lan Yunzhu said with a wide smile to Li Qiye: “Uncle, ready? Let us see which one of us is more popular.”
Chapter 518 - All The Destiny Stones Competing For A Master
Li Qiye looked at Lan Yunzhu, who was overflowing with excitement, and said with a smile while waving his hand: “Ladies first. If I go first, you won’t be convinced and will say that I am a bully.”
“What an ego!” Lan Yunzhu gave him an angry look. She then walked up towards the middle of the mountain and channeled the blood energy within her body. In an instant, this energy showed itself like flowing water.
“What is Fairy Lan trying to do?” A curious spectator asked after seeing her flowing blood energy.
“They’re trying to sense the destiny stones.” A cultivator from the previous generation explained: “The two of them are competing to see who would get accepted by more stones.”
“Hahaha, I bet for Fairy Lan’s victory. Her dual saint talents are famous.” Another cultivator said right away.
Another one added: “I also bet on Fairy Lan. There’s nothing more to say about her talents. Although she rarely takes action, in my eyes, she is a genius that can reach the top.”
Girls, especially kingdom-toppling beauties like Lan Yunzhu, were always welcomed — this goes without saying. Although it was just a friendly competition, the young cultivators was more biased towards Fairy Lan.
With her blood energy being emitted, Lan Yunzhu began to walk up the mountain. It didn’t take long for a series of thumps to appear. Several dozen five accumulations stones began to jump.
“Thump—” She moved on and another dozen six accumulations stones jumped up as well.
However, she didn’t halt her steps. Even a few seven accumulations stones showed her their adoration by jumping.
“86 five accumulations stones, 18 six accumulations stones, 9 seven accumulations stones…” As she moved up, a fun-loving person began to count.
Continuing upward, thumping sounds rang out nonstop. Some eight accumulations stones jumped a little as well. Although it was not too clear, this still showed that they had accepted Lan Yunzhu.
“5 eight accumulations destiny stones!” A person shockingly said after counting: “Worthy of having dual saint talents. She is not necessarily any weaker than the three heroes. It is too bad that she’s battled far less than them.”
An admiring genius said: “Amazing! She was accepted by 5 eight accumulations stones.”
At this point, Lan Yunzhu turned around and charmingly smiled: “Uncle, do I need to go further? I want to challenge some nine accumulations stones for their acceptance. It is not too late for you to accept defeat, I won’t let you lose too badly.”
The provocative look from a beauty was truly alluring.
Li Qiye laughed while looking at her sweet and playful side. He then shook his head and replied: “Girl, I’m not trying to pop your bubble, but your level is truly far below my own.”
Li Qiye then began his ascent and was met with a lot of enthusiastic gazes.
“Li Qiye is going. Get ready and look to see if he will be accepted by more stones, or will Fairy Lan become the victor.” A person prepared to count to see how many stones Li Qiye would get.
A ghost member remained unconvinced and said: “Hmph! In my opinion, Li Qiye won’t…” However, his words were cut short.
“Thump thump thump!” The sound of stones jumping sounded out alongside an unbelievable scene, causing everyone to become dumbfounded.
Even those who had weathered countless storms and seen numerous miracles couldn’t believe their own eyes.
“Thump thump thump!” Stones started to crash into each other. When Li Qiye walked by, all the stones jumped up. What was even more unbelievable was that they didn’t only jump, they also started to roll after Li Qiye.
“Clank clank clank!” The higher up he went, the more stones followed right after him. They scrambled after him as if they were afraid that they would lose sight of him and competed with each other to be the closest to him.
This scene stunned everyone on the mountain as their eyes opened wide and their jaws dropped to the ground.
Lan Yunzhu had mentally prepared herself beforehand, but she still couldn’t prevent her mouth from opening. She couldn’t believe this frightening sight.
“This… this… this… is preposterous…” A ghost king murmured in a daze. Even a ghost king like him couldn’t regain his composure.
A person murmured in a foolish state: “I’ve heard that destiny stones have the ability to run around, but who has ever seen them do so?”
This was common knowledge, but not many had actually seen it with their own eyes until this day. And it wasn’t just one stone, it was a whole bunch. Countless destiny stones on the mountain were moving, causing all the spectators to stand there while looking silly.
A cultivator thought that he was in a dream and told his friend who was standing by his side: “Hey… pinch me to see if this is reality.” Shortly after, a scream resounded as he almost lost a piece of flesh from the harsh pinch. Now, he was certain that it wasn’t a dream.
“Thump thump thump!” Li Qiye was now next to Lan Yunzhu along with a group of destiny stones right behind him. No matter where he went, all the destiny stones followed right behind him.
“This, this can’t be real.” Lan Yunzhu stuttered as Li Qiye approached. She then uttered: “Are you kidding me…?”
Li Qiye smiled at her and leisurely spoke: “Who do you think won this bet?”
Lan Yunzhu became dejected and softly sighed: “You… Even my destiny stones are following you.” She had no choice but to be convinced.
“Then let us go to see if that arrogant stone will accept me or not.” Li Qiye smilingly responded before continuing his trek.
“Thump thump thump…” Li Qiye continued to go up the mountain. Not only did eight accumulations stones chase after him, but even nine accumulations stones followed him, prompting a scream: “Even nine accumulations stones are following Li Qiye! Is there no justice in this world? All the stones are accepting him and only him! How will we nobodies live from now on?”
At this time, countless people shared the same sentiment and helplessness. They couldn’t stop these destiny stones from choosing Li Qiye.
“He is almost at the peak, he wants to give that stone a try!” A cultivator shouted while watching Li Qiye’s climb.
“Oh god, so amazing! Maybe he is about to take that stone away!” All the cultivators were aghast while the ghost cultivators were even more nervous.
At this moment, even the human cultivators couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Li Qiye. A bunch of destiny stones following him was really unfair. They were waiting for him to become frustrated in front of that stone.
Li Qiye was too devilish, and this spectacular scene overshadowed even Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui. At this time, even his stern supporters, the human cultivators, were secretly jealous of him.
He had now reached the peak. All the stones that were jumping right after him fell to the ground and didn’t dare to continue further. It seemed as if all of them were afraid of the peak, the territory of that stone. Even nine accumulations stones were no exceptions.
However, they didn’t want to leave since they all wanted to be picked by Li Qiye. Many of them chose to lay there, waiting. If Li Qiye didn’t get chosen by that stone, then maybe they had a chance of being selected by him.
“It is so exasperating to compare oneself to him.” Lan Yunzhu wryly smiled: “I suppose everyone has their own fate. Others wish to be chosen by destiny stones while destiny stones wish to be chosen by Li Qiye.”
“F*ck!” A human royal lord from the previous generation cursed: “This brat is too heaven-defying. If I ever have a daughter, I would marry her to him right away!”
A cultivator next to the royal lord quipped: “Brother, you can also see how devilish he is. Even if you have a daughter, you can only wait for him to choose instead of your daughter choosing him.”
“I’m still okay with waiting for him to pick my daughter.” The royal lord couldn’t help but murmur.
When Li Qiye was next to the stone, everyone couldn’t help but hold their breaths and quietly watch the scene. The entire mountain became silent as no one dared to make a sound, lest they miss out on this shocking event.
Chapter 519 - Most Arrogant Stone Accepts A Master
Most Arrogant Stone Accepts A Master
“Don’t do it, don’t do it, he absolutely can’t do it. Please don’t succeed.” The ghost cultivators were secretly cursing Li Qiye since, at this moment, everyone was hoping for a miracle to occur.
Before, it would be a miracle if the stone accepted a master, but now was a different story; it would be a miracle for the stone to not accept Li Qiye!
This was a stone that didn’t care for an Immortal Emperor and had been tested by countless people in future generations. It would be a miracle of an entire generation if this stone accepted a master. However, Li Qiye had reversed this today. It seemed very natural for the stone to accept him as its master.
Li Qiye went next to the stone and slowly sat down. Everyone had bated breaths as their emotions danced at each of Li Qiye’s actions.
He simply sat down without any flowing blood energy and doing any impressive actions, he only gently stroked the stone.
“Old friend, it has been a while.” Li Qiye smiled and said. His stroke caused the stone to slightly shake, along with the hearts of everyone else.
“Please don’t accept him!” Someone murmured. No one knew who said this out loud, but this was the general consensus in everyone’s minds.
Luckily, the stone only slightly shook once, then it didn’t move again. People heaved a sigh of relief after seeing this; it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off their backs. However, they still didn’t dare to make a sound while intensely watching the peak because they knew that it was not over.
Li Qiye smiled and said after seeing the stationary stone: “Such an arrogant stone, I wonder how long you intend to stay here?”
To everyone’s pleasure, the stone remained quiet. One of the spectators excitedly uttered: “This is a miracle, the heavens have eyes!”
Many people nodded in agreement. The stone not accepting Li Qiye caused everyone to become relaxed and excited.
However, Li Qiye was still very calm. He had a smile on his face with his hands against the ground while gazing at the sky. His demeanor was as if he was speaking with an old friend: “Do you remember when Immortal Emperor Qian Li came? You didn’t accept him. I had always thought that maybe it wasn’t the right time back then, not to mention Immortal Emperor Ming Du before him. But today, I have personally come so the past doesn’t matter anymore, right?”
The stone was still immobile like before. The people on the mountain were still nervously waiting; they didn’t know what Li Qiye was saying to the stone, but they were waiting for a miracle to happen — for the stone to not accept Li Qiye as its master.
“I know you are very arrogant.” Li Qiye said with a grin: “But I’ve seen even grander displays of arrogance, you know? For me, nothing is impossible as long as I truly set my mind on it.”
The stone was still silent, but Li Qiye was not in a rush. He continued on with a cheerful demeanor: “There are too many unbelievable things in this world, such as slaying gods and ending immortals. How do you feel about these matters? Or maybe you feel like massacring gods is nothing? Then how about killing an Immortal Emperor?”
Standing by the side, Lan Yunzhu was very puzzled as to why he was telling this stone these things. Killing gods was already a terrifying thing, but killing an Immortal Emperor? Frankly, this was impossible.
“Or maybe you think that killing immortals and gods is nothing?” Li Qiye smiled and added: “If I want to crush a rock, no matter what kind of rock it is, as long as I am determined… then I think I can find a few methods. Just as you think killing immortals and gods is nothing, with a determined will, crushing a rock is nothing to me as well. If I can’t have it, then even the most precious and priceless item would not be worth a coin in my eyes. Since I can’t have it, why hesitate in crushing it? What do you think about this?”
This time, the stone finally reacted by slightly fluttering.
The distant cultivators from the ghost race felt their hearts beat faster after they saw the rock shake. Many prayed for a miracle: “Please don’t accept a master!”
At this time, Li Qiye cheerfully continued: “Although I am fierce, I am not vicious.” He then proceeded in a calm manner: “I adore talents and treasures, so I won’t crush you today. The heaven and earth took countless generations just to give birth to a stone like you — this indeed was not easy. If I crushed you, it would be quite wasteful.”
Li Qiye then patted his hands after standing up and said: “If you want to continue staying at this damned place for this generation, then I trust that you will be missing out on the most brilliant and colorful era since the start of time. There has never been such an era before, and you would also miss out on the most supreme master across the eons.
“But if you’re content and would rather stay here, then I don’t mind. There are a myriad of weapons in this world, and if I so desire, then even the best weapons will eventually come into my hands. I don’t need you.” With that, Li Qiye turned around to leave.
All the ghost cultivators could finally breathe again. They were all jubilated, and the same applied to the human cultivators. At this minute, they felt as if this was the happiest moment of their lives.
“Hahaha, Li Qiye is only so-so—” A ghost cultivator happily sneered. However, before he could finish, his mouth was opened wide again; it was big enough to fit a goose egg!
“Thump!” Right when Li Qiye turned around, the stone suddenly jumped up into his palm.
“No!!!” Someone miserably bellowed. This howl was sadder than the cry of someone who had just been cut by a knife.
“F*ck, is there no justice in this world?” An emotional genius pointed up towards the sky and cursed: “Heavens, do you not have eyes? Are you just bullying weak people like us? It would still be fine if you gave him all the destiny stones in this world, but just not this most arrogant one! How will we little cultivators live from now on?”
“A miracle didn’t happen. Damn! This world is not fair!” A ghost cultivator exclaimed.
The ghost cultivators were the ones who suffered the biggest blow right now. Li Qiye had upstaged Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui, the two biggest pride of the ghost race. In just an instant, Li Qiye’s brilliance had contributed to the momentum of the human race.
On the other hand, the humans had mixed feelings; they didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. In summary, a myriad of emotions ran rampant in their minds. A human sect master wryly said: “The appearance of a heaven’s proud son like him is indeed a source of pride for us humans. However, such a devilish monster like him will sweep through this generation and rend the path of all the other geniuses. From now on, anyone who wants to reach the peak must surpass this devil first.”
In this short period of time, everyone had different feelings. The human cultivators couldn’t help themselves from becoming jealous of Li Qiye. He was the favored son of the heavens — so unfair.
“This is the right choice.” Li Qiye rubbed the rock and said with a smile. He then put it away while others gazed at him with crazed and reddened eyes.
However, it was meaningless to be jealous of Li Qiye since one couldn’t steal away a destiny stone. Even if it was successfully robbed, the stone would not accept them as its master and would just escape.
“Thump, thump, thump!” All of the destiny stones right below the peak also jumped as if it was the happiest moment of their lives.
The cultivators became quite lost when they saw such a scene: “What is going on?”
“One at a time, no rush, no rush.” Li Qiye smiled and said, then he spread his palm. He took in the majority of the eight and nine accumulations stones as well a portion of five, six, and seven accumulations stones.
He threw back a few eight and nine accumulations stones. Some of the five, six, and seven accumulations stones were unwilling and looked as if they were staring at him in anticipation.
“Go back and grow with time. All of you will have a chance, and your future will not just end here.” Li Qiye said as he waved his hand. Finally, these unwilling stones bounced back to their original places.
In just a moment, the Divine Dragon Mountain became vacant. The eight and nine accumulations stones had almost all been taken by Li Qiye so not too many remained.
This scene broke everyone’s common sense as their eyes almost fell to the ground.
Even Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help herself from becoming astonished. Li Qiye causing all the stones to compete for him was already shocking enough, but she became speechless after he obtained that other stone as well. A devilish genius was indeed different, they were way beyond one’s imagination. And it wasn’t just this, he even took away many stones — this also broke the common convention.
Everyone knew that cultivators could only pick one destiny stone. Even if they were accepted by many, after picking one, the other stones would not follow them.
Chapter 520 - Flirtatious Banter
However, Li Qiye now took a bunch of destiny stones at once — this miracle completely broke the common sense of the cultivation world. Such a thing simply couldn’t happen!
“How… could this be!” At this point, someone let out a shrill scream since they were unable to cope with such a ridiculous scene.
Only destiny stones chose their masters, cultivators didn’t choose destiny stones! But now, Li Qiye picked them as if he was selecting cabbages in front of a street vendor. In the end, the majority of the destiny stones had been purchased by him like cabbages.
A cultivator’s heart couldn’t handle such a stimulating scene, so he screamed in the face of this impossible scene where someone was taking a group of high level destiny stones away: “Oh mother, what is happening? Has the heavens gone crazy? How could the heavens allow someone to take away so many stones? Oh heavens, do you not have eyes?!”
At this moment, this cultivator was not the only one who suffered from an irregular heartbeat. This was definitely not a dream, it was real.
Even Lan Yunzhu, who knew Li Qiye well, found it hard to believe: “How is this possible?” Breaking common sense was not enough to describe this event — it was too bizarre. If it wasn’t daytime right now, she would have thought that a ghost was playing with everyone.
“It is because I am too handsome.” Li Qiye replied with a smirk. He didn’t tell her the truth that was only known by him.
“Handsome my butt!” Lan Yunzhu angrily glared at him and retorted. From now on, she would no longer become shocked no matter what other strange events happened around Li Qiye. After all, what could be stranger than what happened today?
Li Qiye selected a stone from a batch of stones and threw it at Lan Yunzhu as he smiled: “You are quite lucky, the stone I talked about earlier is still here. You can have it.”
She became speechless when she caught the destiny stone that shone with a divine light. This was such a good stone, yet Li Qiye was giving it away as if it was just a cabbage.
What silenced her even further was that this destiny stone didn’t like her and ran back towards Li Qiye instead.
“Little guy! In the end, this lady still has dual saint talents. I’m a heaven’s proud daughter, yet you dare to look down on me like this? Watch it or I’ll skin you!” At this point, Lan Yunzhu no longer cared about her lady-like image since she was quite hurt. These destiny stones all grabbed onto Li Qiye as if he was a handsome man adored by flowers!
Li Qiye cheerfully smiled while he patted this stone and said: “This little girl isn’t bad. She has dual saint talents and a Heaven’s Will Secret Law for her foundation. Don’t worry, I’ll protect this girl later on so you won’t lose out.”
In the end, the unwilling destiny stone fell into Lan Yunzhu’s hand. She didn’t know what to say; this brat was too mysterious and downright scary.
“Why are you welcomed by so many destiny stones like this?” Lan Yunzhu curiously asked because she was lost. This matter was completely irrational.
Li Qiye answered with a smirk: “Because I am handsome and loved by all. The phrase ‘flowers bloom on sight’ was created to describe me.”
“Bleh!” Lan Yunzhu seemed as if she wanted to vomit and snappily retorted: “If you are handsome, then every single man in this world is extremely dashing!”
“Do you really want to hear the real reason? It’s very simple, it is because I am the ruler of this world and the only one to sweep through the endless eras!” Li Qiye laughed before responding.
“Uncle, your face is thicker than a temple block.” Lan Yunzhu gave him a look and continued: “I can believe you becoming the ruler in the future, but to say you are the only one who has swept through all eras? Come on now, this is clearly boasting. How old are you? You’re still just a brat!”
Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile before speaking: “Fine, the real reason is that I will build a stone sect. In the future, these destiny stones will be my generals. Under my protection, they will rampage in this world and bask in the worldly essence to become eternally supreme!”
“Bah, who would believe you.” She glared at him again and fiercely said while swinging her fist: “Uncle, if you want me to believe you, then at least try to say something more serious, or else I’ll really take care of you!”
Her appearance made him grin. He then gestured with his hand and slowly said: “Be more serious? Very well, we will talk more seriously. Girl, don’t forget about our bet. Remember that you have to undress completely for my viewing pleasure tonight, to let me see if your figure is top notch or not.”
“Damned pervert!” Lan Yunzhu was both embarrassed and angry as she let out a cry: “In your dreams!” With that, she turned away and ran.
Meanwhile, Li Qiye leisurely caught up to her and quipped: “Girl, one must keep their words. A gentleman’s words are as heavy as mountains.”
The flustered Lan Yunzhu kept on running and exclaimed: “Bah, I’m not a gentleman, I’m just a little girl!”
Li Qiye followed after her with a smile.
At the Divine Dragon Mountain, everyone quietly watched Li Qiye leave as if he was a super freak.
A long time after he left, someone tragically screamed: “Damn, my destiny stones! I still want a nine accumulations destiny stone!”
Looking at the bare hills left many older cultivators lamenting for the younger people who came here to test their luck. Being in the same generation as that devilish Li Qiye was really saddening.
The news of Li Qiye picking destiny stones spread like a storm across the Prime Ominous Grave. All five Grave Realms heard of this, and countless cultivators and lineages were shocked!
Even great characters were startled. An ancestor of a great power couldn’t believe it: “Impossible!”
A disciple reported to his ancestor and swore: “Ancestor, this disciple saw with my own eyes, and my master was there too.”
“This kid is too… scary. How could this be possible? It… breaks all common sense.” After the news was confirmed, countless great powers were stuck in a daze.
Then, this heaven-defying news entered the ears of the other geniuses. Both the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and the Ghost Insect Evil Child were dejected. They secretly screamed in their minds and thought that, unless they eliminated Li Qiye, there would be no day when they could rise.
Inside the Wood Realm, Di Zuo immediately stood up after hearing this. His blood energy erupted and rose to a terrorizing level, causing the sky to darken and the moon to shake.
“Very good, I need a supreme and untouchable genius like this to be the stone to pave my path towards becoming an Immortal Emperor!” He declared as his tiger-like eyes swept through the plains in an overly domineering manner.
He continued on with a deep tone: “I initially wanted to slay Tian Lunhui as my paving stone, but now, I have an even better prey.”
As one of the top geniuses of the ghost race, Tian Lunhui revealed a dark smile while being shrouded in his mysterious aura. With an ominous glare, he smiled and said: “When the sandpiper and clam fight, the fisherman will catch both.”
He then closed his eyes with a detached attitude as if nothing mattered to him. Maybe it wasn’t that it didn’t matter, maybe it was because everything was within his grasp.
Another top existence among the young geniuses, Xian Fan of the human race, was very shaken after hearing this news: “That guy was successful? The Five Elements Immortal Armor accepted me, but that stone didn’t. And yet, that guy actually did it. Too scary.” After a long daze, he then reflected: “Amazing, there is always a higher mountain. It seems that this path towards becoming an Immortal Emperor won’t be so boring after all.”
This shocking news stunned countless races while the glory of numerous geniuses dimmed. As the news spread even further, many people beat their chests and stomped the ground in anger. How could people not go insane when Li Qiye alone carried out a whole bunch of eight and nine accumulations stones? Many young cultivators still hadn’t refined a true fate weapon for themselves, and other cultivators wanted a better destiny stone.
Cultivators must take the opportunity when they were still young to change destiny stones since they wouldn’t be able to do so at an older age. This was because, once they become old, it would take too much life essence to refine a new true fate treasure.
Many young cultivators dreamed about going to the Divine Dragon Mountain to find a nine accumulations destiny stone, but now, Li Qiye shattered their dreams by taking away a whole bunch.
Ultimately, the ones who were the most depressed were the ghost race. Recently, they had been severely suppressed. The three heroes of the Sacred Nether World were their pride and future aspirations. And now, Li Qiye crawling out of nowhere alone was not enough, even Xian Fan showed up. Li Qiye was even more dazzling than Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui, so the entire younger generation of the ghosts had been put to shame. If this continued, then the younger ghost generation would be oppressed by humans, so it was understandable that the ghost race became exasperated.
Chapter 521 - Diamond Carp
While the news of Li Qiye bringing away a bunch of destiny stones spread everywhere, Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu had already left the Metal Realm. Although there were a lot of treasures, Li Qiye didn’t want to spend more time here.
Lan Yunzhu went to look for some news and quickly came back: “I’ve found some new information. The lost mythical island you’re interested in is indeed at the Earth Realm.”
Li Qiye remained completely calm after hearing this since it was exactly as he predicted. Before, he was sure that the thing he wanted was inside the grave. Now that the lost mythical island was confirmed to be here, he was left completely at ease.
“How is the island right now?” He asked with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu replied: “I heard that it is no different from when it was outside at sea; it is still covered in mist. The mist has apparently become thinner, but one still can’t see the entire island.”
“I see.” Li Qiye knew that sooner or later, the island would reveal its true colors. Its appearance at the Prime Ominous Grave was for a reason.
“Do we go to the island now?” Lan Yunzhu inquired. In fact, she was already curious when they were together back at the Thousand Islands. She even suspected that the sudden appearance of the lost island had something to do with Li Qiye.
“No, it will take some time. We can only wait until the mist dissipates. If it is here, then it can’t run away. Plus, I have the Prime Ominous Key so time is on our side.” Li Qiye cheerfully replied.
Lan Yunzhu curiously asked: “What is on the lost mythical island? I heard people say that songs from immortal phoenixes and flying golden dragons could be heard. Could there be mythical beasts on the island or maybe weapons left behind by these creatures?”
“I’m not certain whether there are divine beasts or not.” Li Qiye smiled and narrowed his eyes: “But one thing is certain, there is something very heaven-defying on the island. However, it is hard to tell whether this something is good or bad. It depends on the person, really.”
“Just what is it?” Lan Yunzhu continued. She could see that Li Qiye was very interested in the thing on the island, and she knew that there weren’t too many things that warranted his attention.
Li Qiye looked at the far horizon with a serious look: “An existence.” He became quiet for a while and then continued on: “An existence that destroyed gods. Even Immortal Emperors were extremely wary of it.”
“Destroying gods and feared by Immortal Emperors!” Lan Yunzhu lost her colors and exclaimed: “Is there really such an existence in this world?”
Just what kind of existence could this be? Immortal Emperors shouldered the Heaven’s Will, and they could be called the true heavenly princes and princesses of this world due to the recognition from the heavens itself. Just what kind of existence could cause invincible existences like Immortal Emperors to feel dread?
“This is just my personal conjecture.” Li Qiye said with a smile: “It’s just a guess. If I’m not mistaken, then that thing is real and it has been sealed for a very long time. However, it is almost time for it to appear under the sun once more.”
“There is another piece of news.” Lan Yunzhu softly sighed and reported: “Rumor has it that the people from the Ancestral City are here. Right now, there aren’t too many of them — only a few came to check the situation. The Yin Yang Master and several Ancestral City Ancestors personally came. Someone saw them going to the lost mythical island to take a look.”
Li Qiye was not surprised at all and coldly grinned: “Hahaha, this is nothing surprising. They have heard of a few things and would absolutely not let go of this chance to participate in these muddled waters.”
Lan Yunzhu shared the same opinion. If the lost mythical island housed the existence Li Qiye was talking about, then the Ancestral City would not let it go.
“Where do we go now? The Fire Realm or the Wood Realm? Or should we go straight to the Earth Realm?” Lan Yunzhu regained her thoughts and asked.
“Where did Sect Master Bao Gui’s group go?” Li Qiye asked.
“While I was asking for information, I heard that Master’s group was at the Water Realm. Since we are not in the same realm, it is hard to contact Master.” Lan Yunzhu replied.
Li Qiye stroked his chin and said: “The Water Realm… Very well, we will go take a look at the Water Realm. From my knowledge, it is not a bad place.”
Lan Yunzhu agreed since she also wanted to see if the Thousand Carp River had any luck. She followed him to a dao platform in the Metal Realm then directly ported to the Water Realm.
With its blue sky and sea that spanned endlessly, this was a realm worth yearning for. One’s soul would become relaxed while standing in the Water Realm; the gentle misty breeze could wash away the fatigue of life.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but exclaim while standing above the water: “I didn’t expect the Water Realm to be one huge ocean.”
“This is a sea reservoir; below are many secrets that can never be excavated completely.” Li Qiye cheerfully commented.
The elders of the river sect were at the Water Realm, so Lan Yunzhu quickly communicated with them before running over to them.
When they met, the elders were all standing on top of a huge carp. They didn’t move separately and instead continued to stay together.
The huge carp swam quickly on the ocean as if the elders were chasing after something, prompting Lan Yunzhu’s question: “Master, what are you doing?”
“Chasing after a big fish.” Daoist Bao Gui answered.
A few high elders were gazing at the sea’s surface while their heavenly gazes swept across everything in this realm.
“A big fish?” Lan Yunzhu curiously inquired: “What kind of huge fish? A treasure fish?”
“Crash!” A huge splashing sound came out as a monstrous animal leaped out from the ocean, causing waves to tower up high.
A gigantic fish leaped out from the surface. Although the carp that the elders were riding was already very big, it was still smaller than this gigantic fish.
This leaping fish’s entire body was pitch black and its scales resembled black iron. When it jumped, the sunlight reflected off its body formed a faint halo. The curves of this fish appeared especially perfect under this sunlight.
When it jumped, it gave off the illusion that it was a true dragon leaping out of the water with an indescribable momentum, shocking all spectators!
“So pretty!” Lan Yunzhu had to praise this gigantic fish.
“Stay close and don’t lose it! We have been chasing after it for nine days now!” Daoist Bao Gui commanded.
“Crash!” The sound of splashing water continued nonstop. The gigantic fish sometimes jumped up and sometimes dived down while creating a big pillar of water. This majestic and beautiful scene dazzled one’s eyes. Its speed was very fast, but the river sect’s carp followed it without failure.
“The big fish is here again. Everyone, quickly give chase!” This fish that swam in the water had already alarmed many cultivators in this realm, so they started to follow it.
Prior to this, it was not only the Thousand Carp River that chased this fish, many other cultivators also followed, albeit with a slower speed.
Lan Yunzhu looked at its perfect curves and praised: “What kind of fish is this? Is it a Kun Peng?”
“No, it is a Diamond Carp.” Li Qiye looked at this jumping fish and spoke with admiration: “Very beautiful, a timeless beauty.”
“Young Noble recognizes this fish?” Daoist Bao Gui was filled with interest and said: “I had to read a secret scroll from the patriarch before finding out the name of this fish.”
“It is nothing much, I’ve only heard of it. This fish is unique in this world; I think one wouldn’t be able to find another outside of the Prime Ominous Grave.”
Li Qiye did not only know of the Diamond Carp, he had even chased after it before. It could be said that this fish carried a heaven-shaking secret.
“It is indeed the one and only Diamond Carp.” Daoist Bao Gui continued: “Just like you said, rumor has it that there is only one in this place.”
“Why is Master chasing after this Diamond Carp?” Lan Yunzhu asked: “Do we want to catch it?” However, she could see that they had no intention of catching it at this moment.
“No, we are trying to find its nest.” Daoist Bao Gui explained: “The secret book of the patriarch contains a passage about the amazing nest of the Diamond Carp, about how it contains a very rare creation of the heaven and earth. This is why we are chasing after it, we want to find its nest.”
“Do you know where its nest is?” Lan Yunzhu looked at Li Qiye and asked. Nowadays, Lan Yunzhu would first ask Li Qiye about anything. He even knew about the secrets of the grave, so she felt that there was nothing he didn’t know.
“I don’t know.” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “Just like what your patriarch’s record stated, we can only chase forever until we find the nest because this nest is always moving. The only thing we can do is wait till the carp goes back to its nest.”
“It’s quite impressive that Young Noble knows so many things.” Daoist Bao Gui couldn’t help but praise: “The patriarch’s record does indeed say that. We have to give chase until it goes back to its nest.”
Chapter 522 - Wood Realm
“But are you guys prepared? When the Diamond Carp goes back to its nest, you guys have to seal it. If not, then that carp will disappear after entering, and it will be very hard to find it again.” Li Qiye smilingly asked.
“Young Noble can rest assured.” The Daoist instantly replied: “We have brought along a treasure of the patriarch. As long as we find its nest, we will seal it right away. Even if it tries to port away, we will still be able to find it immediately.”
Li Qiye only smiled in response while looking at the Diamond Carp that swam in front of them. The high waves set off by the jumping fish combined with the reflected sunlight from its curves created quite a pretty spectacle.
The elders were determined to not give up until they found its nest.
After looking for a while, Li Qiye told Lan Yunzhu: “We’ll go now.”
Lan Yunzhu asked in surprise: “Go? Where? Are we not chasing the fish to its nest?”
Li Qiye shook his head and said: “The fish will not return to its nest until it is tired, and there is still a very long time before it fatigues. We’ll go take a look somewhere else.”
“Go.” Daoist Bao Gui nodded and said: “Leave this place to us. You guys can go test your fortune somewhere else.”
Lan Yunzhu felt that they couldn’t really help even if they stayed here, so she said goodbye to the daoist’s group and followed Li Qiye.
“Where are we going now?” She asked: “To the Earth Realm? I’ve heard that something really incredible has been dug out over there.”
“No.” Li Qiye shook his head and replied: “You can indeed dig out amazing things at the Earth Realm, but you need to stay alive to use it later on.”
“Oh? Our egotistic Uncle is suddenly so timid? Isn’t Uncle unafraid of the heaven and earth?” Lan Yunzhu gave him a look then blinked her eyes before revealing a charming smile: “If I remember correctly, Uncle is always full of confidence, so why are you so afraid of death now?”
Li Qiye flicked her forehead and said: “Don’t tease me, Girl. The Earth Realm is not enough to take my life. However, in order to take out the good stuff from there, one would need to go into the graves — this is a very time-consuming and complicated process. Moreover, I don’t need those items. The things that I need are at many different places; for example, we are about to go to a very nice location.”
“Where?” Lan Yunzhu quickly asked.
Li Qiye gazed at the distance and answered: “The Wood Realm.” He then smiled and continued: “Don’t you want to find a King Medicine root or some kind of treasure tree?”
Lan Yunzhu’s eyes lit up as she asked: “Is there a chance to stumble upon a divine tree like the Golden Divine Willow?”
“You can really dream.” Li Qiye chuckled and replied: “A divine tree like the Golden Divine Willow is unique. Obtaining such a tree is easier said than done. Your river sect’s divine willow required countless amounts of effort and time to move it from its original location back to the sect.
“In addition to requiring a lot of effort to relocate such a tree, more often than not, something like the Golden Divine Willow can only be met by chance. If you are lucky, you might be able to meet a similar divine tree.” Li Qiye smiled while shaking his head after getting to this point.
Lan Yunzhu looked at him and curiously asked: “Uncle, why do you know the matters of our river sect so well?”
Even though she was its descendant, she didn’t know about this stuff. In fact, her master didn’t know about this either, yet Li Qiye could recall these things as if he saw them with his own eyes.
He then teasingly responded: “Don’t forget that I am your Guardian. Your patriarch has appointed me as the Guardian so I’m naturally different from others. I have read a lot of books and there is nothing I don’t know or can’t do.”
Lan Yunzhu glared at him in response: “Bah, Uncle, please stop. Who doesn’t know that you were lucky, super lucky to become our Guardian.” Although she said this, she clearly knew in her mind that the patriarch chose him to be their Guardian for a reason, even though she didn’t know the exact details.
The Wood Realm was one of the five Grave Realms of the Prime Ominous Grave. Inside were old sky-towering trees that were full of vitality. It could be said that among the five, the Wood Realm was the one with the most abundant life essence.
There were also rolling mountains surrounded by rivers and loud waterfalls everywhere; life was in abundance here. Once one stepped inside, one would actually think that they were in a dense, old forest back in the Sacred Nether World.
Beasts and birds were running around among these tall trees. There was nothing that couldn’t be found here, including trees and grasses that knew how to run. To be more exact, they were King Medicines and treasure trees that knew how to move around.
This was the best location for those who wanted to find some pills and immortal grasses. Anyone who came here would become very excited because this realm resembled a large garden full of herbs both good and bad. There were even King Medicines!
Each time the grave opened, many alchemists and cultivators loved to come to the Wood Realm.
The dangers here were also more moderate compared to the other realms, but this was not to say that this place isn’t a paradise for finding treasures. It was more suited for weaker cultivators, especially the vagabonds and those who hailed from minor sects.
In the Metal Realm, one wouldn’t know what they would dig out from under the sand. It could be a treasure, or it could be a nest of Metal-eating Insects, or it might be a different kind of dangerous sinister existence.
In the Water Realm, one wouldn’t know what was under the water and what kinds of danger was below. Maybe as they were treading on the water, a water demon would come out and taste their flesh.
The Wood Realm was different. If one had no ambition and only wanted to make a little money by lingering in the outer boundary to pick some grasses, then it was absolutely safe.
Since this place specialized in producing medicines and grasses, even the entrance had a lot of them. Although they were ordinary, their freshness made up for this.
Low risk and decent rewards meant that this was the haven for many weaker cultivators. Said cultivators often chose this place as their stopping point.
Lan Yunzhu followed Li Qiye to this place where the medicinal fragrance blew into her face, causing her to take a deep breath.
She then whispered: “Silver Maple Grass, Pure Dan Fruit, Hundred Coiled Grass… This place is indeed nice for growing medicine.”
Li Qiye then stared at her in surprise. Feeling his gaze, Lan Yunzhu gave him a look and said: “What? Is it that strange? Although I am not an alchemist, it is normal for me to know a few spirit medicines. Our river sect is an emperor’s lineage, so we have a huge alchemy garden.”
Li Qiye only smiled and didn’t say anything else.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t contain her excitement and said: “This place has so many medicines, we should pick some and bring them back.”
Li Qiye slightly lifted his chin and said: “I’m sorry, but there is no Silver Maple Grass or Pure Dan Fruit left for you.”
Lan Yunzhu then shifted her gaze up ahead and noticed the barren hills. Outside of ordinary vegetation, the rest had already been plucked clean by people; there was no sign of spirit medicines.
“Hmm… This place is indeed a medicine garden, though.” Lan Yunzhu emotionally said after seeing a scene like this. Although the mountains had been harvested completely, by looking at the holes, one could see the signs of spirit medicines everywhere.
The two of them went deeper into the Wood Realm. They went past two mountains to see a group of cultivators happily harvesting some grasses.
A cultivator who climbed to the peak and then dug one thousand feet down managed to find a medicine root. Another hung by the cliff with a bated breath, waiting for a spirit flower to bloom. A different person went deep into a cave and then baited out the snakes to dig out Golden-String Grass. However, the majority of them were just picking spirit grasses normally on the mountain.
The cultivation of these cultivators was quite shallow, and a few of them were only beginners. The spirit medicines harvested by them could be found in stores. However, despite these medicines being common, this was still a great harvest to these cultivators.
“How did they manage to come in?” Lan Yunzhu puzzlingly asked after seeing these weak cultivators inside the grave.
“You have never been in a minor sect, right?” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “You have been in an emperor’s lineage since a young age so you don’t know that it is not easy to live as a vagabond or a cultivator from a minor sect. These spirit medicines are already very good for them. They risked their lives to enter the Prime Ominous Grave, and although they couldn’t make it alone, a group of them going together makes it possible.
“Among them, there will be one or two people who are quite formidable, so a group of them working together can ride the Corpseblood Clouds. Of course, many probably died during the process, but nevertheless, to these weak cultivators, entering the Prime Ominous Grave is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they are lucky, maybe they will be able to change their sect’s fate. Thus, despite knowing how arduous it would be and how only one out of ten would survive, they still risked it all and came!”
Chapter 523 - Dangers In The Wood Realm
Lan Yunzhu became quiet after hearing this. It was just like what Li Qiye had said, she had never been in a minor sect. She entered the river sect at a young age under Venerable Yang’s lead, and her master was the sect master. A genius like her didn’t know the struggles of a weak sect.
Although this place was full of spirit medicines, Li Qiye didn’t slow down his pace. He brought Lan Yunzhu deeper into the realm.
And he was not the only one who didn’t stop; any cultivator that was a bit stronger or was from a bigger sect wouldn’t pause. Although this place had a lot of medicines, they were very ordinary. Anyone with a bit of strength would not waste their time here.
This was especially true for the great powers who came here for the King Medicines and Sacred Trees. How could they allow time to be wasted on these ordinary grasses?
As Li Qiye went further inside, the grasses became rarer and more precious. At a certain depth, the truly rare spirit medicines began to appear.
“That is a Crimsonblood Fruit!” Lan Yunzhu happily uttered after seeing a red fruit growing on a lush and verdant tree by a creek.
She wanted to go closer, but this creek suddenly turned into a whirlpool.
“Splash!” White skeletons emerged from this whirlpool, warning Lan Yunzhu to not come any closer.
Li Qiye pulled her away and said: “Don’t waste time here, there are too many spirit medicines of this level.”
Lan Yunzhu wryly laughed and wondered: “Are there a lot of these here?” In the outside world, the Crimsonblood Fruit was very rare. Even the river sect’s treasury only had a few of them.
However, it was just like what Li Qiye had said. After they crossed several mountains, they saw Crimsonblood Fruits everywhere in the creeks.
Lan Yunzhu, who was following right behind him, was dazzled after seeing how many spirit medicines there were in this part of the woods: “White Phoenix Tree, Raging Flame Vine, Five Transformations Dragon Rouge, 800,000 year old Pure Dan Grass…”
The spirit medicines here were all extraordinary and precious. However, wanting to pick these medicines was not easy. They either had insect kings and cruel beasts protecting them, or they would be growing in deadly locations.
“Why don’t we pick some of them?” She was very tempted when she saw so many spirit medicines. She had absolute confidence that she would be able to easily pick a bunch of them.
“Wait a bit longer, then you will truly see what is called an alchemy garden.” Li Qiye replied and smiled: “There are even more precious things, so why waste time here?”
Sure enough, as they continued forward, they saw even more spirit medicines that couldn’t be described with just the word “precious.” These were all priceless medicines.
“That is a one million year old Scarlet Soaring Dragon Tree!” Lan Yunzhu looked at a treasure tree and exclaimed in shock. The entire tree was scarlet and it emitted waves of fluttering lights. She was someone who knew her stuff, so she spoke: “If one trains here, they will be reinforced by a dragon essence.”
However, as she came closer, she heard the sounds of bones clanking together as many skeletons crawled up from below the tree. Looking at the color of these bones, one wouldn’t be able to tell how long ago they had died.
“Don’t compete with the dead. Even after death, they will forever want to seize this treasure tree.” Li Qiye cheerfully said before dragging her away.
The value of these herbs only rose as they went deeper inside. Many experts and great powers present wanted these medicines.
“Where are you running to?!” On top of a mountain, a formidable Heavenly King with surging blood energy and an emperor’s aura was chasing a King Medicine root.
“That Heavenly King comes from the Zhan Clan. Legend states that after producing an Immortal Emperor, the clan then lived in seclusion for a very long time.” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but say after seeing this chase.
This Heavenly King had clearly brought an emperor’s weapon. Although many lusted after this King Medicine root, after seeing this Heavenly King take action, all the other Heavenly Sovereigns could only watch on the sidelines no matter how heaven-defying they might be. A Heavenly King was terrifying enough, not to mention the fact that he brought along an emperor’s weapon. Nobody wanted to offend such an expert!
The King Medicine being chased after by the Heavenly King was a 3,000,000 year old Violetblood King Ginseng. This ginseng root ran for its life at a scary speed while the Heavenly King panted as he gave chase.
This king ginseng knew that the enemy had an emperor’s weapon, a weapon that it couldn’t mess with, so it fled at an extreme speed deeper into the Wood Realm.
“Buzz!” On a different hill, a Demonic Sacred Tree exuded a terrifying divine radiance. Under the Demonic Sacred Tree were several hundred experts that all came from the same sect. They gathered together and tried their best to uproot this sacred tree.
“Clank!” Countless divine lights from this tree combined together to form a monstrous sword formation to cut into the experts of this sect.
Seeing that this sacred tree knew how to form a sword array, the sect master exclaimed in horror: “Retreat!”
But it was all too late as a rain of blood poured down from the sky. Terrible screams resounded as these several hundred experts were minced by this powerful sword formation.
“So strong!” Lan Yunzhu became shocked after witnessing the strength of the sacred tree’s sword array. She had a keen eyesight capable of seeing through this heaven-defying sword array.
“Don’t be fooled by the Wood Realm’s appearance.” Li Qiye smiled and explained: “Outsiders say that this place is safe, and indeed it is safer than the other places, but the King Medicines and Sacred Trees in this realm should not be easily provoked. Although there are no poisonous creatures or insect kings guarding them, they are plenty powerful by themselves.”
Lan Yunzhu also recognized this. The King Medicines and Sacred Trees in the Wood Realm were different from the divine stones and treasure metals back in the Metal Realm. The metals and stones didn’t have the power to fight back, but these medicine existences were different. They were very powerful, even more so than a Heavenly King.
“At this place, there are King Medicines and Sacred Trees even more powerful than Virtuous Paragons. One requires luck to be able to see them.” Li Qiye reminded Lan Yunzhu.
As they trod deeper inside, even more King Medicines and Sacred Trees showed up as well as holy springs and wells. Later on, there were trees who knew how to fly and walking grasses as well as herbs that knew how to transform.
The more she saw, the more speechless Lan Yunzhu became. Eventually, the two arrived under a cliff with an old well next to it. Li Qiye looked at it and found that there was a moon floating inside.
“Is this the legendary Immortal Moon Well?” Lan Yunzhu only watched from the distance because there was a person sitting cross-legged above the well — an old man. This old man wore armor with a sword box on his thighs. Although the box was closed, the terrifying sword energy shooting out of it made it clear just how horrifying the sword inside must be.
Lan Yunzhu looked at the old man and felt a chill before asking: “Is he dead?”
“Yes. He is this generation’s wellkeeper.” Li Qiye happily explained: “It is not difficult to obtain this well, one just has to defeat him. But sometimes, after defeating its keeper, they would no longer be able to leave because they would turn into a corpse and become the next generation’s keeper.”
Seeing this scene made Lan Yunzhu shudder. A Virtuous Paragon had inexplicably died here to become its keeper. This place was too bizarre.
As they continued to explore deeper and deeper, the thick forests and mountains became more dangerous. The sacred medicines now had fierce beasts and insects guarding them, and even the mountain paths became more arduous.
The insects and beasts wouldn’t attack someone for no reason, but the dangerous high peaks and hills were unpredictable. One wouldn’t be able to discern safe spots from dangerous spots.
“Ahh!” Screams sounded out. Lan Yunzhu noticed a large clan with more than one thousand experts falling into a deep ravine. However, what took their lives was not the fall but a group of black clouds that descended from the sky like a bunch of devils returning to their ravine nest. In just a moment, more screams resounded from within the ravine.
After the black clouds disappeared, Lan Yunzhu only saw skeletal remains. More than one thousand experts had all become mere bones.
“The White River Tribe is a great clan from the ghost race. They have more than ten Heavenly Sovereigns!” She exclaimed after seeing this scene.
More than one thousand experts and ten Heavenly Sovereigns had turned into skeletons in just a minute without being able to put up a fight. This matter was way too creepy.
However, thanks to Li Qiye, he brought her along and dodged all the dangers as if there was a god protecting them. It was as if Li Qiye knew this place very well; he knew all of its dangerous locations along with the methods to evade them.
Lan Yunzhu followed him and noticed that, at times, he would take the longer path instead of a straight incline towards the deeper parts of the Wood Realm. Because of his meticulous path, they managed to cleverly avoid many dangers.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask with doubt after seeing this: “Have you been to the Prime Ominous Grave before?” He seemed to have come here before, and his familiarity with the place indicated it hadn’t just been once.
Li Qiye smirked and remarked: “Did your patriarch not leave behind a map? For example, the dangerous spots inside the Wood Realm?”
Chapter 524 - Lost Alchemy Garden Of The Immortals
“No.” Lan Yunzhu glanced at him and said: “Is there such a thing? I’m afraid it doesn’t exist in this world. Even if our patriarch had come to the Prime Ominous Grave, it most likely would’ve only been once. The patriarch wouldn’t have been able to find out the safe and dangerous spots.”
“I’m sorry to say that I came across an old map that had the safe and dangerous spots marked on it.” Li Qiye smiled and added: “I’ll also tell you an exclusive secret.”
“What is it?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask.
Li Qiye smirked and said: “Gather a lot of antiques, such as old books or maps. Then, your harvest will be completely unexpected. All of my knowledge came from these items.”
“Bah!” Lan Yunzhu looked at him with one eye and said: “Uncle, I’m not stupid. It is fine if you don’t want to say it, but don’t try to trick me. The Prime Ominous Grave is one of the twelve burial grounds, so how could the secrets of this place be contained in old books and maps? If that was the case, then there wouldn’t be any secrets about the twelve burial grounds.”
Li Qiye only laughed and didn’t deny this notion while Lan Yunzhu angrily glared at him.
He took her to a grassy field. It was not large, only around ten acres. There was absolutely nothing here, let alone King Medicines and Sacred Trees. Not even the most ordinary spirit medicines could be found.
In the middle of the field was an old stone tablet that had nothing special about its appearance.
“Uncle, you took me all this way just for this stone tablet?” Lan Yunzhu looked at him and said: “Don’t tell me that there is no secret about this tablet. I won’t accept such an answer.”
Li Qiye took her across numerous streams and hills while ignoring many King Medicines and Sacred Trees. This was definitely not because he had too much time on his hands.
Li Qiye replied with a smile: “You are right, this place is the secret.” Li Qiye took out the Prime Ominous Key. The key was like the unveiling of a decree as dao runes began to move with ancient words emerging on its surface.
“Thunk, thunk, thunk!” These old characters carved themselves into the ancient tablet, causing it to become shiny.
Lan Yunzhu had seen this before back when Li Qiye opened the grave, so after seeing these ancient characters on the tablet, she held her breath in anticipation.
“Clangggg!” The old tablet shifted itself, revealing a door where it used to be.
Li Qiye reached out with his hand and said with a smile: “Please enter. You can now see what true King Medicines are.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what was beyond the door. She took a deep breath and was ready to accept a pleasant surprise. She entered first while Li Qiye followed right behind her.
“Rollll—” After they entered, the tablet shifted back to its initial position, and the door disappeared as well. No one else knew that there had been a door here.
After going inside, Lan Yunzhu’s jaw dropped as she became astonished at the scene before her eyes.
It was too shocking. This place seemed to be a world of its own with plenty of waterfalls and hills. The gentle breeze gave the sensation that it was a paradise.
However, this was not the important part. The crux of the matter was that the vegetation here were not ordinary grasses or trees, they were all incredible King Medicines and Sacred Trees.
“Immortal Phoenix Grass, Galaxy Tree, Spatial Flower, Bewildering Bamboo…” All of these items were written down in the records, but very few people had seen them since the start of time. These immortal grasses and sacred trees were beyond the scope of alchemy. Using these things to refine pills would be wasting the heaven’s creations.
The Immortal Phoenix Grass was like a phoenix gently flying on a branch as it emitted the cries of a phoenix.
Lan Yunzhu looked at it and murmured: “Legend has it that this grass only shows up where an Immortal Phoenix made its nest.”
The Galaxy Tree gently swayed with the wind and had the appearance of stars descending to this world. The body of the tree was not large, but stars kept descending from it as if it was the sky itself.
As for the Spatial Flower, one of its tiny buds began to bloom. The moment it finished blooming, it was as if ten thousand years had passed; the endless time was flowing inside its petals.
Lan Yunzhu wanted to watch the flower bloom, but Li Qiye quickly stopped her: “Don’t watch when it is blooming or else you will grow old along with it. No matter how powerful you are, you won’t be able to stop its withering properties.”
The sacred trees and other immortal grasses here were not simply ingredients, they were extremely terrifying existences. They had the power to cause even Virtuous Paragons to feel dread.
Although all of these kinds of vegetation were before her, even a genius like Lan Yunzhu wouldn’t find picking any of them an easy task.
Despite the fact that they had no insect kings or other poisonous creatures protecting them, they themselves had horrifying power no weaker than a Virtuous Paragon.
“Where is this place?” Lan Yunzhu asked with an emotional tone. Seeing any one of these great treasures outside would already be more difficult than reaching the heavens, but from where Lan Yunzhu was standing, immortal grasses and sacred trees could be seen as far as her eyes could see. This shocking matter definitely couldn’t occur in the outside world.
Li Qiye smiled and replied: “It is anyone’s guess as to where this place really is, but you can call it the lost alchemy garden of the immortals.”
“The lost alchemy garden of the immortals…” Lan Yunzhu repeated.
This was the only appropriate name for it. How could any other place have so many rare and precious herbs located in one place? This could only happen in the lands of the legendary immortals.
This garden before her was probably the alchemy garden of the immortals that fell to the mortal world.
Lan Yunzhu calmed down then looked at Li Qiye to say: “The King Medicines growing outside were not the most precious things in the Wood Realm.”
“Correct.” Li Qiye cheerfully smiled: “There is no better place in the Wood Realm than the lost alchemy garden of the immortals.”
Lan Yunzhu suddenly recalled something, then she looked at Li Qiye and asked: “There are five great realms in the Prime Ominous Grave. The Wood Realm is not the only one with a secret grave; this lost alchemy garden is equivalent to the Heavenly Cemetery of the Earth Realm. They are both secret graves, right?”
Li Qiye smiled and said: “You are not stupid. To be more precise, all five realms have their own secret grave.”
Lan Yunzhu then murmured in response: “Legends state that Immortal Emperor Di Yu once entered the Heavenly Cemetery and obtained the method for eternal life. This was how future generations got to know about the Heavenly Cemetery.”
Li Qiye shook his head and said: “The truth is not like that. The key point is that the future generations didn’t know about the cemetery because of Immortal Emperor Di Yu. You will understand later.”
Lan Yunzhu then asked: “The Heavenly Cemetery is at the Earth Realm, then we have the alchemy garden at the Wood Realm. What about the Metal Realm and the Water Realm? If all five realms have them, then so should these two.”
Li Qiye gestured with his hand and said: “This I do not know. It is not like I know everything. If you keep asking me, then who do I have to ask for an answer?”
“Is that so?” Lan Yunzhu skeptically looked at Li Qiye because she was sure that it was not so simple. In her opinion, Li Qiye definitely knew a thing or two. She then had to say: “I got it now. Each secret grave of these realms has to be opened with the Prime Ominous Key! The world does not know that the key doesn’t just simply open the grave.”
Li Qiye flicked her forehead and said: “Smart. You are right, only with the Prime Ominous Key would one be able to enter these secret graves.”
“If you have the key, then how come you didn’t go to the other ones? Like the ones back in the Water and Metal realms?” Lan Yunzhu inquired.
People would go absolutely crazy if they knew this secret. These secret graves were unbelievable; this lost alchemy garden was a prime example. Anyone who entered would surely come out as a rich man.
Li Qiye shook his head with a smile and replied: “Hmm… I don’t know where the other secret graves are located.”
Lan Yunzhu fiercely glared at him and retorted: “Do you think I’m stupid? You even know about the Secret Realm, so how do you not know about the secret graves? Hmph, these secret graves are surely easier to find than the Secret Realm.”
“Okay, okay. Little Girl, you really are not stupid at all.” Li Qiye smiled, then continued: “There are a lot of rules for these secret graves, and it is not as simple as just going and taking the treasures. The secret graves in the Metal and Water realms do not necessarily have the things I need. My first rule for this trip is to find the things that I need, the other stuff will be for when I have enough time. Of course, unless a secret among secrets of the graves appears, I wouldn’t be able to go to all the secret graves.”
“What is a secret among secrets of the graves?” Lan Yunzhu curiously asked. She had never heard of this before, but since it came out from Li Qiye’s mouth, it would surely not be simple.
Chapter 525 - Ultimate Alchemy Location
Li Qiye nonchalantly responded: “You don’t need to know this. However, if the secret among secrets appears, then I’ll take you to experience it.”
Having heard that, Lan Yunzhu didn’t ask anything more. She only knew that this secret must be really amazing.
“Let us go.” Li Qiye brought her into the garden. They didn’t get too far before a soulgrass jumped out. This soulgrass was like a little coiling dragon. If it wasn’t for the dragon’s tail being linked to the mud, making it seem like a type of grass, then people would actually think that it was a dragon.
Lan Yunzhu knew her stuff, so she exclaimed: “A Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass! This is already an eight transformations soulgrass; it’s only one step away from becoming a dragon grass!”
Soulgrass was the essential primary leading ingredient for refining fate pills. Without soulgrass, one wouldn’t be able to refine fate pills at all. There were many types of soulgrass, but the Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass was one of the best. It had a very potent medicinal effect, so it was sought after far more than the others.
Soulgrass could have nine transformations and the ninth transformation would be the limit. It was the same for the Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass that had nine different stages. In the three initial stages, it would take on the form of an insect flower; the middle three stages were ones where it would be in the form of a soulgrass; the last three stages was when it would take on the shape of a dragon grass. Legend states that after reaching the ninth transformation, it would completely metamorphose into a real little dragon!
Li Qiye reached down and plucked the soulgrass. It was unwilling, but Li Qiye’s hand covered everything so it had no chance to escape.
Outside of the grave, this soulgrass was considered priceless as it only grew in the most dangerous of locations and was protected by poisonous creatures. However, in this lost garden, this type of soulgrass was only a common spirit medicine.
Li Qiye put it away and told Lan Yunzhu: “Remember, there are three rules in this lost garden. First, one can only pick ordinary spirit medicines.”
“What does ‘ordinary spirit medicines’ entail?” Lan Yunzhu asked.
Li Qiye replied with a smile: “Ordinary means little King Medicines, basically ones that are three million years old or younger, or ones that have nine or fewer transformations.”
“Could there be a soulgrass with ten transformations?” Lan Yunzhu found the answer puzzling.
This was impossible since the world knew that nine transformations was the limit for soulgrass.
To this, Li Qiye only smiled and continued on: “Second, Emperor Medicines, Immortal Medicines, and True Immortal Medicines as well as divine trees that are at least five million years old can only be plucked if they are willing. If they agree to go with you, then you can take them. However, if you forcefully do so, then prepare to face the punishment!”
“How are the Emperor Medicines, Immortal Medicines, and True Immortal Medicines classified?” Lan Yunzhu asked in confusion.
Li Qiye shook his head and grinned: “The truth is that there is no real standard. Some people consider King Medicines with three million years of age as Emperor Medicines, but this is the classification used by the weaker alchemists. Once an alchemist reaches a certain level, they will be able to interact with King Medicines that belong in the legends, so the majority of these alchemists consider the ones that are at least five million years old as Emperor Medicine. As for rarer spirit medicines, such as the Immortal Phoenix Grass, they call them Immortal Medicines.”
“What about True Immortal Medicines then?” Lan Yunzhu asked: “How could medicine be fake and real?”
Li Qiye responded: “True Immortal Medicines are divided into several levels. A spirit medicine like the Immortal Phoenix Grass is indeed very rare, but it is not a real immortal grass. Real immortal grasses come from a very ancient era and were cultivated by immortals. Some people even say that True Immortal Medicines hide the true secret to immortality!”
“Do they really exist in this world?” Lan Yunzhu asked: “A True Immortal Medicine capable of granting eternal life…?”
Li Qiye didn’t answer her question since he was digging up a two million year old Silver Maple Grass. It was a type of supporting ingredient for Longevity Medicines. A two million year old spirit medicine like this was very rare and absolutely priceless.
“The third rule is that one cannot be too greedy. At this place, you can pick any ordinary spirit medicines without any danger. However, if you are too greedy and pluck too many, then the alchemy garden will sanction you. If there are three, then take two and leave one behind — you should consider this as the maximum. This is already pushing it to the limit.”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but smile at this point. In this place, little King Medicines and King Medicines were only called ordinary spirit medicines. These were priceless items that could start countless conflicts.
However, she then remembered that Li Qiye was cautious about this threat from the garden, so she curiously asked: “What will happen if you are sanctioned by the garden?”
“Very simple.” Li Qiye answered with a grin: “If you are not an Immortal Emperor, then don’t even think about leaving alive.”
Lan Yunzhu immediately lost her colors. Immortal grasses were already so heaven-defying that even Heavenly Kings wouldn’t mess with them. And yet, being sanctioned by the alchemy garden was even worse, according to Li Qiye. One that wasn’t at the emperor level wouldn’t be able to dream about these immortal grasses unless they were willing to go with you.
“Don’t stand there in a daze. First come first serve, I’m not going to give you any!” Li Qiye casually dug up another nine transformations Jadeblood Bamboo.
Lan Yunzhu regained her wits and yelled: “Uncle, you are bullying this girl. You already started digging before me without saying anything!” She let go of all her feminine manners and screamed while rushing to dig out medicines with Li Qiye.
Li Qiye only smiled and let her have a King Medicine root.
She had quite a great harvest while digging with Li Qiye. The more she dug, the more speechless she became. Here, King Medicines were not any different from radishes; one could easily pluck them since they were everywhere.
She was not an alchemist so her digging skills were much worse than Li Qiye’s. If it wasn’t for him taking it easy on purpose, she wouldn’t be able to win anything in front of him. Although the amount she gathered was far less than that of Li Qiye, she was already very satisfied.
Think about it, a Heavenly King from the Zhan Clan chased with an emperor’s weapon while panting and sweating for ten thousand miles just for one King Medicine. In the end, no one even knew if he caught it or not. However, Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu were digging up King Medicines as if they were radishes in such a simple manner. This was such a joyous occasion!
After digging and moving for a long time, Li Qiye finally looked ahead and said with a smile: “We are finally here.”
Lan Yunzhu was taken aback. She now understood that digging up King Medicines wasn’t Li Qiye’s goal, it was just a convenient venture. If this wasn’t his goal, then what was attracting his attention?
She stood up after digging out another King Medicine, but she was startled after she saw the scene before her. She was so shocked that she couldn’t close her mouth.
Before them was a medicine field with a blue radiance like a jade with blue smoke. However, a more careful look would show that it was not smoke and instead was an extremely refined and precious worldly energy.
Immortal Medicines and divine trees were growing in this medicine field. Each of them spewed out mists while absorbing worldly energy just like a real living being.
The two of them were about to step inside, but they had to stop due to a dragon’s roar as a dragon landed in front of them. It was not huge, but it emitted a draconic aura and roared before Li Qiye as if it was warning them not to step into this place.
“Hold on, hold on.” Despite being roared at by the dragon, Li Qiye leisurely smiled and said: “This is not how you treat a guest.”
“This is not a place for you to visit. It’s not a place meant for little existences like you.” A voice appeared from an old tree; this tree had the face of an old man. Any coward would have a heart attack after seeing this existence.
“Of course I have my reasons for coming here.” Li Qiye replied in a laid-back manner.
“What are these things?” Lan Yunzhu whispered and asked Li Qiye after seeing how this dragon seemed as if it was about to attack them.
Li Qiye smiled and gently touched the dragon flying before him and replied: “This is a ten transformations Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass. That tree over there is an eight million year old Soldier Tree.”
“That over there is a Reincarnation Heavenly Soulvine…” Li Qiye continued to call out the names of these immortal vegetation that sucked in the mists with a leisurely expression.
A few needed no introduction from Li Qiye since Lan Yunzhu could tell what they were with a more careful glance: “Is that a seven million year old Violetblood King Ginseng?”
“No, my name is Ginseng Ancestor.” The ginseng that was emitting a violet light faintly spoke. A ginseng that knew how to talk was quite scary!
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but take a calming breath. An ancestor ginseng such as this was the finest ingredient to prolong one’s life span; even an Immortal Emperor would need this. If an Immortal Emperor came here, he would forcefully take it away even if he had to suffer the sanctioning of the garden.
“This is our territory!” The Soldier Tree warned Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu: “Leave now. We don’t care what you do in the other parts of the garden, but you can’t enter here!”
“Whether I can come or not, you guys do not have the final say.” Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and said: “The truth is that you guys are not the real masters of this place, correct? I am a peace-loving person and I don’t want to fight. I do have this thing, so maybe I can borrow a medicine field?”
Chapter 526 - Cultivating in the Alchemy Garden
After saying this, Li Qiye took out the Prime Ominous Key and slowly unfurled it. At this time, the key was just like the royal decree of an emperor.
Both the Soldier Tree and the Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass and even the Ginseng Ancestor became silent. They all looked at the key in Li Qiye’s hand. Eventually, the Soldier Tree scowled and didn’t give his opinion.
Without a doubt, these trees allowed for Li Qiye to use the medicine field in front of them.
Li Qiye then smiled and said: “My thanks. I will only cultivate here, so you guys don’t need to worry about me. Do as you please.” With that, he sat down in a meditative pose and took out his Myriad Heavenly Cauldron.
“Buzz!” After it was taken out, the cauldron turned into a giant frog and spewed out powerful flames like a wolf staring at lambs. It looked at the Ginseng Ancestor, then at the Dragon Soulgrass and it didn’t leave out the reincarnation vine… It looked as if it wanted to eat all of these immortal vegetations.
“The Myriad Heavenly Cauldron!” These grasses and trees all exuded sky-pillaring auras; they were ready for battle.
They had no love for the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron. The reason was very simple — the cauldron had eaten many immortal grasses and spirit medicines. There was even a time when it devoured King Medicines like veggies. Of course an existence who had eaten so many spirit medicines like the cauldron would be hated by the group.
Li Qiye stopped the cauldron from provoking the immortal vegetations and said: “Hey now, stop, we all need to live together peacefully.” He added with a smile: “We are only here for cultivation, not to eat immortal medicines.”
He stroked the cauldron and persuaded: “You have eaten too many spirit medicines so there is no need for more. The thing you need to do now is to refine all the essence in your body so that they can harmonize to turn your medicinal trove into the best trove possible. Otherwise, it would only be a waste if you eat even more.”
Since an archaic age, the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron had devoured countless mixes of herbs. Although it had an amazing medicinal trove, the essence of these different herbs couldn’t completely fuse together, and its power did not reach the level of an Immortal Medicine or True Immortal Medicine.
Li Qiye continued to stroke and speak to the cauldron: “This medicinal field has been blessed by the heavens so this is a very rare opportunity. Cultivate here to refine and melt all of the different kinds of essence within you.”
Eventually, the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron obediently turned into a regular cauldron next to Li Qiye and obeyed his command.
The group of immortal vegetations angrily scowled then left the field. To them, the cauldron was an unforgivable enemy. Because of its presence, they didn’t want to linger around any longer, so they temporarily gave way for Li Qiye.
Li Qiye then sat down and told Lan Yunzhu: “You should also sit down and cultivate. This field is unique in this world and it is hard to see it again. Use this chance to strengthen your True Fate and dao foundation, it will definitely be beneficial for you. However, if you don’t want to, you can go take a look around.”
With that, Li Qiye closed his eyes and opened his Fate Palaces. With a deafening blast, all of his palaces opened with his True Fate along with a dao foundation that looked like a galaxy. After a long roar, the foundation then turned into a Primordial Kun Peng that shrouded the sky.
“Boom!” His palaces then turned into a kingdom as the Terra’s Root instantly dug into the medicinal field. It quickly sucked up the extremely refined worldly essence from the field, so the kingdom inside the Fate Palaces was quickly filled with this new source of energy.
“Boom!” Another explosion occurred. The Kun Peng turned back into a galaxy and surrounded the True Fate that went on top of the dao foundation. At this time, the ten palace kingdom gave all of its energy to the True Fate and dao foundation.
More rumbling blasts resounded. His Life Wheel took action; its rolling blood energy flowed into the dao foundation like a long river flowing into the sea. The Revolving Crescent Sun Law crazily sucked in worldly energy. Like a devil, it crushed Li Qiye’s blood energy then the worldly energy and fused the two of them together before sending the newly formed energy back into his foundation and True Fate. In just a minute, Li Qiye’s True Fate emitted a blinding brilliance.
Li Qiye had been refined by the Worldly Prime Liquid so his body, dao foundation, and True Fate could be said to be perfect.
This time, Li Qiye wanted to use this medicinal field to temper them once more. Because he had opened ten palaces, he needed an even better condition to refine his dao foundation and True Fate. Only this type of training would allow his potential to become limitless and gain the opportunity to open the eleventh, twelfth, and even the thirteenth palace from the legends.
“Rumble!” Meanwhile, the cauldron sucked in an endless amount of refined essence while its treasure trove appeared. It was as vast as a sea with dense medicinal essences.
Lan Yunzhu was shocked to see such a scene and wondered just how many immortal herbs this cauldron had devoured to have such a treasure medicinal trove.
Li Qiye then roared again as his foundation turned into the Primordial Kun Peng. The creature flew into the sea of medicinal essence and immediately turned into a gigantic incubator, allowing Li Qiye’s dao foundation to wildly refine the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron’s medicinal trove.
The True Fate channeled the worldly energy and blood energy to harmonize the essences. In just a second, newly refined sources of energy filled the cauldron and strengthened it repeatedly. Universal laws smoothly poured down onto Li Qiye’s body like a waterfall, tempering both his body and the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron.
At this point, the cauldron and himself reached a new level of synchronization as Li Qiye borrowed the cauldron’s medicinal trove to strengthen both of them in a complementary manner.
Lan Yunzhu also followed suit after seeing Li Qiye meditate. She opened her Fate Palaces and borrowed the worldly essence in this medicine field to refine her True Fate and dao foundation.
A green smoke filled the garden as pure energy drifted everywhere. This place was not a simple medicine field, it was also a supreme land. This was why amazing existences like the Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass and the Ginseng Ancestor were absorbing energy at this place.
The worldly energy continuously moved as Lan Yunzhu’s dao foundation turned into an eternal river with nonstop changes. She had dual saint talents with her Saint Fate and Saint Wheel. It could be said that her talents were excellent, so her worldly energy absorption speed was very fast. Her True Fate became blindingly radiant with universal chains hovering around it. At this minute, it was as if the heavenly dao had become closer to her.
A long time later, she withdrew her law and slowly opened her eyes. She felt her True Fate had reached a new level after being refined by the worldly energy. Due to her saint talents, both her True Fate and dao foundation were already extremely perfect, but now, they had reached a new sublime level.
As she looked around, she felt an endless power as if this was the right path of the dao. As this force pervaded the area, it was as if all of the energy in all the nine worlds was being gathered at this place.
She turned around and noticed that this endless power was coming from Li Qiye’s body. He was no longer using the pure worldly energy to refine his dao foundation since the process had already been completed.
The tempering of the cauldron was also finished, so he had put it away as well.
He then sat in the medicine field with a solemn expression. The palaces floated above his head and turned into both the dao and a kingdom.
“Eleven Fate Palaces!” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed in shock after seeing the palaces above his head.
Before this, Li Qiye had nine stars and ten palaces — this was already shocking enough. Nine deserves utmost veneration, ten embodies extreme perfection! A person with ten palaces was already considered a heaven-defying genius with the fate of becoming a supreme existence.
However, Li Qiye had eleven palaces at this moment. During the refinement of his dao foundation and True Fate, he had opened a new palace.
“Eleven palaces… A miracle across the eons!”
Although eleven was only one more than ten, this was not an insignificant number. Even the most brilliant genius that was meant for greatness would find it nearly impossible to open another after having ten palaces. This was why eleven palaces was also called a miracle across the eons.
Those who had opened eleven palaces could be counted on one’s fingers, and some speculated that there were no more than three in total.
“Crack!” However, while Lan Yunzhu was astonished at the sight of eleven palaces, the meridian in Li Qiye’s forehead suddenly made a sound.
It was as if something else was digging inside and was about to burst out.
Lan Yunzhu immediately knew what was going on and uttered in horror: “The opening of the twelfth palace…!” She lost herself in fear. Twelve palaces… How terrifying was this?!
There existed a phrase in the cultivation world: eleven is a miracle across the eons, twelve decides the position of the Immortal Emperor!
In other words, one with eleven palaces would be a timeless miracle, but one with twelve meant that, who could be the Immortal Emperor during that generation if not they? Since time immemorial, no one had heard of someone successfully opening twelve palaces.
Chapter 527 - Cultivation
The formation of twelve palaces meant that the person would arrogantly sweep over the nine heavens and ten earths. Di Zuo, who was this? Tian Lunhui, so what? Even if Tian Lunhui was actually a reincarnation of an Immortal Emperor, he still wouldn’t be able to stop Li Qiye’s ascension to the imperial throne.
The absentminded Lan Yunzhu could only force a wry laugh. A genius like her was nothing compared to someone like Li Qiye. In someone else’s eyes, having dual saint talents was an unreachable apex, a reason for pride, but she had no choice but to be convinced before Li Qiye’s aptitude. It was no exaggeration that even someone with tri-saint talents would not be comparable to Li Qiye.
Once Li Qiye has twelve palaces, his talents, body, and bones would just be fleeting clouds in the sky — no longer relevant. There was no need to mention other prodigies. The twelve palaces alone would render anyone breathless.
Four palaces to form a domain, eight palaces to form a kingdom, and twelve palaces to form the heavens! Once he has twelve palaces, he will be the heavens itself; which existence was greater than the heavens? Perhaps only the high heavens beyond the nine firmaments! 1
“Whoosh!” A slight distortion appeared while Lan Yunzhu had a forceful smile on her face. Her eyes then focused on something that appeared to be flapping its wings.
She couldn’t help but to take a closer look and noticed a figure appearing in Li Qiye’s chest like a soaring immortal. Behind the figure were portals to all the nine heavens and ten earths. These portals then eventually turned themselves into supreme immortal wings!
This flying shadow was surrounded by silky strands of immortal laws, creating a very serene spectacle as if everything had stopped in its tracks.
However, once Lan Yunzhu used her Heavenly Gaze to take a better look, she was quickly startled. These silky strands of immortal laws were not standing still, they were rotating at an unbelievable speed. Because they were moving too quickly, it appeared as if they were still.
“Soaring Immortal Physique!” She finally figured out which Immortal Physique Li Qiye was cultivating.
The Soaring Immortal Physique was considered the fastest physique in this world. Once it reached grand completion, nothing would be faster than it.
“How can anyone bear to live on after seeing this?” She couldn’t help but wryly smile once more.
Eleven palaces already took away the breath of others, but now, Li Qiye also had the Soaring Immortal Physique. This was akin to suppressing all the other geniuses in this world.
Now, Lan Yunzhu understood why Li Qiye didn’t care for Di Zuo. Although he was still at the Ancient Saint realm, this was a trivial matter. Eleven palaces already exceeded the limits of an Ancient Saint. What could a Heavenly Sovereign do against an eleven palaces Ancient Saint?
When coupled with the Soaring Immortal Physique, this was simply too heaven-defying. Even if Di Zuo were to reach the Heavenly King realm, his chances of winning against Li Qiye would be slim.
Maybe if Di Zuo could reach Existence Heavenly King, then perhaps the play could go on. However, there was no chance for this because Di Zuo was still very young. He could reach Heavenly King at this moment, but it would absolutely be impossible to reach Existence Heavenly King without a few more years.
“Rmmmbbb!” While she was wryly smiling, a streak of lightning suddenly struck Li Qiye; to be more precise, it struck the Inner Physique in the middle of his chest. However, the lightning suddenly disappeared as if it had been suppressed by something.
“Physique Tribulation… The minor completion tribulation is about to come!” Lan Yunzhu could tell what was going on after seeing the flashing lightning. His Physique Tribulation was about to come.
“No, wait…” However, she found it strange when the lightning disappeared because Li Qiye’s Inner Physique didn’t budge. It seemed that the previous bolt of lightning was suppressed. It was as if there was something even more powerful behind the Soaring Immortal Inner Physique.
In a split second, Lan Yunzhu saw another Inner Physique, an Inner Physique capable of suppressing the entire nine heavens and ten earths, an Inner Physique that caused both gods and devils to quiver.
“This is impossible…” Lan Yunzhu felt that she was only seeing things. Cultivators could only have one Inner Physique — this was unchanged knowledge since the start of time.
She assumed that it was only an illusion because no one had ever been able to break this common sense. Only one Inner Physique per cultivator, even for someone with an Immortal Fate.
However, now she was not so sure and felt lacking in confidence. Common sense — it seemed that this had no effect on Li Qiye.
This wouldn’t be his first time breaking common sense. Just like back at the Divine Dragon Mountain when all the destiny stones chose to follow him. Until now, it had always been stones picking their masters, but now, Li Qiye was the one to pick the stones.
What if… What if Li Qiye actually had two Inner Physiques? Two Immortal Inner Physiques? She became dumbstruck at this point.
Anyone who heard this speculation of hers would immediately think that she was insane because it had never happened before. Having two Immortal Inner Physiques was even more unbelievable than someone with an Immortal Fate.
But at this time, this was her incredible conjecture. If Li Qiye had two Inner Physiques, then the other Inner Physique would have to be even stronger than the Soaring Immortal Inner Physique at this moment.
Having thought to this point, she felt that if this was indeed the case, then the three heroes of the Sacred Nether World were nothing at all!
After a good while, she calmed down and sighed gently, then she shook her head and no longer wanted to think. She stood up and noticed that Li Qiye was still lost in his trance. She didn’t want to disturb him, so she silently left the medicine field, intending to go to other places to witness the entire lost garden of the immortals.
Li Qiye was still sitting cross-legged back at the field while immersed in his own world. His dao foundation and True Fate had become impeccably perfect after the refinement from the extremely pure worldly energy.
Both this worldly energy and the medicinal essence from the trove of the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron helped him a lot. Because of this, he was able to easily open the eleventh palace.
Right now, opening the twelfth, to him, was not a challenge, it was already a foregone conclusion. The real challenge was opening the thirteenth palace.
***
While Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu were cultivating inside the lost garden, many shocking things happened outside. There was finally someone who obtained a big harvest.
The Thousand Carp River had managed to chase the Diamond Carp all the way to its nest. Its elders were the first to seize the nest, and they obtained many divine items and immortal treasures, including numerous amazing metals and aquas. Such a great harvest further reinforced the sect’s strength!
By the time many other great powers ran to the Water Realm after hearing this news, the digging operation at the Diamond Carp’s nest had already come to an end. The river sect obtained the majority of the treasures there.
Such a rich harvest left many reddened with greed. A few great powers and experts wanted to sneak an attack for the treasures, but an emperor’s lineage could not so easily be provoked. The high elders of the river sect killed three Heavenly Kings and beat all the robbers into submission. Afterward, no one else dared to try again.
The Thousand Carp River’s power was not just in name. Many great powers realized that, in order to fight the river sect, at least two emperor’s lineages must cooperate or else there would be no chance. Multiple great powers working together would still be slaughtered.
The luck of the river sect caused many people to drool in both greed and envy. A bunch of cultivators in the Water Realm were full of regrets, and one of them said: “Aizz, should have just followed the river sect to the end. I gave up halfway so I lost this great opportunity.”
In the beginning, many cultivators chased the Diamond Carp for a very long time just like the river sect. However, after a while, group after group began to give up because they felt that wasting time chasing the Diamond Carp was not worth it.
Who would expect that the river sect actually reached its nest and obtained such an envious fortune?
However, fortunately for the ghost race, the river sect was not the only group with good fortune. Otherwise, they would have been beating their chests in anger!
Another piece of news of someone having great luck began to spread. Tian Lunhui, the descendant of the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom, had entered the Fire God’s Palace.
The ghost race was the most excited after hearing this. They quickly went around asking for more information: “What is the Fire God’s Palace?”
This was a reason for celebration since Tian Lunhui, one of the three heroes, had obtained a great fortune.
Before this, the river sect’s great harvest had left the ghost race dejected and envious, but now, someone in the ghost race had also obtained a great fortune and gained the ghost race some pride!
“The Fire God’s Palace…” After hearing this, an undying from an emperor’s lineage emotionally exclaimed: “Legend states that this is the biggest and most desired fortune in the Fire Realm. Some say that a grand completion Immortal Physique from the Myriad Bones Throne wanted to enter this palace when he was here at the Fire Realm at a young age, but alas, he was unsuccessful. Who would have thought that Tian Lunhui would get such a great opportunity like this?”
Chapter 528 - Twelve Fate Palaces
“Amazing! Entering the Fire God’s Palace will surely grant him a great fortune.” After hearing this, many people became very envious.
Although the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom did not necessarily require a heaven-defying treasure, obtaining a great fortune inside the Prime Ominous Grave was a matter of pride. Since the start of time, anyone who obtained great fortunes in this grave would eventually become an invincible existence capable of threatening the nine worlds. Even if they couldn’t become an Immortal Emperor, they would still become a paragon of a world.
While everyone was still extremely jealous of Tian Lunhui’s luck, a shocking piece of news also came out from the Earth Realm: “Di Zuo is mounting an offensive on the Heavenly Cemetery.”
After hearing this, great characters from all the tribes greatly changed their expressions as they exclaimed: “Attacking the Heavenly Cemetery! How bold!”
Another whispered: “Legend states that the Heavenly Cemetery is the end point of the Prime Ominous Grave, and very few have been able to enter since time immemorial. Di Zuo indeed has the style of a young Immortal Emperor, now that he wants to attack the cemetery.”
Even an ancestor from a great power emotionally added: “The Myriad Bones Throne trained such an amazing descendant. This courage and decisiveness when deciding to attack the Heavenly Cemetery… It wouldn’t be strange if he becomes the Immortal Emperor in the future.”
Many were saddened after hearing this, especially the younger generation. Di Zuo was already famous enough, but today, many became shocked when he chose to attack the Heavenly Cemetery.
Geniuses didn’t dare to attack the cemetery, not even imperial descendants like the Titanic Crescent Saint Child or the Ghost Insect Evil Child who had emperor’s weapons. But now, Di Zuo was intending to do so, highlighting his domineering temperament.
“Sir Di Zuo will surely become the Immortal Emperor of this generation!” A ghost excitedly uttered.
This battle that Di Zuo started caused the ghosts to become very lively. Recently, they had been oppressed, especially when Xian Fan fought evenly against Di Zuo. Many of them couldn’t accept this result. But now, Di Zuo’s actions meant that he was confident in himself, further rejuvenating the ghosts’ hope that the future emperor would come from their race.
Outside of the actions taken by the heaven’s proud sons like Tian Lunhui and Di Zuo, powerful lineages like the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom attracted attention very easily even with the slightest movement.
Recently, news about the Immortal Kingdom began to spread. A cultivator in the Wood Realm sent out this message: “The Simple Precious Tree of the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom is going to the deepest parts of the Wood Realm.”
Many great powers became receptive to this news and, overnight, countless people paid attention to every action of the Immortal Kingdom.
An ancestor from a great power tried to analyze the kingdom’s goal: “What are they trying to find? It seems that they don’t care for treasures or divine stones or immortal medicines. However, this doesn’t make sense. They even brought along their precious tree, so they had to come to the grave for something.”
Another sect master who had always paid attention to the Immortal Kingdom murmured: “It seems like they are trying to find a certain something, and now they are off to the Wood Realm. Maybe they are trying to search every corner of the Prime Ominous Grave.”
In fact, as a lineage with two emperors, it would make more sense if they kept to themselves in order to not attract attention. However, the Immortal Kingdom was different; they even brought their Simple Precious Tree. Because of its fanfare, the other emperor’s lineages secretly tailed the Immortal Kingdom.
All of this could be traced back to Immortal Emperor Di Yu. In a very ancient era, there was a rumor where the grave had the method for everlasting life, but no one had ever seen it before.
It was not until Immortal Emperor Di Yu’s generation that there was a hint of such a thing. At a young age, he went into the grave, but no one at that time knew if he had obtained the method or not.
However, many tales explained that his talents were quite terrible, but he still managed to survive through five generations and five Immortal Emperors. Even invincible emperors disappeared, but Immortal Emperor Di Yu lived on just fine.
What was even more suspicious was that Immortal Emperor Di Yu didn’t seal himself inside a Blood Era Stone like the other undyings. He had always lived normally throughout the generations. After many years and witnessing the change of five emperors, he finally embarked on the imperial journey to become an invincible emperor.
Because of this, no matter the method, future generations suspected that he had gotten the method for everlasting life during his youth inside the Prime Ominous Grave.
Nevertheless, the Immortal Kingdom had always denied this claim, but they couldn’t dispel all suspicions.
This time, the Immortal Kingdom even brought along their precious tree and didn’t care for all the treasures inside the five grand realms. Things that others lusted for were ignored by the Immortal Kingdom, making people think that they were searching for something; their strange behavior resulted in many great powers spying on them.
During the spying process, a person had a bold thought: “Maybe Immortal Emperor Di Yu only got half of the method in the past. Maybe the other half is still inside the Prime Ominous Grave. This is why the Immortal Kingdom carried along the precious tree this time, to find the other half!”
This speculation was quite outrageous, but many great powers couldn’t stop themselves from thinking about this possibility. This was why even more eyes became fixated on the Immortal Kingdom.
If there really was another half of the everlasting life method, then a terrifying war would erupt. Even monstrous existences like the throne of bones and the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom would join in.
Not to mention weaker cultivators, even Immortal Emperors would be tempted by true immortality.
***
Li Qiye sat for a very long time in the medicine field before slowly opening his eyes and issuing a roar. After this cry, the eleven Fate Palaces withdrew.
At this time, Lan Yunzhu was next to him. She cheerfully said: “Congratulations, you have finally opened eleven palaces.”
Li Qiye smiled and responded: “It is a thing of the past now. The twelfth palace will be the next challenge.”
This sentence sounded very arrogant. Everyone assumed that having twelve palaces was an impossibility. Anyone who heard of someone talking about opening the twelfth palace would laugh their teeth off and think that that person was either insane or incurably full of themselves.
However, Lan Yunzhu knew that this would not be an issue for Li Qiye. She trusted that he would be able to open the twelfth.
Lan Yunzhu emotionally spoke: “Legend states that no more than three people had eleven palaces, this miracle across the eons. Eleven opened palaces… Any type of genius would be trivial before this.”
Li Qiye shook his head and smiled: “Here is where you are incorrect. The truth is that, since the start of time, there were at least five people who had eleven palaces. The most famous are Immortal Emperor Gu Chun and Immortal Emperor Fei.” 1
Lan Yunzhu was not surprised at all to hear these names: “The first Immortal Emperor and the legendary Immortal Emperor Fei!”
Immortal Emperor Gu Chun came from the Charming Spirit Race and was the first existence to be called “Immortal Emperor” in the nine worlds. It could be said that Immortal Emperor Gu Chun created a new age during the Desolate Era and was considered the most powerful existence.
Meanwhile, Immortal Emperor Fei created a legend, the Soaring Immortal Sect. Since time immemorial, this sect continued to shine its radiance over the nine worlds.
“Okay, Uncle, your arrogance can reach even the sky. Eleven palaces may be nothing new to you, but wait until you open the twelfth. Then, you can enjoy being called number one across the ages.” Lan Yunzhu continued with a smile: “If you open the twelfth palace, then you will be the first since time immemorial to achieve twelve palaces.”
She was happy for him and his achievements.
“You are mistaken again. The title of being the first across all ages has already been taken by someone.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued: “Even if I successfully accomplish this, I wouldn’t be the first to have twelve.”
Lan Yunzhu replied in disbelief: “Who was it? Impossible… Someone opening the twelfth palace in this world is but a legend, a legend that had never been proven before. This is because everyone knows that whoever opens the twelfth would become an Immortal Emperor! However, no one has heard of an Immortal Emperor with twelve Fate Palaces!”
Li Qiye slowly uttered a name: “Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng!” 2
Lan Yunzhu had nothing to say after hearing this name. If there was someone in this world to be the first to obtain twelve palaces, then Lan Yunzhu wouldn’t be able to think of a second person outside of Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng.
Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng, the first emperor of the human race. This name was like a spell that echoed across eternity, illuminating the nine worlds.
Since time immemorial, only Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng was fitting of the two words “Jiao Heng.” He was undefeated his whole life and swept through all of his enemies in the nine heavens and ten earths. He was the only emperor who remained unbeaten even till now.
Although, after a cultivator becomes an Immortal Emperor, it would be very difficult for them to lose. Claiming that Immortal Emperors were invincible was not just mere words, but many Immortal Emperors did not have smooth sailings at a young age, and there were no emperors who were always victorious during their years of growth.
However, throughout the eons, Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng alone remained unbeaten throughout his life. When he was young, the emperor powerfully pushed through all of his foes no matter how powerful they were. No one had ever managed to stop his steps!
Chapter 529 - Secret Among Grave Secrets
For as long as one could remember, no matter who the speakers were, they would immediately control their temperament when the name of Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng came up. There was no other option since Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng was the most dominant and arrogant person from the ancient era till now.
“Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng…” Lan Yunzhu could only sigh after hearing this name. She was not surprised at all.
To any cultivator, having twelve palaces was a heaven-defying achievement beyond comparison, but it became a matter of course for Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng.
“Having twelve palaces wasn’t Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng’s most glorious achievement in life, so very few people later on knew that he had twelve palaces.” Li Qiye explained with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what else to say since the words “Jiao Heng” alone represented all there was to say. She calmed down and suddenly remembered something, then she spoke: “While you were cultivating, I took a stroll through the garden. Do you know what I saw? I actually saw a phoenix!”
“A phoenix? What kind of phoenix?” Li Qiye’s eyes suddenly lit up.
She quickly answered: “At first, I thought I met an immortal phoenix, one of the mythical beasts, but after chasing for a while, I found out that even though this phoenix was about the size of a fist, it was still extremely powerful. I noticed that it entered a location with a violet energy that could make others easily lose their way, so I didn’t dare to chase any further and had to come back.”
“That phoenix had five divine lights that turned into very long tail feathers, right?” Li Qiye inquired further.
“Yes! The bird’s cry could tear apart the nine heavens. If it wasn’t a young phoenix, then it was definitely a very amazing immortal medicine that was turning into one.”
At this time, Li Qiye’s eyes became brighter than even starlight. It was as if his eyes could see through myriad dao of the heaven and earth. He then asked: “Where did it go? Quick, take me there!”
From seeing his expression, Lan Yunzhu understood that this matter was not so trivial, so she quickly led him to the place she stumbled upon before.
The two of them ran there and saw many King Medicines and nine transformations soulgrasses, but Li Qiye didn’t even bat an eye to any of them. He was anxious to go to the place that Lan Yunzhu discovered.
“What is it, really?” Lan Yunzhu asked while leading the way after seeing his serious demeanor.
“I can’t say for sure right now, I would have to see it with my own eyes to be certain.” Li Qiye replied as he shook his head.
In a short period of time, Lan Yunzhu took Li Qiye to the place where the phoenix disappeared. It was a small valley with broken brick walls, making it seem as if someone had lived here before.
Logically speaking, no one should have lived here, but considering how the name of this place was the lost alchemy garden of the immortals, maybe the person who lived here was an immortal!
The little valley was covered by a dense violet energy as if a treasure was about to come out. Despite its humble size, one would be easily lost once entrapped by this violet treasure; they would lose all sense of direction.
“This place…” Li Qiye stood in the same spot and looked around before murmuring while becoming lost in thought.
After looking for a bit, he aimed for a direction and ran with Lan Yunzhu there. Not too long after, they reached a precipice with no other path to go.
Next to the precipice was a little hole around the size of a fist. It was pitch black and seemingly bottomless.
Li Qiye narrowed his eyes then shot out two rays of light as if he wanted to pierce through it.
“How about we use our divine intent to check out this hole first?” Lan Yunzhu suggested after seeing Li Qiye looking at the small hole.
“It is no use, your divine intent won’t be able to sweep it completely.” Li Qiye shook his head and said. He then pondered for a bit while looking at the small hole.
“Boom!” He opened his palace and a withered trunk that resembled a hand came out. With a whoosh, the dried trunk then took root inside the small hole.
“Whooosh!” A black light suddenly flashed. The dried trunk was taken by Li Qiye from the Thousand Islands. It was dead before he poured in a liquid, and a seed began to bud shortly after. The trunk looked like a spread palm with the middle hollowed like a tree.
A black portal then appeared on the tree as universal laws weaved together to form it.
This black portal was shiver-inducing since it looked as if it was connected to hell.
“Is this… Is this what you called a secret among secrets of the graves?” Lan Yunzhu looked at this scene and suddenly remembered something, prompting her inquiry.
Lan Yunzhu was also present when Li Qiye got this tree trunk from the Thousand Islands. At that time, she felt that he was being quite wasteful for cooking a young leaf of the World Tree into a liquid to pour on the tree.
However, after entering the Prime Ominous Grave and seeing Li Qiye using this tree trunk to obtain the defining treasure in the Secret Realm, Lan Yunzhu realized that he had been planning for a very long time before he entered the Prime Ominous Grave.
He was now using it again. She then remembered that Li Qiye said that each Grave Realm had a secret among secrets.
She then speculated that this little hole could be the secret among secrets that Li Qiye was talking about.
“You are right about that.” Li Qiye nodded and revealed: “This is indeed a grave secret among secrets. You are very lucky to meet such a big fortune. It is a shame that you couldn’t stop the phoenix before it went back, but it is really not your fault. This thing is extremely powerful and stopping it is exceedingly difficult, unless it agrees to give you something or you are powerful enough!”
“That phoenix is the big fortune?” Lan Yunzhu emotionally asked. She didn’t think that she would meet one.
“Yes, for you or any other person. If you could have that phoenix, then it would be quite incredible.” Li Qiye nodded and said: “But I am not satisfied with this phoenix since I want to enter the secret grave! This is a rare chance; I didn’t expect for the entrance to actually appear.”
Lan Yunzhu seemed to have guessed a thing or two from Li Qiye’s words, so she looked at him and asked: “Has no one entered the secret grave before? Do only these fortunes come out from inside?”
“Perhaps.” Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and said: “But if there were to be someone who had entered, then it could only be one person.”
She then curiously asked: “Who?” Where was this grave secret among secrets? Who had been to one before?
She also added: “Was it Immortal Emperor Di Yu?” She mentioned this emperor for a reason; he was the only person since the start of time to be rumored to have obtained the method for everlasting life.
“No.” Li Qiye denied that claim: “A person who had never existed or been heard of before. At least, this is what the future generations believe.”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ponder this answer. A person who had never existed or had been heard of before? Then who was it?
Lan Yunzhu looked at the dry trunk taking root in the hole and asked: “Is this trunk another key? Just like the Prime Ominous Key, is it a key to open the top secret locations of the grave?”
“No.” Li Qiye answered: “It is not a key, but it is ten thousand times more precious than one. It contains an immemorial secret that no one knows about.”
Lan Yunzhu looked at it and, at this time, no longer underestimated it. Perhaps it was not only the key to the secret graves, maybe it also had some other usages.
Li Qiye hugged her waist and said in a serious tone: “Ready? We are about to go in and it might get rocky, be careful.”
Lan Yunzhu took a deep breath and nodded her head before speaking: “I am ready.”
She then grabbed his waist as well as Li Qiye shouted: “Open!”
The place that the dried trunk connected to suddenly created a vortex, and the black portal’s black universal laws were all sucked up.
“Whoosh!” In just a moment, sand and pebbles flew everywhere. The black portal then sucked in Li Qiye along with Lan Yunzhu, who was hugging him tightly.
Once sucked in by the black portal, Lan Yunzhu felt her entire body being torn apart. This portal was different from an ordinary one.
“Crshhh!” Another rumble appeared and she felt as if she was being pushed out. Fortunately, Li Qiye was tightly grabbing her so she didn’t fall and roll on the ground.
Once she opened her eyes, she noticed that they were standing on a high peak that arched through the high sky with circulating primordial energy.
A spectator would have the sensation that this mountain was from a scene at the beginning of the world, that this mountain was there at the world’s inception. Looking upward, one would find that there was nothing except another high cliff in the sky. There was a giant wooden nest on top of the peak and primordial energy poured down from it like a sea of clouds.
Chapter 530 - Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng
After looking at the nest, Lan Yunzhu suddenly realized that the primordial energy that surrounded the mountain did not originate from the peak itself, but rather the wooden nest.
“We are finally inside.” Li Qiye looked at the gigantic nest and slowly spoke: “Allow me to uncover this mysterious veil.”
He took a deep breath as the two of them climbed the mountain. It took a while before the two finally made it up to the top.
At this second, the two stood by a cliff with primordial air surrounding them. They looked up to see the nest still exuding this energy as dense as a sea of clouds.
They found that this wooden nest was gigantic. When standing at the very top and looking down, one would feel that this nest was endless, as if it was its own world and all the mountains and rivers in existence could fit inside.
It was built by many extremely tough, blackened, and dried tree branches. Lan Yunzhu felt as if she had seen this type of wood before. After searching her memories, she realized that she really had seen it before, back at the Thousand Islands. Back then, Li Qiye had taken out this type of wood. Of course, it was the Ghost’s Origin Ancestral Key that Lan Yunzhu was thinking about!
Lan Yunzhu struggled to get through the mass of primordial chaos. There, she saw something.
“Look, what is that over there?” In the middle of the nest was a wooden pavilion. Because of the primordial energy, even Lan Yunzhu with her Heavenly Gaze couldn’t see the pavilion in its entirety. It was huge and held a touch of majesty. Her gaze could faintly see that there was something inside the pavilion.
The primordial chaos around the wooden nest was like powerful waves. If one considered the nest as a primal sea, then below it should be the vortex where this energy was pouring out of.
One couldn’t tell whether this energy was coming from the bottom of the nest or the wooden pavilion, but one thing was certain: the bottom of the nest must have something amazing or a heaven-shocking secret.
“See that? The phoenix you met earlier is over there.” Li Qiye had his eyes fixated on the wooden nest. He then pointed at the outermost corner.
Lan Yunzhu quickly turned around and saw a little phoenix right outside of the pavilion. It emitted five different divine colors that turned into its long tail feathers.
It was picking up and dropping branches to fix what seemed to be its nest.
“That’s the one!” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed after seeing the phoenix. She had the luck to meet such a great fortune, but she had given it up so she didn’t expect to see it again right now.
Lan Yunzhu asked after seeing the phoenix fixing the wooden nest: “Is this its nest?”
“No, this isn’t, it is only settling in this place right now. However, it was able to become something this amazing because of it being able to stay at this place.” Li Qiye looked at the phoenix and added: “Moreover, it isn’t a phoenix.”
“It’s not a phoenix?” Lan Yunzhu asked with surprise: “Then is it the transformation of an immortal medicine?”
Li Qiye was still gazing at the phoenix as he said: “No, it isn’t an immortal medicine either.” He shook his head then continued: “It is a True Immortal Medicine, a real one. Even an Immortal Emperor might not have the fortune to see one; of course, they crave for it as well.”
“What?! A True Immortal Medicine?” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed in shock. This name was so awe-inducing even an Alchemy Emperor would be dumbfounded.
Any cultivator or alchemist in this world coveted immortal medicines. To them, they were priceless and unique treasures in this world. Immortal Emperors needed immortal medicines as well.
However, the immortal medicines referred to by these cultivators and alchemists were not real immortal medicines. To them, rare or five million year old King Medicines would be called immortal medicines.
Knowledgeable alchemists knew that these things were real immortal medicines, so they called real ones True Immortal Medicines to distinguish them from the ones more commonly talked about by the rest of the world.
“There are actually True Immortal Medicines in this world?” Lan Yunzhu thought to herself. Was the phoenix before her actually one of them?
Although ancient sages and remarkable alchemists believed in the existence of True Immortal Medicines, no one had seen them before. Later on, even alchemists with great achievements began to doubt this notion. They felt like True Immortal Medicines were only the fantasies of those who walked before them.
If they were real, then even Immortal Emperors would crave for them. They were wonderful panaceas capable of prolonging the life of existences like Immortal Emperors.
Many of the available medicines were useless for emperors, so they needed immortal medicines if they wanted to prolong their lifespan, and True Immortal Medicines were the best items to do so!
Li Qiye nodded while staring at the phoenix ahead, saying: “Yes, one of them is before you. Its name is the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng, a very rare True Immortal Medicine.”
“Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng…” Lan Yunzhu looked at it and couldn’t see how it resembled a ginseng at all.
Li Qiye understood what she was thinking and shook his head to say: “Your current cultivation cannot see its true form. Unless you are able to suppress it, it won’t take on its true appearance.”
“Is it possible for me to obtain this fortune? Can we catch it?” Lan Yunzhu asked while looking at the phoenix. She was quite tempted, and this was understandable. A True Immortal Medicine would cause even an Immortal Emperor to palpitate, let alone her.
“No.” Li Qiye said with a smile: “Unless you were fated for it, it won’t follow you. If you have a heaven-defying method, then maybe you would be able to take one or two ginseng roots from its body, but even this is very difficult.”
“I’ll give it a shot!” As a heaven’s proud daughter, Lan Yunzhu — of course — had some arrogance in her. She took a deep breath and channelled her blood energy while stepping closer towards the wooden nest.
“Bang!” She only took one step inside, but she was suddenly bounced back. The rolling primordial chaos protected the nest.
“So strong.” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed. However, as the descendant of an emperor’s lineage, her gaze became serious as she declared: “I don’t believe that I can’t get past this!”
She wanted to take out a heaven-defying treasure but was stopped by Li Qiye. He shook his head and said: “Don’t mess around, this place is not as simple as you think.”
Li Qiye looked at the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng in the shape of a phoenix and shouted: “How about we make a deal?”
The ginseng coldly glanced at him before ignoring him. It went on with its business of gathering wooden branches while carrying an extremely arrogant posture.
“It really is arrogant.” Lan Yunzhu wanted to laugh after seeing the phoenix’s attitude.
The phoenix had looked at Li Qiye as if it was a high above existence looking down at an ant.
“A True Immortal Medicine is indeed powerful.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “However, it shouldn’t have provoked me.” With that, he took out a treasure.
“Boom!” The Tetra-war Bronze Chariot appeared before Li Qiye, then he told Lan Yunzhu: “Get on. We will enter from the edge of the nest. If it doesn’t agree to the transaction, then I will teach it a lesson so that it will know who it is dealing with.”
Lan Yunzhu sympathized with the phoenix; it had provoked someone it shouldn’t have.
“Bang—bang—bang—bang!” The four divine beasts on the chariot activated. The true dragon, divine phoenix, qilin, and white tiger stood by Li Qiye’s side as the chariot powerfully pushed away the primordial chaos.
Li Qiye quickly rode on this chaotic energy towards the edge of the nest and, in just a second, the chariot had reached the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng’s place.
At this point, the phoenix unleashed a roar capable of tearing apart the nine heavens; this loud thunder-like roar was accompanied by an alarming force. However, Li Qiye sat on the chariot with the four divine beasts accompanying him, so he was unperturbed. He looked at the phoenix and slowly uttered: “I will use one drop of Myriad Star Water to trade for five of your old ginseng roots!” He then carefully took out a drop of star water.
At this moment, he had a very little amount remaining, so he greatly treasured them and wouldn’t use this water unless he had no other choice. However, trading one drop of star water for five old ginseng roots from this phoenix was a great deal.
The eyes of the ginseng in the form of a phoenix lit up after seeing the star water drop. It sent out its divine intent to speak: “One bottle of Myriad Star Water to trade for five old roots.”
Li Qiye shook his head in response: “You know that is impossible. If I had a bottle of star water, then I could trade for a complete True Immortal Medicine. This encounter was guided by fate and is a big opportunity. One drop of star water is enough.”
However, the phoenix sat there without moving and didn’t bother to look at Li Qiye. This was also understandable since one drop of star water was not worth five of its old roots.
In fact, one drop of star water for one old ginseng root was already a terrible deal. If Li Qiye used one drop to trade for a young root, then the phoenix would definitely agree. One for five old roots? Forget it! The phoenix would not take part in such a horrible transaction.
Chapter 531 - Threat
Li Qiye still didn’t lose his temper even after seeing the phoenix’s arrogant stance. He calmly smiled and said: “I already showed my goodwill by offering to exchange one star water drop with you. At the very least, I’m being a nice and peaceful person. I didn’t wish to force this transaction, so refusing to trade with me is making it very difficult.”
The moment Li Qiye finished his words, a deafening explosion resounded. “Boom!”
The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng immediately got up and exuded its blinding five divine lights. At this time, it was no longer in the form of a phoenix, it revealed its true form — an extremely gigantic king ginseng. The giant leaves on its body took the form of a phoenix and its roots were big with little thin and long branches.
The moment it revealed its true body, it no longer hid its amazing power. With its five divine lights, it was like a god standing before Li Qiye.
“Thump thump!” Lan Yunzhu, who was standing by the edge, took in a cold breath and was forced back by the invincible and divine aura of the ginseng. The ginseng stood there like a true god, instilling fear and awe into all spectators. Its strength could cause even ordinary Virtuous Paragons to be frightened!
Meanwhile, the dragon roared and a phoenix cried out as they began to dance in the air. The four divine beasts with an incomparable posture began to circle around Li Qiye. The four bronze stallions also neighed then leaped up high, creating beams of lights like a rainbow. These unparalleled stallions had awakened at last.
With its invincible momentum, the chariot blocked the invincible aura coming from the ginseng, so Li Qiye was unaffected by this presence.
Li Qiye simply smiled at the ginseng that revealed its true form. Despite its formidable might, Li Qiye was still standing leisurely on his chariot as if nothing was happening.
“What a pity, you have taken the wrong move and won’t even get the drop of star water.” Li Qiye nonchalantly declared: “Are you aware of this? In an ancient era, a person once captured a True Immortal Medicine root and made tea out of it! You are very strong, but not strong to the point of being invincible. I’m standing here right now with at least five different methods to kill you in a single breath. However, I love peace and do not want to waste a heaven’s creation.”
“Snap!” Li Qiye suddenly had a small coffin in his hand. With a cracking sound, the coffin that was initially the size of a palm suddenly became a regular sized coffin. Li Qiye then held the coffin and slowly said: “Killing a True Immortal Medicine is indeed wasteful and an abhorrent act, right? Then we’ll play a different type of game. Do you believe that I will open this coffin or not? I trust that you know a thing or two about its origin.”
The ginseng retreated after seeing Li Qiye holding the coffin. It seemed that it was very wary of the coffin in Li Qiye’s hand.
Lan Yunzhu was startled and didn’t expect that this coffin would cause the ginseng to be afraid like this.
This coffin was the little coffin Li Qiye traded with Qin Guangwang, and now it had taken on a bigger form.
“Are you threatening me?” The ginseng didn’t open its mouth. Instead, it sent its divine intent forward.
Li Qiye smiled and said while carrying the coffin: “You are right, I am threatening you. Do you want to try me? I trust that I can open a little gap without any difficulty. Although once this coffin is opened, it might be a bit troublesome for me, you will become very pitiful. What do you think is your chance of escaping? I do think that if you can’t get away, then your fate shall be quite miserable. Believe me, this won’t be a pretty ending!”
The ginseng stared intensely at Li Qiye. If it had a face, its expression would definitely be one of ugly anger.
“I have five different ways to kill you, but they are quite complicated and I also don’t want to do so, so let us be straight with each other. I am threatening you with two choices: you can refuse my request or agree with my demand.” Li Qiye cheerfully declared.
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what to say while standing at the edge. Now she understood that Li Qiye was a hoodlum with the blood of a robber. It was a tragedy for anyone who messed with him!
“What do you want?” The ginseng asked with its divine intent. A True Immortal Medicine was a very powerful existence, but today, it was being blackmailed by an insignificant human cultivator. The worst part was that it had no choice but to acquiesce.
Lan Yunzhu was astonished. She didn’t think that the ginseng would actually accept Li Qiye’s demand. She was quite curious about just what was inside the coffin that could cause the ginseng to feel so apprehensive.
Li Qiye was not surprised with this result at all. He smirked and replied: “If I tell you to follow me, then you surely won’t agree. I am not such an unreasonable person, I am quite humane. If you happily cooperate with me, then I won’t make such an outrageous demand. The same as before, I want five old ginseng roots, but five from the main branch.”
Li Qiye then pointed at the five thickest roots on the ginseng. These huge roots were not like ginseng at all, they were more like lone divine branches. They emitted a dazzling divine light where one sniff of their fragrance would be enough to cause people to flutter.
“You!” The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng was furious. Surely it would have a reddened countenance from being crazily angered right now if it had a face. It felt that Li Qiye’s demand was too much. These were the five best and oldest ginseng roots it had. The ginseng wouldn’t even accept a drop of Myriad Star Water for just one.
“Think it over. Do you want me to open the coffin? Or do you want to trade the five old ginseng roots for safety?” Li Qiye deliberately added: “Of course, there is another option, and that is to try and attack me. However, I wonder if you have the confidence in breaking my defense in just one move or not? It is not that I’m looking down on you, but you alone will absolutely not break my defense!”
At this moment, the ginseng was gazing at the chariot. Just like Li Qiye had said, it had intended to attack Li Qiye. However, it wouldn’t be able to break through the chariot in just one move, and if it failed to do so, then the result wouldn’t be pretty.
Li Qiye slowly continued: “I’m sorry to say that if you can’t do it with one move, then I will open the coffin. Even a small gap wouldn’t be a good thing for you as you would then understand what a nightmare truly is.”
The ginseng was silent while full of regret. If it knew that it was going to be like this, then it should have just made the deal with Li Qiye in the beginning. At the very least, it would have gotten a drop of star water.
“Take it!” The ginseng plucked the five oldest ginseng roots and threw it over at Li Qiye while expressing its endless rage with the tone of its divine intent.
The five ginseng roots fell into Li Qiye’s hands like five divine branches. King Ginsengs of 3,000,000 years of age or even an Ancestor Ginseng couldn’t compare to a single root of these five.
“I very much enjoyed our transaction.” Li Qiye happily smiled and put away the five old ginseng roots. Although they were only little roots, they were the oldest from the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng. Their medicinal potency was even more frightening than an entire Ancestor Ginseng. As an item coveted by even Immortal Emperors, it was too heaven-defying; the other ginsengs were nothing compared to it.
The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng ignored Li Qiye. It was quite furious after being blackmailed out of its five oldest roots by Li Qiye. It then turned back into a phoenix and sat in its nest.
Li Qiye then rode the chariot back to the edge and handed one root to Lan Yunzhu before speaking: “For you.”
“For me?” Lan Yunzhu was taken by surprise and stood there dumbfounded. This was not an ordinary item, it was the oldest root of a True Immortal Medicine and an amazing fortune. Even undyings or legendary existences would go crazy for such an item.
This one root alone would cause a war outside in the Nine Worlds since its worth was no less than an emperor’s weapon. For those on the verge of death, it was even more valuable than an Immortal Emperor True Treasure.
“Take it. Perhaps once you reach the top, you will have a use for it. Maybe it will even save your life one day.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Remember, do not tell anyone about it, not even your closest friends and family.”
She took a deep breath and couldn’t contain her excited emotions even after having seen countless treasures. After a long time, she solemnly put away the old ginseng root and said: “Don’t worry, only you, me, and the heaven and earth will know about this.”
She understood the gravity of this matter. A True Immortal Medicine could cause all existences in the world to become crazy. For this thing, even parents and children would turn against each other and masters and disciples would massacre their own!
Li Qiye then shouted at the ginseng in the form of phoenix and said: “Okay, because I am kind, I will remind you to leave this place for now. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“What are you trying to do?” The ginseng asked with its divine intent.
“I’m about to open the coffin.” Li Qiye smiled and pointed at the wooden pavilion hiding in the primordial chaos at the middle of the nest: “I want to suppress the pavilion since I want the thing inside.”
Chapter 532 - Opening The Coffin
“You are insane!” After hearing this, the ginseng was scared out of its mind as it jumped and exclaimed: “Do you even know what it is?!”
“It is not important what it is. What matters is that I want it right now.” Li Qiye cheerfully said: “Which is why I want to suppress the source of the primordial chaos.”
“You won’t be able to!” The ginseng coldly uttered.
“What if I open half of the wooden coffin? I don’t need to suppress it for too long, just one second is enough.”
“Half of the coffin? Are you crazy? Do you think you can survive after that?” The ginseng quickly replied.
“You are wrong. If I really wanted to risk it all, then I would still have a chance of living after opening the entire coffin, let alone half of it.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
The ginseng noticed that Li Qiye was not joking around, so it flew far away from the wooden nest and watched from the distance.
Li Qiye told Lan Yunzhu in a serious tone: “Leave this place and go down the mountain. Don’t come close or else nothing will be able to protect you.”
“Be careful.” Lan Yunzhu quietly said after seeing Li Qiye’s solemn expression. Then, she left without saying anything else.
After watching her get to a safe distance, Li Qiye took a deep breath.
“Boom!” Eleven Fate Palaces appeared. At this moment, they turned into a heavenly radiant kingdom full of spirit energy as if it was about to give birth to a deity.
The kingdom of these eleven palaces was extremely powerful, just like an ancient country with an accumulated power great enough to suppress everything.
He then opened the palace to take out the Yin Yang Refining Immortal Mirror. Li Qiye very rarely used this defining treasure of the Middle Continent Ancient Kingdom. The mirror poured down a Yin Yang universal law and turned into two Yin and Yang fish. The two immortal fish swam by Li Qiye and used the grand dao of Yin and Yang to protect him.
This was far from enough. He also held the Elusive Heavenly Vase. This was the treasure that Immortal Emperor Qian Li left behind for him, something he had been searching for for a very long time.
“Thump, thump, thunk, thunk, thunk!” At this point, the clanking sounds of bronze resounded. Five bronze doors were taken out by Li Qiye. They surrounded him like five bronze walls.
Heaven Sealing Pentagate — another treasure Li Qiye obtained from Qin Guangwang.
“It is a shame that I am not strong enough, or else the pentagate alone would have sufficed.” He said with regret. At this time, he had no choice but to use all of his hidden treasures.
After preparing everything, Li Qiye also kept a drop of Myriad Star Water in his mouth without swallowing it.
“Boom!” In just a second, Li Qiye’s state reached its extreme. It was as if both of his Immortal Physiques had reached grand completion. Two physiques seemed like two True Gods had attached themselves to Li Qiye’s body.
He took a deep breath with one hand holding the wooden coffin and the other preparing to open it at any time.
“Crack!” After everything was ready, the middle of Li Qiye’s forehead suddenly split apart. At this time, his sea of memories appeared. This was a gigantic galaxy without an end. Gigantic Immortal Emperors’ universal laws began to lock the stars in the sky as if Immortal Emperors were on the defensive.
This was Li Qiye’s ultimate defense. After countless blessings from ancient existences and Immortal Emperors, this was his most fundamental possession.
This was his first time using it since it could be said that he was about to risk it all in this venture.
“This… This is too unreal!” The ginseng flying far away gasped at this scene.
Li Qiye had many treasures, and they were all heaven-defying to the point where it completely exceeded the ginseng’s imagination. The moment Li Qiye opened his sea of memories, the True Immortal Medicine in the form of a phoenix lost its mind since it suddenly understood something.
At the same time, Lan Yunzhu walked down the mountain and went very far away to look at the giant wooden nest. She wasn’t hovering in the sky to watch like the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng.
She didn’t want to see nor did she dare to watch. She didn’t hope that something unfavorable would happen to Li Qiye. She had known him for a while, and this was the first time he had such a solemn expression. It must be a heaven-piercing event for Li Qiye to show such a stoic demeanor.
“Rumble!” At this moment, the heaven and earth was eclipsed and the entire world trembled.
It was as if, at this time, Immortal Emperors were visiting the wooden nest, and it wasn’t just one or two. Invincible imperial auras endlessly erupted as if all the emperors came back to life and had descended to this world.
The invincible presence suppressed all existences in the world and forced them to prostrate before its might. At this moment, even the most powerful existence would feel the limit of their being, a realization of their own insignificance.
“This is insane!” The phoenix ginseng’s heart jumped as it quickly landed on the ground and turned back into its true form, rooting itself in place.
“Rumble!” At this moment, it was as if the earth was shattering into pieces. The primordial energy inside the nest shot up for countless miles like a billowing tidal wave ripping apart the firmament in the sky. It was as if this wave wanted to take down the stars.
“Bang—bang—bang!” A series of explosions continuously rang out. The myriad worlds were in fear under this invincible divine aura. It was as if a battle between gods was taking place inside the wooden nest. True Gods had come down to participate, and the Immortal Emperors had finally arrived.
“Boom!” Finally, with a deafening blast, the endless primordial chaos was split apart like an ocean being torn asunder. This energy then drowned the celestials in the sky while even True Gods appeared to be insignificant.
Lan Yunzhu could only quiver under the imperial and immortal breath. She also felt that nothing else mattered in this world at this very moment. The phoenix ginseng’s expression also greatly changed, if it had one of course.
“This guy is crazy! He actually dared to open the coffin!” The phoenix was horrified. Luckily, it didn’t risk it before. If Li Qiye actually opened the coffin back then, then the consequences would have been disastrous.
It knew that the guy opening the coffin could suppress the center of the wooden nest for a short moment, but he himself would be wounded. Opening even half of the wooden coffin would be extremely terrifying; even True Gods would retreat before this display. Despite using countless protective treasures and even his most fundamental backup, Li Qiye was not so sure of his success. If his defensive methods were even a bit lacking, then he would absolutely die without a grave and turn into smithereens!
Some time later, the tranquility returned. Lan Yunzhu stood up as her heart was about to leap of out its cage. She shouted: “Uncle!” Then, she immediately rushed to the top of the mountain.
She ran as fast as she could. She immediately rushed to Li Qiye once she saw him lying next to the edge of the abyss. She was in dismay the moment she clearly saw his situation.
He was like a broken vase on the ground as his body was cracked into numerous pieces, creating a miserable scene.
He was not only cracked but was also roasted by a fire. His whole body was scorched and completely unrecognizable. It was already a miracle that he was still alive in this state!
“You… You… How are you?” Lan Yunzhu didn’t know where to start. She didn’t dare to touch Li Qiye lest he shattered into pieces. Her voice was trembling and on the verge of tears.
“Don’t touch me, I already swallowed some Myriad Star Water.” Li Qiye weakly uttered with a tone as fragile as gossamer.
She calmed down after hearing him speak. At the very least, he was still alive. She didn’t dare to touch him so she quietly stood there, waiting.
After a long period of time, Li Qiye’s body lit up. The wounds fell down like scales just like a snake shedding its skin.
An unknown amount of time passed, and the cracks on his body slowly fused together until there were no more wounds. He eventually stood up but stumbled due to his current feeble state.
“How are you now?” Lan Yunzhu quickly helped him up. She was both happy and scared since she had nearly been frightened to tears earlier.
“Hahaha! I did it!” Li Qiye loudly laughed. Although he was weakened at this moment, it couldn’t stop his excitement as he waved the thing in his hand.
At this time, Lan Yunzhu saw the thing Li Qiye was tightly gripping. It was a very ancient lamp full of rust, making it seem as if it had been thrown away a very long time ago.
This lamp was not eye-catching at all. No one would bother picking it up if they saw it on the streets. However, Lan Yunzhu faintly recalled that when she opened her Heavenly Gaze to look inside the wooden pavilion, it seemed that there was something like a lamp. 1
Li Qiye coughed after his excited shout. Lan Yunzhu quickly rubbed his back and worriedly said: “Watch it, you have only just recovered.”
Chapter 533 - Mysterious Lamp
“I can’t die just yet.” Li Qiye laughed and said: “Even the villainous old heavens wouldn’t be able to kill me!”
Lan Yunzhu helped him sit down while saying: “You are too weak so you need to rest. Otherwise, it will have a negative consequence.”
Li Qiye put away the lamp and assumed a meditative pose. He then swallowed another drop of star water to recover. The medicinal effect started to make Li Qiye’s body emit a shining light.
This light became brighter and brighter until it reached a blinding level as Li Qiye became one with it.
Lan Yunzhu carefully watched over him without the slightest bit of inattention.
Some time later, the light on his body dispersed. He opened a pair of eyes as bright as starlight. At this time, his usual spirit had returned.
Seeing him standing up, Lan Yunzhu quickly came to help and asked with concern: “How are you feeling now?”
Li Qiye took in a long breath and looked at Lan Yunzhu before he smilingly answered: “Very good, even the heavens couldn’t take my life!”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what to say. Just earlier, his entire body had countless cracks; it seemed as if the slightest touch could have shattered his entire being. But now, he was so high-spirited that it made him seem like an unkillable cockroach.
“Maniac!” Even the phoenix ginseng was speechless after using its divine intent to see Li Qiye’s spirited attitude. It also felt that Li Qiye’s actions were too crazy and domineering.
At this time, Li Qiye couldn’t help but to take out the lamp from the wooden pavilion for a closer look. After rubbing it a bit, he then murmured: “What a big win this trip was. Haha, even a grave secret among secrets couldn’t compare to this thing.”
To outsiders, a secret among secrets was a True Immortal Medicine like the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng — this would be more than enough to drive them crazy.
However, Li Qiye didn’t think so. He understood and viewed the secrets of the Prime Ominous Grave’s five realms with a different perspective. He knew that there was something else inside these realms. They were not simply treasures, in his opinion.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t see what was so amazing about this lamp, so she asked: “What is this thing? Was it worth risking your life for it?”
This lamp looked so ordinary… Was it actually worth Li Qiye’s risky venture and using everything that he had?
“Yes, it’s absolutely worth it.” Li Qiye happily replied: “Hahaha, this thing is beyond your imagination.”
The phoenix ginseng came back to its nest and looked at the lamp in Li Qiye’s hand with its divine intent. It sat up and exclaimed: “Good stuff, good stuff!” If it could show expressions, then it would be drooling at this moment.
Lan Yunzhu had to take another look at the ginseng. This thing was a True Immortal Medicine, yet it was praising and sighing at this lamp nonstop. One could even say that it was lusting after it, so this lamp had to be absolutely wonderful.
Li Qiye glanced at the phoenix ginseng and lazily raised the lamp before asking with a smirk: “So, it looks like you have always wanted this lamp?”
The ginseng looked at it once more. Of course it wanted this lamp, but unfortunately, no matter how powerful it was, it was not able to enter the wooden pavilion. It was not Li Qiye.
Li Qiye moved the lamp back and forth and smiled with squinted eyes: “If you come with me as my follower, then I’ll let you bask in the glory of this lamp as well.”
The ginseng angrily scowled after hearing this. It went back to its wooden nest, lying down and pretending to sleep.
Li Qiye only shrugged after being rejected: “What a shame.” He then added with a smile: “May we meet again later.”
The phoenix ginseng replied with its cold divine intent: “May we never meet again!”
The phoenix was especially annoyed with Li Qiye. It was robbed of its five oldest ginseng roots. Although they were not its life roots, they were still important. This was a huge loss and the ginseng would have killed Li Qiye if it wasn’t afraid of his treasures.
It now felt that it was best to never see Li Qiye again since seeing him only reminded it of the five old ginseng roots, causing its heart to bleed.
Li Qiye shrugged again before leaving the wooden nest with Lan Yunzhu. They exited the grave secret among secrets and went back to the lost garden of the immortals.
At this time, the Soldier Tree, the ten transformations Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass, the Reincarnation Heavenly Soulvine, and a bunch of other immortal level medicines had come back to retake the medicine field.
“Why haven’t you left yet?” The Soldier Tree asked after seeing Li Qiye again. They didn’t welcome Li Qiye. Until now, only a group of immortal medicines owned this medicine field, so it was understandable why they were all upset when Li Qiye came for a share as well.
Lan Yunzhu stared at all of these immortal medicines and wished that she could capture them all. They were real immortal medicines; any of them would be enough to drive the world crazy if they went outside.
But of course, taking them out was impossible. Not to mention that they themselves were extremely powerful, there was also the sanction of the garden. The only way was for them to be willing to go with her.
“I came to say goodbye to you guys, and I hope that we may meet again in the future.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
“May that day never come. It is more likely that no one will ever be able to enter here for millions of years.”
“Something is strange.” The Ancestor Ginseng that was rooted in the medicine field spoke: “This brat is strange, there is a ginseng smell on his body, a special one…”
“A special ginseng smell? In what way?” The Reincarnation Heavenly Soulvine asked.
“Wait!” The Ancestor Ginseng sniffed once more and startlingly exclaimed: “This brat got a huge fortune…! On his body… is the smell of a True Immortal Medicine, the smell of the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng in the grave secret!”
“What? Are you serious? Is it really the smell of the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng?” The Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass uttered in shock. Even a grass nearing the form of a True Dragon couldn’t help but stare at Li Qiye intensely.
“You really saw the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng? Did it give you something nice?” The Soldier Tree looked at Li Qiye and asked.
“It’s nothing much. I only went in that place and conveniently plucked several old ginseng roots. It was just a little harvest.” Li Qiye replied with a smirk. He played it down with a nonchalant attitude as if it was no big deal.
“Brat! How could the phoenix ginseng give you its old roots?” The Ancestor Ginseng was scared out of its mind.
“Brat, don’t brag. Outside of the phoenix ginseng, no one else can enter that place!” The Soldier Tree spoke with severity.
Li Qiye then took out the lamp and gently stroked it before speaking: “What do you guys think about this thing?” He put on an innocent and harmless appearance.
Lan Yunzhu shivered while looking at Li Qiye’s expression. Her intuition told her that he was about to do something.
All the immortal medicines lost their senses after seeing the lamp in Li Qiye’s hand. Even the Soldier Tree who was always the calmest became aghast. After a long time, the shocked Soldier Tree stuttered: “How… How… is this possible? This can’t… be…! How… can you have that thing? It is an item from the legends!”
Li Qiye calmly responded: “It’s nothing, everything I desire is always within my grasp.”
The group of immortal medicines became dumbfounded. Others might not know, but they were very aware that the thing in Li Qiye’s possession was an existence from the legends.
After a while, they regained their senses. The Ancestor Ginseng uprooted and jumped in front of Li Qiye. It lifted its head to look at him and said: “Take me out of this place, okay? I’ll go with you.”
Lan Yunzhu was astonished at the Ancestor Ginseng’s sudden proposal. An immortal medicine wanted Li Qiye to bring it with him — this was too unbelievable. She wanted to tell Li Qiye to agree right away. This was an Ancestor Ginseng root, an immortal medicine in the eyes of Alchemy Emperors, something that would drive others crazy!
Back at the Wood Realm, a Heavenly Sovereign from the Zhen Clan used an emperor’s weapon just to chase a 3,000,000 year old King Medicine root around. The Ancestor Ginseng before them was countless times more valuable than that other root!
Li Qiye leisurely responded: “What do I get for taking you outside? Use you to make chicken soup? Hmm… Using ginseng to make chicken soup is indeed a bit nutritious…”
“Hey! I am an Ancestor Ginseng!” The ginseng jumped up and angrily shouted.
Li Qiye nodded seriously and said: “I know you are an Ancestor Ginseng, but can you compare to this?” Li Qiye waved his five ginseng roots and said: “If I can’t cook you, then what is in it for me? Taking an Ancestor Ginseng around everywhere… If others find out, then I’ll lose my life.”
The Ancestor Ginseng looked at the five old ginseng roots in Li Qiye’s hand and became dejected like a deflated ball as it lost all of its confidence. Although it was also called an immortal medicine, that was only to other alchemists. These five old roots were from a real True Immortal Medicine.
Thus, the Ancestor Ginseng quickly said: “All I need is to be near the lamp. If you take me along, every few days, I will give you a ginseng drop. This is my medicinal essence and its effect is no less than a drop of Myriad Star Water!” Its glistening eyes aimed to incite some pity from Li Qiye.
Chapter 534 - Immortal Medicines Begging To Be Taken Along
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t believe her eyes. This was an Ancestor Ginseng, yet it was now begging for Li Qiye to take it along. Who would believe such a thing?
Li Qiye laughed and said: “Look at your appearance.” He then shook his head and continued on: “Although I haven’t read that many books, I do know that your medicinal juice cannot compare to Myriad Star Water. Also, I still have a bit of star water left.”
The Ancestor Ginseng became a little embarrassed and said: “Hehehe, my ginseng juice is indeed a bit weaker than Myriad Star Water. If you agree to take me along, then… When you need it, I’ll give you a bit of my ginseng roots? My ginseng roots can definitely save your life! As long as you agree, we’ll both take a vow. When you are on the verge of death, I will agree to use my own life essence to save your life, okay?”
At this point, the Ancestor Ginseng spoke with a solemn air. To an immortal medicine like itself, its life essence was extremely important. It could be said that it was putting everything on the table with this offer.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t stop her astonishment from showing. An Ancestor Ginseng willingly giving its life essence was much better than capturing one alive then cooking it.
Li Qiye looked at the Ancestor Ginseng and smiled to say: “Very well, then we have a deal. How about using a True Fate Oath?”
The Ancestor Ginseng and Li Qiye then used their True Fates to complete this deal. From now on, it would follow Li Qiye.
The Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass ran towards him as well and asked: “Can you bring me along too?” It was a ten transformations soulgrass loved by even Alchemy Emperors, but now it was begging Li Qiye with a bashful appearance.
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what else to say. The Ancestor Ginseng begging Li Qiye already left her dumbstruck, but now even the soulgrass wanted to come along.
“Hmm…” Li Qiye gestured with his hand and acted as if he didn’t know what to do: “You should know that I don’t want to bring along things without use. Surely you don’t want me to use you in pill refinement? What is the point of bringing you everywhere? Because you would also take up a spot to benefit from the lamp.”
The soulgrass quickly replied: “Bringing me along will be very beneficial for you. My medicinal energy alone can help your cultivation speed since I am the best soulgrass in this world!”
Lan Yunzhu agreed with these words. The Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass was the main ingredient for fate pills, and a ten transformations soulgrass was already at the limit. Such an existence might have never been seen before by outsiders. It was definitely beneficial to bring one along since, with its help, one would be able to cultivate as if they had wings; even a fool would have an immediate benefit.
“You are mistaken.” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “If I can’t use you for pill refinement and can only rely on your energy to strengthen my cultivation, then it would bring me more negatives than benefits. I have the lamp and can turn you into an eleven transformations, or even twelve or thirteen transformations soulgrass. More importantly, I personally focus on stability and improving step-by-step for cultivation. I don’t need to soar with a single step.”
“Not to mention, I have absolute confidence with my own cultivation. Even without your help, I can still reach the apex and become the Immortal Emperor without an issue, don’t you think?” Li Qiye cheerfully smiled at the soulgrass and added: “Your condition is not enough to tempt me.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what to say. Any outsiders that knew of its existence would treat it like an ancestor. Even if they did not refine it, just worshiping it would provide lifelong benefits due to its energy.
Li Qiye was reversing this situation. The soulgrass wanted to follow him, but he was unwilling.
Lan Yunzhu could only sigh. This was the frustrating difference between people. People prayed for a nine transformations soulgrass to no avail, but Li Qiye was being nonchalant to a ten transformations soulgrass.
“I have a dragon soul!” The soulgrass paused for a moment before speaking in a formal manner.
Li Qiye looked at it and repeated: “Dragon soul?” He then shook his head and said: “Don’t fool me. Although I haven’t read enough books, I still know that it is not time for you to have a dragon soul.”
“You should know that I was born and grew up in this place. After a period of incubation for many long years, I have obtained a dragon soul and am only one step away from reaching eleven transformations.” The soulgrass seriously said: “If you bring me along, then I will be willing to take on a True Fate Oath just like you and the Ancestor Ginseng. When necessary, I will let you use the dragon soul. I will be of many uses in the future… For example… as a lackey…”
Li Qiye nodded his head and spoke with all seriousness: “Well, it is a bit luxurious to use an eleven transformations soulgrass as a lackey.”
Lan Yunzhu could only wryly smile. Did Li Qiye even know what luxurious meant? Lan Yunzhu knew very little about the dragon soul, but seeing the soulgrass’ serious demeanor, it must be an extraordinary item.
“Very well, then we’ll seal the pact with our True Fates.” Li Qiye then said with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but chuckle after seeing Li Qiye’s reluctant expression. If others knew that Li Qiye was being reluctant to sign a pact with a soulgrass nearing eleven transformations, they would all want to commit suicide from sheer outrage.
Seeing the Ancestor Ginseng and the soulgrass taking a True Fate Oath with Li Qiye, another immortal medicine crawled out of the medicine field and quickly rushed closer to say: “Can you take me too?”
The Reincarnation Heavenly Soulvine was afraid of falling behind so it let go of all reservation and quickly said: “Me too, I’m absolutely not useless!”
“Me too!” Another immortal root hurriedly rushed over as well.
Lan Yunzhu became dumbstruck after seeing three different immortal medicines running next to Li Qiye and begging for him to take them away. These were immortal medicines and normally, even the greatest characters wouldn’t be able to get a single one. Any of these medicines would be considered a defining treasure for ordinary great powers! It was completely unimaginable how all of these immortal medicines were begging for Li Qiye to take them away.
Li Qiye smiled and said: “Slowly, slowly now. Tell me your good points and what I will get from bringing you with me. If you are beneficial, then I will happily sign a pact. Everyone agree?”
Completely speechless, Lan Yunzhu thought that Li Qiye was treating these immortal medicines like radishes! However, she silently lamented the fact that it was no longer strange for Li Qiye to create miracles. He had the ability and plenty of heaven-defying items.
Eventually, these immortal medicines took True Fate Oaths to seal a deal with Li Qiye. Now, only the Soldier Tree remained in the medicine field since it was still hesitating.
“Are you coming?” Li Qiye smiled at it and asked.
“I’ll go, I’ll go.” However, before the Soldier Tree could respond, a voice came from below the medicine field. A piece of mud jumped up.
Lan Yunzhu rolled her eyes at this piece of mud that knew how to speak. What kind of monster was this?
“Oh?” Li Qiye looked at it and inquired: “You want to make a deal with me? What kind of advantage and benefits can you bring me?”
“I am a part of the medicine field that had been basked in the worldly essence to eventually form my own conscience.” The piece of mud spoke: “Since you are bringing along several immortal medicines, with me, they will have a place to stay. I will create an amazing medicinal field for you. Although it won’t be as great as this one, it will be more than good enough for you to grow any medicine you want.”
“Hmm! Not bad, makes sense.” Li Qiye nodded his head and agreed: “Really beneficial. I’ll take you, then.”
The piece of mud joyfully signed a contract with Li Qiye. Now, only the Soldier Tree was left in the field.
“Are you coming?” Li Qiye smiled and said: “I’ll think about taking you in.”
However, the Soldier Tree was still hesitating. The Ancestor Ginseng then tried to console it: “Come, everyone is leaving now. Old Soldier, do you still want to stay here? The lamp has already been excavated so this is the best time for us to leave.”
The Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass also added: “Yeah, we’ll all leave together. Since we have been living together for so long, it is only natural that we leave together.”
The Soldier Tree eventually sighed and said: “Fine, how bad could it be? What else can I do now?” Finally, the Soldier Tree also signed a pact with Li Qiye. At this moment, the best and highest ranked immortal medicines in the field had all been taken in by him.
The Soldier Tree, Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass, and Ancestor Ginseng were the best, but they had been lured by Li Qiye.
“Come, let us go.” The piece of mud then turned into a medicinal field. Although it was a bit lacking compared to this field with its billowing smoke, it was definitely still a good medicinal field!
The Ancestor Ginseng’s group then took root in this new field, and Li Qiye opened his Fate Palace then placed the field inside. Li Qiye patted his hands afterward while looking at the empty field ahead.
“Okay, we’ll go now. Not a bad trip at all.” Li Qiye smiled and told Lan Yunzhu.
At this point, Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but smile while shaking her head. It was not just a bad trip, he had such a huge harvest! Even the greatest of fortunes would not be able to match Li Qiye’s gains on this trip. All of the good things in this lost garden had been taken by him in one fell swoop.
Chapter 535 - Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom’s Quest For Treasure
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then left the lost garden of the immortals. They intended to leave the Wood Realm but only made it through several mountain ranges before a series of loud explosions shook the entire realm.
“What is that?” Lan Yunzhu looked over at a certain direction.
There was an unbelievable tree that seemed to be covering the entire Wood Realm.
Li Qiye looked at the tree that was growing bigger and bigger to pierce the heavens and narrowed his eyes to say: “The Simple Precious Tree…? It wants to risk it all?”
In the beginning, Lan Yunzhu didn’t recognize the tree since, right now, it was even bigger than normal. It was as if this tree was unleashing all of its potential to become even stronger.
“What is it trying to do?” Lan Yunzhu asked with surprise.
“Keep watching.” Li Qiye responded with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye then rushed to the area of interest and found that more than thousands of experts were already there. All of them were the strongest masters of the great powers inside the Wood Realm, and there were even ancestors.
All of them watched with a serious expression as the Simple Precious Tree took root on top of a mountain range with its gigantic body as if it was a drill piercing the surface. It seemed to want to penetrate this mountain all the way down to the core.
“Bang—bang—bang!” It attacked with one strike after another, causing the ground to shake and others to worry about whether it would collapse or not.
Lan Yunzhu looked at the tree that was trying to reach down to the core and whispered: “What does the Immortal Kingdom wish to do?”
Li Qiye replied: “They are trying to find a certain something, an item that the Immortal Kingdom had always desired.”
“What is this item that they desire?” She then remembered a certain legend had been spreading across the Sacred Nether World for a very long time now. This prompted her startling exclamation: “Could it be the other half of the method for everlasting life?”
“If there really was such a method in this world, then I would definitely be the first one to go and seize it.” Li Qiye smiled and continued: “It would still be worth it even if I had to kill gods and immortals in the process!”
Lan Yunzhu was taken aback for a moment before regaining her senses to ask: “What is it then, if not a method for everlasting life?”
In the Sacred Nether World, there had always been rumors of the Immortal Kingdom having one half of a method for eternal life.
“This is something that Immortal Emperor Di Yu had wanted for a very long time now.” Li Qiye answered: “I have to start from the beginning. In the past, the emperor obtained something really incredible from the Prime Ominous Grave. Later on, he mulled over it and realized that this thing was not complete. Thus, he wanted to come back to the grave. However, as the emperor, he had lost his chance for another grave opening, so he couldn’t complete it.”
“Later on, the Immortal Kingdom had always been searching for it. Alas, it was to no avail.” He smiled at this point and continued: “Before, they were mistaken, but now they became smarter and realized a couple of things.”
Lan Yunzhu looked at the tree drilling into the mountain and asked: “Can the tree find it?”
Li Qiye nodded and said: “They had searched all five realms and now they have gotten to the right spot in this Wood Realm.” He then gazed over at the gigantic tree and said: “If the tree can break through the last fortified rock barrier of this vein, then it can take root in the deepest part of the earth. Without any unforeseeable circumstances, the Immortal Kingdom will be successful. The heavens did not let down those who tried after generations of searching; they will finally obtain it.”
“Rumble!” Explosions emerged one after another as the tree continued to attack the earth while the experts that were watching all held their breaths in anticipation. They understood that the Immortal Kingdom was looking for something incredible underground, so some of them had devious thoughts.
“Boom!” After another deafening blast, the earth was penetrated with a trembling blow. Dense worldly energy rushed out from the ground like a waterfall.
“Did they do it?” A group recognized something as they suggestively glanced at each other.
“Roar!” At this time, while people were still lost in speculation, the roars of phoenixes and dragons appeared. The surging worldly energy from the ground had faint images of true dragons and immortal phoenixes. Although they were not the real deal, they did exude the divine aura of these mythical beasts.
And at the same time, a golden light shot up as if countless specks of golden sand were spewing up high, painting the sky yellow.
“An immortal item is coming into being!” Someone shouted after seeing this scene unravel.
In this split second, several hundred shadowy figures rushed towards the penetrated earth with lightning speed. They were all great characters from sects and countries and took advantage of the tree breaking through the ground to steal this treasure then flee.
“Woooosh!” However, before they could make it to the gigantic crater, the Simple Precious Tree swung its branches that resembled divine rods at a swifter speed than them.
“Ahh!” Shrill screams emanated as blood spurted everywhere. The sudden onslaught from the tree took these experts by surprise as they couldn’t evade the attack.
“Whoosh!” Space suddenly fluctuated while these experts were being attacked. A shadow as fast as a flood dragon with incomparable speed rushed forward with an unstoppable momentum. The shadow’s steps were impeccable as it evaded all the branches from the tree in order to rush underground for the treasure.
Feeling this invincible aura, many people became discolored and some even uttered: “A great power’s ancestor!” The eruption of this invincible aura made people realize that even an old undying from a great power could no longer sit still and personally took action to seize the treasure.
However, right when this person was near his goal, another blast resounded. A huge hand came down from the Simple Precious Tree. This palm sealed the heaven and earth as a terrifying emperor’s talisman came from it to stop everything within its grasp.
“Boom!” The shadow that was rushing down the hole became aghast. It quickly raised its hands to block the gigantic palm. In just a flash, the world collapsed with ear-splitting blasts. The shadow was blown away as his blood spewed out like a rainbow.
This shadow lost in just one move and slammed into a mountain, causing it to shatter. Because of the heavy injury, this person gave up on the treasure and quickly fled the scene.
Meanwhile, the owner of the gigantic palm on top of the Simple Precious Tree ignored the escapee and withdrew their hand as the tree infiltrated the earth.
“The Immortal Kingdom also has an ancestor with them!” Although the crowd couldn’t see the person on top of the tree, they quivered after feeling the presence of that hand.
Earlier, a great power’s ancestor couldn’t even withstand one blow and had to escape in defeat, so everyone realized that an ancestor from the Immortal Kingdom had come into being and personally came.
Thinking about a lineage at the level of the Immortal Kingdom left everyone shivering. Although no one knew why its ancestor personally came, it was a sect with two emperors; its ancestor must be a terrifying existence much greater than ordinary ancestors from the great powers. The kingdom’s ancestor was surely a legendary master or an eternal existence.
The golden light became brighter and brighter as everyone just stared at the tree proceeding downward. No one dared to try anything sneaky at this moment, no one even went closer to watch.
With the Immortal Kingdom’s ancestor present, everyone felt a chill. Even experts from the other emperor’s lineages didn’t dare to make a sound.
“They are all scared now.” Li Qiye laughed at this spectacle: “With an ancestor presiding over this excavation, it would be useless for anyone else to make a move unless a lineage like the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom or Myriad Bones Throne shreds all pretense of cordiality to start a war with the Immortal Kingdom.”
Lan Yunzhu agreed as well. Any great power would have to think it over carefully when there was an ancestor from the Immortal Kingdom at this place. Even emperor’s lineages would not carelessly start a conflict with the kingdom.
Li Qiye smiled and shook his head to say: “Come, the show is over.” Then, the two of them left the Wood Realm for the Water Realm.
Lan Yunzhu wanted to meet up with the river sect’s elders, but the moment they arrived at the Water Realm, a protector from the sect contacted the two of them then quickly ran over.
Seeing Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu, the protector quickly reported: “Young Noble, Yunzhu, the sect master and the elders are no longer in the Water Realm, they went to the Fire Realm.”
“To the Fire Realm?” Lan Yunzhu asked: “Sect Master found the Diamond Carp’s nest already?”
“We didn’t only find it…” The protector was very excited when this matter was brought up: “We had a great harvest and obtained many treasures. This time, we obtained a great fortune for our river sect!”
Chapter 536 - Jadewater Queen
“Outside of the many treasures in the nest, did you guys find anything strange in there?” Li Qiye quickly asked.
“There was, indeed, something strange. We found this particular place, but the masters and elders couldn’t figure out its mysteries. There was surely something strange going on there.” The protector answered: “But our Thousand Carp River took pretty much all the treasures in the nest, causing many great powers to become riled up, so the higher ups decided to temporarily avoid any trouble. They went to the Fire Realm to figure out the situation, but if there is nothing there, then we’ll leave the Prime Ominous Grave. The sect master was afraid that you two would come to the Water Realm to find us, so he ordered me to stay behind to inform you.”
This was a great harvest for the Thousand Carp River, but this also attracted the envy and jealousy of many other great powers, so the sect decided to go to the Fire Realm to have one last adventure. If they didn’t find anything there, then they would just leave the grave since they already had spectacular gains this time.
Li Qiye then asked the protector once more: “What was this place like?”
The protector answered: “It was a very big pond, and very strange looking at that. Walking into the pond would give birth to illusions as if the person had gone to a different location. The sect master said that it might not be an illusion. It was very hard to return after entering. The deeper one goes, the harder it is to come back. The sect master and elders couldn’t see through it, so they decided to temporarily leave.”
“Then I’ll go take a look.” Li Qiye stroked his chin while pondering for a bit before making up his mind.
The protector quickly advised: “I’m afraid that won’t be a good idea. There are many people from the great powers there at that place. Even imperial lineages like the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Imperial Lineage were present. They felt that we didn’t take the most important treasure and that there were more to find in that place.”
“That is the reason why we should go.” Li Qiye responded with a grin.
“There was also another strange event.” The protector added: “We didn’t find the Diamond Carp. We followed it and took the majority of the treasures, but we didn’t see any traces of it at all. After entering the nest, it suddenly disappeared, which is another reason why the great powers thought that we left behind the best treasure. The sect master and the elders also felt this way, but they still decided to retreat.”
“The Diamond Carp was gone?” This took Lan Yunzhu by surprise since it was not a small fish, it was the size of a mountain. For such a fish to escape would not be very easy.
The protector shook his head and answered: “It was as if the carp disappeared into thin air. We searched the entire nest but we didn’t see it.”
“All the more reason for me to go.” Li Qiye said as he narrowed his eyes while smiling.
The protector was quite worried and tried to convince him: “I’m afraid that once Young Noble goes there, the great powers who already hate us, such as the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground, won’t treat you too well.”
Many great powers were annoyed with the Thousand Carp River taking all the treasures in the Diamond Carp’s nest. Some of them actually wanted to steal these treasures but were beaten down by the river sect. This deterred some of those with malicious intent from acting any further.
“So what?” Li Qiye nonchalantly said: “Those who block my path… shall be killed without mercy!”
The protector could only smile wryly after hearing Li Qiye’s domineering statement. But then, he remembered that back at the Snow-shadow Tribe, Li Qiye killed tens of thousands of ghosts so he believed that Li Qiye could actually do so.
“Protector, go to the Fire Realm and inform my master that we are going to that place.” Lan Yunzhu said.
The protector then looked at them once more and didn’t try to stop them any longer. He bid farewell and went to meet up with the sect master.
Li Qiye then told Lan Yunzhu: “We’ll go now. Maybe there will be something I need there.”
The Diamond Carp’s nest could actually move. Now that one though about it, it was strange since the nest was sealed by the Thousand Carp River. After being cleaned of all its treasures, the nest still stayed there at sea in the same spot even after the river sect had left.
The nest was a huge gulf in the shape of two hands hugging each other, causing the ocean water to form a small pond.
Its outer layer was formed by mountains and in the middle was a cloud-piercing peak that faced the pond. Many caves were right under this peak.
The river sect’s treasures came from these series of caverns. When the river sect took all the treasures was when the other great powers finally arrived.
At this moment, although the river sect had left, many great powers still remained, including emperor’s lineages such as the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Immortal Lineage.
Many sects camped on the highest peaks for several days, but they still failed to unravel the mysteries within.
Today, a great character came to the highest peak, rejuvenating the initially dejected great powers.
“The Jadewater Queen is here!” Someone uttered: “Maybe the Jadewater Queen will be able to see through the mysteries inside.”
Everyone gazed at a golden palanquin slowly ascending the mountain. On the palanquin was a woman wearing a phoenix dress — regal and full of eminence. This woman possessed a kingdom-toppling beauty that did not diminish her royal prestige. Her dignified gaze commanded respect from all spectators.
Someone sighed and spoke when she appeared: “The queen of the Charming Spirit race.”
The transcendent and wonderful Jadewater Queen came from the Charming Spirit race. Providence itself had determined for her to be extraordinary.
She was the ruler of the Jadewater Country, the purest Charming Spirit country in the entire Sacred Nether World. It could be said that the majority of Charming Spirits all gathered in this particular country.
Charming Spirits had two places to go in the Sacred Nether World: the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom in the southern Distant Cloud or the Jadewater Country in the western Green River. Unlike the Immortal Kingdom, the Jadewater Country consisted of purely Charming Spirits while the kingdom had both humans and Charming Spirits living together.
Among the four great domains of the Sacred Nether World, outside of the southern Distant Cloud, the other three domains were all ruled by ghosts. The Jadewater Country was in the Green River, a place still dominated by the ghost race.
In this domain, not to mention the seclusive clans, there were monstrous existences like the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom and the Insect King Immortal Lineage. As for the great powers, there was the Kingdom Of Gods and the Zen Ghost Tribe among others; they were all part of the ghost race.
How could one let a stranger sleep in their own bed? The entire Green River could be described as the ghost’s world, but the Jadewater Country was established there and stood strong for millions of years. Some said that this country was even older than the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom!
Such a thing was difficult to imagine in this location, but after knowing that it was a country of Charming Spirits, people came to accept it easier. Although they might be few in number, the majority of these spirits were cultivating geniuses.
They were the favored children of the heavens. In this world, when it came to talents, aptitude, and understanding of the grand dao, no race was comparable to the Charming Spirits.
There was a belief in the Nine Worlds: the Charming Spirits are natural geniuses and could cultivate much easier than the other races. While others require ten years to reach a particular realm, the Charming Spirits only needed five years or less!
Keep in mind that back in the Desolate Era, the first Immortal Emperor was Gu Chun, who came from the Charming Spirit race. This was such an ancient era, yet the Charming Spirits were already able to have an Immortal Emperor. One could easily imagine how heaven-defying this race must be.
The Jadewater Queen’s arrival caused the great powers next to the pond to become quite spirited. A sect master spoke: “Perhaps the queen’s divine reflection will be able to explore this strange pool.”
Charming Spirits were very similar to humans in appearance, but they had something that the human race was without — the divine reflection!
The divine reflection was a natural gift of the Charming Spirit race. Some people said that this was bestowed to them by the heavens since they were the favored children. This saying made sense because, due to their divine reflections, they were more suitable for cultivation compared to other races.
Although the divine reflection was inherent at birth, they needed to cultivate to a certain realm before it awakened.
After the awakening, these spirits would become geniuses among geniuses in cultivation, similar to a tiger being given wings.
The magical properties of these divine reflections contributed to their abilities to comprehend the dao and understand the void. They were capable of examining the changes of nature and sensing the heaven and earth!
Imagine that, when these spirits were cultivating, they didn’t need to learn the profundities of the dao since they had their divine reflection. With it, any complex and profound merit laws would suddenly become simple. This was the reason why it was so easy for Charming Spirits to cultivate any merit law.
However, the benefit of divine reflections was more than just this. Due to the incredible nature of these divine reflections, the Charming Spirits were special.
The crowd became excited, hoping that the Jadewater Queen’s divine reflection could see through the void of this old pond. This old pond was very strange and no one could see through it. Several great characters had gone inside, but not a single one of them came out.
“I heard that the Jadewater Queen is unfathomable. When shined on by her divine reflection, even Heaven’s Will Secret Laws become very simple. Maybe her reflection will be able to see through this pond’s mysteries.” All the important people here began to focus after the queen came down from her phoenix palanquin.
Chapter 537 - Mysterious Old Pond
The Jadewater Queen looked at the old pond before her and took a deep breath, then she finally stepped into it. After taking one step inside, she suddenly disappeared.
“I wonder how many steps the queen will be able to take.” A person saw this and murmured.
A ghost cultivator responded: “Two days ago, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child took eight steps and the Ghost Insect Evil Child took nine steps. These were already the top young geniuses. An ancestor of a great power predicted that in order to reach the middle, one has to take at least three hundred steps.”
At this time, all eyes were on the old pond. Even great characters from the emperor’s lineages didn’t blink once. They all had their Heavenly Gazes activated because without it, they wouldn’t be able to see the Jadewater Queen.
In the last several days, many powerful characters tried their best with their Heavenly Gazes, but they couldn’t see through anything. An emperor’s lineage even used a supreme treasure mirror to shine into this pond, but there was no result.
At this time, geniuses like the Saint Child and Evil Child held their breaths as well. Unparalleled geniuses like them could only take eight or nine steps.
A moment later, these two lost their colors because their Heavenly Gazes showed that the queen easily crossed the ninth step and onto her tenth.
“Amazing! She’s indeed worthy of being a Charming Spirit. Rumor has it that she has become quite unfathomable so maybe fifteen steps wouldn’t be an issue.” A Royal Lord from a country spoke.
In a short amount of time, the queen already took fifteen steps into the pond and, moments later, she made it to the twentieth step.
“Twenty steps!” Even an ancestor of a great power was shaken as he murmured: “Two days ago, an ancestor of the Bronze Tree Ghost Tribe made it to the twentieth step then disappeared without returning.”
Very few could see her trail after she made it to the twentieth step. Even great characters who tried their best couldn’t see her; only the hidden ancestors were able to. At this point, her expression showed that she was struggling. She finally stopped at the thirtieth step.
Meanwhile, the hidden ancestors all stared at her intensely.
She ultimately stopped at this point and came back. The crowd was very curious as they watched her safely leave the old pond.
“How many steps did the queen take?” A person asked.
An ancestor revealed that it was thirty steps, to the surprise of many. They shockingly exclaimed: “This is equal to an ancestor of a great power! Thirty steps yet still managed to retreat safely… She’s even better than an ancestor. Charming Spirits… Their divine reflections are indeed capable of seeing through truths and mysteries.”
No matter how great her cultivation may be, it couldn’t be at the Virtuous Paragon level. Her prestige was not as great as Di Zuo’s or Tian Lunhui’s, but being able to take thirty steps was already very amazing. Many became envious and admired the divine reflection of the Charming Spirits. They were indeed favored by the heavens.
The great powers who were camping near the old pond were very curious. They wanted to know her understanding of the pond. A great power with good relations began to ask her for some information. She then talked to its royal lord and said: “This pond is a mystery. Each step is an entire world. Taking one step further is the same as crossing into another world. If you can reach the middle of the pond, then it should be equivalent to walking across three thousand worlds.”
All were moved after hearing this. What a scary thing it was to cross over three thousand worlds. Who could easily accomplish such a task besides Immortal Emperors?
Another sect master inquired: “Are there any treasures in the pond?” This was the sect master’s biggest concern and also the question many wanted to ask the most.
The Thousand Carp River chased after the Diamond Carp and took nearly all the treasures, leaving only this pond untouched. The river sect couldn’t see through the pond so it hastily withdrew.
Everyone knew that the sect obtained many treasures, but they didn’t obtain any unbelievable immortal treasures. They were also aware that there was a great fortune in each realm, but the issue was finding the right place. Many people searched the Water Realm without any results or meeting any great fortunes.
Afterward, after the river sect chased the Diamond Carp to its nest, many people speculated that if there was indeed a great fortune at the Water Realm, then it should be at this place.
This was why even emperor’s lineages showed up and not only great powers. They hoped to obtain this supreme fortune.
The Jadewater Queen answered with confidence: “Yes, there is surely a treasure. From twenty steps and beyond, there were treasures under the water. From thirty steps and up, there were incredible items as well. In order to find a supreme fortune, I think one has to go at least one hundred steps. There must be an unparalleled item there, maybe even an era-toppling immortal treasure, but I can’t say for sure.”
“An unparalleled item!” The heart of this sect master trembled. For generations, those who obtained a great fortune in the Prime Ominous Grave all became either Immortal Emperors or invincible existences.
Her answer quickly spread to the outside. Many were here for this supreme fortune, but previously, it was only mere speculations. Now that it had been confirmed, how could a furor not break out among these cultivators and great powers?
Previously, everyone couldn’t enlighten themselves with the pond, so many were jolted into leaving. However, after hearing the first half of the queen’s findings, the group became excited and no one else wished to leave. However, this group also became dumbfounded after hearing the latter part.
“One hundred steps!” No matter how powerful their sects or tribes may be, these people all gasped as they became dejected.
“What kind of genius would be able to take one hundred steps?” This was a blow to many people. An ancestor of the Bronze Tree Tribe disappeared after twenty steps, so what kind of existence would be able to take one hundred?
A person calculated: “Perhaps a legendary master or an eternal existence would be able to take one hundred steps.”
“Hmm, maybe even an extremely ancient ancestor… Someone from the Myriad Bones Throne might be able to do so.”
A great ghost also began to calculate and came up with this conclusion: only an eternal existence would be able to take one hundred steps, not even a legendary master would be able to.
The sudden burst of excitement was quickly deflated. One hundred steps was an impossibility to the people present.
In fact, many ancestors from the great powers all came to the Prime Ominous Grave. These old undyings didn’t mind paying a huge price to leave their Blood Era Stones for the great fortunes from the legends. They hoped to use these fortunes to prolong their lifespans as well as strengthen their own sects.
However, after witnessing the failure of the Bronze Tree Ancestor, many of these ancestors began to hesitate. They had lived for a very long time and paid the greatest price to seal themselves in these blood stones. Now, they all became very cautious at such a dangerous venture.
These undyings were afraid of death more than anyone else; they valued living above all else. They didn’t want to die before obtaining a great fortune at this place.
So after hearing the words of the queen, these ancestors who were hiding in the darkness remained still, waiting for their chance to see if there was any other method to enter the pond.
During this moment of stillness, a person suddenly had an idea: “Maybe not just a powerful cultivation is required for entry. The ancestor of the Bronze Tree Tribe only took twenty steps, but the Jadewater Queen made it to thirty and even left safely.”
Although this idea was out there, no one wanted to confirm it. Everyone carried the attitude of letting someone else go in first. In these last several days, some famous great characters had all failed, so it was understandable that these cultivators were hesitant. The fate of dying without a corpse remaining instilled shivers into these spectators.
While the great powers adopted a wait-and-see attitude, Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu finally arrived.
Li Qiye came and looked at the pond before him with a serious gaze. Countless ghost powers were here, but Li Qiye didn’t bother giving them a single glance.
His arrival attracted the attention of many since they immediately recognized him and Lan Yunzhu: “Fierce Li Qiye and Fairy Lan are here!”
A great character from the ghost race snorted in dissatisfaction and said: “The Thousand Carp River still hasn’t given up.”
It was all ghosts around the pond since humans and other races couldn’t mingle with them. It could be said that this entire area was under the jurisdiction of ghosts.
Many ghosts were unhappy and scowled to see the two of them here. This was not strange at all since the Thousand Carp River took pretty much all the treasures, and those who came after them only found leftover soup and a belly full of jealousy.
At that time, there were some great powers who tried to sneak attack the river sect for their treasures, but alas, they were too powerful and killed several great characters one after another, creating a huge deterrence. If it was any other sect, then it would have been slaughtered by the crowd on the spot.
Chapter 538 - Long Zuntian
At this time, a sect master from a great power coldly sneered and said: “The Thousand Carp River still isn’t satisfied after taking all the treasures in this nest? Hmph, such greed like a snake trying to swallow an elephant… Watch out, you might not be able to handle eating everything and perish instead!”
Li Qiye simply looked at the old pond and didn’t care for the others. After a while, he revealed a smile. Lan Yunzhu asked: “How is this pond? Can one enter?”
Lan Yunzhu had this question for a while because the Diamond Carp disappeared at its nest after being chased by the group of Daoist Bao Gui.
How could a huge creature like the carp suddenly disappear? Could it be that the carp jumped into this pond? But judging from its size, this pond was not big enough to contain it.
“It is possible to enter, but that will depend on the person. Not just anyone can tread inside.” Li Qiye smiled and responded while looking at the pond.
“Is it very dangerous?” Lan Yunzhu looked at the pond and asked.
It looked very ordinary without any eye-catching features, but even a Heavenly Gaze couldn’t see through it.
“For some, it would be easy like taking a stroll, but for others, it would be impossible like reaching the heavens. They wouldn’t succeed even if they tried for the rest of their lives.” Li Qiye replied with a smile.
These words made a lot of people unhappy. The first to voice his annoyance was the Ghost Insect Evil Child: “Such big tone!” He then continued with an ominous smile: “I wonder how many steps the proclaimed genius of the human race can take?”
These provocative words made the crowd glance at each other; many were happy to see this situation. They all knew the feud between Li Qiye and the Evil Child, which had been going on since the golden sea event.
Li Qiye raised his brows and lazily asked: “How many steps did you take?”
“Nine steps!” The Evil Child sneered and then spoke in a deep voice: “How about you try it? Let’s see which of us is better?”
At this time, the Evil Child was full of confidence.
“Nine steps…” Li Qiye burst out in laughter and said: “Are you a little caterpillar? Such an easy trial yet you only managed to take nine steps. I can go further than that even with my eyes closed.”
“You…!” The Evil Child became enraged by Li Qiye’s teasing as his body shivered with coldness. Frightening glints appeared in his eyes.
Li Qiye was too lazy to look at him. Instead, he waved his sleeve dismissively: “Only nine steps yet you still dare to provoke me? Go play in a corner and don’t interfere with my grand matters.”
“Is that so? Li, how many steps do you think you can take?” Another cold laugh appeared. The speaker was the descendant of another emperor’s lineage, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child.
“How many steps?” Li Qiye gave a yawn in response and added: “I’m not looking down on you guys, but to speak the truth, you already dare to challenge me just by walking a few steps? You don’t know the limits of your own abilities. I’m too lazy to care to argue with people at such a low level.”
“You challenged our ghost race and even the entire world! You don’t think you are the one who doesn’t know your own limits?” An arrogant voice appeared at this time. A phoenix chariot slowly approached and stopped by the pond. A supreme beauty stepped down; it was the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden who escaped last time.
The atmosphere became heated with her arrival: “The Phoenix Maiden is also here!”
Everyone then looked back and forth at Li Qiye and the Phoenix Maiden.
She fled during the last battle, but now she came back with great fanfare. Everyone wanted to see the conclusion between Li Qiye and the maiden.
Li Qiye leisurely stared at her and quipped: “Oh, so it is the loser from before. Since when did your Divine Spark Country become part of the ghost race? Are your ancestors ghosts?”
“Being a daughter-in-law of the ghost race means that I’m part of the ghost race.” The Phoenix Maiden was not angry at all; she calmly answered him with grace. Her excellence was part of why she could become the daughter-in-law of the throne of bones.
“Yes, you are quite right.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “So? The miserable loss last time was not enough so you want to lose again?”
It was as if the maiden came prepared; she was not angry or anxious and instead leisurely spoke: “Li Qiye, you do have the ability to act arrogant, but do you think you are unbeatable in this world?”
Li Qiye lazily looked at her and said: “I myself don’t know if I am unbeatable in this world, but I only have one answer to those who oppose me, and that is that they will all be killed without mercy! Even if it is everyone in this world.”
“Young man… Such bold words.” A middle-aged man who followed after the maiden spoke: “You have the same arrogant style as I did back in a simpler time, but your arrogance ends here.”
The middle-aged man had a special divine aura when he stepped out. A spirited bearing combined with a composed presence created a unique charm with a momentum as if he was the only one who could tread on the endless grand dao.
“Long Zuntian!” Many great ghosts exclaimed after seeing this middle-aged man.
Even the ancestors put on a serious expression.
Long Zuntian was a legendary character in the Sacred Nether World. He was a proud sun in the sky and his dao journey was full of magical tales.
Long Zuntian sought the dao during the Difficult Dao Era as its most dazzling genius in the Sacred Nether World. At a young age, he proudly cultivated as if even this era could not impede his path towards the apex.
He became a Heavenly King at a very young age. At that time, he garnered a lot of attention from everywhere. Many even thought that he had the chance to defeat the Difficult Dao Era to reach the top.
Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong age and embarked on a journey during the Difficult Dao Era. He wanted to reach a higher realm using force, leading to a Life Reduction and an untimely disaster.
Fate Calamity was the demon of the heart and Life Reduction was the withering from the heavens. To cultivators, a Life Reduction was one of the hardest trials, and countless geniuses died because of this.
What was even more unfortunate for him was that, during the Difficult Dao Era, Life Reduction was even more fatal. Many assumed that he wouldn’t be able to surpass it so his death was assured.
However, before the deadly blow, Long Zuntian managed to counter attack and powerfully surpassed his Life Reduction. This matter shocked the entire world. However, this left behind an incurable wound and his cultivation slowed down.
Nevertheless, his fame still threatened the eight directions. Many ancestors from the great powers viewed him highly. Many of them were even cautious when they talked about him.
He was not only an amazing Heavenly King but also was a grand completion Saint Physique, the Diamond Saint Physique!
The Diamond Saint Physique was the one below the Indestructible Diamond Immortal Physique. This Immortal Physique was impenetrable by countless weapons and untouchable by myriad laws. A cultivator of this physique would neither be afraid of any weapons nor laws in this world.
Although it was not an Immortal Physique, Long Zuntian still had this extremely powerful grand completion Saint Physique. A rumor stated that he once used his own body to block an attack from an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure. No one knew if this story was true or not, but this was enough to prove the toughness of his physique.
“I can’t believe Sir Di Zuo actually convinced Long Zuntian. An extremely talented genius like Long Zuntian views Sir Di Zuo so highly! Surely Sir Di Zuo will be able to shoulder the Heaven’s Will and become an Immortal Emperor.” A person emotionally uttered after seeing Long Yuntian protecting the maiden.
In the past during the Difficult Dao Era, Long Yuntian’s fame thundered across the Sacred Nether World. It was not until his Life Reduction that his fame slowly receded before the public, giving rise to the three heroes.
He started as a vagabond cultivator and many great powers and even emperor’s lineages wanted to recruit him. Even the Myriad Bones Throne wasn’t an exception, but Long Yuntian was very arrogant so he decisively refused.
Who would expect that many years later, once Di Zuo came to the light and became a great genius would he be able to convince Long Zuntian? From then on, he became the dao mentor of Di Zuo.
Although the throne of bones had some amazing ancestors at the level of legendary masters, a person like Long Zuntian was very rare to find. Di Zuo surely benefitted greatly from having him as a dao mentor.
The arrogant Long Zuntian agreeing to be Di Zuo’s mentor after rejecting the Myriad Bones Throne in the past was indicative of Di Zuo’s brilliant talents and his future potential to become an Immortal Emperor.
Li Qiye was still nonchalant as he looked at Long Zuntian. Then, he said with a smile: “Oh? You want to teach me a lesson?”
Long Zuntian stared back and shook his head, grinning: “I’m too old and do not feel like exercising. I only want to give you a piece of advice: there is always a better person and another heaven outside of this heaven. Today, there are many ancestors here. You are indeed a supreme genius, but if a Virtuous Paragon takes action, you won’t be as lucky.”
“Heed my words of advice and recede your arrogance. Otherwise, even if I don’t do it, someone else will.” Long Zuntian continued: “Of course, if you really want a shot at me, then I don’t mind teaching a young one a lesson!”
Long Zuntian spoke aggressively and was full of confidence. Of course, he was qualified to act so domineeringly. Although he was only a Heavenly King and cultivation-wise, he was not a match for a great power’s ancestor, he also had a grand completion Saint Physique. Even these ancestors would have to think twice before acting against him.
Chapter 539 - Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden’s Scheme
Li Qiye didn’t take note of Long Zuntian’s words, he simply smilingly said: “If you want to teach me, then come anytime. I agree with the sentiment that there is always someone better and that there is a heaven vaster than this heaven, but as for the whatever ancestors here who want to kill me…” Li Qiye laughed and declared: “So what if they are ancestors from great powers? Try it and I’ll slaughter all of them. Anyone who blocks my path will be killed without mercy!”
His words offended all the sects and lineages and even the entire ghost race. Of course, this was not his first time offending the ghost race.
In just a split second, many great powers coldly glared at Li Qiye. No one made a move right now, but their intentions were as clear as day: sooner or later, they would annihilate this arrogant human.
“Young one, it is not wrong to be arrogant, but words are like spilled water; once spoken, they cannot be taken back.” An ethereal voice appeared.
No one knew who the speaker was, but the tone was thunderous, causing everyone’s hearts to thump. This surely was an ancestor of a great power.
Many ancestors had come into being and entered the Prime Ominous Grave, so of course they were annoyed when Li Qiye provoked them publically like this.
However, for the time being, none of them made a move against Li Qiye. These old sly foxes didn’t want to be the first to oppose the Thousand Carp River.
Li Qiye smiled and said in response to the ethereal voice: “I always take responsibility for my words. I don’t care if you are ghosts or from another race, I do not show mercy to those who stand before me!”
“Hmph! You are acting as if people are blocking your path. That’s simply not true, you can easily enter the pond.” The Titanic Crescent Saint Child sneered.
Li Qiye looked at the Saint Child and spoke: “Oh? You don’t believe me? If I can enter, then will your ghost race withdraw?” These words made even more people unhappy.
A ghost sect master deepened his voice and uttered: “This pond does not belong to you, so why does our ghost race have to withdraw?”
“I don’t know much about the ghost race, but I do know one thing: if I obtain the fortune inside, then your ghost race will definitely sneak attack me and rob it just like you did with the Thousand Carp River. Do you dare say that you haven’t and will not commit such sly thievery?” Li Qiye calmly asked.
“Then do you want to settle this matter with our entire ghost race?” The Phoenix Maiden slowly spoke.
Li Qiye glanced at her and chuckled to say: “Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden, I know you are digging a hole for me to jump, aiming to maneuver the entire ghost race against me. Am I right? Very well, we’ll do it your way. Everyone come so we can end this. Your ghost race does not like to look at humans like me, and I’m also annoyed at ghosts like you. Just make your move and I’ll entertain all of you till the end!”
This answer left people looking at each other in confusion. Even non-ghost cultivators rolled their eyes. Such arrogance! Li Qiye, alone, challenged all the ghosts! This brat must be crazy.
However, older cultivators of the other races felt that this made sense after thinking it through. Back at the Snow-shadow Tribe, Li Qiye had already killed tens of thousands of ghosts in one breath. His relationship with the ghost race was already irreconcilable.
It was clear that Li Qiye would be a thorn for the three heroes in the future. The ghost race would definitely not accept him in the competition for the Heaven’s Will at this time, so there would be a war between the two sides. Those who backed the three heroes would not sit idly by and watch.
The cultivators of the other races thought that if Li Qiye didn’t want to be bothered by ghosts for a long time, then the most direct way was to kill them until they were scared. This was not only to strengthen his domineering fame and test his own cultivation but also a way to sweep through his future obstacles.
A few great characters from these races thought that defeating the ghost race before they became united was possible. However, the first requirement was that Li Qiye needed to be strong enough.
Thus, these other races chose to watch on the sideline as the ghosts glared at Li Qiye.
The group of the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and Ghost Insect Evil Child angrily glared at him with murderous stares after hearing his provocative statement. These geniuses truly hated Li Qiye; the two sides had a long-running feud and moreover, they had the ambition to kill him for their own future!
They would become famous after killing Li Qiye; Li Qiye could be the paving pebble for their path towards becoming the Immortal Emperor.
As opposed to last time, the two geniuses were full of ambition right now. Their expression alone clearly indicated their wish to kill Li Qiye. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Since they carried secret cards, they were confident in killing Li Qiye.
The Phoenix Maiden only smiled with a smile that could be described as kingdom-toppling. This was the result she wanted. She then slowly spoke: “Li Qiye, you are the one who said this. I am only a little girl and does not dare to speak for the entire ghost race. However, since you provoked our ghost race, I will be the first to oppose you. Even a little girl like me will not tolerate a human ant like you challenging our ghost’s supreme prestige!”
“Amazing! Women are no less capable than men at all!” Li Qiye clapped his hands and smiled. He saw through her aim but was too lazy to retort.
Lan Yunzhu only smiled. She understood the Phoenix Maiden’s scheme, but she also knew that Li Qiye didn’t care for these little tricks since he was not afraid at all!
While the young geniuses wished to kill Li Qiye to pave their path, the majority of the older crowd remained relatively calm.
Although Li Qiye and the ghost race had drawn daggers, there was no direct conflict of interest between him and the majority of great powers. At least, for now.
These sly foxes all knew that the Phoenix Maiden was trying to pave the way for Di Zuo. Anyone could see that Li Qiye would be a huge threat for him in the future. As his fiancee, she wanted to borrow others to kill Li Qiye for her husband.
“There has been too much killing recently, and the downpour of blood only brings about weariness.” The Phoenix Maiden acted as if she didn’t hear Li Qiye’s praise. She then gracefully continued on: “If you challenge our ghost race, we of course cannot stand down. How about we have a non-violent competition? For example, this pond. If Li Qiye can go deeper into the pond than us ghosts… Although I cannot represent the entire ghost race, at the very least, the Myriad Bones Throne and many other ghost tribes will not make it difficult for you from now on.”
“If you lose, then hand over the Prime Ominous Key. Whoever beats you will get the key.” She put out an irresistible bait and said: “The fortune inside the Heavenly Cemetery should belong to us ghosts. What say you, everyone?!”
Her words prior were not enough for the other ghost tribes to act as her blade, outside of the ambitious young ones like the Saint Child and Evil Child. Everyone with eyes had seen the battle outside of the Snow-shadow Tribe, and being the Phoenix Maiden’s henchmen did not end well. But now, her words tempted the minds of many.
“I heard that there was no treasure inside the Heavenly Cemetery. However, if one is lucky, they might be able to get a unique fortune. This harvest would not be any less than the Diamond Carp’s nest.” The Phoenix Maiden lightly said: “For such a fortune, no matter what, I still want to challenge you, Li Qiye!”
Her words caused many hearts to beat faster alongside many swift glances.
Lan Yunzhu lamented after being exposed to the maiden’s scheme: “What a formidable ability to concoct such mind games.”
The Phoenix Maiden was quite devious. She pushed Li Qiye up to the front of the waves and winds. At this time, anyone would want to challenge him.
“Is that true?” A young person couldn’t help but ask his senior after hearing the maiden’s words.
Everyone knew that the Heavenly Cemetery was inside the Earth Realm. Rumor has it that after killing into the cemetery and making it out alive, one would be able to obtain a great fortune. However, not just anyone dared to try. Even the ancestors were hesitant, let alone the younger generation. But right now, Di Zuo was making his way into the cemetery!
“It is true.” A great character answered his junior: “The Prime Ominous Key can be exchanged for a great fortune inside the Heavenly Cemetery. The magnitude of this fortune depends on the person, but in short, the exchange is real.”
Prior to this, during the Snow-shadow battle, many people wanted to take the key from Li Qiye, but many gave up right after. Now, the maiden’s words raising this issue again provoked a lot of people.
At this point, many held their breaths while looking at Li Qiye since everyone knew that he had the key.
Li Qiye simply smiled at the maiden’s scheme. She employed numerous methods to kill Li Qiye. This, right now, was only a spark and the goal was to cause Li Qiye to fight against the entire ghost race.
“Li Qiye, do you dare to accept our ghost race’s challenge?” The Phoenix Maiden slowly enunciated each word.
Although she did not represent all the ghosts, the expressions of many proved that they were lusting after the key in Li Qiye’s possession.
“Li Qiye is not necessarily at a disadvantage in such a challenge.” The Jadewater Queen spoke: “It is not about cultivation but enlightenment when it comes to walking deeper into the pond. One step, one world, but the main essence is that it is still a pond. If one could see through its profundities, then there would still be a promising chance. Having a higher cultivation actually brings about more restrictions.”
Chapter 540 - Competition
The Jadewater Queen was the person who went the furthest for the time being, so her credibility was very high.
After hearing her words, a person excitedly spoke while slapping their thigh: “Just like what I speculated, how far one walks into the pond has nothing to do with cultivation!”
Meanwhile, Li Qiye only smiled at the Phoenix Maiden’s challenge and said: “No big deal. Taking dozens of steps would still be easy. All challengers, come forth. The losers will disappear, and if I lose, I will hand the Prime Ominous Key to the winner.”
How could Li Qiye refuse a challenge when the enemy came to his doorstep?
Li Qiye’s words caused the ghost cultivators to clamor and stare at him. He was like a fat piece of meat that everyone wanted a bite of.
“Who’s first?” Li Qiye looked at the Phoenix Maiden and slowly asked: “You?”
“Let me challenge you.” However, a sneer suddenly came about as the Ghost Insect Evil Child walked forward and smiled ominously: “If you lose, then hand over the key and get the hell out of here. The treasures of this place belongs to us, members of the ghost race!”
“Count me in!” Another person stood out and went together with the Evil Child. Of course, this was the Titanic Crescent Saint Child.
“You guys only managed to take eight and nine steps, yet you still want to challenge me?” Li Qiye was too lazy to look at them as he commented: “Your confidence is too unreasonable.”
“The winner has yet to be decided, so don’t act this arrogant so quickly!” The Saint Child said as he sneered; he was full of confidence.
Everyone knew that the Saint Child and Evil Child only took eight and nine steps respectively, but now, everyone was shaken to see them so full of confidence. They realized that these two didn’t try their best earlier.
Li Qiye glanced at the two of them and smirked: “Are you two representing your sects or the ghost race?”
“If I lose, then my sect will withdraw.” The Titanic Crescent Saint Child answered slowly: “If any sects or tribes wish to follow my sect, then we will share the treasures that are obtained!”
The Ghost Insect Evil Child also added: “Yes! Same goes for our Insect King Lineage.”
Their actions had been approved by the seniors of the two lineages, which was why they were able to speak so freely.
Geniuses like the Saint Child and Evil Child were unlucky to be born in the same era as the three heroes. Especially because of Di Zuo, who was greatly valued by many great powers; most of these great powers tended to support him.
Right now, these two wanted to borrow Li Qiye to increase their own prestige as well as re-establishing their sects’ position in the Misty Field and Green River.
Some great powers from the ghost race decided to reveal their position: “We are willing to stand together with the Insect King Lineage!”
“We are willing to stand together with the Titanic Crescent Saint Child!”
Many of them voiced their support for the two emperor’s lineages.
The Insect King Lineage had a very prestigious position in the western Green River, and the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground was also famous in the northern Misty Field. Recently, Di Zuo and Li Qiye were like kites who met the right wind, so many forgot about geniuses like the Evil Child and Saint Child. But now, if these two managed to rise up and gain the support of these great powers, then it would be killing two birds with one stone for the two emperor’s lineages.
Not only did their actions have a chance to seize the Prime Ominous Key from Li Qiye, this was also an attempt to gauge their supporters in their regions.
The sect masters and royal lords present were not stupid. They knew that this battle had no place for them. Eventually, the final victor to obtain the key would most likely be an emperor’s lineage, so they knew that they had to show their support towards these lineages first.
“Interesting.” The Jadewater Queen murmured to herself after seeing this scene.
Right now, the challenge was no longer a feud between Li Qiye and the ghost race, it was also a political contest among the ghost race. The one who created this situation was, of course, the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden!
At this point, many looked at Li Qiye and the two descendants. The Evil Child and Saint Child had always been referred to as geniuses by people. They had extremely high talents but were still far from supreme geniuses like Di Zuo.
Nevertheless, some ghost tribes were still optimistic with their chance against Li Qiye in this challenge.
“If you want to challenge me, then come at the same time. Don’t waste time going one by one.” Li Qiye looked at them and said: “You guys go first. I’m afraid that if I go first, I’ll just discourage both of you.”
“Such hubris!” A ghost loudly exclaimed with a sneer.
The two descendants also scowled. They looked at each other and took the first step into the pond, instantly disappearing.
Everyone quickly opened their Heavenly Gazes to watch each of their actions. They leisurely took the first five steps before their speed slowed down.
Now, eight steps have been taken. At this point, it was as if they were shouldering Mt. Tai on their backs as each step was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
Everyone stared at the two with bated breaths because these two could only go eight and nine steps earlier.
The influential ghosts were secretly worried for the two descendants. If they could only go this far, then they wouldn’t have any significant advantage over Li Qiye.
However, the Titanic Crescent Sacred Lord still had a relaxed expression as if he was still very confident in his disciple. He smiled and said: “My disciple shouldn’t have any problems going past twenty or thirty steps.”
Just as he said, from the eighth step onward, the initial weight was lifted off their backs and the two became much more relaxed.
A universal law as thin as a silk string faintly appeared around the Ghost Insect Evil Child’s body and led the way for him, allowing his steps to be as light as a feather.
It was the same for the Titanic Crescent Saint Child. In just a split second, a wave of light was being emitted from his body as if it was the protection of the gods. When this wave of light appeared, his steps became light. It seemed as if each step was not crossing one world but just walking casually across water.
“Eleven… Twelve… Thirteen…” A ghost began to count their steps as they quickened their pace.
More and more began to count as well, especially the disciples who came from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Lineage. They were becoming louder with their cheers, causing the atmosphere to be much more lively.
“How come they suddenly became so strong?” Everyone became surprised when those two made it to the fifteenth step.
Before, they already struggled at eight and nine steps; a single extra step was prohibitively difficult. But now, their steps were as light as the wind, so how could people not become astounded by this sudden change?
A predecessor expert figured something out and said: “There are heaven-defying treasures on their bodies, most likely Immortal Emperor Life Treasures.”
Not only one or two people realized this. A group began to understand that those two were carrying some amazing treasures.
Many great powers of the Sacred Nether World were here, and not just one or two emperor’s lineages brought emperor’s weapons. If these two had emperor’s weapons, then it meant that the sacred ground and the Insect King Lineage brought more than just one weapon.
This speculation caused many characters from the great powers to palpitate. These emperor’s lineages would be carrying immense firepower if they brought more than just one emperor’s weapon each.
These weapons were dreadful items, and they were the bane of those countries without one themselves. When two had the same cultivation and battle prowess, the person with the emperor’s weapon had an absolute advantage.
In just a blink of an eye, the Evil Child and Saint Child made it to the twentieth step. From this point, their pace slowed down since they were still affected by the pond despite carrying emperor’s weapons.
The Jadewater Queen spoke while watching on the sideline: “Unfortunately, they couldn’t understand even a little bit of the profound mysteries. Otherwise, with the powerful emperor’s weapons and some knowledge, they could go more than forty steps.”
“Twenty… Twenty-one… Twenty-two…” Clear and sonorous counting appeared when the two of them reached the twentieth step. The sacred ground and Insect King Lineage, along with some great powers, were cheering for the two of them while creating pressure for Li Qiye.
This was especially the case when the big characters were speaking; their thunderous roars caused others to be affected. These ghost powers wanted to create a surpressive atmosphere to assail Li Qiye’s psyche.
Chapter 541 - Leisurely Stroll
However, even these great characters and their imposing words couldn’t affect Li Qiye. His dao heart was as strong as a rock. He couldn’t be shaken by the words of these Heavenly Sovereigns and Heavenly Kings. Li Qiye remained calm and leisurely without a care.
Lan Yunzhu noticed these great characters using this opportunity to spew out mantras to shake Li Qiye’s emotions, so she snorted loudly: “Truly shameless.”
The unperturbed Li Qiye only smiled and said: “Ignore them. In a little while, they will know that their bag of tricks is useless.”
After reaching the 25th step, the Evil Child couldn’t handle it anymore. His face was beet red from the pond’s pressure. Eventually, he gritted his teeth and mustered one last step for a total of twenty-six steps. At this point, he couldn’t handle another one, so he had to give up and step out from the pond.
“Twenty-six is already very amazing. The Bronze Tree Ancestor disappeared after the twentieth step.” The great ghosts were very proud of his achievement after seeing him retreat safely.
Meanwhile, the Saint Child continued on with many eyes fixated on him in anticipation. They wanted to see how many steps he could take.
Seeing the withdrawal of the Evil Child while the Saint Child was holding on, Lan Yunzhu asked: “The Saint Child is going further than the Evil Child, could it be that he has an Immortal Emperor True Treasure with him?”
Li Qiye took a look at the Saint Child and shook his head in response: “No, it is not a true treasure. He can go further because he has something that is connected to the Prime Ominous Grave.”
After hearing this, Lan Yunzhu suddenly remembered a tale that had been passed on for a long time: “So Immortal Emperor Ju Tian got a heaven-defying treasure from Necropolis!”
Li Qiye nodded and said: “Right, it is that thing from the Ghost River. Alas, the Saint Child does not understand its profoundness.”
The world all knew that Immortal Emperor Ju Tian obtained a great treasure from the Ghost River. This was half the reason why future generations went to the Ghost River; they were tempted by the tale of Immortal Emperor Ju Tian.
“Thirty!” He finally reached the 30th step. This was the same as the Jadewater Queen from the Charming Spirit race.
At this time, the Saint Child was drenched in sweat, but he still bit his teeth and exerted all of his potential to strugglingly take another step.
“Thirty-one!” The ghost experts roared powerful mantras when they saw him take another hard step. These cheers served both to encourage the Saint Child and to demoralize Li Qiye.
“Thirty-two!” He took another step, but it was near impossible for him to go any further. If he kept on forcing the issue, then he would disappear just like the Bronze Tree Ancestor.
The Jadewater Queen shook her head and commented: “What a shame. He still couldn’t understand the mysteries of the pond. There is a limit to using an emperor’s weapon to force it.”
The Saint Child safely left the pond and was met with many cheers from the ghost cultivators. A royal lord praised: “Being able to take thirty steps is an achievement higher than an ordinary ancestor. So promising! This youth will surpass us in time.”
“The Saint Child’s victory is certain. An ordinary ancestor, I’m afraid, could only go thirty to forty steps. Haha, I do not believe that this Li fella is better than an ordinary ancestor. There’s no way he could go more than thirty steps in.”
The ghost cultivators were at ease, especially the great powers that chose to side with the sacred ground. They were certain of their victory and of Li Qiye’s defeat. They didn’t think that Li Qiye could take thirty steps since it was difficult for even an ancestor. For him? It was not worth mentioning.
The Saint Child stepped out of the pond. The Evil Child immediately came to congratulate him: “Brother Titanic Crescent is quite amazing, you took six more steps than me!” 1
“Nothing of the sort, this little brother was only lucky.” The Saint Child humbly responded.
Before this, these two were rivals, but now they were working together. This was not surprising at all since, in order to compete against heaven-defying geniuses like Di Zuo, they had to work together.
The Phoenix Maiden also praised him with a graceful charm: “Brother Titanic Crescent’s brilliant talent truly convinces me. Geniuses always come out from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and Insect King Lineage; my husband has always praised Brother Titanic Crescent and Brother Ghost Insect as contemporary heroes and role models. From today, we can see that your fame is indeed well-deserved and has opened my eyes.”
The maiden’s praise was one thing, but praise coming from Di Zuo was different. Both the descendants became quite proud because of this. Although it did not personally come from Di Zuo, it was still very glorious to hear the Phoenix Maiden’s words.
The two of them quickly replied: “We’re nothing that great, Brother Di Zuo’s praise is too much.” Despite spewing humble words, they quite enjoyed this on the inside.
Li Qiye looked at the sure-win attitude from the two of them and burst out in laughter before speaking: “Oh? Already celebrating before the victor has been decided? Are you that certain of victory?”
Li Qiye’s provocation darkened the two’s expressions. However, the Phoenix Maiden took the initiative and coldly replied: “Li Qiye, do not be arrogant; there is always a higher mountain. Brother Titanic Crescent and Brother Ghost Insect are two excellent prodigies of our ghost race. Their thirty steps are equivalent to that of Virtuous Paragons, and very few young people could match this. Perhaps even you won’t be able to.”
The two happily listened with pride as the maiden defended them before they had the chance to. Now, they had an even better impression of the maiden and Di Zuo.
Her scheme was quite amazing and she easily changed her attitude. She was trying to win more allies to oppose Li Qiye.
“A higher mountain?” Li Qiye smiled and responded: “This proverb is correct, but the higher mountain for me is not you guys.”
“Such ignorance.” The maiden coldly spoke: “The truth is before your eyes. It is not too late to accept your defeat before Brother Titanic Crescent and Brother Ghost Insect…”
“Accept defeat my ass!” Li Qiye bluntly interrupted the maiden and declared: “It was only thirty-two steps yet you still dare to brag before me as if you are unbeatable in this world? Very well, if you want to be humiliated, then allow me to do so. I can close my eyes and still walk that far.”
With that, Li Qiye really closed his eyes and began to head towards the pond. As he stepped inside, Lan Yunzhu quickly helped him with the counting: “One, two, three, four…” However, Li Qiye was too fast and Lan Yunzhu couldn’t keep up.
“Look!” The moment Li Qiye got in the pond, everyone quickly looked at how far he could go with their Heavenly Gazes. However, he was too fast; once their gazes were ready, Lan Yunzhu had already counted to thirty.
“Impossible—” The entire ghost race was astounded by his pace.
The moment their senses came back to them, Li Qiye already made his way back as if he had never entered at all. It was as if he had simply taken a leisurely stroll.
“Sixty steps!” Lan Yunzhu reported the number while being completely astonished. Li Qiye was way too fast even for her to count. If it wasn’t for seeing how the two descendants had struggled even with emperor’s weapon to take their final steps, she would have thought that this was only an ordinary pond after watching Li Qiye’s stroll.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became quiet while everyone was sent into a daze. Li Qiye’s casual walking made people think that this was not a magical pond at all. However, those who had entered before knew that it was not simple since one step was equivalent to one world. Even an ancestor or a legendary master wouldn’t be able to walk sixty steps as easily as Li Qiye.
Taking sixty steps in just the blink of an eye silenced all the ghosts and rendered them responseless.
Before, when the Saint Child managed to take thirty-two steps, the ghost race was certain of his victory since even an ancestor could only do so much. Such an achievement was already too amazing.
Li Qiye’s leisurely sixty steps was a slap to the ghost race! They didn’t know where to put their faces, especially the Saint Child and Evil Child.
The Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground felt the painful slap after thinking that their descendant won and that the Prime Ominous Key would belong to them.
The hidden undyings in the ground became dejected since they themselves weren’t confident in taking sixty steps. And even if they could, it wouldn’t have been easy.
Li Qiye took this stroll in just a second, then he safely withdrew. This was too heaven-defying.
Chapter 542 - Tian Lunhui
At this moment, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child, the Ghost Insect Evil Child, and the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden were all stunned on the spot. Earlier, the three of them were bragging with great pride, but now, Li Qiye’s achievement was a violent slap to their faces.
The two descendants could no longer smile; only an ugly expression remained. The Phoenix Maiden had a countenance as cold as ice.
She thought differently than the two descendants. With Li Qiye easily taking sixty steps, she was even more certain that he would be a powerful enemy of her husband. No matter what, she must destroy Li Qiye and remove this huge threat to her beloved.
“How did you do it?” Lan Yunzhu emotionally asked. She was no stranger to the miracle creator, but these casual sixty steps still amazed her.
“One step for one world.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “I can create three thousand worlds, so one step for one world can’t trouble me.”
Lan Yunzhu was speechless after hearing this. Li Qiye’s twelfth palace had already taken shape, meaning that he would have access to the heavens created from the palaces. Once it reached grand completion, he would have his own firmament, so one could only imagine the possibilities from it.
Meanwhile, the Jadewater Queen recovered her senses after seeing Li Qiye’s result and gently sighed: “It is not the cultivation but rather the insight.” She was quite moved after this spectacle. Even as a Charming Spirit with strong a cultivation as well as a divine reflection, taking thirty steps without the help of an external item was a big challenge to her. However, even if her divine reflection could help her gain more insights, she still wouldn’t be able to take sixty leisurely steps like Li Qiye did.
At this point, Li Qiye gave the two descendant an uncaring look and said: “I initially wanted to go further, but since you guys only took thirty steps, it would be a waste if I took eighty or ninety, so nevermind, sixty is enough for now.”
Of course, this was met with an ugly expression from the two descendants. The two initially wanted to use this opportunity to build their fame and — once again — become respected; they planned to use Li Qiye as a stepping stone. Who would have thought that even with the help of their emperor’s weapons, they would still lose to Li Qiye completely?
Li Qiye then ignored these two and looked towards the Phoenix Maiden: “Maiden, is it your turn to challenge me?”
The Phoenix Maiden’s eyes narrowed as they suddenly flashed with cold glimmers. She did not answer. Long Zuntian came out to speak instead: “How about I challenge you in her stead?”
Long Zuntian making a move was not without reason. He was an unparalleled genius and had been watching for a while, so he knew that the maiden was absolutely not a match for Li Qiye. Even with an assisting treasure, she still wouldn’t be able to take sixty steps, so he had to take her place.
Li Qiye looked at him and smilingly said: “As long as she doesn’t mind, I don’t either. Take sixty steps first, then you can come challenge me.”
Long Zuntian looked at the Phoenix Maiden for a response. At this moment, she felt a sense of dread and uncertainty since Li Qiye’s devilishness was far beyond her expectations.
Even a supreme genius like Long Zuntian couldn’t say for sure that he could beat Li Qiye: “Mistress, let me give it a try. Maybe there is a chance.” He said this to remind her that if she went, there would be no hope at all.
The maiden sighed and told Long Zuntian: “Then I would have to impose on Senior Long. The pride of the ghost race is now on your shoulders.”
Long Zuntian shook his head without saying anything while lamenting his situation in his mind. The maiden was too calculating; she said that to force him to use all of his strength.
In his eyes, someone with so many schemes and such frightening calculation abilities like the maiden was not fit for cultivation. It would become a chain slowing one’s cultivation down.
But at this time, a mysterious voice suddenly appeared: “If it relates to the prestige of the ghost race, then how could I be missing?” A person flew forward, creating wonderful images that spanned for miles as a mysterious aura covered the world.
It was as if the stars were flying with him as he exuded an inexplicable mysterious aura, causing others to feel that he had many eternal and unfathomable secrets.
“Tian Lunhui!” The ghost race cheerfully shouted after seeing this new arrival.
One of the three heroes of the Sacred Nether World and the descendant of the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom, Tian Lunhui, had arrived. Rumor has it that he went inside the Fire God’s Palace so no one expected him to come out so quickly.
A great character saw him and emotionally uttered: “It seems that he obtained quite a great fortune inside the palace. A supreme genius is indeed extraordinary.”
The ghost race became jubilated after seeing him. One person happily stated: “Since Tian Lunhui can enter the Fire God’s Palace, this pond shouldn’t be an issue for him. If this pond doesn’t care for cultivation, then with his aptitude, Tian Lunhui will definitely be able to see through it and enter!”
In just a second, many ghost members placed high expectations on Tian Lunhui since he gave them a glimmer of hope. Even the ancestors didn’t want to bet with Li Qiye, which elevated his current momentum.
The fury of the ghost race couldn’t be quelled until they defeated Li Qiye. The Saint Child and Evil Child had already lost and no one else in the younger generation could challenge him until Tian Lunhui’s appearance.
“Sir Tian Lunhui, you must beat him and teach this human ant a lesson. Let him learn that we of the ghost race have plenty of geniuses capable of suppressing the human race!” A ghost exclaimed.
“That’s right! Push him down to see if he will still act so arrogantly!” Countless ghost cultivators added. Even a few great characters were screaming.
The ghost race had been oppressed too hard recently. After the humiliating massacre and the events that played out here… Even imperial descendants had lost miserably to him. The ghosts couldn’t handle this anger since countless ghost geniuses were produced, yet none were able to beat an insignificant human.
However, Tian Lunhui was a cause for revival and his prestige instilled absolute confidence into the ghosts.
Tian Lunhui came forward while carrying a boundless mysterious aura and spoke: “Forgive my presumptuousness and allow me to learn from Fellow Daoist Li before Senior Long?” His words carried a strange rhythm. In terms of fame, Tian Lunhui was a bit less known compared to Di Zuo, but when it came to style and momentum, he was not lacking in any way. He was on the same level as Di Zuo and not just in title.
Long Zuntian looked at Tian Lunhui and said with emotions: “The new waves will overturn the old waves. I am old and will not compete with you youngins. This is your stage.” He then slowly went back to the maiden’s side.
The maiden then heaved a sigh of relief. Facing Li Qiye was giving her significant pressure. She was always confident, but she was not certain of victory at this moment. However, Tian Lunhui was pushing this board game towards a better position.
She became much more spirited to see Tian Lunhui challenging Li Qiye since she wanted to use this chance to guage Tian Lunhui’s abilities for her husband.
Tian Lunhui looked at Li Qiye and calmly spoke: “Fellow Daoist Li’s fame is like thunder next to one’s ear. Today, seeing your great style has left me convinced.”
Li Qiye looked at him and lazily spoke: “I’m afraid this is not our first meeting.”
This was true since the two had met each other prior without a formal greeting.
Tian Lunhui was not angry. He only smiled with an unparalleled style and mysteriously unfathomable aura.
“Indeed, but that was just a glance without an opportunity to meet Fellow Daoist Li.” Tian Lunhui spoke: “Today’s meeting and competition is my honor.”
Li Qiye didn’t care for the formalities and calmly said: “Begin. If you want to challenge me, then walk sixty steps first.”
“Then excuse me.” Tian Lunhui didn’t dare to underestimate his opponent. He took a deep breath next to the pond with his eyes shooting out divine glimmers while staring at it. 1
At this time, all the ghost cultivators couldn’t help but hold their breaths; all their eyes were on Tian Lunhui. They pinned all their hopes of defeating Li Qiye and regaining the ghosts’ glory on Tian Lunhui.
Tian Lunhui’s eyes were flashing wisps of light. At times, they were as bright as the sun yet sometimes, they were as dark as a black hole. Waves of universal law chains inside his eyes wove together to form a supreme article.
He was using this supreme article to communicate with the profound grand dao inside the pond, wishing to understand it.
The Jadewater Queen exclaimed with surprise when she saw what was unraveling inside his eyes: “Amazing, truly worthy of being one of the three heroes. He has reached this level of understanding in such a short amount of time. This puts my divine reflection to shame.”
Even Li Qiye nodded his head and said after seeing this: “A supreme genius is indeed different; he knows how to communicate with the strange dao and reached the strangest peaks. Treading the pond is not simply about power unless it is an existence at the top, like a True God or an Immortal Emperor!”
Chapter 543 - Tian Lunhui’s Strength
“The younger generation will surpass us with their free thoughts; they’re not like us conservative old men stuck in one place. Talent is one thing, but wisdom and understanding are a different matter.” The group of undyings hiding in the darkness gently lamented. They were all praising him nonstop.
The old undyings could enter the pond easily because they had sufficient strength. They were confident in their own cultivation and might, especially the ones from the emperor’s lineages. With emperor’s weapons along with their cultivation, if they risked it all in one shot, they would have a chance to enter.
However, Tian Lunhui’s actions gave them a new perspective. He was not like the Saint Child and Evil Child who merely used external help to enter. Instead, he used his own abilities and aptitude to understand the mysteries.
“Worthy of being a supreme genius of our ghost race.” An ancestor commented while being moved: “Even if he can’t become an Immortal Emperor in the future, he can still reach the top. If he chooses the path of the grand era, then with his talents, he will absolutely become a Virtuous Ancestor. His future accomplishments will be much greater than ours.”
The majority of ancestors from the great powers who were called old undyings were Virtuous Paragons, but ordinary Virtuous Paragons had a huge gap compared to paragons who trod on the path of the grand era. Those who walked on this path were existences that could form their own countries and be bestowed divine titles; they were comparable to Immortal Emperors!
Tian Lunhui’s flashing eyes continued to gaze at the pond as he tried to unravel its profundities. More and more universal laws formed in his eyes.
Li Qiye didn’t bother Tian Lunhui as he stood there, waiting. Even against someone who was called an unparalleled genius, Li Qiye still remained calm without any anxiety.
A while later, Tian Lunhui finally withdrew his gaze. His eyes returned to have the same old mysterious and indiscernible look.
“Fellow Daoist Li, I’ll go first then.” Tian Lunhui smiled and then took one step before disappearing into the pond.
“Hurry and look!” Heavenly Gazes were activated to watch his attempt. A ghost was counting his steps: “One… Two… Three… Four… Five…”
In the blink of an eye, he already took ten steps with ease. He was very different from the Saint Child and Evil Child who struggled despite relying on emperor’s weapons. He was not as fast as Li Qiye, but he appeared to still be very comfortable.
“Thirty!” The ghosts anxiously watched all of his actions. Tian Lunhui was the embodiment of their hope.
In a short amount of time, he managed to take thirty steps. The ghost race’s spirit was rejuvenated at this moment since Tian Lunhui still had a peaceful appearance as if he was taking a scenic walk.
“Incredible!” An ancestor hiding in the shadows gently sighed and said after witnessing this scene: “Back in our youth, our talents were far weaker than Tian Lunhui’s. Maybe even the Titanic Crescent Saint Child was superior to us.”
At this point, Tian Lunhui’s performance had convinced the old undyings and confirmed the fact that being powerful was not the most important aspect to entering the pond.
“Forty steps!” Another short span of time had passed, and Tian Lunhui had managed to take forty steps. His pace had slowed, but he was still relatively comfortable. The ghosts tightened their fists in excitement and hoped that he would be able to surpass Li Qiye to win the ghost race some glory.
Meanwhile, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and Ghost Insect Evil Child were dejected. They constantly sighed and were no longer able to be arrogant.
If Li Qiye’s actions were humiliating like a slap to one’s face, then Tian Lunhui, as another genius of the ghost race, left them with their proud heads hung low.
Despite having lesser fame than the three heroes among the ghost geniuses, the Saint Child and Evil Child still had some hope. If they tried their best, then maybe they would have a chance to compete against the three heroes in the future.
But now, Tian Lunhui had shattered their arrogance. The uncrossable gap between them was too great, it was just like the heaven and earth.
On the other hand, the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden was silent. Tian Lunhui had the same status as her husband, but she previously wished and believed that her husband was a bit stronger than the other two heroes. Now, it seemed that Tian Lunhui was no weaker than Di Zuo.
There was no doubt now that her husband’s arch-rival was not just Li Qiye, there was also a supreme genius like Tian Lunhui. However, Li Qiye was different because he was a human; this allowed the maiden to create many schemes against him.
On the contrary, Tian Lunhui left her powerless. He came from the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom and was referred to as the reincarnation of an Immortal Emperor. It could be said that he had no weaknesses. Methods that the maiden could apply to Li Qiye would not work on Tian Lunhui!
“Sixty steps!” Finally, Tian Lunhui had reached the sixtieth step — the same as Li Qiye.
“Well done!” A thunderous applause came from the ghost race. They were in high spirits and waited for Tian Lunhui to defeat Li Qiye!
Long Zuntian, with brilliant talents as a heaven’s favorite for a generation, couldn’t help but lament: “Amazing.” He nodded his head and continued on: “Such talents and aptitude make him no less than Di Zuo.”
At this moment, he was the dao mentor of Di Zuo. Although his cultivation was weaker than the great powers’ ancestors and legendary masters, his vision and talents were much greater than theirs.
Now, he himself personally praised Tian Lunhui, so one could imagine how frightening Tian Lunhui’s aptitudes must be.
At the boundary of the sixtieth step, Tian Lunhui was no longer full of himself. Instead, he became even more serious. Taking sixty steps to a genius like him was not worthy of pride; right now, this only meant that he was at the same starting point as Li Qiye.
His mysterious aura became even thicker as he immersed himself within and his image became faint.
This aura condensed and created a grand path that slowly paved itself before his feet, allowing him to walk deeper into the pond.
The path below him was extremely enigmatic as if the universal laws forming it came from the origin of the grand dao. These universal laws originated from the beginning of the ghost race — full of primordial aura.
“What is that? Is it a treasure?” Many great characters from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground emotionally asked.
Another ancestor responded in shock: “That is his grand dao! He is already building a grand dao for himself at such a young age! Such a bright future… If not an Immortal Emperor, he shall still become a Virtuous Ancestor!”
An ancestor from the Insect King Lineage was even more perceptive, so he murmured with a changed expression: “Tian Lunhui’s grand dao is so similar to our ghost race’s origin dao; it’s not just simply great. Could it be that the Prime Ominous Grave has something to do with the ghost race?”
With the grand path laid out below him, Tian Lunhui began his slowly walk forward. His pace was not fast but was full of confidence, surprising all the spectators.
“This kid’s talents are indeed matchless.” After seeing the grand dao paving the way for Tian Lunhui, even Li Qiye nodded his head approvingly and commented: “He seems to have grasped a great enlightenment on the other side of the golden sea, resulting in great benefits.”
This was indeed the case. The enlightenment on the other shore had helped Tian Lunhui a lot.
The ghost experts counted his steps from his steady pace. Once he reached the seventieth step, the ghost race cheered: “Step seventy!”
At this point, the grand path below him still continued forward. It seemed like taking more than eighty steps was not an issue.
All the old undyings made their judgment known: “He has a chance to reach one hundred steps!”
In fact, even the old undyings were not confident of reaching one hundred steps, unless a legendary master personally went out. Ordinary Virtuous Paragons like them would not be able to reach this boundary.
However, their eyes dropped to the floor when a young genius like Tian Lunhui possessed this ability. The gap between talents was as clear as day.
“Step eighty!” In just a moment, the ghost race screamed excitedly. Some ghosts even raised their chins while sneering at Li Qiye. Right now, they had assumed that Tian Lunhui’s victory over Li Qiye was guaranteed and that they could finally quench their anger.
After Tian Lunhui reached the eightieth step, the group of geniuses like the Evil Child and Saint Child were completely overshadowed. They didn’t dare to think about it too much since the distance between them and Tian Lunhui was too big.
Right now, they were Heavenly Sovereigns. Even if Tian Lunhui was at the same realm, his enlightenment and talents, to them, made an uncrossable divide.
Cultivation was no longer a metric of measurement when it came to supreme geniuses like Tian Lunhui. One extra palace within the same level of cultivation was already a huge gap, let alone the ability to grasp the grand dao.
Chapter 544 - Disappearance
“Ninety steps!” In the midst of the two imperial descendants’ moment of sadness, Tian Lunhui had already taken the ninetieth step.
“Breaking one hundred is not a problem!” Tian Lunhui was not struggling at all with his pace, so the ghosts were extremely excited. Even the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground secretly bemoaned his talents. Their descendant was too far from reaching Tian Lunhui’s level, especially when it came to their dao insight.
Li Qiye saw Tian Lunhui take ninety steps and smiled before declaring: “Interesting, my turn to catch up.” He then placed his foot into the pond.
After Li Qiye entered, Lan Yunzhu began counting right away: “One… Two… Three… Four… Five…”
Fortunately, she was ready this time and was able to keep up with his pace.
“Li Qiye has entered!” His entrance into the pond quickly attracted the attention from the ghosts.
“Can he catch Sir Tian Lunhui?” Seeing his quick pace left a ghost expert nervous.
“Hmph! Sir Tian Lunhui is the strongest genius of our race. Even if Li Qiye catches up, he still might not be able to beat Sir Tian Lunhui. The last person to persevere is the winner, there is nothing great about being able to walk so fast…” This ghost cultivator only made it halfway before shutting his mouth.
“Ninetieth step!” Amidst the anxiety building up within these ghost cultivators, Li Qiye had already taken ninety steps, shutting up the ghost cultivators who held him in disdain. They couldn’t even swallow their words in time.
‘Is this brat still a human?’ Even an old undying from the ghost race cursed in his mind.
In an instant, Li Qiye had caught up to Tian Lunhui. Inside the pond, Li Qiye looked at him in the distance.
Li Qiye then commented: “Incredible talents. To be able to study the origin grand dao of the ghost race means that you are qualified to become an Immortal Emperor. Alas, it is a misfortune that you were born in the same era as me. I have seen your grand dao, now it is your turn to watch!”
Having said that, a bright light suddenly flashed as if it was the grand dao blooming, like a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly. Li Qiye then went deeper into the pond as if he was blessed by a god. His speed was as fast as if he were flying.
Li Qiye was too fast so Tian Lunhui couldn’t stop himself from looking with his Heavenly Gaze. After seeing the expansion of Li Qiye’s grand dao, his expression greatly changed for he had lost his composure.
On the other shore, Tian Lunhui studied the grand dao and had an initial form in his mind. He didn’t know that Li Qiye had also learned a unique grand dao and had created its initial form as well.
This grand dao was much further along than Tian Lunhui’s own.
“111, 112, 113…” Lan Yunzhu was falling behind with her counting since Li Qiye became faster and faster to the point of no comparison. At this time, it was no longer one step surpassing one world in the pond, each of his steps brought about his own world.
The pond’s water no longer obstructed his steps, he was dragging the pond along. Each of his steps created a new world in the pond.
Now, he was the creator of worlds instead of the pond. He had reversed the primary and secondary relationship below his feet since he had now dominated the evolving transformations of the pond.
At this moment, even Tian Lunhui stood still. A mysterious aura encompassed his body so one couldn’t see his expression, but he was silent without the all-grasping style he previously displayed.
Meanwhile, the ghost race fell into complete despair. Li Qiye had shattered the pride of the ghosts as he drifted like he was flying inside the pond, completely leaving Tian Lunhui behind.
Before, they still had some hope of Tian Lunhui beating Li Qiye, but now, even if Tian Lunhui could take the one hundredth step, he would still be unable to defeat Li Qiye. The eventual victor was too apparent.
At the same time, a murderous glint as cold as mist appeared in the Phoenix Maiden’s eyes. She recognized the dangerous existence that is Li Qiye and placed him as the number one enemy of her husband. Li Qiye was no longer a simple, budding threat!
She felt that without eradicating Li Qiye, her husband definitely would not have the chance to shoulder the Heaven’s Will. It was not because of a lack of confidence in her husband, but because Li Qiye was too frightening and devilish. She realized that there would be no peace unless Li Qiye was annihilated!
She trusted her intuition since it had always been on point. At this moment, she thought of many different plans to destroy Li Qiye no matter the price! She had to eliminate her husband’s number one enemy!
“150…” At the 150th step, Lan Yunzhu suddenly paused and hesitated since she couldn’t count any longer. This was because Li Qiye had disappeared! Even when she utilized her Heavenly Gaze to its limit, she still couldn’t see his figure.
“Gone, why can’t I see through it?” It wasn’t only Lan Yunzhu, others also lost sight of Li Qiye. The Heavenly Gaze lost its effect after the 150th step!
“What happened? The limit of the Heavenly Gaze is 150 steps?” At this time, the gazes of Ancient Saints, Heavenly Sovereigns, and even the old undyings failed.
“There is also another possibility!” A ghost expert thought of the worst case scenario and said: “Maybe Li Qiye has failed just like the Bronze Tree Ancestor that had disappeared. Haha, if one forces their way in without having sufficient capabilities, then they will disappear and die without a corpse!”
With this reminder, many felt that this was very possible. Li Qiye’s sudden disappearance could be attributed to his failure just like several great characters earlier. A fate of dying without a body remaining!
“This was him seeking his own death and for thinking that he was really invincible. Walking like flying? Now it is over, he even lost his own life.” The ghost race thought of this possibility and gloated from others’ misfortune.
Meanwhile, the great characters remained silent. They didn’t know what was going on but were secretly hoping for this to be the case.
In their eyes, Li Qiye was too devilish. In the future, once Li Qiye’s wings hardened, he would be a huge threat for the ghost race unless they made peace with him.
However, in the Sacred Nether World, the ghost race was the master, so how could they bow down to a little human? This was why all the great characters and ancestors hoped for Li Qiye’s true disappearance. This was perhaps the best outcome.
“What a shame, the Prime Ominous Key has been lost. We will just have to wait for the next generation for the key to appear again.” A ghost cultivator lamented, but it was still said with a gloating tone.
“Or there is another possibility.” At this point, the Jadewater Queen used her divine reflection and calculated. The divine reflection of the Charming Spirits was extremely heaven-defying, especially one of an unfathomable spirit like the queen. No one knew the level of her divine reflection.
She pondered for a while and said: “Perhaps Li Qiye doesn’t want others to see the profundities of his grand dao so he is hiding in the pond. Perhaps it is no longer the pond ruling over Li Qiye, but it is he who has control over the pond. Li Qiye’s steps were creating worlds, they were no longer the pond’s worlds.”
Compared to the other ghosts, Tian Lunhui appeared to be calm — not happy or proud. He kept on using his Heavenly Gaze to scan the water’s surface, hoping to find traces of Li Qiye.
At this moment, he was no longer in the mood for competition because Li Qiye’s grand dao had shaken his mind. Tian Lunhui had studied the origin grand dao of the ghost race, but it seemed as if Li Qiye’s grand dao was even more heaven-defying, so much so that it escaped the boundaries of grand dao.
This was why Tian Lunhui wished to see Li Qiye’s grand dao once more, aiming to see through its mysteries in hopes that he might learn something from it.
Unfortunately, regardless of his efforts, he couldn’t see Li Qiye’s shadow.
In fact, on the other shore, the grand dao Li Qiye learned from observing the nine ants had escaped the boundaries of grand dao. Because of this, it was understandable that Tian Lunhui would be dumbstruck.
It had to be said that Tian Lunhui was an amazing and discerning genius. With just a glance, he instantly understood that Li Qiye’s grand dao was marvelous!
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Maiden sighed in relief with Li Qiye’s disappearance. Similar to the great characters, she also hoped for Li Qiye’s disappearance and death. It would save her a lot of trouble if he met his demise in the pond.
“This brat is the most devilish person I have ever seen.” Long Zuntian said as he stared intensely at the pond. As the most brilliant genius of the previous generation, he was not like the other ghosts who believed that Li Qiye had died.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but hold her breath. In this place, she was the only person who cared for Li Qiye’s safety. She had seen him create many miracles, but his sudden disappearance still made her worry. Despite her confidence in him, this emotion was unsuppressible!
Chapter 545 - Treasure Inside The Pond
“Boom!” A loud blast resounded amidst the celebrating ghosts. An endless immortal light suddenly illuminated the entire pond with its source at the center.
“Look over there, it’s Li Qiye!” Inside the blinding immortal light, a figure appeared in the center of the pond — Li Qiye.
“He made it to the deepest part of the pool!” Everyone was aghast to see him appearing in the center of the pond because all speculations hinted that the biggest fortune of the Water Realm was at the center of this pond.
The ghost experts looked like they had just swallowed a fly, especially those who were gloating earlier. Now, they all had frozen expressions.
Their smugness earlier was slapped harshly by Li Qiye’s appearance.
“He scooped out a treasure!” Inside the immortal light, Li Qiye got something from the water. It was a stone that looked like a long trunk, and the endless immortal light came from it. At times, the light took the form of a fiery light, then it would transform into an icy shape and then back into a pure wooden shade… All of these immortal lights kept on transforming to prove its identity as an immortal stone!
All were envious and jealous of this sight. The ghost race was reddened and crazed. They had been guarding here for so long, but they didn’t even get a blade of grass while Li Qiye managed to find an immortal stone at this moment.
Many were unwilling to see it in Li Qiye’s possession, so they angrily uttered: “Is this the big fortune of the Water Realm?”
The old undyings hiding in the shadows with ice-cold glares stared at the stone in his hand. Those from the emperor’s lineages stared with especially frightening glints in their eyes.
They could hold back their greed if it was any other treasure, but an immortal stone that could prolong one’s life span was irresistible no matter Li Qiye’s origin and background.
The Phoenix Maiden, who had been relaxed, suddenly changed her expression after seeing the immortal light shrouding Li Qiye. She called for a disciple nearby and commanded: “Tell the Bronze-Carapace King to help me with a matter and that the Myriad Bones Throne will not ill-treat their insect tribe from now on.”
Long Zuntian only shook his head while watching her since he knew what she wanted to do. In the eyes of a supreme genius like himself, he didn’t support her course of action and felt that using lowly schemes against experts was a dishonorable thing. Nevertheless, he didn’t try to stop her.
To the jealous members of the ghost race, this issue was not just about an immortal stone, it was because the one who got it was Li Qiye who shamed them before.
Meanwhile, Tian Lunhui only sighed to see Li Qiye’s harvest. He didn’t continue on any further and return instead. Even if he could go further, it would be meaningless since the victor had already been decided. So what if he could take another one hundred steps? If he couldn’t surpass Li Qiye, then it was only a counting game with himself.
In the case that he managed to reach the middle of the pond and went towards the deepest parts of the water, it was still trivial since Li Qiye was there first and arrived there in a much shorter amount of time.
However, what Tian Lunhui dreaded the most was not Li Qiye’s speed, but that he had command over the grand momentum of the pond. Tian Lunhui was very confident in his own grand dao and with his created path, he would be able to go very far in the pond — one world per step.
But Li Qiye was different. The situation had reversed and the pond was no longer in control, Li Qiye was the one who mastered the spatial transformations within. It was not a world per step from the pond and instead was Li Qiye creating a world with each step.
This meant that nothing could stop Li Qiye’s pace within the pond and that he was free to come and go on his whim.
Tian Lunhui’s heart was gloomy. As a cautious and meticulous person, Li Qiye had now become his number one opponent, someone even greater than Di Zuo. His absolute confidence in his grand dao even reached the level that he was certain that the Heaven’s Will would accept it as long as he continued on this path. His grand dao would become the heavenly dao, and his secret law would become the Heaven’s Will Secret Law.
However, Li Qiye’s grand dao suffocated him today. If Tian Lunhui’s grand dao could become a heavenly dao in the future, then Li Qiye’s grand dao was above even a heavenly dao — this was the reason for Tian Lunhui’s fear. Li Qiye was too terrifying! If Tian Lunhui wanted to become an Immortal Emperor, Li Qiye would be his biggest obstacle!
All the ghost cultivators were quiet after seeing Tian Lunhui leave the pond. At this time, no one blamed him and of course, no one was qualified to do so. Even ancestors personally taking action wouldn’t have as great as an accomplishment as Tian Lunhui.
It was not due to his personal lacking, but only because his enemy was too devilish and unbelievable.
The ghost race felt powerless since they were humiliated by Li Qiye time after time and only met failure despite retaliating numerous times. First was the Phoenix Maiden in a battle where Li Qiye ended up massacring tens of thousands of ghosts. Now, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child, Ghost Insect Evil Child, and Tian Lunhui all had suffered utter defeat.
The ghost race wanted to cry, but even tears wouldn’t come out after a supreme genius like Tian Lunhui lost to Li Qiye. They wanted to fight back but had no means to do so. No one was more qualified than Tian Lunhui, and even Di Zuo was not necessarily much better.
Regarding talents and insights, even within the group of ancestors of the previous generation, it would be hard to find one or two who were more heaven-defying than Tian Lunhui.
‘How about we have a great power’s ancestor personally kill Li Qiye?!’ A ghost expert’s anger wouldn’t subside, so he had this thought. A cruel intention began to appear among the ghosts. They agreed that Li Qiye was indeed heaven-defying, but if a Virtuous Paragon took action, this paragon would definitely be able to suppress and kill him.
The issue was that they must find an ancestor who would agree to this. Normally, these ancestors wouldn’t want to touch the bee’s nest that is the Thousand Carp River without a pre-established clash of conflict. Moreover, ancestors that could actually fight against the Thousand Carp River, such as those from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground, were not stupid enough to come out to fight a junior!
“If it is a contest of strength, then Sir Tian Lunhui would surely be able to kill Li Qiye. Although Li Qiye understood the mysteries of the pond, this doesn’t mean that his cultivation is stronger than Sir Tian Lunhui’s.” A ghost expert had this thought: “Sir Tian Lunhui is a reincarnated Immortal Emperor, someone who trains two different supreme emperor’s laws from two emperors. Li Qiye definitely is not a match for him!”
A ghost royal lord had the same train of thought: “If Tian Lunhui takes action, then he can kill this human junior. In my opinion, his cultivation at best is only a Heavenly Sovereign; he cannot handle Heavenly Kings.”
Of course, Tian Lunhui was not someone that they could control. If he didn’t want to, then even if they talked till their teeth wore out, it would all be meaningless.
In short, the indignant ghosts only wanted to kill Li Qiye at this moment. As long as he lived, the ghost race would never be able to wash away this shame!
Li Qiye also came back out not long after Tian Lunhui returned. Lan Yunzhu was relieved to see his safe return and quickly rushed over to see him. While being secretly glad, she said: “Did you get a great fortune?”
“Not really, entering the center of the pond doesn’t guarantee a great fortune since it also depends on their luck.” Li Qiye continued with a smile: “But I did find out something.”
“What did you find out?” Lan Yunzhu hastily asked, unable to quench her curiosity.
However, Li Qiye did not answer because Tian Lunhui came closer while shrouded in his mysterious aura. He then spoke: “Fellow Daoist Li, I accept my defeat completely. Your grand dao is truly unequaled and has escaped the boundary of the grand dao…” Although he lost, Tian Lunhui was still very graceful as he looked at Li Qiye with his profound eyes.
Li Qiye didn’t want to talk about his grand dao, so he interrupted Tian Lunhui and steadily spoke: “Then our deal should be carried out.”
Tian Lunhui took a deep breath and said in a serious manner: “You can rest assured about this. I can represent the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom to say that we will leave this conflict. We will not touch any treasures at this place.”
After all, Tian Lunhui was Tian Lunhui, the descendant of the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom; his words were powerful and had true substance.
He then looked at the group of great powers from the ghost race and carefully declared: “This was the deal, I lost to Fellow Daoist Li due to my own lack of abilities. I hope that the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom’s allies and friends will leave this conflict. Of course, if you are unwilling, then I won’t force you; feel free to comply with the wishes of your countries.”
Tian Lunhui’s declaration caused the great powers from the ghost race to look at each other, especially those from the western Green River. The ancient kingdom was a powerful monster in this region, a force that was looked up to by many countries.
Eventually, these great powers declared their intentions: “We are willing to follow you and stand by your decision.”
“The Three Graves Country is willing to follow your decision.”
“The Bamboo Corpse Sect is willing to leave this conflict with you and will follow your order of not taking any treasures from this place.”
Chapter 546 - Bronze-Carapace King
In just a moment, many great powers from the western Green River revealed their stance. Although the treasures might be tempting, a long-lasting relationship with the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom was more important. Moreover, it was not certain that they could even obtain these treasures in the pond. There were many emperor’s lineages here, so the big fortune had no parts for great powers like them.
Instead of drinking leftover soup from these lineages, it would be better to climb up the ladder to please the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom at this moment. If they didn’t give Tian Lunhui face at this moment, then once he ruled over the ancient kingdom, it would be too late to try to make positive relations.
“This is the deal between Fellow Daoist Li and our ghost race, are you satisfied?” Tian Lunhui asked Li Qiye.
Hailing from the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom, Tian Lunhui had never lacked treasures and could obtain all that he wanted. To him, not obtaining the big fortune from the pond was not a big deal. He needed status and fame as well as the support of these great powers. This would solidify his position in the ghost race for when he eventually contends for supremacy.
He was very satisfied by the western Green River’s great powers’ attitude. In the future, he would rule over the ancient kingdom then reign over the Green River without an issue. Once his wings became stronger, he would then aim for the top of the Sacred Nether World and eventually maneuver his army into the Nine Worlds to compete for the Heaven’s Will!
“Good move.” Li Qiye smilingly said as he nodded approvingly.
Tian Lunhui didn’t continue to chat and quietly left. He didn’t go too far since he wanted to watch from the distance to see the developing situation.
His eyes were profound, and no one could see through his thoughts while he was shrouded in that mysterious aura. He wanted to see Li Qiye’s grand dao once more.
After Tian Lunhui’s departure, Li Qiye looked towards the Phoenix Maiden. This turmoil was initiated by her, but she was clever enough to make others fight first as cannon fodder.
Li Qiye didn’t intend to let her go since she continuously antagonized him. He stared at her and nonchalantly said: “Do you want to try again by using the pond, or do you want to use force? Our matter has not yet concluded!”
“What do you think?” The maiden said as she coldly glared at him. Her eyes were burning with a palpable murderous intent towards Li Qiye.
“Whatever, it’s up to you.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Using the pond or directly fighting, both of these choices are good. Today, we should resolve this grievance. Like I said, death is the only path for my enemies, so you should mentally prepare to meet your demise today!”
“Hahaha! Human ants, do you really think our ghost race has no one that can stand up to you? How could we allow a cruel and immoral butcher like you to slay our ghost juniors?” An immense voice suddenly appeared.
Loud buzzes appeared as the sky became dark with the arrival of countless insects that eventually gathered into a gigantic person.
“Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe, the Bronze-Carapace King!” The group gasped and uttered after seeing this insect giant.
This insect tribe was not the strongest ghost tribe in the Sacred Nether World, but it was definitely the most troublesome and scary tribe. They were like locusts and unkillable cockroaches; it was nearly impossible to kill them all.
The tribe brought along a group of disciples, causing many great powers to secretly dread their presence.
These insects all came together to form the Bronze-Carapace King that stood before Li Qiye. With the heavens as his crown, it stared down at Li Qiye.
Li Qiye was too lazy to look at this giant as he said: “Oh? Your Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe wants to get involved too?”
This king looked very real as if it was cast from bronze. No one would think that it was made from countless insects squeezed together.
“Yes!” The voice of the insect king was clear yet loud like thunder. It coldly spoke: “Human junior, we will not allow you to carry out your devious scheme!”
“My scheme?” Li Qiye asked with amusement.
“Time and time again, you kill our ghost geniuses in order to carry out your plan!”
“My plan? What kind of plan?” Li Qiye laughed and asked.
“You killed Ghost Monk, Golden Child, and also several tens of thousands of young talents and experts of the ghost race. Now, you reach your hands towards the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and the Ghost Insect Evil Child. Then in the future, you will also conspire against our three heroes! For what?
“This is all because you want to kill our ghost race’s youngins, our seeds as well as our future and hope! This is your scheme! After you do so, you will then lead the humans to ruthlessly massacre our ghost race and chase us out of the Sacred Nether World, even if it means to the point of extinction!
“Then, your human race will rule the entire Sacred Nether World alone!” At this point, the insect king was extremely angry. With indignation, he spoke in a righteous manner: “But as a member and child of the ghost race, we of the Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe will not let you get away with it! If you want to scheme against our youth, you will have to confront us first!”
The insect king’s rhetoric was full of devotion to righteousness that deserved reverence. His presentation against Li Qiye caused everyone to become dumbfounded, including the great powers of the ghost race.
Many great characters from these powers looked at each other. Whether it were ghosts or people from the other races, anyone with a sliver of sobriety could tell that the insect king was exaggerating. Li Qiye alone wanted to destroy the ghost race? This was just daydreaming!
Long Zuntian, who was standing to the side, shook his head. He knew the goal of the Phoenix Maiden’s scheme.
“Shameless!” Lan Yunzhu snorted and exclaimed upon hearing this. She knew that the insect king was trying to frame Li Qiye and cause all the ghosts to attack him. At the very least, this would give the old undyings of the ghost race a reason to attack, a reason for the great powers to actually maneuver their true forces.
With this kind of righteous excuse, the ghost race could easily tear apart the verbal agreement from before. Even if they had lost, they didn’t need to leave this place and could maintain their occupation of this pond!
Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this dignified insect king. He then looked up at the Phoenix Maiden on her chariot.
How could such a scheme elude Li Qiye? After hearing the insect king, he immediately knew who was leading him on. A person like the insect king wouldn’t be able to articulate this kind of logic.
“Well said and cleverly put.” Li Qiye applauded and said with a grin: “With such effective eloquence and lip service, it is a shame that you are not a storyteller.” Li Qiye then smirked at the maiden and continued: “However, your words are useless. Today, the maiden will definitely not leave this place alive.”
“Hmph! Li Qiye, your scheme is truly evil. You want to murder our entire ghost race!” A ghost cultivator harshly shouted.
“You want to kill our future generation? We shall absolutely not let you succeed!” A ghost royal lord boldly declared.
“That’s right! Do not let the human race’s scheme come to fruition!”
In just a moment, many important characters from the ghost race stood out against Li Qiye. A few were moved by the words of the insect king, but if these sect masters and royal lords were so easily moved by speech, then they wouldn’t be worthy of their current position.
They were pretending to be stupid as they marched against Li Qiye; their minds were still very clear!
This was the best chance for them to kill Li Qiye, and the insect king’s words gave them a legitimate reason.
Only a fool would not take advantage of such a good excuse. It could be said to be killing three birds with one arrow. First, they could kill Li Qiye. Second, there would be no need to honor the deal; they could stay at the pond so that the ghost race could have exclusive access to the treasures. Third, they could pave the way for the ghosts’ younger generation, especially the three heroes.
How could the sect masters and royal lords of the great powers choose to let this opportunity go?
In an instant, the fervent mob stimulated by these big shots had even more ghost cultivators verbally attacking Li Qiye. In the meantime, the old undyings were only sneering in the shadows.
Before this, these old undyings didn’t want to attack a junior, but it was different now since the insect king gave them the perfect excuse. If necessary, these old men would be happy to give the human junior Li Qiye a fatal blow.
While so many ghost cultivators and great powers were provoking Li Qiye, the cultivators from the other races didn’t want to join this mess, so they only watched silently by the side.
“Good trick. No words are spared when accusing someone of a crime.” The Jadewater Queen commented as she was startled by the sudden reversal of the situation.
Chapter 547 - The United Crowd
The Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden sighed in relief and revealed a smile after seeing many great powers criticizing Li Qiye. At this time, she was certain of victory and did not believe that Li Qiye could walk away alive.
There were many ghost experts here today, including Heavenly Sovereigns, Heavenly Kings, and even a few hidden ancestors from the great powers. The ancestors from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground or the Insect King Lineage could definitely give him a fatal blow. As long as these old men who were hiding behind the curtains took action, there would be no chance for him to escape.
The situation was escalating towards her desired outcome, giving her great confidence. She wouldn’t let him escape today, she had to destroy the number one enemy for her husband — Di Zuo!
Li Qiye, on the other hand, didn’t care for this excited and united crowd. He simply stood there at his leisure. He only chuckled at the barrage of attacks from these great characters.
After a while, he dryly coughed and deliberately spoke to these excited great characters: “Forget about the excuse. You can say that I’m plotting to destroy the ghost race or whatever, but I’ll play to your heart’s content. I do not mind killing a few more tens of thousands, so leave alive or stay here and die without a grave — it’s your choice.”
Li Qiye paused here and gazed intensely at the Phoenix Maiden. Then, he declared with a smile: “However, even if you had your greatest army here, you still wouldn’t be able to stop me… Today, she must die!”
The maiden felt a chill from Li Qiye’s stare. His attitude was outside of her expectations. Anyone who withstood this constant barrage from the great powers would surely be in shambles. Even a genius with great courage and decisiveness, when facing the entire ghost race, would know of their harsh situation. They might even choose to compromise.
However, Li Qiye didn’t seem to care at all. Despite the hundreds of ghost tribes crying for his punishment, Li Qiye was still unperturbed. Perhaps, he didn’t care for the ghost race despite their considerable forces at this location.
The maiden felt a dreadful sense of foreboding. She didn’t know where his confidence was coming from, but she understood that no one could hinder his path.
She gathered her strength and met his gaze while feeling a cold sensation inside. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was looking at a dead person. However, she didn’t care for her own life. Rather, she was worried about Di Zuo having such a frightening enemy like Li Qiye.
She then calmly spoke: “If my death can wake up the ghost race’s vigilance, then my death would not be without meaning!” She was prepared for the worst as she declared in a solemn demeanor: “You wish to destroy the ghost race’s future and hope, but your scheme will fail! Even if I die, I must stop your plan and destroy your scheme against the ghost race!”
“This woman’s mind is sharp. With her support, Di Zuo could have swept through the Sacred Nether World in the future.” Lan Yunzhu lamented while looking at the Phoenix Maiden’s calm expression of self-sacrifice. She was also a genius so she understood how effective this move was. The maiden was ready to die, but not for the ghosts, it was for Di Zuo instead.
“You must ask me before killing the young lady!” The gigantic Bronze-Carapace King gravely spoke; he was full of justice.
“That’s right! Do not let this human’s scheme come to fruition! You must walk through our corpses if you want to kill the Phoenix Maiden!”
The young ghost cultivators’ blood were boiling due to the Phoenix Maiden’s calm attitude. They shouted: “For the ghost race! Do not let this human brute hurt the Phoenix Maiden!”
“Yeah! Do not let the human race’s devious plan succeed! Our ghost race will not allow Li Qiye to massacre our disciples as he pleases!” Taking advantage of the aroused crowd, many great characters decided to add wind to the fire. They wanted to use others to kill Li Qiye no matter the reason.
“Good, then I’ll do as I please.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Who wants to go first? I’ll give you a hand by stomping on your corpse.”
“You’ll have to ask for my permission first!” The Bronze-Carapace King roared. The giant with two hands capable of sealing the sky slammed the ground hard with surging blood energy. This was a strike that shook the heaven and earth.
This attack was not only the strongest blow from the insect king, it was also a move exerted by countless disciples from the insect tribe at the same time.
“I’ll fulfill your death wish!” Li Qiye did not retreat against the gigantic hands that smashed down from the insect king. Instead, he met it with full force. The Thousand Hands technique appeared as a grand world was lifted by them.
In this second, all of his hands suddenly transformed into a pair of hands as it was utilized to its strongest point. At this moment, the force of this pair of hands could shatter the earth and break the stars.
“Bang!” With a loud noise, their hands collided violently. Both sides had to take several steps back as their feet dug deep into the ground.
After seeing the full-frontal assault by both sides where they both took steps backward, the ghost experts gasped: “Does this brat really only have the power of a Heavenly Sovereign?”
The insect king’s cultivation was at the Heavenly Sovereign realm and, right now, with numerous disciples taking the form of a giant, all the disciples’ blood energy and power became his. Nevertheless, the insect king only managed to duke it out evenly with Li Qiye. How heaven-defying was this?
“Crack!” The insect king’s gigantic hand fragmented into pieces after another full-on collision with Li Qiye.
As these pieces fell down, people finally saw the insects made from bronze being smashed apart. This meant that, with that one blow, many insect disciples were killed.
However, the worst had yet to come. From the bodies of these insects came little larvae in fainter bronze colors.
These little larvae crawled out from the corpses and instantly came together again to form a new hand. The dead and broken bodies that fell to the ground looked just like flakes of skin. This scene terrified those who had never seen these insects in action before. They were clearly killed, yet new insects still crawled out from their corpses. What a frightening ghost tribe!
“Rumor has it that each disciple of the Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe all have three lives. Could this rumor be true?” A person quivered and asked after seeing this scene.
Anyone would feel a terrorizing sensation in the face of such an opponent. What a wicked thing to be able to be reborn from one’s own corpse!
“Human junior, I cannot be killed. I have the protection of my disciples and you will never be able to kill us all!” The insect king coldly shouted: “Now, it is time for you to die!”
With a great roar, his gigantic body suddenly became a huge mountain that carried a powerful weight and majestic force descending onto Li Qiye. Such a huge mountain was more than enough to flatten him into meat paste.
This sudden transformation shocked the spectators. The techniques of this insect tribe were so bizarre.
“Is that so?” Li Qiye remained still without batting an eyelash against the huge mountain crashing down at an unbelievable speed.
“Clank!” At this moment, a giant lock emerged from his body as countless refined flame universal laws covered his body. In the blink of an eye, nine suns rose from behind his back like nine sealed suns, and these gigantic chains made out of laws were dragging them out.
“Boom!” The nine suns suddenly exploded. The location where Li Qiye stood had turned into a sea of flames. Endless refined sunfire incinerated the sky and all creations!
“No!” Screams resounded the moment this endless refined sunfire encompassed the gigantic mountain.
The huge mountain was burnt into countless sand particles as they fell down and no longer had the power to suppress Li Qiye.
Under the Nine Suns Locking Heaven’s refined flames, even these insects that were shielded with their bronze carapaces were killed. Little larvae crawled out from the burnt corpses, but they were also incinerated before being able to escape.
“Buzzz!” Many powerful insects were not killed by this fire and managed to escape to the four directions like dispersed bees without a nest.
However, inside the endless refined sunfire, countless chains as thin as silk shot out and instantly penetrated these insects, killing each escaping insect one by one.
Chapter 548 - Diamond Saint Physique
“Xshhh!” The rushing torrent of flames suddenly shot out a universal law in the form of a divine chain into the fiery ocean.
“Ahh!” A miserable scream came out. A Bronze-Carapace Insect the size of a fist with a shining husk was penetrated, and the law chain instantly burned its body.
“Young lady, save me!” The Insect King cried out for help.
This insect was the king and it wanted to use its powerful cultivation to withstand the refined sunfire for a moment where it would then get closer to Li Qiye and deliver a fatal blow.
However, it never had the chance. The insect was pierced by the divine chain in an instant as its body burst into flames.
“Nooo!” The Insect King pitifully bellowed. At this moment, it was feeling its life essence melting away as it truly felt fear. It was very difficult to kill the Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe because they could change bodies. But now, since its body was pierced by the divine chain, it couldn’t break out. The chain that pierced through its body swiftly burned the insect’s life force as it struggled on the verge of death.
“Li Qiye, halt your assault!” The Phoenix Maiden shouted after seeing this scene and went on to attack. With a screech, a phoenix spread its wings and covered the nine heavens, then it flew towards the sea of flames to attack Li Qiye.
“You won’t do!” Li Qiye’s voice rang from inside the sea of flames. With a roar that pierced the heaven and earth, a gigantic Primordial Kun Peng rushed out of the sea of flames. It soared in the sky as its wings were capable of slapping down the stars; with a slash as if it came from a divine blade, these wings cut into the fiery phoenix.
This was not the first time these two had exchanged blows. The maiden’s fire phoenix was not a match for Li Qiye’s Primordial Kun Peng.
“Boom!” The fire phoenix was blown away by the Kun Peng’s gigantic wings and disappeared, leaving behind a Phoenix Maiden that was smacked far away into the distance while spewing out blood.
Li Qiye didn’t stop there. The Kun Peng let out a long roar and, with an incomparable speed, it chased after the wounded Phoenix Maiden. Its claws tore apart the world as it once again slashed at the maiden.
The maiden was scared out of her mind since she couldn’t escape these claws with her speed. As her life hung on a thread, a dragon roar suddenly appeared. A dragon claw swiftly rushed forward and grabbed the maiden away right under the Kun Peng’s claw.
The person who suddenly joined the fray was Long Zuntian. He moved at an extreme speed to save the maiden’s life.
Meanwhile, in the sea of flames, a pitiful and unwilling scream was still ringing out: “Ahhh!” The Bronze-Carapace Insect King was burnt to ashes. With that, the sea of flames covering the sky converged back into nine suns behind Li Qiye. The Primordial Kun Peng also flew back to Li Qiye and hovered above his head for a moment before slowly disappearing.
Li Qiye watched the Phoenix Maiden being rescued by Long Zuntian, but he was not in a rush to kill her. He slowly walked forward as ashes fluttered in the sky, ashes of the countless dead Bronze-Carapace Insects.
“So you finally want to take action?” Li Qiye asked and looked at Long Zuntian with a smile.
Li Qiye didn’t care for ordinary sovereigns or even ordinary Heavenly Kings, but his current attitude showed that he held relative respect for Long Zuntian.
Of course, Long Zuntian wasn’t someone that ordinary Heavenly Kings could compare to. Although his cultivation halted at the Heavenly King realm, he was also a grand completion Saint Physique.
Long Zuntian gazed back at Li Qiye as his spirit surged along with his blood energy. All the rings around him expanded as they poured down a primordial essence that immersed him within. It was as if these rings were opening a new world for Long Zuntian.
In just a split second, he exuded a terrifying aura like an awakened dragon. He was silent, but people could hear the intermittent roars of dragons, causing them to be startled.
Afterward, the moment his blood energy all came out, waves of buddhist lights began to emanate from his body as if he was a sacred Buddha protected by a gigantic dragon.
The moment when his will to battle came to life, he suddenly became younger by several dozen years and had a spirited style capable of proudly walking across this world. He had returned to a younger age!
“Grand completion Saint Physique on top of being a heaven-defying Heavenly King!” Many shivered at the sight of Long Zuntian’s terrifying aura. Not to mention trivial sovereigns and kings, even ancestors from the great powers had to be cautious.
A supreme genius like him, with the power of a Heavenly King along with his physique, surely could kill all Heavenly Kings. He even had the ability to fight against ordinary Virtuous Paragons!
“The paragon genius of an entire generation… What a shame…” Seeing Long Zuntian’s proud style that could reign over this world, the ancestors hiding in the darkness lamented with regret.
If he hadn’t been born in the Difficult Dao Era, then today, he would have loomed over many ancestors of the great powers and might even have become an existence of the legendary master level.
Unfortunately, his birth was inopportune and the Life Reduction left a fatal wound, stopping him from reaching the peak.
“Diamond Saint Physique!” Seeing the gigantic dragon protecting the sacred Buddha left Li Qiye with a smirk as he said: “A bit interesting. A grand completion Diamond Saint Physique could stop an attack from an emperor’s weapon… I do want to give it a try.” 1
“I wouldn’t say that I can stop an attack from an emperor’s weapon wielded by an ancestor, but if it is a Heavenly King wielding the weapon, then I am confident that my Saint Physique can stop it!” With great spirit, Long Zuntian spoke with great confidence. His proud demeanor made him even more attractive.
His proclamation caused others to take a deep breath. Emperor’s weapons were unbeatable items. A Heavenly King with an emperor’s weapon might not be able to kill a Virtuous Paragon, but if this Virtuous Paragon didn’t have one of his own, then he would need to be slightly cautious. An emperor’s weapon was not a toy, so one misstep would result in monumental losses!
Everyone believed his words without any doubt. He was a supreme genius of the previous generation, and his illustrious record had proven his strength!
“Good, I like to hear these words since my favorite thing to do is to test the limit of physiques.” Li Qiye smiled and said while looking at Long Zuntian’s Diamond Saint Physique: “How about we have a match with our physiques!”
“Whatever you want!” Long Zuntian confidently replied. He was confident in fighting against even legendary minor completion Immortal Physiques with his grand completion Saint Physique. Alas, he had never seen one since he began his dao path.
“Then let us start!” Li Qiye’s gaze became serious. His chest shot out a wave of light as bright as the explosion of the sun while the space around him suddenly shook twice.
Long Zuntian was astonished. A divine buddhist light surrounded his body. In this second, he exerted the Diamond Saint Physique to its maximum potential.
At this moment, both of them took action and slammed into each other at an unbelievable speed. Long Zuntian’s speed was fast as he utilized his Heavenly King cultivation to the limit. Li Qiye was even faster and he inched closer in just a flash.
Their speed was too fast. Not to mention the other experts who couldn’t see anything, even the ancestors couldn’t grasp this split second acceleration.
“Boom!” The two collided, resulting in a deafening blast. It was as if the world had exploded! A blinding light illuminated the heavens for many miles. That one blow seemed to have destroyed dozens of suns, creating a dazzling spectacle.
Once this blinding light disappeared, everyone saw Li Qiye and Long Zuntian in a standoff position. The two of them were unscathed as they stared at each other like two bulls in an arena.
“Crank crack!” At this time, the spatial fabric broke like glass and a terrifying black hole appeared.
Because of the earlier blinding flash of light, the ancestors from the great powers couldn’t see the moment of collision between Li Qiye and Long Xuntian, so they had missed a good scene.
However, after seeing the broken space, everyone understood that the earlier blow from the two was very frightening.
“The later waves will surpass us.” Long Zuntian gently sighed and said while withdrawing his proud attitude. It seemed that he had become dozens of years older again. He then lamented once more: “I am old, this world belongs to the younger generation.”
His words caused many people to feel down. Could it be that Long Zuntian had lost? If this was the case, then it was truly bizarre.
Li Qiye calmly said: “Already lamenting before the outcome is decided, isn’t that too early?”
Many became lively again. Earlier, they thought Long Zuntian had lost, but this didn’t seem to be the case.
Long Zuntian shook his head and said: “No, I am now old and no longer have the courage and boldness from back in my youth.” He then continued on while gazing at Li Qiye: “You really have the qualification to become Di Zuo’s top rival.”
People’s minds quivered after hearing this. Long Zuntian was Di Zuo’s dao mentor, yet he recognized Li Qiye’s ability. One could imagine just how heaven-defying he must be! Li Qiye actually had the strength to fight against Di Zuo?
But Li Qiye simply smiled and didn’t respond to Long Zuntian’s evaluation.
Chapter 549 - Change Of Mind
At this point, Long Zuntian went back to the Phoenix Maiden’s side and said in a serious tone: “Young Miss, it is not too late if you want to leave now. I will escort you out.”
His sudden words caused the maiden’s heart to sink. She asked: “What is Senior trying to say?”
Long Zuntian didn’t look at her but rather stared intensely at Li Qiye and said: “I am old and wish to live in seclusion. I’m afraid I won’t be able to help Virtuous Nephew Di Zuo any longer. But before leaving, I can escort you safely away from here.”
Long Zuntian was extremely cautious of Li Qiye. After the exchange, he immediately knew he had met a terrifying opponent because he couldn’t tell which physique Li Qiye had.
Long Zuntian retreating caused the maiden to change her expression. She quickly tried to retain him: “Senior Long is too humble, you are a supreme genius of a generation…”
Long Zuntian hastily interrupted her and said: “Young Miss, you should leave.”
His attitude perplexed many. The victor had yet to be decided between him and Li Qiye. Many were more optimistic about him and felt that he would surely defeat Li Qiye.
But now, Long Zuntian chose to withdraw. He no longer showed his usual proud attitude, causing everyone to feel that something was amiss. No one thought that he was afraid of Li Qiye. In the past, he had even declined the Myriad Bones Throne right away. A proud person like Long Zuntian would not be afraid of Li Qiye. Moreover, he had a great advantage by having a higher cultivation than Li Qiye.
However, to the astonishment of others, he still wanted to pull out. This was akin to lowering his own prestige and leaving a stain on his illustrious reputation.
Why was he determined to leave despite the marring on his reputation? No one understood why, not even the Phoenix Maiden. He was Di Zuo’s dao mentor and she knew that he was not afraid of anyone, but now he wanted to leave.
She took a deep breath and shook her head in response: “Senior Long, if you want to leave, then I won’t hold you back, but I will not retreat. No matter how strong this human might be, I will not let the human race’s scheme come into fruition. I will not let Li Qiye massacre our young ones not just because I am from the Myriad Bones Throne, but also for the sake of the ghost race!”
Long Zuntian shook his head as he listened to her righteous words. He understood what she was trying to do. He sighed in response and repeated the same phrase: “I am old… This is the world of the young people now. What admirable courage.”
No one knew what he was lamenting about; was it her courage or something else? He then left behind his last words: “Take care, Young Miss.” He then flew away and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.
A lot of the crowd couldn’t help themselves from becoming dumbstruck as they watched him fly away. From start to finish, no one understood why he left. He was absolutely not weaker than Li Qiye so he couldn’t be afraid of him.
Then for what reason did he leave? All were lost at the reason why, including the maiden.
In fact, it was a thought at the spur of the moment, resulting in him no longer being optimistic about Di Zuo! He was a peerless talent of his own generation. When he was young, he was not much weaker than Di Zuo or Tian Lunhui.
He agreed to leave his seclusion to help Di Zuo because he valued Di Zuo’s talents. Seeing Di Zuo’s confidence reminded him of his past self.
He regretted the fact that he was born during the Difficult Dao Era where one couldn’t become an Immortal Emperor, so he placed his hopes on Di Zuo. When facing an opponent like Tian Lunhui or Chan Yang, he trusted that Di Zuo would come out victorious all the way until he reached the imperial throne.
But today, his trust was shaken, especially after his one blow with Li Qiye. He understood one thing immediately — Li Qiye was more terrifying than he imagined. Although he couldn’t discern Li Qiye’s physique at that moment, his intuition told him that it was more than just a simple Immortal Physique.
He felt an illusion as if Li Qiye had two Immortal Physiques, but anyone with a sliver of common sense knew that this was impossible. Nevertheless, this striking intuition resonated powerfully in his mind.
What if Li Qiye had two Immortal Physiques? Long Zuntian didn’t dare to think about this any longer. Li Qiye was already heaven-defying enough to the point where he could compete against any of the three heroes. However, what if his ace card was not the nine stars and ten palaces, not an invincible merit law, but something else?
For example, an impossible thing like one body with two Immortal Physiques? He began to believe that this was the most plausible explanation, and he knew that Di Zuo would suffer a terrible defeat, thus resulting in his retreat. He didn’t want to see the moment of Di Zuo’s utter defeat!
After he left, Li Qiye looked straight at the Phoenix Maiden and said: “Now, who else is willing to fight for you?”
“Even if I am alone, I will neither retreat nor compromise!” The maiden took a deep breath and spoke in a dignified manner: “Even if my own power is insignificant, I will still stand before you to stop your evil plan from stretching its cruel grasp towards the ghost race! If my death can wake up the ghost race… then my death is a cheap price to pay!”
The maiden spoke with dignity. She slowly uttered each word with a heroic attitude that resonated with the crowd.
She spoke as if Li Qiye was an unpardonable and sinful devil and her current actions won the admiration and support of many spectators!
Li Qiye shook his head while looking at her dignified appearance and smilingly said: “To tell the truth, I do admire your courage a little bit. You know that it is impossible yet you still try… Truly excellent.”
“For the ghost race, my own life is nothing.” The maiden proudly proclaimed: “Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will never let you get away with…”
Li Qiye interrupted her and said: “Yes, I know, I am the most heinous villain. Whether it is for Di Zuo or the ghost race, I will give you a meaningful death.”
The maiden watched Li Qiye approach. She took a deep breath and showed no signs of escaping before dryly speaking: “I know you are very strong, but I will still try despite my weakness! Let the rise of the ghost race start with me!”
Many ghost cultivators watched this scene. Once Li Qiye got even closer, many people couldn’t help but take a step forward. One ghost cultivator with his blood boiling exclaimed with emotion: “Li! If you want to touch even a hair of the maiden, you will have to walk over our corpses first!”
“The disciples of the ghost race will not let you kill as you please!” Many royal lords and sect masters were moved and wanted to group up to kill Li Qiye.
At this point, two men suddenly descended from the sky and went in front of the maiden to shield her. Their blood energies were like divine tsunamis, much stronger than the group of ghost cultivators who were in front of her just now.
Although the sect masters and royal lords were moved, none of them, at this moment, wanted to step out. On the other hand, the younger cultivators were standing by her side.
These two men from the sky, with their surging energies, were like two young True Gods. They were the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and Ghost Insect Evil Child. Although the Saint Child’s stature was humble, with his spewing blood energy, he appeared incredibly tall and powerful.
“We are all responsible for the rise and fall of the ghost race. As a man, how could we let a weak girl take the vanguard?” The Saint Child spoke with gravity: “Li Qiye, don’t think that you can display your brutality here!”
Li Qiye looked at the Saint Child and Evil Child and laughed: “Oh? The two of you still haven’t left? Does the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and Insect King Lineage want to renege on the deal?”
These two imperial lineages still hadn’t left; they were like tigers eyeing their prey, wishing to push Li Qiye to his demise. However, because of the deal, these lineages had yet to make a move.
“The deal is one thing.” The Evil Child smiled with a dark shade and continued: “We will not touch the treasures at this place and can leave at any moment. However, if anyone wishes to kill ghost disciples and the seeds of the ghosts, then I, as a member of the ghost race, and the Insect King Lineage, as a great power of the ghost race, have the responsibility to protect the ghost race’s safety!”
The Titanic Crescent Saint Child also spoke in an awe-inspiring manner: “Our Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground will also not let anyone harm the ghost race! The Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden is a woman with a heroic heart. She doesn’t even mind sacrificing herself for the sake of the ghost race! Men like us should contribute to the ghost race. In my eyes, the honor of oneself is a trivial matter, the well-being of the ghost race is a much bigger matter!”
“Li Qiye, you wish to harm the ghost disciples. Although we had a deal, so what if I lose my own honor for the ghost race? For the ghost race’s safety, I will not leave this place and allow you to massacre more ghost disciples! I will stop your brutality!” The Saint Child continued on in a resounding manner: “You can say that I have reneged my promise, and the world can curse me for going back on the deal. I am willing to bear this eternal infamy all to kill you today to rid the ghost race of your evil and bring back peace!”
Chapter 550 - Fighting Against The World
The Saint Child’s well-spoken and righteous rhetoric was quite moving. His appearance of protecting the ghost tribe above all else stirred many ghost cultivators, especially the younger ones.
“We shall support the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and Ghost Insect Evil Child! If it is for the benefit of the ghost race, so what if we die!?” A ghost cultivator immediately shouted: “We will not let the human race’s plan succeed!”
A royal lord fueled the fire: “Yes! We of the ghost race cannot bow down before the wicked!”
Another sect master knew just what to say: “We of the ghost race only keep our word with honorable people, there is no need to do so against a brute! This deal is also part of Li Qiye’s evil plan. Because it is harmful to the ghost race, it should be voided!”
“Yes! Following the agreement with this brute will only hurt the ghost race.” In just a short moment, countless ghosts agreed with this sentiment and rapidly spoke: “If the deal is a conspiracy against the ghost race, then it is immediately void!”
Of course, many great powers happily agreed with this new development. Who would be willing to let go of the great fortune inside the pond? This was even more true for the imperial lineages; they were certain of their ability to seize it, especially the Insect King Lineage. A clamor broke out as the agreement between the Saint Child and Evil Child with Li Qiye was voided. Because of this, the sacred ground and insect lineage were the largest beneficiaries.
Lan Yunzhu only sighed after seeing this. The Phoenix Maiden’s plan finally succeeded.
However, Li Qiye didn’t give a damn. To him, the bet was only for fun. If the ghost race wished to bring its face closer, then he would happily slap them a couple times. He simply didn’t care whether he was facing the entire ghost race or not.
In fact, opposing an entire race was a path each Immortal Emperor must take. For example, if a human genius wished to become an Immortal Emperor, at the very last minute of the competition, the other races would risk their lives to stop them. The other races would exert all of their strength to back up their own geniuses so that their race could have an Immortal Emperor.
If one wasn’t determined to face the entire world, then don’t even dream about becoming an Immortal Emperor! An emperor candidate not only needed talents and a strong dao heart, they also required the courage to face the rest of the world.
One trod the path towards the grand dao alone; becoming an Immortal Emperor was already a heaven-defying thing, and this required great courage. Facing the world was a crucial element before ascension.
Li Qiye only laughed to see the ghost race so stirred up. He looked at them and said: “Very well, I actually like the feeling of being called the evil schemer against your ghost race. I am waiting here for all of you ghosts to come! If one hundred thousand of you come, then I’ll slay one hundred thousand; if one million comes, then I’ll end one million. Come now, I want to see the true strength of your ghost race!”
He roared against the ghosts: “I want to trample on your corpses as I walk further along the path of invincibility! Come! Even if your Virtuous Paragons show up, I’ll still massacre them!”
Lan Yunzhu forced a smile at Li Qiye’s domineering roar. She was already used to his aggressiveness and him not putting anyone in his sight.
The ghost cultivators that were criticizing Li Qiye suddenly became silent and their eyes opened wide. The royal lords and sect masters who were urging on the crowd didn’t know what to do. This response was different from their expectations.
Under the pressure from the entire ghost race, anyone else would have chosen to acquiesce or compromise then walk away.
There were hundreds of great powers from the ghost race here and also many emperor’s lineages, especially the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Lineage that wanted to kill Li Qiye!
In this situation, even an expert from the previous generation wouldn’t want to directly confront and offend the ghost race, let alone a young person. By doing so, they would no longer have a place to stay in this world.
However, Li Qiye didn’t concede or compromise and, of course, he didn’t run away. He shouted at the entire ghost race and declared his wish to massacre them all. This aggressive and tyrannical attitude left the ghosts dumbfounded. Even great characters like royal lords and sect masters didn’t know what to do.
Declaring such a thing before so many ghost powers… Such a person was either crazy or unbeatable in this world. However, Li Qiye was not insane and definitely not invincible either.
Tian Lunhui, who was standing in the distance, took a deep breath and murmured: “He’s fighting against the world!” His eyes focused as a dreadful sensation appeared in his heart. He asked himself whether he had this type of courage or not. Would he be able to scream and declare his challenge against the rest of the world?
Talents, comprehension, dao heart, courage… All of these were essential for becoming an Immortal Emperor. However, more often than not, courage was more important than anything else. Without courage, there was no chance to have a dao heart. Without courage, although talents and comprehension might allow one to become an expert, they couldn’t raise one to the apex!
Ever since the long archaic ages, which emperor didn’t kill millions? Which emperor didn’t experience countless bloody battles in the nine worlds?
At this minute, Tian Lunhui was quivering with anxiety. He began to question his determination and courage, and whether he would retreat and compromise against an enemy stronger than himself.
At this step, the strength of the enemy was no longer important, the fear that was the devil of the heart would become one’s biggest foe for the rest of their lives.
The truth was that the majority of Immortal Emperors had lost at least once in their lives. At a young age, they faltered in the face of stronger enemies.
However, this was not a matter worthy of embarrassment. A challenge was only a challenge if it was difficult. The only humiliation was to not have the courage to face the challenge.
“Fight against the world!” Tian Lunhui’s eyes carried a serious gleam: “Do I dare to do so?” A supreme genius like Tian Lunhui was having an introspective moment.
On the other side, it was a scene of silence. Li Qiye’s declaration was followed by snorts and jeers. The ancestors of the great powers were unhappy with Li Qiye’s arrogant declaration, so some of them suddenly wanted to kill him.
“Such a big tone! There’s no need for the ancestors to kill you, we are enough!” The Titanic Crescent Saint Child said as he scowled.
With glaring eyes, the Saint Child’s blood energy filled the sky as the earth shook back and forth. The energy around his body seemed to be a Flood Dragon.
The big boil on the Ghost Insect Evil Child squirmed as he spoke with a dark glare: “Li Qiye, you think too highly of yourself! We are enough to kill you!”
“With only two losers like you?” Li Qiye looked at the two and sneered.
However, the strange part was that the Saint Child and Evil Child did not become angry. The Saint Child coldly smiled and replied: “Li Qiye, having superb comprehension doesn’t represent everything. Even if you can reach the end of the pond, it doesn’t mean that you are invincible!”
“Li, it is not too late to surrender to our ghost race!” The Evil Child added with a snort. His blood energy drowned out the sky. The Nether King Insect inside the protrusion on his forehead was excitedly squirming like a blood-thirsty monster.
The Titanic Crescent Saint Child looked just fine, but the Evil Child caused people to shiver due to the insect on his forehead.
The two of them surrounded Li Qiye, one in front and one in the back to cut off his path of retreat. Their soaring blood energies were issuing howls of tigers and wolves, instilling fear into all spectators.
The two lost to Li Qiye in the pond contest, but no one underestimated their strength because they were imperial descendants. They were stronger than the majority of big characters from the great powers.
With a sharp glare, the Saint Child declared: “Cooperate and let us take you in. We of the ghost race are benevolent and will give you a fair trial!” Despite saying this, his eyes still gave off a frightening and murderous sensation.
“You massacred our ghost race, yet we are still giving you a way out — this is the most generous and merciful offer!” The Evil Child added with an ominous smile.
When the ghost cultivators stood out to attack Li Qiye, the first to fuel the fire was not the group of royal lords and sect masters, but these two.
They had two reasons for attacking Li Qiye. First, they had an ace card and were confident that they could kill Li Qiye by joining forces. Second, they wanted Li Qiye to be their stepping stone!
Long Zuntian’s evaluation of Li Qiye made them uncomfortable. Since Long Zuntian believed that Li Qiye was the number one rival of Di Zuo, what if the Evil Child and Saint Child managed to kill Li Qiye? Not only would it establish a renewed prestige for them, it would also wash away their previous humiliation.
“So much nonsense. Just come, I am here waiting to see what you two can do.” Li Qiye said as he raised his eyelids.
“Buzzz!” The Evil Child’s and Saint Child’s power erupted. At this moment, divine rings emanated from their bodies. The Saint Child had thirty divine rings and the Evil Child had thirty-one.
“In less than a year, both of them will be grand completion Grand Sovereigns.” The ghost cultivators were shaken with admiration when they saw the number of rings around their bodies.
Everyone was aware that the Phoenix Maiden was Di Zuo’s fiancee. She fled in defeat so it was understandable that Di Zuo, as her fiance, would take her side. However, no one expected for it to escalate to a life and death battle.
But then again, it was not too strange either. Li Qiye didn’t only defeat the maiden but also killed the Divine Spark Prince. The two sides had reached an irreconcilable point so Di Zuo would take revenge for his little brother-in-law!
The crowd eagerly held their breaths, waiting to see if Li Qiye would accept the challenge or not! The truth was that everyone was looking forward to this fight.
“Fellow Daoist Di Zuo, our Guardian is training in seclusion.” Daoist Bao Gui shook his head and said: “I’m afraid we can’t meet your demand at this moment. If you want to fight, then wait till our Guardian comes out.”
This answer invoked a rowdy commotion from the unhappy ghost cultivators. One of them scowled and said: “Hmph! That Li guy is definitely too afraid to show up for the battle.”
Another one sneered: “That is just what a human ant does — only picking on the weak. Well, Sir Di Zuo can slay that brat Li as easily as turning his palm! At the moment, that ant is probably cowering in fear. Actually, he might have already run away.”
“He doesn’t have the choice to refuse!” Di Zuo’s overbearing voice came again: “It is better to tell him to come out, or else bear the consequences!”
“What consequences?” A lazy voice appeared: “A wild dog like you will come and bite me?” Li Qiye leisurely appeared with Lan Yunzhu right behind him. He furrowed his brow at Di Zuo and asked: “You want to fight?”
Li Qiye’s arrival immediately shut the ghost cultivators up while the human cultivators instantly became excited. A human cultivator looked at the ghost cultivators who were yelling earlier and quipped: “Who is this Di Zuo? Li Qiye is our human race’s young Immortal Emperor! You think someone like Di Zuo can stop our young Immortal Emperor’s path?”
In the Sacred Nether World, the relationship between the humans and ghosts was quite poor. It was especially obvious since a few ghost tribes relied on their numbers and strength to bully the humans, causing resentment to form in the hearts of many human cultivators.
Li Qiye’s sudden rise to fame and killing of ghost cultivators elated many humans with pride.
The ghost cultivators became annoyed from the remark and refuted: “That junior Li is nothing! Just wait and see, our Sir Di Zuo will kill him within three moves!”
And this was met by an instant rebuttal from the humans: “What’s so great about Di Zuo? He isn’t much compared to our young emperor. Our young emperor can also kill him within three moves!”
Suddenly, a bunch of cultivators began to argue, and many people joined both sides. The ghost race despised the humans while the humans also hated the ghosts.
Di Zuo sat in the sky above the Thousand Carp River’s camp to look down at Li Qiye as he gravely said: “I’m just afraid you won’t fight.”
Li Qiye cracked his knuckles. It was obvious that he was itching for a fight as he said: “We can fight any time!” Recently, he had created a new merit law and he wanted to test its strength. Di Zuo would make a great sharpening stone!
“Very well! You choose the time!” Di Zuo said in a very domineering manner: “I shall take your dog life for sure! From now on, I shall be the only one to kill you, and I will use your head to warn the human ants that those who oppose me shall be slain without mercy!” He then took out his flag and threw it towards the river sect’s camp. His flag’s power was quite formidable; once it pierced the ground, it would mean that those in its vicinity would become his enemies and outsiders must not intervene.
“Clank!” However, Di Zuo’s flag did not reach the Thousand Carp River’s camp and instead was struck by a ray in midair. This ray was a golden plume that shattered the flag into pieces.
Everyone was startled; someone actually destroyed Di Zuo’s flag. This was akin to opposing Di Zuo, and very few in the Sacred Nether World would dare to do this.
At this point, everyone saw a person standing in the air. This individual was adorned with a full set of divine armor. The golden plume then flew back into this armored person’s hand and revealed itself to be a piece of golden armor.
No one saw when this person got there. The person was covered in divine armor from head to toe and one couldn’t see their face nor determine their gender.
This divine armor was huge. It was half again the height of an ordinary man and decorated with bright colors. Within these bright colors were five strange images. There was a divine tree that towered into the sky, a flame that burned the air, an immense earth that stretched far and wide, a vast ocean that spanned the horizon, and an opened treasure trove glistening with wealth. These five images floated up and down and were very spectacular, moving as if it was the opening of an immortal world, as if this armor was from originally from said world, or perhaps it was even the tool to reach this immortal world.
The sudden appearance of this armored person caused everyone to look at each other and murmur: “Who… is this person?”
It didn’t matter if many cultivators didn’t know this person, a nobody daring to destroy Di Zuo’s flag was too arrogant.
Di Zuo’s eyes became as bright as a divine lamp after seeing the person. He then exclaimed: “Xian Fan!” Two divine lights shot out from his eyes and flew towards the divine armor as if he wanted to see through it. 1
“What is so great about the ghost race?” A sound as clear as metal emanated from within the divine armor: “Daring to call my human race ants?!” It was very difficult to tell whether it was a man’s or a woman’s voice since it carried a metallic tone.
“Then let me see just how great a genius from the ghost race is!” The armored person declared.
“Xian Fan, you really wish to oppose me?” Di Zuo glared at the divine armor and retorted with gravity. 2
“Di Zuo, wait until you become an Immortal Emperor, then you can speak to me with that kind of tone. As of now, you are still far from it, yet you still dare to bluster in front of me?” The voice from the divine armor responded.
“Xian Fan, you want to fight? Fine, wait until I finish my business here, then I’ll deal with you at any time!” Di Zuo spoke in a serious manner. His aura was quite unstoppable and aggressive.
“No need to wait when we can do it now!” The Xian Fan adorned with divine armor retorted.
A person named Xian Fan who was completely covered with divine armor suddenly appeared and challenged Di Zuo! Despite this show of overbearing arrogance, no one had ever heard of this person before.
“Xian Fan!” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed by Li Qiye’s side: “They finally came out. This person is really heaven-defying.” 3
“Who is Xian Fan? What’s his background? How come such an unknown person dares to challenge Sir Di Zuo?” Many confused ghost cultivators looked at each other.
No one knew who Xian Fan was because they had never heard of this name before.
“Is this a human expert?” Even the human cultivators were lost. This person named Xian Fan was clearly backing the humans, but even they themselves had never heard of this fella before.
“Xian Fan!” A great character from the southern Distant Cloud clapped his hands together and said: “I remember now. More than ten years ago, the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom had a descendant named Xian Fan, but the person disappeared later on and never showed their face again.”
“The descendant of the Immortal Kingdom?” The crowd was shocked and the ghost cultivators no longer dared to look down on the newcomer.
The Immortal Kingdom was a lineage with two emperors, so it had one less emperor than the Myriad Bones Throne. However, it was not any weaker than the throne of bones.
Keep in mind that there was a legend about the young Immortal Emperor Di Yu obtaining a grand creation from the Prime Ominous Grave. Some people later on speculated that he even opened a supreme treasure trove inside. Because of this, many people believed that the Immortal Kingdom had quite a great secret reserve!
“The descendant of the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom?” A person murmured. Not too many had heard about this particular descendant.
For a very long time now, the Immortal Kingdom’s prestige stood strong over the world, but they kept a very low profile and rarely participated in external matters.
Many didn’t know the Immortal Kingdom’s sect master or the next descendant because ever since the Immortal Kingdom became reclusive, it slowly disappeared from everyone’s eyes.
“Come to think of it, the Immortal Kingdom really did have a descendant. I heard that, at that time, a few lineages attended the ceremony. In addition, only emperor’s lineages in the Distant Cloud were invited, including the Thousand Carp River.” A sect master from the Distant Cloud suddenly recalled.
Xian Fan — this was the descendant of the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom, but this very mysterious person was not famous in the Sacred Nether World. No one knew Xian Fan’s background or gender.
In the past, at the successor’s appointment ceremony, the Immortal Kingdom didn’t declare it to the world and instead only invited a few people. Only emperor’s lineages like the Thousand Carp River were invited, and no ghosts were present!
At this point, Di Zuo and Xian Fan were at an impasse in the sky. Di Zuo was glaring at the divine armor while Xian Fan — within this armor — had their expression shrouded.
As the main character of this turmoil, Li Qiye was suddenly forgotten by everyone. He was quite surprised to see the five wondrous images inside the divine armor.
“This guy is pretty good, what is his background in the Immortal Kingdom?” Li Qiye asked Lan Yunzhu who was standing by his side.
Lan Yunzhu glanced at her master. Daoist Bao Gui also participated in the successor ceremony that year and knew some secrets. He then replied: “I don’t know the exact details, but they’re most likely human. The Immortal Kingdom kept Xian Fan’s background a secret, and Xian Fan maintained a low profile as well. However, one thing is certain; after the ceremony, Xian Fan did an amazing deed.”
Chapter 502 - Five Elements Immortal Armor
“They must have entered the Immortals’ Domain.” Li Qiye looked at Xian Fan in the sky and said.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but be taken aback, and even Daoist Bao Gui was astonished as he said: “How does Young Noble know?”
Keep in mind that this matter was highly confidential. Moreover, characters like Daoist Bao Gui knew how to keep a secret, so this matter couldn’t have spread easily.
Li Qiye chuckled and said: “It’s no big deal, the Five Elements Immortal Armor on Xian Fan’s body makes it very obvious. This thing had always been hidden in the Immortals’ Domain and no outsider had seen it before. One must go into the deepest parts of the Immortals’ Domain and come out alive; then, they would also be able to get some items, such as this Five Elements Immortal Armor!”
“Young Noble knows about the Immortals’ Domain?” Daoist Bao Gui couldn’t help but ask in amazement: “This… is very secretive, very few outsiders know about it.”
“Others are different, and I’m not included in this group.” Li Qiye smiled and continued: “Future generations assumed that Immortal Emperor Di Yu uncovered a supreme treasure inside the Prime Ominous Grave, but the truth was far from this. The emperor instead obtained an immortal land, the Immortals’ Domain at the mouth of the Immortal Kingdom.”
He then smiled at the old daoist and arched his chin towards Xian Fan who was dealing with Di Zuo, asking: “What does Sect Master know about this person?”
“Very little. Although I participated in the successor’s ceremony that year, I didn’t meet Xian Fan. Very few know about Xian Fan’s background and identity, including the Simple Mountain disciples. I only know that Xian Fan was dubbed the descendant and the kingdom continued to keep Xian Fan’s identity a secret.” The old daoist shook his head and responded.
“A bit Interesting.” Li Qiye then stroked his chin while looking at Xian Fan, who was entirely shrouded by the Five Elements Immortal Armor.
Keep in mind that when a great power chooses their successor, especially an emperor’s lineage, it was to be a grand and formal occasion. The descendants must successfully undergo rigorous assessments.
Xian Fan becoming the descendant yet still being able to keep their identity a secret was a very rare thing amongst the great powers.
“I heard there was a reason why Xian Fan was chosen; rumor has it that Xian Fan was the one who opened the Immortals’ Domain.” Daoist Bao Gui explained: “Outsiders know very little about this Immortals’ Domain. It was mentioned that after Xian Fan opened it and was dubbed the descendant, Xian Fan immediately went into the domain. That was the most recent news about him.”
“Not surprising.” Li Qiye continued to stare at Xian Fan and replied: “Owning the Five Elements Immortal Armor already proves Xian Fan’s extraordinariness. With such talent and strength, it is not strange for this person to rule the Immortal Kingdom in the future.”
“Is that armor really that amazing?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s not only amazing, its origin can scare people to death. After all, it’s very ancient.” Li Qiye answered: “It is not something one can just wish for. Without training and luck, even an Immortal Emperor would not be able to get it. It is not just an immortal armor.”
“Boom!” Di Zuo suddenly made a move during the standoff between the two. His hand became a heavenly seal that descended. The entire nine heavens and ten earths were trapped as the stars were exhausted and the sun and moon lost their brilliance.
This all-encompassing heavenly seal was like the suppression of an emperor — unstoppable and irreversible. Millions of existences trembled like servants when faced with this emperor’s aura.
Di Zuo’s first move shocked everyone in this battle in the sky. Both young and old were shivering in fear. Di Zuo was indeed different from ordinary people; his first move was so heaven-shaking!
“Thunk—thunk—thunk—” The Five Elements Immortal Armor on Xian Fan’s body shot out numerous spirit lights that instantly turned into a majestic golden wall that spanned to the horizon; even hordes of enemies would be unable to penetrate this defense.
“Boom!” Di Zuo’s star-destroying seal fiercely slammed into this spirit wall, but it couldn’t break through. The wall only shook a bit and didn’t collapse.
People didn’t expect for Xian Fan’s divine armor to be this magical. It wasn’t only a set of armor, it was also a weapon with many mystical forms.
“Let’s go to the outer heavens! Take out your emperor’s weapon, I do not want to have the weapon’s advantage!” Xian Fan uttered with complete confidence, then he rushed to the outer firmament like a flying dragon or a dancing phoenix. His posture made it seem as if he could travel to the moon to pluck the stars in the sky.
With a serious expression, Di Zuo also roared. The Scarletflame Qilin screeched as well. With its burning flames, it instantly stepped into the upper horizon to chase after Xian Fan.
“A battle in the outer heavens?” Many couldn’t help but glance at each other. Wasn’t a battle at this location a really high level fight? Most of the time, only Virtuous Paragons or Immortal Emperors would choose the outer heavens as their battlefield.
The reason was very simple. When such heaven-defying existences fought, no place on earth would be able to withstand their destructive force. Even a sacred ground or divine earth fortified with blessings would not necessarily be able to survive.
“They are both young Immortal Emperors, so they immediately picked the outer heavens for their battle. Quite domineering.” Some people couldn’t help but murmur.
This was not without logic since if Di Zuo took out his emperor’s weapon, it would have a transcendent power capable of shattering the mountains and seas. Picking the outer heavens for their showdown was quite reasonable.
Di Zuo and Xian Fan then rushed into the sky while many predecessors chased right after them.
“Come, we’ll go watch.” This was a battle between geniuses so it was very tempting to become spectators. The descendants and geniuses from the great powers also chased right after them. Those with a lower cultivation couldn’t do so since traveling to the outer heavens was not easy. Only those with a great cultivation could reach space, or else they would have to have some amazing treasures.
“Should we go watch too?” Lan Yunzhu asked Li Qiye. A battle between geniuses was definitely brilliant and one would benefit from observing the fight.
Li Qiye shook his head, showing zero interest. He then said: “There is nothing to see. No matter how heaven-defying Di Zuo may be, he won’t be able to kill that person. Even with an Immortal Emperor True Treasure in his grasp, it still wouldn’t break through the defense of the Five Elements Immortal Armor.”
“The armor is that powerful?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but emotionally ask. In the eyes of all cultivators, Immortal Emperor True Treasures were unbeatable.
“It’s not just that the armor is amazing. By coming back alive from the Immortals’ Domain and even bringing back the armor, this Xian Fan is definitely no lesser than Di Zuo.”
Lan Yunzhu became a lot more serious after hearing this. A genius like her also wanted to challenge the three heroes, so now with the addition of Xian Fan, she had one more opponent to be wary of.
When Li Qiye intended to go back to his quarters, a daoist holding an old banner suddenly popped out of nowhere. This daoist was young, but he carried an experienced demeanor and had a mysterious smile on his face. The daoist smiled then spoke to Li Qiye: “Hehe, Boss, I finally found you.”
“Are you a member of the Heart-ghost Tribe? This is quite a rare sight in the contemporary times.” Lan Yunzhu was surprised to see the daoist appearing out of nowhere.
The Heart-ghost Tribe was a mysterious ghost tribe in the Sacred Nether World. They excelled in calculations and reading the future. Legend states that they were punished by the heavens, so their members lived in reclusion ever since.
This daoist was Daoist Heaven Calculating, the one who Li Qiye met right outside of the lost mythical island, the one that had calculated Li Qiye’s fate.
Although Lan Yunzhu revealed his origin, the daoist was not surprised. He only smiled and said: “Fairy Lan is indeed worthy of being the river sect’s descendant; your vision is as bright as a torch — quite impeccable.”
“Alright, stop sucking up. Have you calculated it?” Li Qiye spoke to the daoist.
Having heard this, the daoist became serious and looked around before carefully taking out a piece of yellow paper. He then handed it over to Li Qiye and replied: “I didn’t let you down, the result of the calculations is written here.”
Li Qiye looked at the piece of yellow paper then back at the daoist before asking: “Are you sure? There are absolutely no mistakes?”
“Absolutely zero mistakes, this little one guarantees it with his life!” The daoist then solemnly continued: “Boss, in order to calculate this for you, this little one had to defy the heavens and almost became ashes from the punishment!”
Lan Yunzhu was quite curious about what this Heart-ghost member calculated for Li Qiye. Judging from their solemn expressions, it must be something very serious. Unfortunately, Lan Yunzhu couldn’t see the contents of the paper before Li Qiye put it away.
After putting the piece of yellow paper away, Li Qiye told the daoist: “Very good. Since you have done me a favor, I shall give you a creation. Follow me into the Prime Ominous Grave, your fortune is waiting inside.”
The daoist immediately became joyous and he smilingly said: “This little one knew that Boss was an auspicious man. Meeting Boss is my fortune.”
Lan Yunzhu could only shake her head while thinking that this fella really knew how to flatter others. She didn’t know that Daoist Heaven Calculating once read Li Qiye’s palms and was scared out of his wits as if he had seen a ghost.
“We’ll open the Prime Ominous Grave right now.” Li Qiye told Daoist Bao Gui: “The exact fortunes found inside will be up to your own luck.”
“Get ready, we’re going into the Prime Ominous Grave now!” Having heard this, Daoist Bao Gui immediately gave the command with excitement.
And it wasn’t only him, even the elders couldn’t contain their eagerness. The Prime Ominous Grave was something coveted by many since time immemorial.
They didn’t expect to have the chance to enter the grave in this lifetime. For as long as one could remember, those who were lucky enough to see the opening of the grave already enjoyed a great fortune.
Outside of the grave, while many cultivators regretted not being able to go to the outer heavens to watch the battle between Di Zuo and Xian Fan, someone noticed that the Thousand Carp River was preparing to leave. The elders followed Li Qiye towards the large monument of the Prime Ominous Grave.
Chapter 503 - Prime Ominous Grave’s Opening
Some cultivators shuddered once they saw Li Qiye walking towards the huge monolith. They quickly told the seniors of their sects: “He is about to open the Prime Ominous Grave!”
Everyone knew that the key was in his hands, so seeing Li Qiye approach the grave caused many people to become excited. Was it time for the grave to be opened?
“Quickly pack up and get ready to enter the Prime Ominous Grave!” Suddenly, chaos spread like wildfire. Within the radius of ten thousand miles right outside of the grave, the atmosphere was boiling with commotion as all the armies began to pack up.
Countless great powers quickly followed Li Qiye to the Prime Ominous Grave, creating an extremely spectacular scene. Right behind him was a sea of people rushing forth like waves. Many were extremely eager; they rubbed their hands together wishing that they could soar forward into the grave instantly.
“It’s almost time. Finally, the Prime Ominous Grave! Oh how many generations have passed since it was last opened.” The great powers such as the Myriad Bones Throne and the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom followed as well. Everyone came for the grave, so now that it was nearing the time of its opening, no one wanted to give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Amitabha.” A buddhist chant resounded. Monk Dazhi suddenly appeared and chased right after Li Qiye. He then cheerfully smiled and said: “Benefactor Li, ah wait, Brother Li, you are about to open the grave so do you have anything nice for me? Maybe you have a huge creation to give to me?”
“Something nice for you?” However, before Li Qiye could answer, right next to him, Lan Yunzhu fiercely glared at the monk and stated: “Jian Xuan, I heard that you were playing around back at the Soaring Remembrance Village and tricking the villagers to get free meals! After bullying our Thousand Carp River like this, you still want us to treat you?”
“No… No, no… Fairy Lan misunderstood…” Monk Dazhi was startled and quickly explained: “Fairy Lan, this little monk is one who slays evil with a merciful heart. I definitely wouldn’t take a single coin from the good men and women back at the village. My heart only wishes to enlighten others and save the world. I only went to the secular world for cultivation…”
“Does enlightening others include being a monk who eats meat and drinks?” Lan Yunzhu stared at him and exclaimed: “Don’t tell me you didn’t eat bowl after bowl while gorging yourself with wine at my house!”
“Umm…” Monk Dazhi quickly replied: “Amitabha… Fairy Lan, there is a proverb: an empty sack cannot stand upright. When this monk slays evil, there are times where I will get hungry, right? Hehe, plus, this monk didn’t eat that much, you are surely mistaken. The one who ate a lot was Brother Li. When he was a guest at your house, he was treated very well. Uncle and Aunt gave him good food and wine, and as for the reason… I’m sure Fairy Lan already knows.” The monk then winked at Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu.
With this accusation, Li Qiye glared at him and said: “Fake Monk, don’t make up stuff or else I’ll tell your fiancee where you are. Then we’ll see where you will run.”
Before this many people, Monk Dazhi couldn’t show that he was afraid of his wife, so he arched his chest and patted it before declaring: “Brother Li underestimates me too much. Since when was I afraid of a woman?”
At this time, a red-clothed lady suddenly appeared behind the monk and coldly said: “Since when did you become so brave like this?” This person was both Monk Dazhi’s senior sister and his fiancee.
Seeing the lady in red, Jian Xuan’s expression immediately changed as he turned around to run. However, Li Qiye instantly made a move. Since Monk Dazhi was not ready, he was trapped by Li Qiye.
“Hey, hey, hey, Brother… What are you… doing?!” Monk Dazhi exclaimed in fear. He couldn’t run even if he wanted to since Li Qiye had made him immobile.
“Nothing much, it’s just that running all day long is not the right thing to do, so you have to properly face her.” Li Qiye smiled and said before throwing the monk towards the lady in red.
“Brother Li, you can’t treat me like this! We are brothers, how can you sell out a brother like this…!” The monk started to scream.
However, Li Qiye ignored him and led the group across several mountains. The unwilling screams of the monk still echoed from afar, causing Lan Yunzhu to shake her head in amusement and say: “He deserves it. Not wanting to be the Nether Crossing descendant and instead escaping to be a monk… He’ll receive a good lesson now that he has been caught.”
Monk Dazhi was an interesting person. The Nether Crossing Swamp was an emperor’s lineage. To eventually become the sect master of such a lineage was something countless people desired. Unfortunately, he didn’t give a damn and secretly escaped from the swamp, creating turmoil within the sect.
***
The huge monument stood proudly on top of a mountain range and pierced straight into the clouds as if it was a door that guarded the hills behind it.
Only by opening this monument would one be able to enter the grave, and this required the key from Necropolis.
After the grave closes, no one would be able to keep the key since it would disappear. Even a heaven-defying Immortal Emperor would not be able to change this fact. And so, in order to open the grave once more, one had to go to Necropolis to find the key.
Standing before this monument, everyone would sense a majestic atmosphere without exception. It was as if this place buried a supreme existence across the eons. However, no one knew whether such an existence was buried here or not.
There was no name on this monument since it was carved out from a giant boulder. With a more careful observation, it didn’t look like it was carved by men. Instead, it was more like this was the original appearance given by the heavens.
When Li Qiye stood before it, the crowd behind him also stopped. Everyone held their breaths, waiting for him to open the Prime Ominous Grave.
No one dared to steal the key from Li Qiye’s hands since the elders of the river sect were all here. Making a move at this time was akin to opposing the river sect. Not to mention average great powers, even emperor’s lineages didn’t want to do so. Moreover, everyone could go in, so why the need to break the friendly facade with the Thousand Carp River just for a key?
While the rest were waiting, Li Qiye took out the key. Although it was called a key, it was more like an edict scroll.
Li Qiye then opened this scroll and it emanated a bright brilliance. Dao runes appeared and lights jumped up and down like ripples of waves; these runes and lights eventually encompassed the entire monument.
People became quite tense and excited to see this light cover the monument. It had been a very long time since the grave’s previous opening. Just being here alone was considered to be the luckiest moment in their lives.
“Clang clang clank!” At this time, huge characters began to fly out of the edict scroll, then they flew towards the monument and imprinted themselves onto it, creating powerful and divine clanking sounds. The words carved onto this monument were very archaic and were in shapes that resembled branches or tadpoles. Even the great characters from the throne of bones that were sealed underground didn’t know what these words were. They were ancient to the point of being untraceable; even the longest living person would not be able to understand the contents.
After the monument was completely carved with words, the entire thing lit up. With a series of rumbles, the huge monument slowly sank into the ground.
Everyone nervously stared at the spot where the huge stone was sinking. No one wanted to miss a single detail.
“Rumble!” After a series of sounds, the boulder finally went all the way down to the ground, and the mountain range right behind it opened. The entrance was like a great pass, like a prehistoric beast waiting with its mouth wide open to devour trespassers.
“It has been opened!” Seeing this great pass, someone excitedly screamed.
“We’ll go in now.” Li Qiye looked at the great pass with narrowed eyes and told the group of Lan Yunzhu. He then led them into this mountain pass.
“We’ll also go in!” The cultivators right behind him also excitedly exclaimed. Wave after wave of people rushed towards the mountain pass.
The place suddenly became lively as many cultivators squeezed into this mountain pass. No one wanted to be left behind because they feared that they might miss a great opportunity or a legendary creation.
However, when they all rushed inside, they came to an abrupt halt as they found themselves standing at the top of a precipice where a chasm was placed before them. Taking a second look at the surroundings made them realize that this was nothing but an endless space.
Below them was an endless abyss. One more step would end with them falling to the unknown beyond.
This was completely different from the Prime Ominous Grave in their imaginations. Most of them thought that the Prime Ominous Grave was a cemetery. After entering, they assumed that there would be a gigantic cave or an underground tomb of some sort.
Chapter 504 - Corpseblood Cloud
However, there were neither graves nor underground tombs or even any coffins at that. It was nothing like their imaginations, there was only an endless void.
“This… is the Prime Ominous Grave?” Someone asked with disappointment while standing before this vast nothingness.
“This is all there is?” Another unwilling fella couldn’t help but murmur.
“Maybe this is just the entrance and there are other places here.” A sect master from a great power said: “Come, we’ll go take a look.” With that, he took out a flying ship and flew towards the emptiness.
However, a terrifying event occurred; the moment the ship floated into the air, it seemed to have lost its power and fell into the abyss.
“Ahhh—!” Shrill screams emanated from below. The ship was carrying several hundred experts so the sudden drop left them frightened. Since they were all experts, their first reaction was to fly out of the ship.
However, the result was still the same; they couldn’t fly. At this place, all cultivators lost their ability to fly. In this split second, no matter which spatial techniques they tried or what type of treasure they used, all was for naught. It was like a mortal stepping on air then falling right back down.
These hundred cultivators lost their minds in horror as they yelled out ear-piercing screams in the air. Everyone witnessed these experts fall down into the endless abyss like shooting stars flying to an unknown destination.
After seeing this scene, everyone became startled and some even shouted: “How… could this be?!” There were some cultivators and sects that wanted to fly, but they immediately halted their steps and shuddered in silence.
A royal lord from a powerful country who was completely pale shouted with shaking legs: “Impossible! There were even Heavenly Sovereigns onboard!”
Keep in mind that at a certain level, cultivators could fly up high and soar across the planes — this was common sense. If suddenly, cultivators were not able to fly, then this would be a huge hit to everyone.
“This is a void zone. Even a Virtuous Paragon would fall down and perish.” Inside the ancestral mountain of the throne of bones, an ancient voice came forth.
Shivers encroached upon the listeners. They didn’t know what a void zone was, but if even Virtuous Paragons couldn’t escape death, then they understood how terrifying a void zone must be.
“What… is that over there?” A keen observer pointed at something in the far distance and quickly asked.
After they heard this question, everyone stared at the horizon and noticed groups of gigantic red clouds approaching. These clouds were as red as blood; it was as if blood was flowing out from them. They formed a line, creating the illusion of a river of blood from afar.
In an instant, these blood clouds reached the cliff. When the first cloud touched the stone precipice, it immediately rebounded towards a different direction. The other red clouds also did the same.
“These are the legendary Corpseblood Clouds.” An ethereal voice came from the Simple Precious Tree; no one knew who the speaker was.
Right when one group of red clouds reached the cliff, the Simple Precious Tree instantly flew on top of these clouds with a swish. These clouds suddenly unleashed countless tentacles to devour this tree, but immortal lights from the tree descended to stop these blood tentacles.
Under the watchful gaze of everyone present, the Simple Precious Tree rode these blood clouds to the far distance — towards the unknown.
After seeing the successful attempt, everyone immediately understood what was going on: “So we have to ride these clouds!”
At this time, an old cultivator jumped on top of a nearby red cloud. The red cloud suddenly trembled as countless foggy strings that resembled tentacles rolled around this old cultivator’s body. The unwary cultivator was immediately ensnared.
“Ahhh!” This cultivator immediately turned into a bloody mist without leaving behind even a bone.
After seeing such a terrifying scene, many aghast cultivators realized that it was not so simple; these red clouds were extremely dangerous.
“Buzzz!” The ancestral mountain rode away on a group of Corpseblood Clouds since it easily blocked the danger from these clouds.
The next to follow suit was the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom, the Yin Yang Master, the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground… All the great powers jumped onto the clouds since they had the power to easily block the clouds’ power.
After seeing the great powers’ success, the smaller factions didn’t want to linger behind and also jumped on these clouds.
“We’ll go too!” Some sects and cultivators successfully used their treasures and merit laws to survive the bloody fog. However, those who failed to do so screamed and were turned into bloody vapor.
“We need to work together.” Instantly, many smaller factions and vagrant cultivators formed an alliance to ride the drifting blood clouds into the distance.
Li Qiye, as the person who opened the grave, was in no hurry. He only chuckled at the sight of people jumping on these blood clouds.
“Sect Master, you can bring everyone on that group of clouds over there.” Li Qiye then told Daoist Bao Gui.
“What about you guys?” Daoist Bao Gui asked. He understood that Li Qiye must have a reason for picking that particular group of clouds for them.
Li Qiye answered: “Yunzhu and Daoist Heaven Calculating will follow me.” Although he was speaking, his gaze remained on those Corpseblood Clouds. He silently counted the quantity of these drifting clouds.
After seeing that the clouds Li Qiye chose were approaching, Daoist Bao Gui shouted and then rode the gigantic carp along with the elders towards the cluster. The carp easily blocked the bloody fog and it took the river sect’s elders towards the distance.
The other sects and cultivators didn’t dare to compete for this cluster of clouds against an emperor’s lineage like the river sect.
After seeing the river sect’s elders ride the blood clouds far away, Lan Yunzhu asked: “Do we go now?”
“Not yet.” Li Qiye was still gazing at the clouds while counting the number that had passed by.
Not long after, fewer and fewer cultivators remained. Many sects and cultivators successfully rode these clouds off into the distance. The weaker sects also managed to repel the blood clouds after joining forces and rode away in jubilation. They finally made it to the Prime Ominous Grave, and the method to everlasting life awaited them.
As the crowd became thinner, Li Qiye finally picked a group of clouds after waiting for a long time. Seeing the approaching clouds, Li Qiye told the daoist and Lan Yunzhu in a serious tone: “Get ready, you two stop the bloody fog and listen to my commands.”
Daoist Heaven Calculating and Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what was so mysterious about these clouds, but they both took in deep breaths without daring to be careless as they gazed at them.
The clouds moved even closer, then Li Qiye pulled the two of them and shouted: “Jump!” He then dragged the both of them onto the bloody clouds.
The moment they jumped, the bloody fog emerged and countless tentacles soared towards the three. The daoist to the left of Li Qiye raised an old banner; universal laws descended like a phoenix and dragon and stopped these tentacles. On the other hand, Lan Yunzhu to his right only quietly shouted; she didn’t seem to take any action, but the stars surrounding her easily stopped the bloody fog.
As the two of them stopped the offense, Li Qiye calmly stood in the middle. When they made it on top, Li Qiye closed his eyes and silently calculated the trajectory of these clouds.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist didn’t know what Li Qiye was doing. However, they remained extremely cautious against the nonstop onslaught from the bloody fog.
The three of them rode the Corpseblood Clouds far away and noticed that many clouds were lining up to create a river of blood that flowed towards the vast void.
One didn’t know how long this bloody river was, but once they reached a certain location, these clouds would part and each of them would fly towards a different direction! From here, all the clouds dispersed in their own way like ships on a mighty ocean.
The cultivators that rode these clouds could not alter their course. Even the most invincible beings were helpless in this regard.
After seeing the clear difference in directions for these clouds, Lan Yunzhu and the daoist understood why Li Qiye had to pick a cloud cluster for the Thousand Carp River.
“So these clouds fly to different places.” Daoist Heaven Calculating quietly whispered as the three of them drifted towards an unknown destination.
At this point, there were no other clouds around them. This group of clouds floated in the vast emptiness like a vessel at sea, causing passengers to worry about when a huge wave would come and strike them.
“Of course, they do not fly to the same destination. Each group has their own end, and this end would become the individual’s creation. Whether one gets a good destination to start would depend on whether they picked the right cloud or not.” Li Qiye explained with closed eyes as he was still deducing the trajectory of the drifting clouds.
Chapter 505 - Ominous Grave’s Secret Realms
“How does one know whether the endpoint of a cloud is bad or good?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask. However, Li Qiye, with his eyes closed, had already focused his thoughts and didn’t answer her question.
The three of them rode the clouds for a very long time. All of a sudden, Li Qiye spoke with a deep intonation: “Get ready to jump down.”
“What?!” Li Qiye’s words caused the other two to exclaim in fear.
This place was a boundless and endless expanse. Jumping down was no different than courting death. They saw — with their own eyes — the fate of the cultivators who jumped down.
“Jump!” But the two didn’t have time to think since Li Qiye already pulled the two of them down from the clouds.
The three of them started falling down like meteors and lost all control of themselves. Lan Yunzhu and the daoist were almost scared to death. They tried to use flying techniques, but even the best technique would not be able to lift them in this place.
They then wanted to take out flying treasures, but Li Qiye yelled at them: “Don’t move!”
The stunned daoist and Lan Yunzhu finally resigned themselves and didn’t take out their treasures. They then closed their eyes while freefalling.
“Ah—” Screams tore through the sky while the three of them fell down like shooting stars into the bottomless void.
They fell for an unknown amount of time before finally feeling a soft, cotton-like sensation. A soft force broke their hard fall.
“Pop!” The three of them fell to the ground and could smell the muddy ground.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist became ecstatic; the smell of mud was indeed wonderful. After falling for so long, standing on hard ground made them feel very lucky. Being in control was such an exciting thing!
After calming down, they took a look around and became dumbfounded. They saw shining lights in the sky and realized that the cotton-like sensation was the boundary in the sky. They fell from a high place and eventually broke through the boundary in the sky to reach this place.
Li Qiye got up and Lan Yunzhu quickly stood as well. She then took in the scene before her eyes with astonishment.
Before her was a huge lake with water so clear that it was like a piece of jade. The soft blowing wind gave a comfortable feeling, and there were many rocks around this place. These round rocks that were randomly lying around formed a big rock. This scene would cause spectators to think that they were at some lake back in the Sacred Nether World and not the Prime Ominous Grave. The daoist got up and asked in surprise after seeing the big lake: “Where is this place?”
This scene greatly differed from the grave in his imagination. With rippling waves and clear water, unsuspecting people would think that this was a paradise. Who would suspect that they were in the Prime Ominous Grave that was filled with ghastly and nether energy?
“A Secret Realm in the Prime Ominous Grave.” Li Qiye sat down and calmly spoke: “After entering the Prime Ominous Grave and riding the blood clouds, there would be a stopping point. However, being at a bad stopping point would make it very difficult. After leaving the stopping point, one would reach a Grave Realm.”
“What is this Grave Realm?” The daoist curiously asked.
Li Qiye looked at him and replied: “They are almost no different from continents, but going to the wrong place will result in death. However, if one goes towards the right direction, then they might gain a great creation. There are five Grave Realms in the Prime Ominous Grave. As long as you can find a dao platform, then you can teleport to any of the five Grave Realms. To those who come inside the grave, the first stopping point would be their first test of luck. Whether they can find anything or not will be up to their own fortune.
“However, once they reach the Grave Realms, it will no longer be left to just luck. In order to obtain King Medicines or treasures, besides having the luck to reach the right place, they would also need sufficient strength, wisdom, and talents!
“In short, the stopping points are based on luck while the Grave Realms are based on one’s ability.” Li Qiye continued with a smile: “With sufficient strength, one might come back victoriously, but if unlucky, this might become their burial ground. This Prime Ominous Grave… It is not dangerous yet also very dangerous; this would depend on the ambition of the individual. If one is satisfied with what they have, then the chance of leaving alive is high.”
After hearing Li Qiye’s explanation, the two obtained a better understanding of the Prime Ominous Grave. Lan Yunzhu then looked at the big lake and asked: “What about a Secret Realm?”
Li Qiye responded: “Secret Realms are not found inside Grave Realms. Just like its name, no one knows where these Secret Realms are located or how many there are. Entering a Secret Realm is pretty simple; one just has to jump down from a blood cloud. Of course, the requirement is that they have to pick the right spot so that what awaits them is indeed a Secret Realm and not death.”
“How does one know where these Secret Realms are?” The daoist asked.
Li Qiye looked at him and shook his head to say: “No one knows. It is up to luck and fate. If you choose correctly, then congratulations, you have obtained a creation. If you choose incorrectly, then I’m sorry, you are dead. However, your Heart-ghost Tribe has a peerless calculation technique, right? You can try it if you are interested.”
“No, no, I don’t want to try!” The daoist startlingly exclaimed while waving his hands: “A burial ground like this place is a taboo of the heaven and earth. One cannot just calculate it. If one forcefully does so, then a calamity would befall upon them. Our Heart-ghost Tribe once had an ancestor who wanted to obtain the method of everlasting life in the Prime Ominous Grave. I heard afterward that this ancestor forcefully calculated to search for this mythical method and was struck by lightning, dying on the spot. Moreover, at that time, the rest of our tribe also suffered the heaven’s wrath and were struck by lightning for a whole day, resulting in heavy losses.”
“That means… the Prime Ominous Grave really has a method for everlasting life?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but emotionally inquire.
“I’m not sure, but the forcefulness of our ancestor brought a calamity upon us. Logically speaking, this method should truly exist. If not, then there might be something else that the heavens doesn’t want others to know.” The daoist shook his head. He would always speak with a serious demeanor when it came to this topic.
“The method for everlasting life? I know about this.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist were frightened. Lan Yunzhu then asked in shock: “Is there really a method for everlasting life?”
Everlasting life was something that cultivators had always chased after. There was a rumor stating that even Immortal Emperors would not have an eternal life; however, their final destinations were also unknown. Some said that they all died while others said that they had traveled to the legendary tenth world!
“If there was truly such a method, then I would risk my life to seize it.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued: “There are ways to achieve everlasting life, and the grave does indeed have things that would allow for people to live for a very long time. However, the price that must be paid is beyond your imaginations.”
“What is it?” The daoist curiously asked. Everlasting life was tempting to everyone; countless old undyings sealed themselves for this very reason.
However, using Blood Era Stones for sealing purposes would not grant them eternal life; it was simply a form of escaping from the withering of time. After one leaves the stone, they still wouldn’t be able to escape death!
Li Qiye only smiled mysteriously and didn’t answer the daoist. The daoist only sighed since he knew that he shouldn’t pry further.
“What is the difference between a Secret Realm and a Grave Realm?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask while staring at the crystal-clear lake.
“It’s very simple, one would obtain a creation just by entering a Secret Realm. You would only have to risk yourself once since there is only one chance with the Corpseblood Clouds.” Li Qiye answered.
Daoist Heaven Calculating couldn’t help but wonder: “Risking one’s life by jumping down in exchange for a creation — is this worth it? This is nearly suicidal! There’s practically no chance for survival.”
Picking the right spot to jump was quite an impossible task. Only the heavens knew where these Secret Realms were amongst the vast emptiness. Picking the right spot was harder than finding a needle in a haystack!
“As long as you are lucky, it is worth it!” Li Qiye added with a smile: “The origin of the Prime Ominous Grave is beyond your imagination; each Secret Realm has a defining treasure. If you can get such a treasure and are content with it, then you can leave without going to a Grave Realm. The defining treasures of the Secret Realms are extremely amazing.”
“Every Secret Realm has its own defining treasure?” Lan Yunzhu asked with surprise: “Then how many Secret Realms are there? If there are a lot of them, then wouldn’t these treasures be too common and worthless?”
“You are overthinking it.” Li Qiye laughed and stated: “If there are countless Secret Realms, then there would be no need to pick. Just close your eyes and jump down since even a fool would be able to reach a Secret Realm. It is really difficult to find the exact amount of Secret Realms in the grave. In my opinion, there is only one.”
“Oh god, there is only one?” Daoist Heaven Calculating was scared out of his mind. He almost fell to the ground due to his weakened legs. With a blanched expression, he said: “Boss, did you just guess? The probability of surviving is probably lower than fishing a needle out of the sea!”
Chapter 506 - Secret Realm Elves
Thinking about having to choose a direction in this vast, endless void left Daoist Heaven Calculating with feeble knees. He was very scared, especially since there was only one Secret Realm. Earlier, if they were just a bit unlucky and picked the wrong time to jump, it would all be over. At this point, he couldn’t help but become drenched in cold sweat.
“What, you don’t trust me?” Li Qiye coldly glared at the daoist and asked: “Besides, I wasn’t afraid to die so what are you afraid of? Is your life more valuable than mine?”
“Haha, it’s a bad habit of mine.” The daoist wryly laughed: “The more one understands the workings of clairvoyance, the more they will be afraid of death. Ever since I was young, I would calculate every time I went outside to see if there was any danger or not. Hehe, but this little one knows that Sir is my auspicious spirit, and I’m sure that by following Sir, the star of luck will shine upon me!”
Li Qiye laughed while enjoying the daoist’s ass-kissing.
“Enough with your haughty laughter.” Li Qiye’s enjoyment caused Lan Yunzhu to angrily glare at him and say: “Within that endless void, how did you know that the Secret Realm was right here?”
The truth was that, when Li Qiye revealed that there might only be one Secret Realm in the entire Prime Ominous Grave, she was also scared out of her wits. Recalling that one wrong jump might have killed them left her shivering in fear.
She also didn’t notice anything special about the spot that Li Qiye chose. Even if she was asked to do it again, she wouldn’t be able to find the exact same spot. There were no discernable characteristics in that vast and empty space.
While Lan Yunzhu stated her question, Li Qiye was looking at the large lake ahead in a daze. He ceased his thoughts and smiled mysteriously before answering: “That is a secret only meant for me to know.”
Of course, he couldn’t tell her that he had been here before and how someone else had told him about the Secret Realms. After conducting many experiments, Li Qiye finally stumbled upon the method to find this Secret Realm. Fortunately for him, he was immortal, thus having ample time.
Like what the Ancestral Flow Master had said before, the Dark Crow was immortal, thus Li Qiye had the guts to experiment. Nevertheless, it still came at a cost along with a kind of pain that not just anyone could tolerate.
Li Qiye smiled and said: “Okay, the creations are right in front of you guys. Take your pick.” Having said that, he walked closer to the large lake.
Lan Yunzhu and Daoist Heaven Calculating also quickly chased after him. They went by the disorderly rock formation and inadvertently stepped on some round rocks.
The moment they did so, two round rocks suddenly pushed them away and abruptly stood up.
“Yah! Who is so blind as to actually step on me?!” Lan Yunzhu and the daoist became aghast when the two round rocks suddenly stood up and spoke.
At this time, they stared at the two rocks while being dumbfounded. No, they were not rocks but clearly two people, two dwarves. These dwarves were short and stout, yet they had long and sharp ears. Their green skin and pointy noses resulted in a very funny and weird appearance.
Cultivators usually saw many strange things, but to suddenly witness such a spectacle would frighten even the more courageous adventurers.
The daoist stared at the two dwarves in disbelief and exclaimed: “Oh man, what the hell is this thing?!”
“What the hell are you?! We are the Secret Realm’s elves, understand, little brat?”
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist were stunned. The Secret Realm’s elves — this sounded very pleasant, but it was completely different from the elves in their imaginations. No one would ever believe a dwarf calling themselves an elf.
“Don’t mind them, they are new and didn’t know that you guys were sleeping.” Li Qiye said with a wide smile.
“Hmph! No deals, no picking, don’t bother us!” The two Secret Realm’s elves were dissatisfied and loudly snorted. Then, they quickly rolled up their bodies back on the ground. They looked just like pudgy rocks once again.
At this moment, Lan Yunzhu and the daoist finally understood that what was ahead of them were not rocks, all of them were “elves.”
“Okay, go now and watch your steps. Don’t stomp on the Secret Realm’s elves. Disturbing someone’s sleep is very rude.” Li Qiye cheerfully said.
“You did it on purpose, right? You didn’t warn us beforehand so that we would stomp on these Secret Realm’s elves.” Lan Yunzhu quipped at him.
“Well… I simply forgot to mention it.” Li Qiye chuckled and leisurely replied.
In response, Lan Yunzhu only glared at him in a lively manner with a hint of playful flirtation. She was a beauty no less than the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden.
She and the daoist then carefully made their way through the sleeping elves and followed Li Qiye to the large lake.
Li Qiye sat down by the lake and stared at the surface in quiet contemplation as if he was recalling something.
He had come here in the past. After many experiments, he finally found this Secret Realm. He also brought someone else here, but unfortunately, they didn’t obtain the greatest creation.
It was a time worth remembering, a time filled with laughter. Although Li Qiye was only a Dark Crow at that time, he liked to stand here to quietly listen to this happy laughter.
Lan Yunzhu noticed him sitting in a trance, so she sat down by his side and asked: “What’s wrong?” She felt that he had something on his mind.
In her memories, Li Qiye had always been nonchalant as if nothing seemed to be able to shake his dao heart. But this time, he had turned sentimental; this word didn’t seem to be a suitable description for a ferocious and overbearing person like him.
If it wasn’t happening before her eyes, she would think that it was an illusion since she didn’t expect this out of him.
Li Qiye withdrew his gaze then looked over at Lan Yunzhu and asked: “Is the Exquisite Jewel from the Thousand Carp River still there?”
“The Exquisite Jewel?” Lan Yunzhu answered: “That is our emperor’s weapon, so of course it is still there. The jewel is an unbeatable foreign dao mysterious treasure left behind by our patriarch. It was personally refined by the patriarch as well.” 1
Lan Yunzhu found it strange and didn’t know why Li Qiye suddenly asked about the sect’s emperor’s weapon.
“That’s true, your Immortal Emperor Qian Li did personally refine this amazing foreign dao treasure. This jewel incited greed from many, but very few people could understand its profundities.”
Lan Yunzhu, of course, knew this. Many generations of geniuses with the greatest talents in the river sect had studied the jewel and had great harvests. This also applied to her.
However, this was not why she found it strange, it was more about Li Qiye’s sudden attention to it. The patriarch didn’t only leave behind one Immortal Emperor Life Treasure, so she felt that something was amiss when Li Qiye specifically brought up the jewel.
“Why are you bringing it up?” Lan Yunzhu looked at him and asked: “Is there something strange about it?” Intuition told her that Li Qiye knew more about the river sect than they themselves did. For example, the Yin Yang Pond and the Golden Divine Willow.
“Just curious.” Li Qiye answered with a smile: “I’ve long heard about the fascinating Exquisite Jewel of your Thousand Carp River, so I couldn’t help but ask. Everyone is inquisitive by nature to an extent.”
“Stop!” Lan Yunzhu snappily glanced at him and said: “Uncle, don’t act as if I don’t know what you are like. Don’t always lie without batting an eye, it is extremely obvious.”
“Then I’m very happy.” Li Qiye replied: “This shows that us husband and wife have a mental connection; you are like a worm in my stomach!”
“You are the worm! So gross!” The angry Lan Yunzhu tried to kick him while gritting her teeth. Her expression showed that she wanted to beat him up.
On the side, Daoist Heaven Calculating just acted as if he didn’t see anything. With the two flirting like this, as an outsider, the daoist knew how to act; it was as if he was invisible.
“Okay, since we are here, let us not waste any more time. You two can pick your own creations. Remember, there is only one chance. What you get is up to your own fortune.” 2
“The creation is in this lake?” Daoist Heaven Calculating asked and stared at the large lake. Coming from the Heart-ghost Tribe, he was a very skilled diviner.
Li Qiye noticed the daoist’s interest in the lake and said: “Of course. There is a great creation in the lake. It is one that encompasses the entire Secret Realm. Do you want this one?”
“I wonder if I am fated to obtain it?” The daoist indeed was very interested. He understood that when Li Qiye said that it was a great creation, it must be indescribably heaven-defying and unparalleled.
He already knew that following Li Qiye into the Prime Ominous Grave was a great fortune, so if he could obtain this creation, then his trip would be over. He understood the heaven’s will and didn’t want to be too greedy.
Li Qiye said: “Very well. If you have the ability, then I shall give you this great creation. Go first. If you can get it, then it belongs to you.”
“Thank you, Sir.” The daoist was happy to hear this and quickly bowed towards Li Qiye. After hearing this, he knew that Li Qiye had a method of obtaining this creation, but Li Qiye was giving him a chance.
Chapter 507 - Legendary Grand Creation
The daoist took a deep breath and put on a solemn expression. He lit up some incense and fixed his clothes, then he slowly took out a turtle shell before finally sitting down with crossed legs.
Seeing the daoist’s appearance, Lan Yunzhu laughed and asked: “You want to take the great creation, not someone’s fortune. What are you taking out the turtle shell for?”
The embarrassed daoist smiled and answered: “Items created by the heavens are one of a kind and not just anyone can enjoy them. Even seizing it might not be a good thing, so I will calculate my own fate to see if I can bear such a supreme treasure or not.”
“There is such a belief?” Lan Yunzhu asked with skepticism. Then she smiled and said: “Then since our Thousand Carp River has Immortal Emperor Life Treasures and True Treasures, doesn’t that mean we will also be punished by the heavens?”
The daoist shook his head in response: “Fairy Lan, our Heart-ghost Tribe is different from the Thousand Carp River. Our divining tribe obeys the heavens while your Thousand Carp River goes against the heavens. If we calculate anything too amazing, we’ll suffer a heavenly punishment.
“According to our calculations, your Immortal Emperor Qian Li continuously went against the heavens until they reached the level of Immortal Emperor. This means that, to a certain extent, the will of the heavens allowed the emperor to carry the Heaven’s Will. The emperor then created a supreme emperor’s foundation for the Thousand Carp River to protect it for millions of years.” When it came to fortune telling, the daoist blabbered on incessantly.
“Against the heavens? In accordance with the will of the heavens?” While she listened, Lan Yunzhu became very interested. Generally, cultivators didn’t care for divination and only considered fortune tellers to be street charlatans.
Li Qiye chuckled and shook his head to add: “This matter is very mysterious, but you can put it like this: Your Thousand Carp River is an emperor’s lineage with sufficient strength. You guys have emperor’s laws so the sect has become quite mighty. Even those who want emperor’s weapons would not dare to maneuver against you.
“But now let’s talk about a smaller sect. For example, a smaller sect or a vagrant cultivator possessing several emperor’s weapons or a mythical scripture — would they be able to protect them? Once found out, they would be annihilated within several days.”
“Ah…” Li Qiye’s simple explanation made the daoist speechless. He eventually added: “Sir’s argument is indeed an alternative explanation, there is some truth to it.”
“Very well. In your divination teachings, there is this saying: only the courageous will prosper. It doesn’t matter if you will be able to bear it or not, take the chance to grab it first then decide later. Which invincible existence didn’t face hardships? Those who reached the apex all went through countless life and death trials and through baptisms of blood.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued with a grin: “Like you said before, you would calculate for yourself before leaving home. In a generation such as this, you might as well never leave the house since it is safest to stay there like a turtle in its shell.”
“Well…” The daoist scratched his head and pondered for a while before replying: “Sir makes a lot of sense. Haha, my habit of calculating can’t be fixed.”
At this point, he couldn’t help but ask: “Sir, how does one take the great creation from this place?”
“You must have a certain something or win the acceptance of this Secret Realm. There is another simple and direct method — just jump straight in. If you are lucky like a heaven’s son, then maybe the Secret Realm will accept you and you will obtain the great creation after diving in.” Li Qiye smiled, then he added: “But think about it carefully. If you directly jump in, the probability of dying in there is a lot higher than coming out alive.”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but startlingly exclaim: “Didn’t you say that there was no danger in a Secret Realm? Why would he die by jumping in? What is the point of even talking about the creation then?”
“Where can you acquire a defining treasure so easily? Of course, obtaining a creation would be difficult as well.” Li Qiye shook his head with a smile.
“Okay, let me calculate to see what item would be accepted by the Secret Realm.” The daoist took a deep breath and decided. In the end, he couldn’t change his occupational habit.
“Craa—craa—craa—” With a serious expression, the daoist meticulously shook his turtle shell, creating crisp sounds.
“Ding ding ding ding!” Finally, he threw the turtle shell to the ground to see how he could procure this great creation.
“Crack!” However, the turtle shell immediately shattered the moment it touched the ground. With a blanched expression, the daoist took several steps back while shivering as if he had just taken a hammer to the chest.
Seeing this sudden development shook Lan Yunzhu with a jolt as she asked: “What happened?”
“It is incalculable.” Li Qiye shook his head and answered.
“The heaven’s punishment!” The daoist no longer dared to divine any further. As a Heart-ghost member, he understood the significance of the heaven’s punishment.
He struggled to heave in a deep breath to calm down before bowing towards Li Qiye: “I’m grateful for Sir’s chance, but unfortunately, I cannot own this creation. Maybe it will bring about a calamity to my entire tribe.”
“Is the heaven’s punishment that terrible?” Lan Yunzhu saw the fear in him and emotionally asked.
“That was only a warning from the heavens. If I force myself to divine it, then maybe I will share the same fate as my ancestor. And it wouldn’t just be my death, maybe my entire tribe would face the heavenly lightning as well. These creations are extremely heaven-defying and I don’t think I should own such items. Even obtaining one by chance would not necessarily be a blessing.”
“What about me? You think I can take it? Or rather, do I have the fortune and ability to enjoy the defining treasure?” Lan Yunzhu asked Li Qiye.
Li Qiye answered with a smile: “You? With regards to the Thousand Carp River’s power as well as divination, you should have sufficient fortune to bear it. However, do you know how to acquire it?” Here, he pointed at the daoist and said: “If he risks his life to calculate as a Heartless Mirror Master, then maybe he will find out some clues, but you… You don’t know anything…
“That is why I gave him a chance. Others won’t be able to know, only Heartless Mirror Masters of the Heart-ghost Tribe have the chance to figure it out.”
“Heartless Mirror Master?” Lan Yunzhu looked at the daoist and startlingly uttered: “Legend has it that these masters are born with natural calculating divine pupils in your Heart-ghost Tribe!”
“Indeed, Fairy Lan, I am naturally born without a Heartmirror, so I am pitied by the heavens.” The daoist didn’t dare to boast and only answered truthfully: “However, being born with divine pupils for seeing is not necessarily a good thing.”
Everyone knew that Heart-ghost members were born with a Heartmirror, but Daoist Heaven Calculating was born without one. Most members without a Heartmirror would not be able to become a diviner. However, there was a certain chance of them having divine pupils. These people were called Heartless Mirror Masters and were destined to be great diviners since the moment of their birth!
“And so, only a Heartless Mirror Master like him has a certain chance of divining the secret. You, on the other hand, cannot unless you have something else to assist you.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Lan Yunzhu immediately looked at Li Qiye and revealed a sparkling smile, a smile that encompassed charm and beauty, a smile that was crying for sympathy. She then said: “Then tell me about this creation, or just help me get it.”
“Sorry, but you have to obtain this creation by yourself.” Li Qiye shook his head and added: “Me bringing you here is already a creation in and of itself.”
Lan Yunzhu angrily elbowed him and glared as she said: “Stingy, nevermind then.”
Li Qiye then shifted his attention to the daoist and said: “You still have a chance. If you can figure out the ultimate meaning, then you can still grab it without having to do anything. Granting you the power of the divine pupils could only be seen as the heavens loving Heartless Mirror Masters.”
“Thank you for your kindness.” The daoist was reasonable and said: “Obtaining this supreme treasure is useless if I won’t be alive to enjoy it. This little one does not have the fortune to enjoy such a precious treasure.”
“Hmph! Fine, then just forget about this defining treasure.” Lan Yunzhu coquettishly said: “You can grab this thing yourself, I will go get a different creation. Quick, tell me how to get a different one.”
Li Qiye chuckled and pointed at the sleeping elves by the lake, saying: “Go wake them up. You guys can pick an elf and trade something with them. Whatever you get will depend on your own fortune.”
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist stared at the sleeping elves by the lake. They were like round rocks without any movement at all.
“What should we trade?” Lan Yunzhu asked.
Li Qiye answered: “It’s very simple, they like golden things the most. Take out something with a sparkling golden color, but of course, gold is best. They like gold a lot.”
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist suddenly became silent. In the eyes of mortals, gold was indeed very precious, but it was trash in the eyes of cultivators for they had no need for mortal items.
Some vagrant cultivators, especially weaker ones who often mingled with the mundane world, would have a lot of gold in their pockets. Sadly, Lan Yunzhu came from an emperor’s lineage so she had no need for such things.
Chapter 508 - Exchange
“Ah… Hmm… It seems that I have a little bit.” The daoist searched his pockets to see if he could find any gold. He was more fortunate than Lan Yunzhu; since he regularly calculated others’ fortune, he coincidentally had some gold. After spending half a day looking, he finally had a few bits of gold.
He then excitedly asked Li Qiye: “Young Noble, will each elf have different treasures?”
“Yes! Each elf has their own special treasure. You are free to do as you please.” Li Qiye smiled and added: “If you want, you can try to divine it as well to see which elf is right for you.”
“That… won’t be necessary, I’ll just test my luck.” The daoist simply closed his eyes and picked a random “rock.” He wanted to test his luck for a change.
“What do you want?” The awakened elf was very annoyed. Any sleeper being woken would be unhappy. The elf then glared at the daoist and angrily exclaimed: “Brat, if you are not here to trade, then I’ll beat you into a pig’s head!”
The daoist opened his palm to show off the bits of gold and quickly said: “I want to trade for a creation.”
The elf’s green eyes immediately opened up wide after seeing the sparkling gold bits in the daoist’s hand. His sleepiness immediately disappeared. Li Qiye was right, these elves really liked gold.
“I want all of it!” The elf quickly gathered all the gold bits into his own pocket, then he took a look at Daoist Heaven Calculating: “Oh, a ghost, and a lying swindler ghost at that!”
The daoist became speechless when the Heart-ghost Tribe were dubbed lying swindlers by the elf. He let out a wry smile and tried to explain: “I am part of the Heart-ghost Tribe, we specialize in divining for others.”
“I know.” The elf said with a clearly disinterested appearance: “There is nothing redeeming about these ghosts!”
The daoist was completely dumbfounded once again. What could he say to counter these words?
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu both exploded in laughter; the daoist became quite embarrassed.
“Take it. Because of the gold, I’ll give you the Divine Board of River Luo. Hmph, if you didn’t give me gold, I would never have decided to give you such a nice item like this!” The elf threw a treasure towards the daoist then coiled up and went back to sleep.
The daoist looked at the divine board in his hands. His eyes brightened and he emotionally exclaimed: “This… This is a great treasure for divining. It’s even better than the turtle shell left behind by my ancestors!”
“Of course.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Inside the Prime Ominous Grave, the fortunes in this Secret Realm are amazing. As long as you have the luck to enter, you will have a great harvest.”
“Thank you for your help.” The daoist bowed again towards Li Qiye. If Li Qiye didn’t bring him along, then he wouldn’t have been able to enter this Secret Realm.
“Now it’s your turn to test your luck.” Li Qiye smiled at Lan Yunzhu and continued: “If you are lucky, maybe you will be able to trade for something great.”
Lan Yunzhu looked at the group of elves but couldn’t make a decision right away. After looking at them for a while, she then looked over at Li Qiye with puppy dog eyes.
“Don’t look at me, I will not give you a treasure.” Li Qiye denied as he shook his head.
Lan Yunzhu cheerfully smiled and said: “Uncle, your eyes are as bright as torches and are sharp enough to see through all things; will you choose an elf for me?” She acted a bit coquettishly like a pampered child and continued on: “I know that Uncle is a person who knows all things under the heavens and above the earth. My admiration for you spans as long as the endless rivers…”
“Okay, stop flattering me, it’s so fake.” Li Qiye angrily said: “I will pick an elf for you.”
Lan Yunzhu then threw a gentle and lovable smile at him and said: “I knew that Uncle was a nice person!”
“Don’t keep on using the beauty trap or I’ll really have you tonight.” Li Qiye’s direct words left Lan Yunzhu flustered. She quickly elbowed his chest and angrily shouted: “Go die, pervert!”
Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh. After looking for a while, he pointed to a sleeping elf: “That one, maybe you will have an unexpected harvest.”
Lan Yunzhu happily ran over and woke up the sleeping elf.
“What do you have to trade with me?” The elf got up and asked.
Lan Yunzhu immediately took out some shining golden items and placed them in front of the elf.
Who said only the Secret Realm’s elves liked bright things? Women also loved them. The items she took out were not treasures, they were just some of her jewelry. Even the most simple and elegant girl would carry some golden jewelry around, and female cultivators were no exceptions.
The drowsiness immediately went away as the elf stared at Lan Yunzhu’s items. This elf looked at one thing and touched another; all of them were definitely to his liking.
Li Qiye looked at the elf touching the items and smiled to say: “Aizz, girls always have things that these elves like the most; they’ll always have eight to ten pieces of golden jewelry.”
“I want all of them!” The elf shouted. This came as no surprise since Lan Yunzhu’s jewelry were all very finely crafted. Who wouldn’t like them?
Lan Yunzhu then excitedly responded: “Then what treasure will you take out to trade with me?”
“The Reverse-time Shuttle is something I really like, it’s extremely precious.” The elf took out a round container and replied. 1
Standing beside them, Li Qiye immediately said: “Trade it.”
Under Li Qiye’s instruction, Lan Yunzhu grabbed the round container right away and pushed her items into the elf’s hands. She then smiled and said: “Deal!”
The elf was very happy and coiled himself, falling back to sleep.
Lan Yunzhu then ran back to Li Qiye while holding the round container. She was the river sect’s descendant, a high and above goddess in the eyes of others, but at this moment, she was like an excited little girl in front of Li Qiye.
“What is this treasure?” Lan Yunzhu handed the container over to Li Qiye and asked.
Li Qiye took a careful look. The simple and round lines were extremely smooth; ordinary people would not be able to see what was magical about it. He rubbed the container and praised: “Good stuff, very amazing.”
“What are the mysticisms behind this Reverse-time Shuttle?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t see through it, so she asked again.
Li Qiye had seen countless treasures. He noticed some clues but didn’t want to tell Lan Yunzhu. He instead answered with a smile: “You have to study this yourself. Only then would it become a treasure that belongs to you. Then, it would not be limited to being only a tool or a weapon.”
“Fine, I’ll meditate on it by myself later then.” Lan Yunzhu gave him a look and said. Nevertheless, she was still quite happy to have this Reverse-time Shuttle. As an imperial descendant, she had seen emperor’s weapons before, but this Reverse-time Shuttle had a different significance. It was something that she traded for with Li Qiye’s guidance, so she liked it a lot.
“Okay, Uncle, we both got treasures so it is your turn. We can leave once you obtain a treasure too.” Lan Yunzhu urged Li Qiye.
Li Qiye sat by the lake and took out a treasure box; inside was a burning turtle. This was the turtle taken from Nightsea, a Yang Night-turtle.
After Li Qiye’s training, this turtle became very obedient unlike its previous rebellious self.
“What kind of divine turtle is this?” Lan Yunzhu noticed the flames on top of the divine universal chains and asked.
Even the most unaware individual would know that this turtle was extraordinary.
“A Yang Night-turtle from Nightsea.” Li Qiye’s forehead loosened up as a brilliance suddenly flashed. A universal law chain locked the turtle once again.
“There are turtles in Nightsea?” The daoist asked in astonishment: “I’ve never heard of anyone fishing anything out of Nightsea besides Nightfish!”
Lan Yunzhu was also surprised. Up till this point, the people of the Sacred Nether World knew that Nightsea only had Nightfish. For millions of years, there had never been any tales indicating otherwise.
Now, a turtle suddenly showed up from Nightsea. Anyone would know that this turtle must be extremely heaven-defying.
Li Qiye looked at the turtle in his palm and said: “We’ll make a deal. You go get something for me, and I’ll give you a creation as well as find someone to take you back to Nightsea. In the future, when you become accomplished with the dao, the Ancestral Flow will take care of you inside Necropolis. Of course, if you don’t want to, I won’t force you, but I have to let you know that I will be making a turtle hot pot tonight. Don’t even dream about escaping, it is useless with my divine chain around you.”
“You call this a deal? You are clearly threatening it.” Lan Yunzhu threw a frustrated glance at Li Qiye and said.
Li Qiye’s eyes squinted as he smiled and said: “You are right, I am threatening it and I’m not joking around.”
When Li Qiye narrowed his eyes, not to mention Lan Yunzhu who knew him too well, even the turtle in his hand shuddered. It felt that if it couldn’t escape, then its fate would be even worse than becoming turtle stew.
“If you agree to the deal, then nod your head and I’ll grant you a creation.” Li Qiye smiled and said. At this point, his demeanor appeared to be very harmless, but Lan Yunzhu and the daoist both shivered. They felt that Li Qiye’s current appearance was the most frightening.
Chapter 509 - Obtaining The Treasure
Nightsea was known to only have Yang Nightfish, so the existence of this turtle was already amazing in itself. This turtle definitely had to be a creature with intelligence. After hearing Li Qiye, it immediately nodded.
“That’s good, I like sensible people.” Li Qiye said as he smiled. Li Qiye then solemnly took out a bottle and carefully poured a drop of Myriad Star Water. The small bottle of Myriad Star Water had been used several times already, so now Li Qiye treasured every single drop.
“You… You are too wasteful! You are feeding a turtle Myriad Star Water!” Lan Yunzhu’s heart was bleeding. This was not her first time seeing Li Qiye’s wasteful extravagance. Back at the Thousand Islands, he had done something similar, but now, it was ridiculous to the point where he actually fed a turtle this valuable water.
She painfully said: “Do you not feel any remorse for doing so? Do you know how valuable this water is? This is something even Immortal Emperors desire, yet you are giving it to a turtle! You… have gone too far!”
“What? This… Is the legendary Myriad Star Water only meant for Immortal Emperors?” The daoist stammered after hearing this. He couldn’t help but stare in a daze with his tongue tied.
He had only heard of this supreme celestial item while other people actually questioned its existence. One drop of Myriad Star Water was even more valuable than a drop of emperor’s blood. And now, Li Qiye had actually fed this turtle an item more valuable than emperor’s blood!
If this sort news were to be spread, countless people would be frightened to death. Some would definitely question the legitimacy of such a statement.
“This is way too luxurious, way too prodigal…!” After a long time, the daoist finally managed to utter one sentence. He wouldn’t have believed such a thing if he didn’t see it with his own eyes. He had seen extravagant spending before; some who hailed from emperor’s lineages would use Virtuous Paragon Refined Jades as their pocket change.
However, those people were nothing compared to Li Qiye. Using Myriad Star Water to feed a turtle — who could be more wasteful than him? Being wasteful to such an extent was beyond literary description. A drop of Myriad Star Water could reverse life and death in a last-minute situation. Such a precious item was a priceless treasure.
Li Qiye nonchalantly said: “The turtle requires Myriad Star Water to stimulate its potential. Otherwise, it can’t go into that place.”
The turtle knew that this drop of water was good stuff, so it stuck out its tongue and sucked in the water without wasting any.
“Buzzz!” The moment it swallowed the liquid, the flames erupting on its body became even stronger. The universal divine chains intertwined with the fire as if they were about to become an immortal chapter.
In the blink of an eye, these chains covered the entire turtle as if it was a turtle shell.
“Is it worth it? A drop of star water is even more precious than emperor’s blood.” After seeing the turtle taking in the water, Lan Yunzhu asked.
“Completely worth it.” Li Qiye nodded his head instantly and replied: “If I can obtain this creation, then it would absolutely be worth it.”
“If? Only if?” Lan Yunzhu glared at him and said: “Do… Do you know what the word ‘if’ means?”
It wasn’t as if Lan Yunzhu had never seen treasures before. On the contrary, since she came from the Thousand Carp River and was its descendant, she had seen many unparalleled items. However, one drop of star water was not something just anyone could get. One could negotiate with emperor’s lineages for emperor’s blood, but the star water couldn’t be bought even with money.
Using the star water to make a gamble was too grand. The daoist shuddered; witnessing such decisiveness was quite rare.
Li Qiye smiled and responded: “It shouldn’t be a problem unless something unexpected happens.”
Lan Yunzhu angrily glared at him and said: “You should have just given it to me instead of wasting it like this.”
Li Qiye retorted by pointing at his lips and teased: “If you kiss me, then I can think about giving you a drop of star water.”
Her face was immediately flushed red as she angrily cursed: “Go to hell! Shameless!”
Li Qiye only laughed in response. Then, with a buzzing sound, ten palaces appeared and slowly opened. A tree branch appeared from within one of the palaces.
“Ten palaces…” The daoist absent-mindedly murmured after seeing the ten palaces above Li Qiye’s head.
The news of Li Qiye having nine stars and ten palaces had already been spread everywhere, but seeing it was completely different from just hearing about it. Witnessing it with his own eyes left the daoist shaken.
At this point, the withered stump that resembled a hand flew out of one of Li Qiye’s Fate Palaces and fell onto the turtle’s back. Its branches then seemingly turned into tentacles and latched onto the turtle’s body.
The turtle had a shell made out of divine chains and a withered trunk that looked like a hand, so its appearance became quite strange. The daoist and Lan Yunzhu didn’t understand the logic behind this combination.
“Why did you put the branch on the turtle’s back?” She then curiously asked. She had seen this withered trunk before, back when Li Qiye obtained it on the islands. At that time, he used a precious young leaf and grinded it into a liquid in order to obtain this tree trunk.
Seeing the dried trunk with little shoots full of life, Li Qiye smiled and replied: “The turtle is the guide. No one can enter this Secret Realm’s lake. Only death awaits those who fall in, but an existence like this Yang Night-turtle is able to survive. Of course, the turtle itself can’t take the item, so it requires the tree trunk to be accepted by the Secret Realm.”
The daoist, who was skilled in calculating, recognized that this tree trunk was extraordinary, so he curiously asked: “What kind of divine tree is this dried tree?”
For it to be accepted by this Secret Realm, this tree trunk must have a heaven-frightening origin.
“At the very least, it is a divine tree that you cannot calculate or else you will suffer the heaven’s punishment.” Li Qiye said with a grin.
Li Qiye then let go of the turtle and patted its back: “Go, help me get that thing and you will be free.”
The turtle then crawled into the lake and instantly disappeared below the surface.
Li Qiye sat by the lake and calmly watched the water. Although he had a relaxed demeanor, his intense gaze towards the lake showed that he was very serious.
Lan Yunzhu sat next to him and looked at the lake as well. She didn’t dare to speak; it was as if she thought that speaking would disturb the existence in the lake.
Previously, the daoist had read Li Qiye’s palm and was scared out of his wits. Now, Li Qiye’s seriousness made him wonder what the defining treasure of this place could be. What item could make him so solemn?
Time passed by, but the lake was still very calm. It was as if nothing had happened, as if the turtle had dived down and escaped.
After a long period of time, Lan Yunzhu became worried and quietly asked: “Could it be that the turtle has run away?”
“I’m not worried about it escaping.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued: “Even if it was ten times more courageous, it still wouldn’t dare to flee from me.” His eyes were still fixated on the water.
“What is the defining treasure of this place?” She inquired once more. Lan Yunzhu believed that Li Qiye’s horizons were wide; an ordinary treasure wouldn’t be able to tempt him. Something capable of such a deed must be unique in this world.
Li Qiye hesitated for a bit before eventually answering: “I don’t know.” After pausing, he added: “I hope that it is what I think it is, I really hope so.”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but become surprised at this answer. His hesitation spoke plenty since it was quite rare to see such an expression on his face. He was not the indecisive type, but now, he was not certain and was lacking confidence.
This was something Lan Yunzhu had never seen before. Even when he said he wanted to destroy the Myriad Bones Throne, he was still full of absolute confidence!
However, this time was different. What was it that made him so unsure?
“Boom!” The entire Secret Realm shook as if something was affecting it. This caused the lake to ripple with waves while water shot up high and splashed everywhere.
“Success!” Li Qiye became ecstatic. He stood up to gaze at the rippling water.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist became nervous as well. They stared at the surface, waiting for the turtle to appear.
After a good while, the surface calmed down as the waves receded, then the turtle finally emerged and swam to the shore.
It was apparent that the turtle was greatly fatigued; even a single step took all of its strength. The turtle shell created by universal laws had been completely shattered and cracks were visible on its body. Although it had swallowed a drop of star water, its wounds still didn’t quickly heal.
Chapter 510 - Realm’s Defining Treasure
It was clearly wounded as the flames on its body had been extinguished. If it didn’t drink a drop of star water beforehand, it would have died in the lake even if it had ten lives.
Lan Yunzhu and the daoist were quite shocked. It wasn’t because that the turtle was wounded, but because of the hand-like tree trunk.
At this time, the withered trunk exuded boundless immortal lights with waves of immortal laws descending upon it. Each immortal law derived the most profound grand dao in this world; it was as if they could collapse the heavens and cause chaos to the Yin and Yang. It was as if these immortal laws came from the body of a supreme immortal.
Even geniuses like Lan Yunzhu couldn’t handle looking at these lights. Her legs even became weak. These laws instilled awe and fear to those in its presence; when these laws approached, Lan Yunzhu and the daoist could feel that the laws were suppressing their own grand dao while their grand dao was screaming and struggling under the might of this new law.
Lan Yunzhu cultivated a Heaven’s Will Secret Law, but it could not oppose this immortal law. How frightening was it for even a secret law to fail to oppose it?
Inside these endless immortal lights was an indiscernible “something.” The lights were simply too bright, so Lan Yunzhu had to activate her heavenly gaze — powered by her secret law — just to see the thing inside.
It was a book, a very old book. It seemed to have been created in a natural process, so it was more of an item crafted by the heaven and earth than a book. This book harmonized with the world as if it was one with everything.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t imagine the power this book would exude once the pages were flipped. Once the pages of this book were turned, maybe the heaven and earth would shake, or maybe myriad worlds would lose their music. The sky could cry tears of blood while the earth could tremble!
Li Qiye looked at this book and emotionally murmured: “Yes… So it was true. Just like what I theorized, it really does exist!”
In the past, Li Qiye — as the Dark Crow — became friends with the Ancestral Flow Master and experienced many things together. The master said that the Prime Ominous Grave’s Secret Realm hid a book, so Li Qiye had always been searching for it. A unique book, a book coveted by Immortal Emperors, a book so precious that they would pay any price to obtain it.
Later on, he didn’t only come to the Prime Ominous Grave once or twice. Sometimes, he wouldn’t get any treasures. If that was the case, he would only research the stopping points of the Corpseblood Clouds. In the end, hard work paid off and Li Qiye found this Secret Realm.
Another time, Li Qiye brought Immortal Emperor Qian Li here, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to obtain the book. This book had always lingered in his mind, so he began to study even more and read countless ancient books and tablets. Finally, he had stumbled upon a method.
In this generation, he found the dried trunk so he finally had the chance to try out his theory. He wasn’t very certain because the book’s existence itself was merely speculation; the Ancestral Flow Master wasn’t sure either.
Moreover, there were most likely several Secret Realms in the Prime Ominous Grave and not just this one. In summary, Li Qiye didn’t have much confidence, but this book was worth the gamble.
And it was not in vain; just like he had speculated, this Secret Realm indeed had this book. The legends were real, and the secrets in this book must be real as well.
The turtle climbed onto the shore where Li Qiye quickly grabbed the book. The always-nonchalant Li Qiye was unable to contain his emotions as he caressed the book and exclaimed: “It really is this book! The heavens didn’t let me down!”
The daoist asked while being visibly moved: “What kind of precious book is this?” He didn’t know what it was outside of the fact that it must be very amazing and terrifying at the same time.
Li Qiye took a deep breath and put the book away as one of his Fate Palaces sucked in the dried trunk. Seeing the cracked body of the turtle, Li Qiye took out the bottle and fed it another drop of Myriad Star Water.
After taking in this drop, the turtle became lively again. The water’s medicinal effect started to close its wounds.
Lan Yunzhu glared at him once more and exclaimed: “You are too lavish. One drop alone is enough to scare others to death, but another drop?! Do you want everyone in this world to drop dead from horror?!”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t be blamed for this overreaction. If others witnessed such a thing, they would pray that they could turn into a turtle to enjoy the Myriad Star Water.
On the other hand, the daoist could only wryly smile. No cultivators in this world were comparable to this turtle; they never had the chance to taste one drop, let alone two.
“This is for its contribution. It’s very worthy.” Li Qiye smiled and said as he tapped the bottle of water: “You are now free. When the time is right, I will tell someone to drop you off at Nightsea.”
It was as if the turtle understood Li Qiye’s words since it happily rubbed against him. Li Qiye’s brows relaxed as he withdrew the universal divine chains that were latched on the turtle’s body.
A while after he obtained the book, a buzzing sound suddenly appeared. From the lake rose a dao platform where a portal slowly opened. It was time for them to leave.
Li Qiye looked at the opening portal and told the other two: “Come, it is time for us to enter the five Grave Realms.”
Lan Yunzhu and Daoist Heaven Calculating decisively followed Li Qiye into the portal. It suddenly turned dark as they were teleported out of the Secret Realm to another location.
Lan Yunzhu opened her eyes and saw a majestic scenery with mountain ranges. The taller mountains were mainly formed from numerous smaller stones and boulders, but a few were also single unified rock formations. Because of this, the shapes of these mountains were quite strange. Some appeared to be eggs while others looked like pillars. Two or three of them placed next to each other formed a giant gate.
Standing here gave the illusion that there was nothing other than rocks, as if this was a world of stone.
“The fluctuation of minerals here is quite strong.” Lan Yunzhu felt a strange aura and startlingly exclaimed: “Could this place be specialized in giving birth to treasure metals and divine stones?”
“You are correct.” Li Qiye smiled in response: “There are five Grave Realms in the Prime Ominous Grave, and each of them is different. Later on, some people divided the five into five Great Realms: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. You are standing in the place others refer to as the Metal Realm.
“Five elemental realms…” The daoist thought to himself. This was different from his imagination.
“You can also put it this way: each of the five realms has their own special characteristic. For example, this Metal Realm specializes in giving birth to treasure metals and divine stones. If one wants to find grand dao treasure metals or destiny true stones, then this is the right place to be. There are minerals and ores in this realm.” Li Qiye paused for a moment before continuing: “If you want to find spirit medicines and grasses, or even the legendary King Medicines, then you should go to the Wood Realm because it has them in great quantities; it has the best ingredients in this world.”
“Is this place not the Prime Ominous Grave?” The puzzled Lan Yunzhu asked: “There is no grave here, so why is it called the Prime Ominous Grave?”
“You want to see graves?” Li Qiye smirked and said: “Then go to the Earth Realm. The graves that you want to see will be at that location, and all of them are beyond your imagination. One has to prepare well before going, and this realm would be best saved for last.”
“Why is that?” The daoist curiously asked.
Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and explained: “The Earth Realm is also called the Prime Grave, or the Center Realm. Although the five realms are not directly adjacent to each other, the other four circle the Earth Realm. The Prime Grave is the most dangerous out of all of them, so if you want to test your fortune in that place, you have to be mentally prepare to die. If you can make it out alive, then you will surely obtain a great creation; of course, the majority of people die inside. One out of ten coming out alive is putting it nicely, it’s more like one out of ten thousand.”
Lan Yunzhu inquired: “Why is it so dangerous? Are there ghosts there?”
“Hahaha, ghosts?” Li Qiye smiled and answered: “If they were ghosts like the members of the ghost race, then it would not be scary at all. Once you enter the Prime Grave, you will find out just what the scariest ghosts in this world are.”
“There really are ghosts?” The daoist asked again.
Although people called the Ghost Immortal Race ghosts, these ghost immortals had never accepted this title. The truth was that they weren’t ghosts, they were existences with flesh and blood.
Some other existences were also called ghosts, such as the sentiments, but they were also not real ghosts. They were only lingering sentiments, different from the ghosts the mortal world thought of.
Chapter 511 - Mysteries of the Destiny Stones
In fact, these so-called “real ghosts” had never been seen before. Cultivators didn’t believe in ghosts, just like how they did not believe in true immortals.
“Well…” Li Qiye squinted his eyes then chuckled: “That is hard to say, but if you want to find out, then go to a grave in the Earth Realm. If you have the chance to crawl inside, maybe you will actually meet a real ghost.”
“Ah, forget it.” The daoist jumped and felt a chill crawl down his spine as if he was being stared at by a ghost.
Li Qiye chuckled then looked towards the far horizon. Every time he came to this place, he would always want to go to a certain location. He knew that there was something even he could never obtain, but he could still give it another shot.
While Li Qiye stared at the far horizon, the daoist took out another turtle shell and shook it.
“What are you trying to calculate?” Li Qiye looked at this daoist that was stricken with his occupational habit and asked: “Are you trying to calculate the Prime Grave?”
“Hmm…” The daoist wryly smiled and responded: “I don’t dare to calculate the Prime Grave because the heavenly lightning will strike me dead. Hehe, but even if I can’t do so, I can still calculate my own luck. Not about the future and not about the heaven’s will, only my own fortune to see which Great Realm is right for me.”
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what to say. The daoist was indeed a natural seer; he wanted to divine every single thing — this habit ought to be fixed.
“There is no need to calculate.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued: “Go to the Fire Realm if you want a suitable realm; that place is right for the Heart-ghost Tribe. Follow your heart and you will surely benefit greatly.”
After hearing this, the daoist stopped shaking his turtle shell and quickly asked: “Really?”
“Go and see for yourself. Of course, you can also calculate to see, but I trust that I am not wrong.” Li Qiye answered with a smile.
“This little one definitely believes in Sir and will follow your suggestion.” The daoist quickly put away his shell and asked: “How does one reach the Fire Realm?”
Li Qiye pointed towards a direction and said: “Go straight ahead from here and you will find a dao platform. Go through the portal and it will teleport you to the Fire Realm.”
“Thank you, Sir, for your guidance!” The daoist bowed and quickly showed his gratitude: “This little one will not bother you any longer. I shall go ahead to find the Fire Realm.”
“Go, your harvest will not be small.” Li Qiye smiled in response.
The daoist bid farewell to the other two and went towards the direction Li Qiye pointed to. The daoist was already satisfied from entering the Secret Realm with Li Qiye so now he wanted to see if he could find his own fortune by himself.
Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye watched as the daoist departed.
Afterward, Lan Yunzhu asked: “Where do we go now? Will we meet up with Master’s group?”
Li Qiye smirked and looked at Lan Yunzhu to say: “Would you like a destiny true stone?”
“Destiny true stone?” Lan Yunzhu shook her head and replied: “I already have my own true fate treasure. It was created from quite an exceptional destiny true stone.”
The stone mentioned by Lan Yunzhu was quite amazing. In the end, the river sect was an emperor’s lineage and she was its descendant, so the stone she owned would naturally not be mediocre.
Li Qiye added with a smile: “But this place has even better destiny true stones, ones that are more suitable for you. Of course, this is only if you are meant to have one.”
Lan Yunzhu smiled and gave him a look: “Uncle, don’t try to trick me. My true fate treasure was created from an eight heavenly accumulations destiny true stone, it’s only a bit worse than one with nine heavenly accumulations. Even the true fate treasure of the throne of bones’ descendant is just barely better than mine; his Imperial Spear has nine accumulations.”
Among these destiny stones, having nine accumulations would be the upper limit so destiny stones with nine accumulations were the best. It was no wonder why Lan Yunzhu said that her own stone wasn’t bad; this was already being very humble. Eight accumulation destiny stones were worthy of being called priceless treasures while nine accumulation stones were items that could only be obtained with great luck.
Li Qiye shook his head and said: “Girl, more often than not, the strength of a true fate treasure is not due to the amount of heavenly accumulations. Moreover, the quality of these stones is not dependent on the amount either. Since time immemorial, not all true fate weapons of Immortal Emperors were crafted from nine accumulation destiny stones. In addition, most invincible existences did not search for only nine accumulation destiny stones because refining them did not always yield the strongest true fate weapon.”
Lan Yunzhu gave him a coy look and said: “Uncle, I know. My master already taught me this basic common sense when I started cultivating. There is only the most suitable destiny stone and not the strongest destiny stone. The quantity of the heavenly accumulations in these stones is only something the world uses for ordering, it’s not to distinguish their strengths…”
“I don’t need Uncle to explain this to me.” Lan Yunzhu gave him a stern look and continued on: “For example, Immortal Emperor Bu Zhan. His Immortal Emperor True Treasure was only crafted from a single heavenly accumulation destiny stone, but it was still unbeatable in the nine heavens and ten earths. Hence the previous phrase: there is only the most suitable destiny stone, and not the strongest destiny stone.”
In fact, the stories of Immortal Emperor Bu Zhan circulated for generations. His weapon that was made from a single accumulation destiny stone became a miracle even amongst the weapons of Immortal Emperors.
“You are correct, finding the most suitable stone is the most crucial aspect for cultivators.” Li Qiye smiled and continued: “But keep in mind that there are also other details to these destinty stones. This is why these stones were classified by a grand system all this time. For example, if we have two stones where both of them only have one heavenly accumulation, if one of them contains inflammation fire while the other contains the dao of a Vermillion Bird, which one do you think is stronger? Both of them belong to the fire element.”
“Of course I know this. If the cultivator trains with a heavenly fire fate law, then the stone with the inflammation fire will be stronger, but if they train with a fiery bird fate law, then it would be the stone with the Vermillion Bird.” Lan Yunzhu snickered and said: “Uncle, don’t test me, this is only common knowledge.”
Li Qiye smiled and continued his questioning: “Very good, now let’s have two destiny stones with two heavenly accumulations. One of them has the inflammation fire and mysterious ice while the other has the dao of a Vermillion Bird and Fiery Vulture. Which one do you think is stronger?”
“Hmm…” Lan Yunzhu contemplated before answering: “If we were using the same fate laws described earlier, then the second destiny stone is stronger. The first destiny stone is affected by the conflict between fire and ice, so even the cultivator cultivating the heavenly fire fate law would be weakened by this. The second one has both the dao of the Vermillion Bird and Fiery Vulture — these are both fiery birds, so it will make the fiery bird fate law even stronger.”
Li Qiye chuckled and said: “Worthy of being the Thousand Carp River’s descendant, you’re not too stupid.”
Lan Yunzhu responded by stomping on Li Qiye’s foot and glaring at him: “Uncle, what are you trying to say? If you keep on teasing me, you better watch out!” Lan Yunzhu gritted her teeth while taking on a fierce pose.
Li Qiye was still smiling as he continued on: “Then I’ll test you again. We’ll use the same two cultivators again, one with the heavenly fire fate law while the other with the fiery bird fate law. Then we’ll give them the choice of two new destiny stones…
“These two have three heavenly accumulations. One of them has inflammation fire, mysterious ice, and pure Yang. The other has the dao of a Vermillion Bird, the dao of a Fiery Vulture, and Samadhi Flames. Which do you think is the suitable stone for them?”
“Hmm…” Lan Yunzhu pondered for a moment before answering: “In theory, both cultivators are fire cultivators. Although the Samadhi Flame is not of the fiery bird’s branch, it clearly augments the other two dao. The first destiny stone might have the pure Yang flame which is also of the fiery branch, but the mysterious ice dao conflicts with the pure Yang flame and inflammation fire. Even if the pure Yang flame and the inflammation fire support each other, causing them to become several times stronger, the conflict with the mysterious ice will result in their power getting weakened. Thus, logically speaking, the second destiny stone is stronger.”
Lan Yunzhu was the descendant of the river sect so she had vast knowledge in this regard, thus her answer was very reasonable.
“You’d be wrong.” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “When one cultivates a good heavenly fire fate law and refines the stone into one’s own true fate treasure, then the three heavenly accumulations in this stone will change. The pure Yang dao will become an incubator to refine the mysterious ice dao. Then, the mysterious ice and inflammation fire dao will combine together with Yin and Yang, giving birth to a new supreme Yin Yang dao! With this True Treasure, this fiery flame cultivator’s initial heavenly fire fate law would become the most tyrannical fate law in this world!”
“Really?” Lan Yunzhu skeptically asked.
“Of course, it is true. This theory is called the heavenly accumulation fusion. When a destiny stone is refined into a new true fate treasure, if you can combine several accumulations together to form an entirely new accumulation, its power would be even stronger and more formidable…
“Indubitably, this fusion has very stringent requirements. It is very rare to see a destiny stone with fusible accumulations. This type of destiny stone is much rarer than a nine heavenly accumulations destiny stone.”
Chapter 512 - Adventures in the Metal Realm
“Heavenly accumulation fusion…” Lan Yunzhu pondered for a good while before replying: “I think I have heard of it before… Oh, right! Master had mentioned it in the past; this fusion is only possible in theory and even till now, cultivators do not accept such a way of thinking. They think that this type of fusion is merely theoretical speculation.”
“Then you are mistaken.” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “Discussions of this fusion have existed since a very ancient time and it is not just a theory. Later on, during the Desolate Expansion Era, the person to carry it out was Immortal Emperor Can Long of the Soaring Immortal Sect. The world knows that the emperor’s true treasure was created from a three heavenly accumulations destiny stone, but very few people are aware that this true treasure has all three dao fused together.”
“Someone actually managed to carry out this type of fusion…?” Lan Yunzhu quietly murmured.
Li Qiye nodded and added: “It wasn’t only Immortal Emperor Can Long, some other invincible existences had done it during the Emperors Era as well. Future generations were unaware of it, but the few who were privy to this secret considered these fusions to be the most supreme of destiny stones.”
“Three dao are existences, six dao are grand forms, and nine dao are deities!” Lan Yunzhu murmured on: “Supreme fusions…”
These destiny stones were birthed by the heaven and earth, so each of these heavenly accumulations took on the form of a circle and were grand dao that followed a very particular and finely crafted system.
Three accumulations were called existence dao, such as the sword tiger, mulberry tree, and fiery vulture. Stones with four to six dao were called grand images because they would give birth to an even stronger dao. For example, if a six accumulations stone contained the three dao listed above, then the sixth dao might be of powerful forms such as the sun and moon or the Yin and Yang.
As for the nine accumulations destiny stones… Stones that had seven or more accumulations would have a possibility of containing one dao of the deities. A nine accumulations stone would definitely contain at least one.
Due to this particular system, the majority of cultivators believed that a grand form dao was stronger than an existence dao while a deity dao was naturally stronger than a grand form dao.
It made sense for these cultivators to have this belief. For example, the dao of the true dragon — its power was certainly stronger than the dao of the great river. For tens of millions of years, because of this system, many cultivators truly believed that more accumulations was better. 1
“Ultimately, there is only the most suitable destiny stone and not the strongest one.” Li Qiye smiled and continued on: “This place is the best at producing the highest quality and rarest destiny stones in this world. Maybe you will be able to find a destiny stone more fitting or one that has the right fusion for yourself. Or, we can even take a step back and assume that you won’t be able to find said stones, but a nine accumulations destiny stone isn’t a bad choice either.”
Lan Yunzhu glared at him and snappily said: “Let’s go then, you think I can’t do it?”
Li Qiye chuckled and checked the direction before saying: “Let’s go over there. We’ll surely be able to find that place.” He then led the way.
The Metal Realm was full of rocks that were close together in an intricate pattern. It was easy to become lost while walking around in this place, but Li Qiye seemed to be completely unaffected. It was as if he had been here before.
“Have you been here before?” Seeing how Li Qiye was so carefree while leading the way, Lan Yunzhu looked at him and asked.
Li Qiye flicked her forehead and replied: “I told you to read more but you didn’t believe me. Reading the records of wise sages is very beneficial; one of the sages had left behind a map for the Prime Ominous Grave. If you had seen it before, then you would understand this place immediately.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t believe him and rolled her eyes to say: “Bah, how come I’ve never heard of the map of this wise sage?”
Li Qiye smirked and said: “This is because you lack the knowledge. You have a narrow view like a frog at the bottom of a well so of course you wouldn’t know about this map.”
“You are the frog with a narrow view!” Lan Yunzhu angrily retorted.
Li Qiye simply chuckled and flicked her forehead once more only to be met by her combative glare.
The Metal Realm was vast and full of boulders, stone mountains, rock formations, and shores with innumerable pebbles… There were very few trees in this scenery filled with rocks.
Many great powers and vagrant cultivators had come to the Metal Realm. They all quickly tried to find treasure metals and divine stones right away.
To cultivators, no one would ever waste this rare chance since the grave only opened once every several generations.
Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye didn’t get very far before meeting a few ghost cultivators.
“It’s Li Qiye!” At this time, Li Qiye enjoyed a notorious reputation since everyone knew that he could kill without blinking an eye. The ghost cultivators were especially cautious since Li Qiye had decapitated their people like cutting watermelons.
The weaker ghosts immediately retreated after they saw him.
Li Qiye then led Lan Yunzhu to their destination where they met many cultivators and great powers. Some sects wanted to dig at the mountains to find divine stones while others went deep into the caves to find legendary immortal metals.
Because this place produced a lot of great stone-based treasures, many cultivators and sects had great harvests. After crossing a large sandy beach, the two of them saw a master destroy half of this beach and he managed to dig out an imperial sandstone.
“Hahaha, Myriad Refined Sand! This is the king of all sand, a legendary imperial sandstone!”
“Go, now! Hurry up and dig, this imperial sandstone always comes in pairs; there is still another one down there!”
Other cultivators were sent into a frenzy after seeing someone dig out an imperial sandstone. They all began to crazily dig for the other one.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then passed by a large river and saw a group of cultivators diving down. They were all from the same sect and they seemed determined to search the river in its entirety before giving up. One disciple from downstream crazily screamed: “I found it, I found it! Master, I found the Myriad Water Source Stone!”
After hearing this, the group of cultivators soared downstream in jubilation. The sect master took a look at the treasure stone and joyously exclaimed: “This is indeed the Myriad Water Source Stone that the sect needs! Good, good job! Xiao Liuzi, you have done a great job. I’ll keep it in mind for now and will reward you after we return!”
The disciple who made this great contribution was very happy.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then crossed over another dangerous mountain ridge. Many cultivators here found many great things, and the joyous atmosphere affected plenty of cultivators in this realm.
The Prime Ominous Grave was one of the twelve burial grounds. This place was not peaceful or safe at all. The Metal Realm was one of the five Grave Realms, so it absolutely would not stay peaceful as a paradise for treasure seekers. It was also filled with dangers.
Once they passed the previously stated ridge, they found a ghost tribe decimating a huge mountain; the members of this tribe had to dig down for a thousand feet before finding the things that they wanted. After seeing the treasure, the ghost tribe master grabbed this divine metal and roared: “Look, this is the Heaven Devouring Furious Dragon Divine Metal in the legends!” The entire tribe drowned in happiness. 2
However, during their celebration, insects started to gather in the sky and formed a huge hole. “Buzzz!”
“Not good, Metal-eating Insects! Run!” Seeing the emergence of these insects that covered the sky, everyone lost their minds and tried to flee.
“Ahh!” Terrifying screams sounded out continuously. Although these experts ran for their lives, the speed of these insects was too fast and they caught the cultivators in an instant. All the experts in the tribe who participated in the excavation were devoured by the insects. After the insects flew away, only skeletons remained.
The insects ate the experts and then carried this divine metal back to their hole before disappearing inside.
Seeing several hundred experts turn into skeletons in an instant made all the spectators shudder in fear. No one dared to approach this area anymore, let alone attempt to grab that piece of draconic divine metal.
“What are Metal-eating Insects?” Lan Yunzhu looked at the group of insects that were seemingly made from steel and asked Li Qiye.
Li Qiye answered: “An extremely dangerous type of insect. They will eat just about anything, and they like divine metals the most. Their bodies are also extremely tough. It is rare to see them outside, but they are actually everywhere in the Metal Realm. Anyone who wants to dig out precious metals should be ready to meet Metal-eating Insects. They like to hide below these treasures. The bigger they are, the stronger they will be. Some stories even mentioned an insect ancestor swallowing an invincible existence.”
Not just anyone in the cultivation world could be called an invincible existence. For example, even paragons capable of starting their own countries or experts who were bestowed divine titles couldn’t be called invincible. Thus, one could only imagine how powerful these invincible existences must be. And yet, the Metal-eating Insects could still devour them — how terrifying was this?
However, the dangers of the Metal Realm went far beyond just these Metal-eating Insects. There were a few other dangers that simply couldn’t be described with words.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then passed by a plain and saw a great character of the Heavenly Sovereign realm rush out from a bottomless stone cave while screaming: “Run, run away!”
His entire body was stained with blood. The experts behind him were bloodied and battered as well.
Chapter 513 - Divine Dragon Mountain
“That’s the sect master of the Origin Sect!” Lan Yunzhu noticed this Heavenly Sovereign escaping from the cave and startlingly exclaimed.
“Ah!!” The group almost made it outside, but a tentacle suddenly whipped out with lightning speed and dragged all the experts behind the Heavenly Sovereign back inside.
The Heavenly Sovereign couldn’t escape either; another tentacle dragged him back in as well. Right after, the unwilling screams of the sovereign emanated from the cave: “No!!”
This scene caused the cultivators on the plain to stop what they were doing. They no longer dared to go closer to this cave.
“This time, the Origin Sect is finished. More than one thousand experts were annihilated altogether.” A completely pale cultivator explained since he witnessed everything: “I heard that they found a stone scripture inside that cave, so their entire sect rushed in. Who would have thought that all of them would die?”
“Just what kind of monstrosity is inside? Even a Heavenly Sovereign was helpless against it.” A quivering cultivator ran far away from the cave.
“What is inside?” Lan Yunzhu spectated from afar and asked in shock. A tentacle that overpowered even a sovereign — just how terrifying was this?
Li Qiye shook his head and said: “You can meet just about any monster in the Prime Ominous Grave. This place is treacherous, and when met by a supreme monstrosity, even a Virtuous Paragon would be doomed!”
“The grave is horrifying to this extent?” Her heart thumped after hearing his reply.
After seeing the elves in the Secret Realm, Lan Yunzhu felt that the Prime Ominous Grave was not that dangerous. Now, after seeing this scene, she finally realized that they were in the Prime Ominous Grave, known for its grim dangers.
Just how dangerous was this place? It was evident just by looking at the Metal Realm. Here, there weren’t only ferocious Metal-eating Insects, there were also some unnamed creatures. A sect found an old cave and noticed the treasure inside. Suddenly, a mist flew out and, after being enshrouded by it, all the experts suddenly became crazy.
Another expert forcefully pushed over a boulder as big as a peak in an attempt to find an ore vein underneath. However, before he could find anything, green water rushed out and melted all of his flesh, leaving behind mere bones.
There was also a powerful ghost tribe who took note of a divine stone deep in a ravine, but they were chased out by a legion of skeletons. These ghosts were running and fighting at the same time. In the end, they suffered heavy losses; only ten managed to escape with their lives.
In fact, such events happened every minute in the Metal Realm and the grave as a whole. Nevertheless, this still didn’t extinguish the cultivators’ greed for treasures.
The most tempting place in the Metal Realm was the Divine Dragon Mountain. Although the name suggested otherwise, there was not even a snake here, let alone a dragon.
It carried this name because the mountain had the appearance of a dragon soaring into the sky. It was both tall and long like a giant dragon soaring above the nine heavens.
The reason why people rushed here in droves was because this was the place that specialized in giving birth to destiny true stones. Even this was not enough to describe it; to be more exact, this place was covered with destiny stones.
Here, just by crouching down, one could pick up a destiny stone that ranged from one accumulation to nine accumulations. The Existence Destiny Stones were even more numerous; it was as if the mountain was paved with these stones. 1
After this news came out, those in the Metal Realm would go to the Divine Dragon Mountain to test their luck to see if they would be accepted by a Deity Destiny Stone. All cultivators wanted a stone of this level.
“Good news, the descendant of the Southern Ancient School has been accepted by an eight accumulations destiny stone and has taken it away.”
Another senior brother said: “Hahaha, my junior brother also got accepted by a seven accumulations destiny stone. It was right for him, so he took it away.”
An envious person recalled: “I heard the Saint Child of the Azure Bird Sacred Ground got accepted by six pieces of seven accumulations destiny stones at the same time. In the end, he took the Cold Bird destiny stone that was the most fitting for him.”
However, there were also those who took glee in the misfortune of others: “I gotta say, the oldest young noble from the Free Sect is the unluckiest. His talents are no less than any imperial descendant, but he wanted a nine accumulations destiny stone. Unfortunately, after going through all the Grand Form and Deity Destiny Stones, none of them were willing to leave with him.”
A cultivator curiously added: “Yeah, that is quite strange. The oldest young noble is brilliant and no weaker than a genius like the Titanic Crescent Saint Child. It seems that he had been cursed or something this time; not a single good destiny stone was willing to go with him.”
In the Metal Realm, this mountain was a hot topic and every second, someone would talk about the events that happened here. Many cultivators and sects from the other realms also quickly ran to the Metal Realm to try their luck after hearing about the Divine Dragon Mountain.
However, the Divine Dragon Mountain was a source of both happiness and insanity. Some people were accepted by the Great Form and Deity Destiny Stones, but there were others who searched the entire mountain and didn’t get accepted by any of them!
Li Qiye’s goal was also this mountain, so he took Lan Yunzhu there. Lan Yunzhu looked at the scene and uttered in disbelief: “No way!”
Li Qiye smiled and said: “This is only possible in the Prime Ominous Grave.”
In fact, it wasn’t just Lan Yunzhu, anyone else who came to this mountain would have the same shocked expression where they couldn’t believe their own eyes. This was simply impossible!
Li Qiye had seen this expression countless times. Everyone who came here would be frightened by this miracle!
The shape of this majestic soaring dragon mountain was not the reason why people were startled. It was because there were destiny stones all over the place; it was as if the mountain itself was built from these little stones.
Here, destiny stones were as common as pebbles, causing others to be dazzled. Countless people wished that they could move this entire mountain back to their home.
On this huge mountain, all types of destiny stones could be found. One accumulation stones that looked like crystals were everywhere. One could see a stone with the dao of a carp turning into a dragon. Another two accumulations stone had a Yang fire melting a metal. There was also a three accumulations stone with burning fire; multi-colored soft essences were being melted inside… Then, there were the eight accumulations destiny stones that combined itself with the grand dao while emitting golden and brilliant auspicious images. Meanwhile, the nine accumulations destiny stones resembled bones of beasts and had divine runes from a mythical beast, a Gluttonous Dragon.” 2
This treasure trove of destiny stones sent all spectators into a daze. No one could refrain from palpitating while looking at so many destiny stones. Each of them exuded a different colored light, giving the mountain an appearance of a multi-colored dragon soaring up high into the sky.
“How is this possible?” Lan Yunzhu asked in disbelief: “This many destiny stones would drive the entire world crazy.”
Remember, destiny stones were very rare, especially those with four accumulations or more. Grand Form and Deity Destiny Stones that couldn’t be bought with wealth were even more rare.
Normally, even if someone found a vein with destiny stones inside, at most there would only be a few dozen stones, and this would have already been considered a miraculous amount.
Now, the number of stones in front of them were too numerous to count, so how could people not be driven crazy?
Li Qiye pointed at the dragon mountain and said: “The majority of stones from this hillside and beyond are stones with four or more accumulations. If you want to find Grand Form and Deity stones, then your best bet is to go to the middle of the ridge.”
“What about stones of the supreme level that you mentioned before?” Lan Yunzhu looked at Li Qiye and asked: “Uncle, since there are so many destiny stones here, do you want to try to find a few dao fusion destiny stones?”
“That would depend on luck.” Li Qiye answered with a smile: “If you want to find some, then I’ll go with you. Any stones with four accumulations or less can be taken as you please, but if you actually find a dao fusion stone with four or more, then it would all be for naught if it doesn’t accept you.”
“I know, Uncle.” Lan Yunzhu smiled and gave him a charming glance: “And so, Uncle, I will hand the responsibility over to you. You have to find a destiny stone that accepts me, one that is the most suitable for me, and it is best if it is also a dao fusion stone.”
Anyone could grab Existence Destiny Stones as they pleased if they were fortunate enough to see some. However, as for stones of the Grand Form and Deity level — four accumulations or more… Without the acceptance of these stones, it would be useless even if the person really liked the stone since they couldn’t bring them along! Not even by force!
Chapter 514 - Dragon Mountain’s Destiny Stones
“All right.” Li Qiye teased her and said: “Because you are my fiancee, I will lend you a hand. If I can find a dao fusion destiny stone that is suitable for you, how will you repay me? With your body?” Li Qiye then gently touched her chin.
Lan Yunzhu gave him a charming glance and coyly smiled to say: “Uncle, do you want to be an old ox who eats young grass? My standard is very high, and you might not be the type that I like.”
Li Qiye flicked her forehead in response and said: “Girl, keep teasing me and I’ll really taste you completely.” Li Qiye’s words made her blush; she could only give him a scornful glare.
They then went to the mountain. Below their feet were bright destiny stones of different shapes and colors.
The two began to look at each of these stones. Some of them had the shape of burning metal while others looked like multi-faceted jewels. One that was more exceptional took on the appearance of a piece of Soaring Immortal Sacred Gold…
Although they were called Destiny True Stones, they were not pieces of rock. There were indeed some that looked like stones, but the majority of them were sacred metals.
Stepping on so many destiny stones caused the hearts of many people to beat faster; they were full of desires.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu weren’t the only ones at the Divine Dragon Mountain at the moment, many cultivators gathered here. Some were alone while others were in groups of three or five. There were even entire sects who came together just to test their luck.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu’s arrival caused many people to turn their gaze towards them: “Fierce Li Qiye and Fairy Lan of the Thousand Carp River…”
There was no need to elaborate on Li Qiye since his notoriety has recently been on the rise. With his demonstration of one battling tens of thousands, any ghost — including the big shots — would be wary when they saw Li Qiye.
It was the same for Lan Yunzhu. She was a famous beauty in the southern Distant Cloud and even the entire Sacred Nether World. She was the descendant of the river sect with dual saint talents, causing her fame to spread far and wide. Some people considered Lan Yunzhu and the Phoenix Maiden to be the two heaven’s proud daughters of the Sacred Nether World.
Lan Yunzhu had many admirers in these parts, so it was particularly intriguing when she came here with Li Qiye.
“Could it be that Fierce Li Qiye and Fairy Lan are both here to test their luck?” Someone commented after seeing the two of them.
A ghost cultivator who didn’t like Li Qiye sneered: “Pah, a human like that Li fella would, of course, come here to test his luck. People like him always want easy fortune.”
A human cultivator didn’t like these words and retorted: “Your Di Zuo is also the same. Just earlier, he also came here to test his luck.”
The ghost cultivator only scowled since he had no comeback.
Lan Yunzhu stepped on a bunch of destiny stones. Although only stones with four accumulations or less were here at the lower part of the ridge, it was a shame to not bring them back. Moreover, it was easy to do so since one didn’t need their acceptance.
Lan Yunzhu felt that it was a waste to ignore them, so she crouched down and picked up a few to bring back. Even if she didn’t use them, she could give them to the ordinary disciples back at the river sect.
However, Li Qiye stopped her from doing so. He shook his head and said: “We don’t need to waste time on these types of destiny stones. Also, this place is the Prime Ominous Grave; things here cannot be taken away so easily, especially at the Divine Dragon Mountain. These Existence Destiny Stones have Metal-eating Insects guarding them. They are currently hiding below these stones, so if you take them, these insects will fly out.”
Lan Yunzhu shuddered after seeing so many stones down on the ground and took a deep breath to ask: “Then all of these stones have Metal-eating Insects watching them?” At this time, she realized that they were not only standing on top of destiny stones, but also a monstrous insect nest. Maybe this entire mountain was their lair. Her scalp tingled at the thought of standing above so many insects.
Li Qiye saw through her expression and replied with a smile: “Don’t worry, if you don’t take away destiny stones with four accumulations or less, then the insects will not take the initiative to attack you.”
Having heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief since she had seen first-hand these terrifying insects. A few were manageable, but a swarm of them meant big trouble.
The majority of visitors didn’t come to this mountain for Existence Destiny Stones. After all, they were still relatively easy to find outside. People didn’t want to waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for ordinary destiny stones.
Cultivators didn’t stop at the base of the mountain and instead traveled to the middle ridges, aiming for stones with four or more accumulations. Some were even here for the nine accumulations stones.
A sect master led a group of disciples forward and ran all the way to the top. The sect master told his disciples: “Time is precious. First look for good destiny stones to see if any Deity Destiny Stone will recognize you.”
On their way up, a disciple noticed all these Existence Destiny Stones paving the way and felt that it was too much of a waste, so he couldn’t stop himself. However, the sect master noticed this right away and scolded him: “Little demon, come. Don’t waste time here and put your own life in danger! Existence Destiny Stones will have Metal-eating Insects guarding them! It is not worth your life!”
Under the sect master’s leadership, they all made it to the ridge safely. The disciples then began to look for Grand Form and Deity level stones that were suitable and would accept them.
Of course, there were also those who were tired of living. An old Heavenly Sovereign came to the Divine Dragon Mountain and his eyes immediately lit up. He then said with a sly smile: “I intend to create a sect so this many stones is just right for me.”
He then swung his sleeve to pick up dozens of destiny stones, but at the same time…
“Buzzz!” A bunch of Metal-eating Insects flew out from the ground.
This old sovereign snorted with extreme confidence as he spewed out a bunch of Extreme Yang Fire from his mouth. In the blink of an eye, these surging refined flames incinerated many insects. He then boldly proclaimed: “Insignificant insects!”
With that, he suddenly took out a bottle and opened it to suck up all the destiny stones.
“Buzzz!” However, this time, a Metal-eating Insect bigger than a thumb flew out.
Knowledgeable cultivators that were nearby became alarmed the moment they saw this insect: “Oh god, it is a Metal-eating Insect King!”
This old man confidently sneered: “This little insect dares to act so cockily?” He wanted to spew out more Extreme Yang Fire, but an abrupt scream came out instead: “Ahhh!”
The Insect King ignored the Extreme Yang Fire and penetrated the old man’s body in an instant.
“Crack crack!” This old man was devoured by the insect without a bone remaining.
This scene shocked everyone. A Heavenly Sovereign had no power to fight back against a Metal-eating Insect King — how frightening was this?
It wasn’t until the insect king crawled back into the ground that the aghast cultivators approached the area.
“Hahaha, this is the result of arrogance.” One cultivator quipped: “Two days ago, an amazing Heavenly King dug out a divine stone and met an insect king. This insect king ate him completely, yet a Heavenly Sovereign still dares to oppose one?”
Another pale cultivator recalled: “These insects are too ferocious. I heard that four Heavenly Kings from the Nether Crossing Swamp combined their strength yesterday to open a sealed cave, and they also met an insect king. The four of them ignored the treasures and fled instantly.”
After seeing the fate of this Heavenly Sovereign, the rest of the cultivators didn’t dare to touch any of the Existence Destiny Stones anymore. Losing one’s life for these destiny stones was not worth it.
However, such a scene was only the prelude. People calmed down and once again rushed to the mountain to find their own destiny stones.
At this time, someone found success. A young cultivator excitedly exclaimed: “Hahaha! I got a six accumulations destiny stone!” He then placed his hand on the stone. It was as if the stone had its own life; it jumped up several times and the cultivator immediately took it away.
Another young cultivator got pretty lucky and was accepted by three destiny stones, all of which were jumping alongside him. He was quite hesitant since he didn’t know which one to pick.
His master happily stroked his beard after seeing his disciple being accepted by three stones and said: “Hu Zi’s talents are really good for you to be accepted by three stones at once. One of them is even a six accumulations stone!”
Chapter 515 - Searching For Destiny Stones
Another senior happily added: “Indeed! Hu Zi will surely reach the Heavenly Sovereign realm ten years from now.”
Destiny stones with four or more accumulations would pick their masters. The choosing process had no rigid conditions or special standards. Normally, cultivators with greater talents would be accepted by more stones, but this was only what usually happened and not an absolute rule.
These stones had their own consciousness, especially those with four or more accumulations. They knew which masters would allow them to shine.
Seeing his disciple’s hesitation on choosing a stone, the master advised him: “Hu Zi, pick the spring one. Although this stone only has five accumulations, with the spring inside, it fits very well with your fate law.”
Any wise cultivator, especially a master, would not advise their disciples to pick the stones with the most heavenly accumulations over a more suitable one. The latter was the only way for a cultivator to actually unleash their full potential.
After hearing his master’s words, the young cultivator picked the one with the spring accumulation. After he chose this stone, although the other two stones also accepted him, they no longer jumped and went back to their original spot.
Cultivators could only have one true fate treasure, so they could only pick one destiny stone. Even if they were chosen by several stones, they could only pick one and couldn’t bring the others with them.
For those who already had a true fate weapon, if they did not give up their previous true fate weapon, then the newly chosen destiny stone would fly away; it would not stay with its master.
Of course, this situation was only for Grand Form and Deity level stones, Existence Stones didn’t have this restriction.
The treasury of great powers only had Existence level stones. If cultivators wanted a better one, they would have to go out and look on their own!
Thus, the mountain became very busy. Even those who already had a true fate weapon came to find a better or more suitable stone.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu, on the other hand, stayed at the bottom section of the mountain. Usually, people would rush towards the upper ridges, but Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu decided to stay at the base. Here, they were picking from a group of stones, garnering askance gazes.
The general consensus was that the stones at the lower areas were not worth the time; all of them contained less than four accumulations. Moreover, they were also guarded by insects.
“Hahaha, is this Li fella afraid of being humiliated? He doesn’t dare to go to the ridges out of fear that no stones would accept his crappy innate talents. People would laugh at him so he is staying at the base.” A young ghost cultivator who was hostile to Li Qiye couldn’t help but sarcastically utter.
“Oh? So you are a genius then?” A human expert struck back instantly: “Does a genius like you have any great battle records? Although Young Noble Li, our human race’s pride, doesn’t have any heaven-defying innate talents, he can slay ghost geniuses like dogs. Tens of thousands of ghosts were annihilated by the young noble’s bare hands.”
“You!” The ghost cultivator angrily glared at this human expert.
However, the human expert came from a great power, thus he fiercely gazed right back at the ghost without apprehension.
“Sup? Not convinced? Then go have a shot at Young Noble Li. Just like you said, our Young Noble Li’s innate talents aren’t that great, so a ghost genius like you should be able to beat him within three to five moves, right? Please go and challenge our young noble.” The human expert sneered.
Even though he was reddened with rage, the young cultivator gave up in the end. Although ghost cultivators hated Li Qiye and humans were only ants in his eyes, he didn’t have the courage to challenge Li Qiye. Li Qiye could slay even Heavenly Sovereigns, let alone someone like him.
Although other people didn’t sneer at Li Qiye like this ghost cultivator, the majority wondered why he was staying down at the base for so long.
“What are they trying to do?” Smart cultivators, even those from the ghost race, didn’t dare to hold Li Qiye in disdain. Moreover, a genius like Lan Yunzhu was also with him. Both of them were no fools.
“Maybe they are just trying to find a suitable stone rather than one with a large amount of accumulations. Remember that back in the Ancient Ming Era, Immortal Emperor Bu Zhan’s Marching Battle Spear was refined from a one accumulation destiny stone. Just think about some more; that year, the emperor had a battle for every single step he took and still proudly smiled over the nine heavens. With his spear, he killed till myriad worlds lost their colors. Countless Immortal Emperor True Treasures and invincible weapons were overshadowed in the presence of his spear.”
“That makes sense, and this applies to the truly devilish geniuses.” Not all cultivators agreed with the theory that was just stated. An older cultivator stroked his chin and commented: “Personally, I think the more accumulations, the better. I crave for a nine accumulations stone. Just think about it, the power of a Deity Destiny Stone! It would be as if the gods themselves descended.”
Another great character did not support this view and countered: “Not necessarily. Even if you have a nine accumulations stone with one Deity dao, do you think you have the ability to control this Deity dao? You do not cultivate emperor’s laws, so you will have difficulty in trying to control this Deity accumulation. In other words, a Deity accumulation, in your hands, is no different than trash.”
“No way. Without trying, how would you know that I can’t control a Deity accumulation?” The old cultivator was not convinced.
In just a moment, these two cultivators quarreled.
In fact, the theories about Destiny True Stones had always been debated. There were both proponents and opponents to the idea of there being only the most suitable stone, no strongest one.
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu searched at the base of the mountain for a very long time. He couldn’t find a suitable one for Lan Yunzhu, but he made several stones jump for him.
Li Qiye noticed a destiny stone that looked just like a piece of jade. He crouched down and picked it up: “This one isn’t bad.”
“Buzzz!” The moment he picked it up, a Metal-eating Insect crawled out of the ground and flew towards Li Qiye at an extreme speed. However, Li Qiye was even faster. Before the insect could strike him, it had already been pinched between his two fingers.
“Crack!” The insect was crushed.
“What physique do you cultivate?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask after seeing how Li Qiye easily disposed the insect.
Others might not know, but Lan Yunzhu was certain that Li Qiye cultivated an Immortal Physique. However, his physique gave her a very strange feeling and she couldn’t tell which one it was.
Even in her wildest dreams, she wouldn’t expect for Li Qiye to cultivate two Immortal Physiques. This matter was absolutely impossible.
“Well… You will find out later.” Li Qiye cheerfully replied and put away the chosen destiny stone.
Lan Yunzhu noticed that he picked some very unique stones as if he knew what he wanted to do: “Do you feel like these stones can reach dao fusion?”
“Not necessarily for me.” Li Qiye shook his head in response: “I might not be suitable for dao fusion, but the chance is great with the right person. Maybe then, I can create a miracle.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t say anything. Dao fusion accumulation was merely a theory in the eyes of many people; the majority of cultivators had never even heard of it before.
After almost scouring the entire base of the mountain, the two were still unable to find a suitable stone for Lan Yunzhu.
“Since it has come to this, we’ll go up the mountain and look there.” Li Qiye lifted his head to look at the mountain and narrowed his eyes to say: “Use the Cyclical River of Fate for your dao foundation. As far as I know, there is a destiny stone very suitable for your circumstances. It definitely exists, but I’m not sure if it is still there or not.”
After hearing this, Lan Yunzhu angrily glared at him and said: “What?! You knew that there was a suitable stone for me on the mountain yet you didn’t say it and instead made me foolishly look with you here?”
Li Qiye looked at her fierce appearance and responded with a grin: “Girl, pay attention to your demeanor. You are a fairy of the river sect, someone famous for your beauty and your elegant, virtuous, and transcendent manners. Don’t you feel like your reputation will be ruined with such a scary appearance?”
“You—” Lan Yunzhu almost vomited blood from his teasing. She gritted her teeth to say: “Damn you, one day I’ll properly take care of you!”
Li Qiye didn’t care for her threat and leisurely said: “I am only doing this for your sake and maybe to save you some face. It is best to find a suitable stone down here because if we go up there and that stone doesn’t accept you, it would be very embarrassing. Everyone knows that you are a genius — a fairy, so if you get rejected by a stone, wouldn’t that ruin your reputation completely?”
Chapter 516 - The Stone At The Peak
Lan Yunzhu’s cheeks reddened from anger as she glared at Li Qiye and said: “Uncle, you look down on me too much! In the past, back at the sacred lake, I was accepted by three destiny stones at the same time, and all of them had eight accumulations! I am still very confident even if it is a nine accumulations destiny stone.”
Li Qiye laughed and said: “Like I said before, having more accumulations doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better. Although a few stones might not have eight or nine accumulations, they are still very arrogant. A few special stones would not accept anyone no matter how great their talents are.”
“Hmph! How about we make a bet then?” Lan Yunzhu snappily gave him a stern look and continued: “Now, tell me where that stone is so I can take a look at just how amazing it is.”
“Of course.” Li Qiye smirked and said: “But what do you want to bet? Don’t cry when you lose!”
Lan Yunzhu suddenly withdrew her angry glare as a playful glimmer appeared in her round eyes. She was all smiles as she said: “Uncle, how about we make it a big one? When we go up the mountain later, how about we bet on who will be accepted by more destiny stones? The person who is accepted by more stones will be the winner. What do you think, Uncle?”
Li Qiye looked at her and grinned as he replied: “Do you really want to bet?” He then thought of something very interesting and asked: “Do you think you will win?”
While puffing her cheeks, Lan Yunzhu smiled and said: “Of course. Don’t tell me Uncle is too scared? Even a little girl like me dares to bet. If you lose, then just give me one drop of Myriad Star Water.”
Li Qiye chuckled in response and replied: “Ah, so this little girl wants my Myriad Star Water. However, if you lose, what will you hand over to me?”
Lan Yunzhu arched out her plump breasts and said: “Uncle, I can handle losing. Treasures, immortal items, pills… Just say the words. If I have it, then I absolutely won’t cheat you!”
Li Qiye rubbed his chin then stared at her from top to bottom and smirked in an obscene manner as he said: “Treasures do not appeal to me. How about this? If you lose, then will you undress tonight for my viewing pleasure.”
“Undress my ass, you perverted scoundrel!” The flushed Lan Yunzhu screamed then tried to kick Li Qiye.
Li Qiye couldn’t keep himself from laughing. Then, he leisurely asked with a smirk: “So do you dare or not?”
Lan Yunzhu’s angry and blushing maiden face, combined with her gentle eyes full of watery sparkles, were movingly beautiful.
However, before the two of them could decide, one person descended to the Divine Dragon Mountain from the sky.
New arrivals and cultivators that were already here all became shocked when they saw this person: “The Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom’s descendant!”
“Xian Fan!” Lan Yunzhu also exclaimed.
It was Xian Fan who flew down from the sky. He was still shrouded by his Five Elements Immortal Armor so no one could see his face or figure. From beginning to end, no one knew whether the person inside was male or female. The only thing that they could tell was that it was indeed a human named Xian Fan, the descendant of the Immortal Kingdom.
Even the most arrogant ghosts couldn’t help but become anxious when they saw his arrival: “An existence that can fight against Sir Di Zuo…” Both geniuses and older characters didn’t dare to view him with disdain.
A person gazed at the immortal armor and stated with fear: “It is a shame that the grave opened so early; Di Zuo and Xian Fan couldn’t decide the victor since both of them had to run here.”
In the past, the younger generation didn’t dare to challenge the prestige of the three heroes. Later on, Li Qiye swept through the ghost race and massacred thousands to announce his presence in the Sacred Nether World. People then knew that a ferocious monster had come from the human race, one that could challenge the authority of the ghosts.
Now, there was also Xian Fan, someone who had been completely unknown. Xian Fan was different from Li Qiye; others speculated that Li Qiye could challenge Di Zuo, but Xian Fan actually fought against Di Zuo. It was an extremely flashy battle and the victor couldn’t be decided before both of them quickly headed for the Prime Ominous Grave.
“Our human race’s saint duo is no weaker than the ghost race’s three heroes. Haha, we will not be weaker than the ghosts this generation. The future Immortal Emperor has yet to be decided!” An excited human cultivator exclaimed while looking at Xian Fan: “The ghosts have the three heroes while we have our saint duo!”
Recently, busybodies had nicknamed Li Qiye and Xian Fan as the human race’s saint duo!
This title sounded very unpleasant to the ghosts, but the ghosts had been keeping quiet recently.
Among the ghosts, Di Zuo’s prestige reached far and wide and never allowed for others to provoke him. Both the older and younger generations of the ghosts greatly valued Di Zuo. Who would have thought that Xian Fan could fight evenly with Di Zuo? Although this fight abruptly ended, people had to accept that Xian Fan had the ability to oppose Di Zuo.
Before this, the ghost race, especially the young ones, looked down on humans. But now, there appeared Fierce Li Qiye and then the mysterious Xian Fan. The young ghosts could no longer maintain their arrogance.
“Quite formidable.” Lan Yunzhu looked at Xian Fan’s state and whispered: “Even Di Zuo wouldn’t have any advantages against him.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t watch the battle between the two, but she could deduce the result of the fight after seeing Xian Fan’s current appearance.
“It’s nothing surprising.” Li Qiye looked at the armor and said: “Obtaining this armor proved his extraordinary worth. This thing is very careful when it chooses its master because it is quite proud!”
This situation was completely within Li Qiye’s expectations. There was no need to see Xian Fan’s cultivation level or which emperor’s law he cultivated. Just the armor adorned on Xian Fan’s body told Li Qiye many things. The armor was a symbol of power; if one was not strong enough, they wouldn’t be able to own this armor.
Xian Fan reached the dragon mountain and immediately ran to the peak instead of stopping by the base. A cultivator murmured at this sight: “Could it be that he is also here for that stone?”
“Possibly.” The ghosts paused their business and gazed at Xian Fan.
Xian Fan arrived at the top in one breath.
“He really is here for that stone…” An aware old cultivator murmured while looking at the mountain: “Does he actually want to try it too?”
Another sect master added: “It makes sense. Lunhui and Di Zuo came along with the imperial descendants. Those who are qualified all want to give it a shot.”
“What is at the top of the mountain?” Lan Yunzhu didn’t know anything so she asked Li Qiye after seeing Xian Fan ascend to the top.
Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and looked at Xian Fan before replying: “A destiny stone. A unique stone of this world, a stone that no one has ever obtained since time immemorial.”
At this moment, all eyes were on the peak. A ghost cultivator asked: “Tian Lunhui failed and the same goes for Sir Di Zuo. Will Xian Fan be able to do it?”
“I don’t know, but it won’t be a surprise if he fails as well.” A tribe master from the northern Misty Field said: “According to the records of the Nether Crossing Swamp, after ascending the throne, Immortal Emperor Ming Du had also come here. Legend says that he wanted the stone to accept him as its master. Unfortunately, the emperor failed and that stone didn’t leave with him.”
“What?! Even an Immortal Emperor couldn’t get its acceptance? But he was an Immortal Emperor!” Many people were shocked after hearing this. It would be understandable if it was a young emperor before his ascendancy. In the end, no one knew who would actually become the next Immortal Emperor until they reached the end of the road.
But at that time, Immortal Emperor Ming Du was already an invincible emperor, an existence that roamed free in the nine heavens. However, that stone still didn’t pick him, and this news came as a surprise to many people.
“What kind of stone is this? It didn’t even accept an Immortal Emperor?” Lan Yunzhu was also shaken after hearing this.
There was nothing in this world that was stronger than an Immortal Emperor, yet this stone still didn’t pick him. This was simply astonishing!
“It is indeed a very proud stone.” Li Qiye murmured as he looked at the peak.
Whether one was a human or a ghost, all eyes were on Xian Fan. The ghosts didn’t want Xian Fan to succeed at all because Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui, the two with the highest talents among the ghosts, both failed. If Xian Fan could do it, then it would harm the pride of the ghost race.
In fact, since people knew that there was a stone that didn’t even accept an Immortal Emperor, many geniuses all came to test their luck to see if they could get chosen by this rock.
In the span of a few short days, countless people had come. Di Zuo, Tian Lunhui, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child, the Ghost Insect Evil Child, and other imperial descendants had all attempted to obtain this stone. Other prodigies and nameless juniors came as well.
However, no one was successful in gaining the stone’s acceptance.
Chapter 517 - Arrogant Stone
Xian Fan reached the top and found that there was a stone the size of a water basin. It was grey without any sheen and completely inconspicuous like a random pebble on the street. If this stone was located at a different location, no one would give it a second glance.
Due to its ordinary appearance, nobody would think that this stone was very precious.
“Is this stone really as magical and amazing as what the legends say?” It wasn’t just a couple people who had this thought since many felt that it was quite out of place in relation to its myths.
“Yes it is.” An older person said: “Not to mention anything else, so many have failed already, not just the group of Sir Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui. Two days prior, an ancestor of the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom came and wanted to forcefully take it away, but he couldn’t move it at all.”
Having heard this, the group gasped and asked for confirmation: “Even an All-Eras ancestor couldn’t move it?”
The ancient kingdom had two emperors so its ancestor must be very brilliant as well. An ordinary ancestor from a regular great power couldn’t compare with him. However, even an amazing person such as this couldn’t move this stone one bit — this was a very horrifying thought. The ancestor was for sure a Virtuous Paragon, but he still failed to move this ordinary stone.
“Is that stone really so heaven-defying?” Lan Yunzhu had dual saints talents and was very sensitive, but she still couldn’t feel any special aura emanating from the stone.
Li Qiye looked at the stone and replied with a smile: “If you can obtain it, any price would still be worth it. This unique stone is different from all the other stones. Even the prosperous eras of the past would find it difficult to give birth to a stone like this. Immortal Emperor Ming Du tried to forcefully take it away, but he was not successful either.”
“Even the emperor failed after using force?” Lan Yunzhu’s heart sank. She asked once more: “The tales indicate that emperors are the only existences that can forcefully take destiny stones away — is this not true?”
“No, this is correct.” Li Qiye nodded his head and said: “However, this is not an easy thing to do. If an emperor does so too often, they would suffer a backlash. This stone over there may be unique, but if an emperor risks their life, maybe they would be able to take it away. However, the price is too high.”
At this time, Xian Fan was sitting at the top with one hand placed on the stone. His blood energy circled around his hand in the shape of a dragon and phoenix. Although this energy was not very dense, the roars caused people to palpitate. It felt like a divine wave smashing them into the air. Xian Fan’s blood energy was indeed too powerful.
These waves of energy caused others to lose their colors. No wonder why Xian Fan could fight evenly against Di Zuo.
This blood energy from his palm eventually descended on the stone, aiming to harmonize with it. However, this stone spared him no face and shot this blood energy right back at him.
Nevertheless, Xian Fan was a brilliant talent and he did not give up very easily. His energy surged as a true dragon shot out from his palm while an immortal phoenix circled his wrist. The aura of the phoenix and dragon were extremely domineering. If this aura erupted, then even the sky would collapse and the stars would fall.
Such a mighty and aggressive gesture caused others on the mountain to change their expressions. Xian Fan’s power was enough to reign over the younger generation.
Thunderous rumbles resounded as the entire mountain shook. The blood energy that danced on his hand was extremely aggressive; it smashed into the stone like a flood. Xian Fan wanted to harmonize his energy with the stone.
Another loud bang came out as if the world was blown apart. Although Xian Fan’s blood energy was overbearingly mighty, the backlash from the stone was even more heaven-defying. Xian Fan was forced to take several thumping steps back.
Because of the armor he adorned, one couldn’t see Xian Fan’s expression. However, everyone could imagine his shocked expression. It was probably just like the rest of the spectators: “Amazing, that stone is really amazing. A heaven’s proud child like Xian Fan would probably be happily accepted by a nine accumulations destiny stone, but that rock denied him.”
A ghost cultivator nodded his head and commented: “Sir Di Zuo’s true fate weapon was refined from a nine accumulations destiny stone. I heard that he was chosen by two nine accumulations stones, then he picked one afterward. Sir Di Zuo really wanted this stone, but unfortunately, he was rejected as well.”
“What a shame.” The human cultivators were quite disappointed at Xian Fan’s failure.
Meanwhile, the ghost cultivators heaved a sigh of relief because both Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui had failed before this.
If Xian Fan had been successful, then it would be the same as slapping the face of the entire ghost race. This would have meant that the most powerful genius of the ghost race was not equal to that of the human race.
Xian Fan couldn’t help but become dejected after failing to gain the stone’s recognition. He didn’t linger for long and he didn’t care to look at the other nine accumulations stones before leaving either.
“Uncle, it is our turn.” Lan Yunzhu smiled and said to Li Qiye.
“Oh? You also want that stone? But I feel like you don’t have a chance, and this is not just me looking down on you. That stone is very arrogant.” Li Qiye smilingly responded.
Lan Yunzhu let out a light and charming smile and said: “Uncle, nevermind that stone. Although I am conceited, I do not think that I am better than an Immortal Emperor. I’m more interested in that other stone you talked about earlier.” Lan Yunzhu then tilted her head in a playful manner and looked at Li Qiye to say: “Uncle, do you dare to bet on you getting the approval of that stone as well? You are a person full of confidence, right? Let us see if you are better than Di Zuo, Tian Lunhui, and Xian Fan by getting that stone’s approval.”
Li Qiye’s interest was piqued as he narrowed his eyes to say: “If that stone accepts me as its master, what will you do?”
“Uncle is boasting again.” Lan Yunzhu showed off another graceful posture and smilingly responded: “Rather, you should phrase it as what you will do when you lose.”
“If I lose, then I will give you an amazing item worthy of someone like you.” Li Qiye grinned and continued: “However, if you lose, then undress tonight so I can have a look.”
Lan Yunzhu chuckled and said while being slightly flustered: “Perverted Uncle, wait until you win, then we can talk!”
Lan Yunzhu turned around and went towards the top. After taking several steps, she wanted confirmation so she turned back to ask: “Do you dare to take this bet, Uncle?”
“Sure, you think I’m afraid of you?” Li Qiye chased after her and the two walked shoulder-to-shoulder up the mountain. This attracted the gazes of many others. Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu had been staying at the base for a very long time, so this sudden climb garnered quite a bit of attention.
One person speculated: “Could it be that Li Qiye and Fairy Lan also want to give the stone at the top a try?” This was reasonable because anyone who came here would want to give it a shot. Lan Yunzhu had even more reasons to do so. She was the river sect’s descendant and someone with dual saint talents; her talents had been discussed and praised by others for a very long time.
Recently, Li Qiye had also become famous for his ferocity and how he was quickly catching up to Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui. He was a gifted genius, so it was not strange for him to want to give it a try.
A ghost cultivator sneered and said: “Hmph! That Li guy has no chance of success. How could he be better than the likes of Sir Di Zuo? And even if he is Sir’s equal, Li Qiye absolutely will not be able to surpass him! Sir Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui had both failed, and even your human race’s Xian Fan failed as well. That Li guy certainly can’t do it!”
This was not the ghost race being conceited. It was just that their most wonderful geniuses had tried and failed, and the same goes for Xian Fan. They didn’t believe that Li Qiye could do it and felt that no matter how powerful he was, at best, it would be on par with Di Zuo. This was already a high evaluation for him.
Meanwhile, the human cultivators hoped that Li Qiye would be successful. Alas, they didn’t have too much hope. Outside of Chan Yang, all the best geniuses in the Sacred Nether World had tried to gain the approval of this stone. None of them had succeeded, and the human cultivators didn’t feel like Li Qiye could surpass all of them either.
From the halfway point of the ridge and up, all the destiny stones were above the Existence level. There were even nine accumulations stones when Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu got there.
Standing at the juncture, Lan Yunzhu said with a wide smile to Li Qiye: “Uncle, ready? Let us see which one of us is more popular.”
Chapter 518 - All The Destiny Stones Competing For A Master
Li Qiye looked at Lan Yunzhu, who was overflowing with excitement, and said with a smile while waving his hand: “Ladies first. If I go first, you won’t be convinced and will say that I am a bully.”
“What an ego!” Lan Yunzhu gave him an angry look. She then walked up towards the middle of the mountain and channeled the blood energy within her body. In an instant, this energy showed itself like flowing water.
“What is Fairy Lan trying to do?” A curious spectator asked after seeing her flowing blood energy.
“They’re trying to sense the destiny stones.” A cultivator from the previous generation explained: “The two of them are competing to see who would get accepted by more stones.”
“Hahaha, I bet for Fairy Lan’s victory. Her dual saint talents are famous.” Another cultivator said right away.
Another one added: “I also bet on Fairy Lan. There’s nothing more to say about her talents. Although she rarely takes action, in my eyes, she is a genius that can reach the top.”
Girls, especially kingdom-toppling beauties like Lan Yunzhu, were always welcomed — this goes without saying. Although it was just a friendly competition, the young cultivators was more biased towards Fairy Lan.
With her blood energy being emitted, Lan Yunzhu began to walk up the mountain. It didn’t take long for a series of thumps to appear. Several dozen five accumulations stones began to jump.
“Thump—” She moved on and another dozen six accumulations stones jumped up as well.
However, she didn’t halt her steps. Even a few seven accumulations stones showed her their adoration by jumping.
“86 five accumulations stones, 18 six accumulations stones, 9 seven accumulations stones…” As she moved up, a fun-loving person began to count.
Continuing upward, thumping sounds rang out nonstop. Some eight accumulations stones jumped a little as well. Although it was not too clear, this still showed that they had accepted Lan Yunzhu.
“5 eight accumulations destiny stones!” A person shockingly said after counting: “Worthy of having dual saint talents. She is not necessarily any weaker than the three heroes. It is too bad that she’s battled far less than them.”
An admiring genius said: “Amazing! She was accepted by 5 eight accumulations stones.”
At this point, Lan Yunzhu turned around and charmingly smiled: “Uncle, do I need to go further? I want to challenge some nine accumulations stones for their acceptance. It is not too late for you to accept defeat, I won’t let you lose too badly.”
The provocative look from a beauty was truly alluring.
Li Qiye laughed while looking at her sweet and playful side. He then shook his head and replied: “Girl, I’m not trying to pop your bubble, but your level is truly far below my own.”
Li Qiye then began his ascent and was met with a lot of enthusiastic gazes.
“Li Qiye is going. Get ready and look to see if he will be accepted by more stones, or will Fairy Lan become the victor.” A person prepared to count to see how many stones Li Qiye would get.
A ghost member remained unconvinced and said: “Hmph! In my opinion, Li Qiye won’t…” However, his words were cut short.
“Thump thump thump!” The sound of stones jumping sounded out alongside an unbelievable scene, causing everyone to become dumbfounded.
Even those who had weathered countless storms and seen numerous miracles couldn’t believe their own eyes.
“Thump thump thump!” Stones started to crash into each other. When Li Qiye walked by, all the stones jumped up. What was even more unbelievable was that they didn’t only jump, they also started to roll after Li Qiye.
“Clank clank clank!” The higher up he went, the more stones followed right after him. They scrambled after him as if they were afraid that they would lose sight of him and competed with each other to be the closest to him.
This scene stunned everyone on the mountain as their eyes opened wide and their jaws dropped to the ground.
Lan Yunzhu had mentally prepared herself beforehand, but she still couldn’t prevent her mouth from opening. She couldn’t believe this frightening sight.
“This… this… this… is preposterous…” A ghost king murmured in a daze. Even a ghost king like him couldn’t regain his composure.
A person murmured in a foolish state: “I’ve heard that destiny stones have the ability to run around, but who has ever seen them do so?”
This was common knowledge, but not many had actually seen it with their own eyes until this day. And it wasn’t just one stone, it was a whole bunch. Countless destiny stones on the mountain were moving, causing all the spectators to stand there while looking silly.
A cultivator thought that he was in a dream and told his friend who was standing by his side: “Hey… pinch me to see if this is reality.” Shortly after, a scream resounded as he almost lost a piece of flesh from the harsh pinch. Now, he was certain that it wasn’t a dream.
“Thump thump thump!” Li Qiye was now next to Lan Yunzhu along with a group of destiny stones right behind him. No matter where he went, all the destiny stones followed right behind him.
“This, this can’t be real.” Lan Yunzhu stuttered as Li Qiye approached. She then uttered: “Are you kidding me…?”
Li Qiye smiled at her and leisurely spoke: “Who do you think won this bet?”
Lan Yunzhu became dejected and softly sighed: “You… Even my destiny stones are following you.” She had no choice but to be convinced.
“Then let us go to see if that arrogant stone will accept me or not.” Li Qiye smilingly responded before continuing his trek.
“Thump thump thump…” Li Qiye continued to go up the mountain. Not only did eight accumulations stones chase after him, but even nine accumulations stones followed him, prompting a scream: “Even nine accumulations stones are following Li Qiye! Is there no justice in this world? All the stones are accepting him and only him! How will we nobodies live from now on?”
At this time, countless people shared the same sentiment and helplessness. They couldn’t stop these destiny stones from choosing Li Qiye.
“He is almost at the peak, he wants to give that stone a try!” A cultivator shouted while watching Li Qiye’s climb.
“Oh god, so amazing! Maybe he is about to take that stone away!” All the cultivators were aghast while the ghost cultivators were even more nervous.
At this moment, even the human cultivators couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Li Qiye. A bunch of destiny stones following him was really unfair. They were waiting for him to become frustrated in front of that stone.
Li Qiye was too devilish, and this spectacular scene overshadowed even Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui. At this time, even his stern supporters, the human cultivators, were secretly jealous of him.
He had now reached the peak. All the stones that were jumping right after him fell to the ground and didn’t dare to continue further. It seemed as if all of them were afraid of the peak, the territory of that stone. Even nine accumulations stones were no exceptions.
However, they didn’t want to leave since they all wanted to be picked by Li Qiye. Many of them chose to lay there, waiting. If Li Qiye didn’t get chosen by that stone, then maybe they had a chance of being selected by him.
“It is so exasperating to compare oneself to him.” Lan Yunzhu wryly smiled: “I suppose everyone has their own fate. Others wish to be chosen by destiny stones while destiny stones wish to be chosen by Li Qiye.”
“F*ck!” A human royal lord from the previous generation cursed: “This brat is too heaven-defying. If I ever have a daughter, I would marry her to him right away!”
A cultivator next to the royal lord quipped: “Brother, you can also see how devilish he is. Even if you have a daughter, you can only wait for him to choose instead of your daughter choosing him.”
“I’m still okay with waiting for him to pick my daughter.” The royal lord couldn’t help but murmur.
When Li Qiye was next to the stone, everyone couldn’t help but hold their breaths and quietly watch the scene. The entire mountain became silent as no one dared to make a sound, lest they miss out on this shocking event.
Chapter 519 - Most Arrogant Stone Accepts A Master
Most Arrogant Stone Accepts A Master
“Don’t do it, don’t do it, he absolutely can’t do it. Please don’t succeed.” The ghost cultivators were secretly cursing Li Qiye since, at this moment, everyone was hoping for a miracle to occur.
Before, it would be a miracle if the stone accepted a master, but now was a different story; it would be a miracle for the stone to not accept Li Qiye!
This was a stone that didn’t care for an Immortal Emperor and had been tested by countless people in future generations. It would be a miracle of an entire generation if this stone accepted a master. However, Li Qiye had reversed this today. It seemed very natural for the stone to accept him as its master.
Li Qiye went next to the stone and slowly sat down. Everyone had bated breaths as their emotions danced at each of Li Qiye’s actions.
He simply sat down without any flowing blood energy and doing any impressive actions, he only gently stroked the stone.
“Old friend, it has been a while.” Li Qiye smiled and said. His stroke caused the stone to slightly shake, along with the hearts of everyone else.
“Please don’t accept him!” Someone murmured. No one knew who said this out loud, but this was the general consensus in everyone’s minds.
Luckily, the stone only slightly shook once, then it didn’t move again. People heaved a sigh of relief after seeing this; it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off their backs. However, they still didn’t dare to make a sound while intensely watching the peak because they knew that it was not over.
Li Qiye smiled and said after seeing the stationary stone: “Such an arrogant stone, I wonder how long you intend to stay here?”
To everyone’s pleasure, the stone remained quiet. One of the spectators excitedly uttered: “This is a miracle, the heavens have eyes!”
Many people nodded in agreement. The stone not accepting Li Qiye caused everyone to become relaxed and excited.
However, Li Qiye was still very calm. He had a smile on his face with his hands against the ground while gazing at the sky. His demeanor was as if he was speaking with an old friend: “Do you remember when Immortal Emperor Qian Li came? You didn’t accept him. I had always thought that maybe it wasn’t the right time back then, not to mention Immortal Emperor Ming Du before him. But today, I have personally come so the past doesn’t matter anymore, right?”
The stone was still immobile like before. The people on the mountain were still nervously waiting; they didn’t know what Li Qiye was saying to the stone, but they were waiting for a miracle to happen — for the stone to not accept Li Qiye as its master.
“I know you are very arrogant.” Li Qiye said with a grin: “But I’ve seen even grander displays of arrogance, you know? For me, nothing is impossible as long as I truly set my mind on it.”
The stone was still silent, but Li Qiye was not in a rush. He continued on with a cheerful demeanor: “There are too many unbelievable things in this world, such as slaying gods and ending immortals. How do you feel about these matters? Or maybe you feel like massacring gods is nothing? Then how about killing an Immortal Emperor?”
Standing by the side, Lan Yunzhu was very puzzled as to why he was telling this stone these things. Killing gods was already a terrifying thing, but killing an Immortal Emperor? Frankly, this was impossible.
“Or maybe you think that killing immortals and gods is nothing?” Li Qiye smiled and added: “If I want to crush a rock, no matter what kind of rock it is, as long as I am determined… then I think I can find a few methods. Just as you think killing immortals and gods is nothing, with a determined will, crushing a rock is nothing to me as well. If I can’t have it, then even the most precious and priceless item would not be worth a coin in my eyes. Since I can’t have it, why hesitate in crushing it? What do you think about this?”
This time, the stone finally reacted by slightly fluttering.
The distant cultivators from the ghost race felt their hearts beat faster after they saw the rock shake. Many prayed for a miracle: “Please don’t accept a master!”
At this time, Li Qiye cheerfully continued: “Although I am fierce, I am not vicious.” He then proceeded in a calm manner: “I adore talents and treasures, so I won’t crush you today. The heaven and earth took countless generations just to give birth to a stone like you — this indeed was not easy. If I crushed you, it would be quite wasteful.”
Li Qiye then patted his hands after standing up and said: “If you want to continue staying at this damned place for this generation, then I trust that you will be missing out on the most brilliant and colorful era since the start of time. There has never been such an era before, and you would also miss out on the most supreme master across the eons.
“But if you’re content and would rather stay here, then I don’t mind. There are a myriad of weapons in this world, and if I so desire, then even the best weapons will eventually come into my hands. I don’t need you.” With that, Li Qiye turned around to leave.
All the ghost cultivators could finally breathe again. They were all jubilated, and the same applied to the human cultivators. At this minute, they felt as if this was the happiest moment of their lives.
“Hahaha, Li Qiye is only so-so—” A ghost cultivator happily sneered. However, before he could finish, his mouth was opened wide again; it was big enough to fit a goose egg!
“Thump!” Right when Li Qiye turned around, the stone suddenly jumped up into his palm.
“No!!!” Someone miserably bellowed. This howl was sadder than the cry of someone who had just been cut by a knife.
“F*ck, is there no justice in this world?” An emotional genius pointed up towards the sky and cursed: “Heavens, do you not have eyes? Are you just bullying weak people like us? It would still be fine if you gave him all the destiny stones in this world, but just not this most arrogant one! How will we little cultivators live from now on?”
“A miracle didn’t happen. Damn! This world is not fair!” A ghost cultivator exclaimed.
The ghost cultivators were the ones who suffered the biggest blow right now. Li Qiye had upstaged Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui, the two biggest pride of the ghost race. In just an instant, Li Qiye’s brilliance had contributed to the momentum of the human race.
On the other hand, the humans had mixed feelings; they didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. In summary, a myriad of emotions ran rampant in their minds. A human sect master wryly said: “The appearance of a heaven’s proud son like him is indeed a source of pride for us humans. However, such a devilish monster like him will sweep through this generation and rend the path of all the other geniuses. From now on, anyone who wants to reach the peak must surpass this devil first.”
In this short period of time, everyone had different feelings. The human cultivators couldn’t help themselves from becoming jealous of Li Qiye. He was the favored son of the heavens — so unfair.
“This is the right choice.” Li Qiye rubbed the rock and said with a smile. He then put it away while others gazed at him with crazed and reddened eyes.
However, it was meaningless to be jealous of Li Qiye since one couldn’t steal away a destiny stone. Even if it was successfully robbed, the stone would not accept them as its master and would just escape.
“Thump, thump, thump!” All of the destiny stones right below the peak also jumped as if it was the happiest moment of their lives.
The cultivators became quite lost when they saw such a scene: “What is going on?”
“One at a time, no rush, no rush.” Li Qiye smiled and said, then he spread his palm. He took in the majority of the eight and nine accumulations stones as well a portion of five, six, and seven accumulations stones.
He threw back a few eight and nine accumulations stones. Some of the five, six, and seven accumulations stones were unwilling and looked as if they were staring at him in anticipation.
“Go back and grow with time. All of you will have a chance, and your future will not just end here.” Li Qiye said as he waved his hand. Finally, these unwilling stones bounced back to their original places.
In just a moment, the Divine Dragon Mountain became vacant. The eight and nine accumulations stones had almost all been taken by Li Qiye so not too many remained.
This scene broke everyone’s common sense as their eyes almost fell to the ground.
Even Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help herself from becoming astonished. Li Qiye causing all the stones to compete for him was already shocking enough, but she became speechless after he obtained that other stone as well. A devilish genius was indeed different, they were way beyond one’s imagination. And it wasn’t just this, he even took away many stones — this also broke the common convention.
Everyone knew that cultivators could only pick one destiny stone. Even if they were accepted by many, after picking one, the other stones would not follow them.
Chapter 520 - Flirtatious Banter
However, Li Qiye now took a bunch of destiny stones at once — this miracle completely broke the common sense of the cultivation world. Such a thing simply couldn’t happen!
“How… could this be!” At this point, someone let out a shrill scream since they were unable to cope with such a ridiculous scene.
Only destiny stones chose their masters, cultivators didn’t choose destiny stones! But now, Li Qiye picked them as if he was selecting cabbages in front of a street vendor. In the end, the majority of the destiny stones had been purchased by him like cabbages.
A cultivator’s heart couldn’t handle such a stimulating scene, so he screamed in the face of this impossible scene where someone was taking a group of high level destiny stones away: “Oh mother, what is happening? Has the heavens gone crazy? How could the heavens allow someone to take away so many stones? Oh heavens, do you not have eyes?!”
At this moment, this cultivator was not the only one who suffered from an irregular heartbeat. This was definitely not a dream, it was real.
Even Lan Yunzhu, who knew Li Qiye well, found it hard to believe: “How is this possible?” Breaking common sense was not enough to describe this event — it was too bizarre. If it wasn’t daytime right now, she would have thought that a ghost was playing with everyone.
“It is because I am too handsome.” Li Qiye replied with a smirk. He didn’t tell her the truth that was only known by him.
“Handsome my butt!” Lan Yunzhu angrily glared at him and retorted. From now on, she would no longer become shocked no matter what other strange events happened around Li Qiye. After all, what could be stranger than what happened today?
Li Qiye selected a stone from a batch of stones and threw it at Lan Yunzhu as he smiled: “You are quite lucky, the stone I talked about earlier is still here. You can have it.”
She became speechless when she caught the destiny stone that shone with a divine light. This was such a good stone, yet Li Qiye was giving it away as if it was just a cabbage.
What silenced her even further was that this destiny stone didn’t like her and ran back towards Li Qiye instead.
“Little guy! In the end, this lady still has dual saint talents. I’m a heaven’s proud daughter, yet you dare to look down on me like this? Watch it or I’ll skin you!” At this point, Lan Yunzhu no longer cared about her lady-like image since she was quite hurt. These destiny stones all grabbed onto Li Qiye as if he was a handsome man adored by flowers!
Li Qiye cheerfully smiled while he patted this stone and said: “This little girl isn’t bad. She has dual saint talents and a Heaven’s Will Secret Law for her foundation. Don’t worry, I’ll protect this girl later on so you won’t lose out.”
In the end, the unwilling destiny stone fell into Lan Yunzhu’s hand. She didn’t know what to say; this brat was too mysterious and downright scary.
“Why are you welcomed by so many destiny stones like this?” Lan Yunzhu curiously asked because she was lost. This matter was completely irrational.
Li Qiye answered with a smirk: “Because I am handsome and loved by all. The phrase ‘flowers bloom on sight’ was created to describe me.”
“Bleh!” Lan Yunzhu seemed as if she wanted to vomit and snappily retorted: “If you are handsome, then every single man in this world is extremely dashing!”
“Do you really want to hear the real reason? It’s very simple, it is because I am the ruler of this world and the only one to sweep through the endless eras!” Li Qiye laughed before responding.
“Uncle, your face is thicker than a temple block.” Lan Yunzhu gave him a look and continued: “I can believe you becoming the ruler in the future, but to say you are the only one who has swept through all eras? Come on now, this is clearly boasting. How old are you? You’re still just a brat!”
Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile before speaking: “Fine, the real reason is that I will build a stone sect. In the future, these destiny stones will be my generals. Under my protection, they will rampage in this world and bask in the worldly essence to become eternally supreme!”
“Bah, who would believe you.” She glared at him again and fiercely said while swinging her fist: “Uncle, if you want me to believe you, then at least try to say something more serious, or else I’ll really take care of you!”
Her appearance made him grin. He then gestured with his hand and slowly said: “Be more serious? Very well, we will talk more seriously. Girl, don’t forget about our bet. Remember that you have to undress completely for my viewing pleasure tonight, to let me see if your figure is top notch or not.”
“Damned pervert!” Lan Yunzhu was both embarrassed and angry as she let out a cry: “In your dreams!” With that, she turned away and ran.
Meanwhile, Li Qiye leisurely caught up to her and quipped: “Girl, one must keep their words. A gentleman’s words are as heavy as mountains.”
The flustered Lan Yunzhu kept on running and exclaimed: “Bah, I’m not a gentleman, I’m just a little girl!”
Li Qiye followed after her with a smile.
At the Divine Dragon Mountain, everyone quietly watched Li Qiye leave as if he was a super freak.
A long time after he left, someone tragically screamed: “Damn, my destiny stones! I still want a nine accumulations destiny stone!”
Looking at the bare hills left many older cultivators lamenting for the younger people who came here to test their luck. Being in the same generation as that devilish Li Qiye was really saddening.
The news of Li Qiye picking destiny stones spread like a storm across the Prime Ominous Grave. All five Grave Realms heard of this, and countless cultivators and lineages were shocked!
Even great characters were startled. An ancestor of a great power couldn’t believe it: “Impossible!”
A disciple reported to his ancestor and swore: “Ancestor, this disciple saw with my own eyes, and my master was there too.”
“This kid is too… scary. How could this be possible? It… breaks all common sense.” After the news was confirmed, countless great powers were stuck in a daze.
Then, this heaven-defying news entered the ears of the other geniuses. Both the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and the Ghost Insect Evil Child were dejected. They secretly screamed in their minds and thought that, unless they eliminated Li Qiye, there would be no day when they could rise.
Inside the Wood Realm, Di Zuo immediately stood up after hearing this. His blood energy erupted and rose to a terrorizing level, causing the sky to darken and the moon to shake.
“Very good, I need a supreme and untouchable genius like this to be the stone to pave my path towards becoming an Immortal Emperor!” He declared as his tiger-like eyes swept through the plains in an overly domineering manner.
He continued on with a deep tone: “I initially wanted to slay Tian Lunhui as my paving stone, but now, I have an even better prey.”
As one of the top geniuses of the ghost race, Tian Lunhui revealed a dark smile while being shrouded in his mysterious aura. With an ominous glare, he smiled and said: “When the sandpiper and clam fight, the fisherman will catch both.”
He then closed his eyes with a detached attitude as if nothing mattered to him. Maybe it wasn’t that it didn’t matter, maybe it was because everything was within his grasp.
Another top existence among the young geniuses, Xian Fan of the human race, was very shaken after hearing this news: “That guy was successful? The Five Elements Immortal Armor accepted me, but that stone didn’t. And yet, that guy actually did it. Too scary.” After a long daze, he then reflected: “Amazing, there is always a higher mountain. It seems that this path towards becoming an Immortal Emperor won’t be so boring after all.”
This shocking news stunned countless races while the glory of numerous geniuses dimmed. As the news spread even further, many people beat their chests and stomped the ground in anger. How could people not go insane when Li Qiye alone carried out a whole bunch of eight and nine accumulations stones? Many young cultivators still hadn’t refined a true fate weapon for themselves, and other cultivators wanted a better destiny stone.
Cultivators must take the opportunity when they were still young to change destiny stones since they wouldn’t be able to do so at an older age. This was because, once they become old, it would take too much life essence to refine a new true fate treasure.
Many young cultivators dreamed about going to the Divine Dragon Mountain to find a nine accumulations destiny stone, but now, Li Qiye shattered their dreams by taking away a whole bunch.
Ultimately, the ones who were the most depressed were the ghost race. Recently, they had been severely suppressed. The three heroes of the Sacred Nether World were their pride and future aspirations. And now, Li Qiye crawling out of nowhere alone was not enough, even Xian Fan showed up. Li Qiye was even more dazzling than Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui, so the entire younger generation of the ghosts had been put to shame. If this continued, then the younger ghost generation would be oppressed by humans, so it was understandable that the ghost race became exasperated.
Chapter 521 - Diamond Carp
While the news of Li Qiye bringing away a bunch of destiny stones spread everywhere, Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu had already left the Metal Realm. Although there were a lot of treasures, Li Qiye didn’t want to spend more time here.
Lan Yunzhu went to look for some news and quickly came back: “I’ve found some new information. The lost mythical island you’re interested in is indeed at the Earth Realm.”
Li Qiye remained completely calm after hearing this since it was exactly as he predicted. Before, he was sure that the thing he wanted was inside the grave. Now that the lost mythical island was confirmed to be here, he was left completely at ease.
“How is the island right now?” He asked with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu replied: “I heard that it is no different from when it was outside at sea; it is still covered in mist. The mist has apparently become thinner, but one still can’t see the entire island.”
“I see.” Li Qiye knew that sooner or later, the island would reveal its true colors. Its appearance at the Prime Ominous Grave was for a reason.
“Do we go to the island now?” Lan Yunzhu inquired. In fact, she was already curious when they were together back at the Thousand Islands. She even suspected that the sudden appearance of the lost island had something to do with Li Qiye.
“No, it will take some time. We can only wait until the mist dissipates. If it is here, then it can’t run away. Plus, I have the Prime Ominous Key so time is on our side.” Li Qiye cheerfully replied.
Lan Yunzhu curiously asked: “What is on the lost mythical island? I heard people say that songs from immortal phoenixes and flying golden dragons could be heard. Could there be mythical beasts on the island or maybe weapons left behind by these creatures?”
“I’m not certain whether there are divine beasts or not.” Li Qiye smiled and narrowed his eyes: “But one thing is certain, there is something very heaven-defying on the island. However, it is hard to tell whether this something is good or bad. It depends on the person, really.”
“Just what is it?” Lan Yunzhu continued. She could see that Li Qiye was very interested in the thing on the island, and she knew that there weren’t too many things that warranted his attention.
Li Qiye looked at the far horizon with a serious look: “An existence.” He became quiet for a while and then continued on: “An existence that destroyed gods. Even Immortal Emperors were extremely wary of it.”
“Destroying gods and feared by Immortal Emperors!” Lan Yunzhu lost her colors and exclaimed: “Is there really such an existence in this world?”
Just what kind of existence could this be? Immortal Emperors shouldered the Heaven’s Will, and they could be called the true heavenly princes and princesses of this world due to the recognition from the heavens itself. Just what kind of existence could cause invincible existences like Immortal Emperors to feel dread?
“This is just my personal conjecture.” Li Qiye said with a smile: “It’s just a guess. If I’m not mistaken, then that thing is real and it has been sealed for a very long time. However, it is almost time for it to appear under the sun once more.”
“There is another piece of news.” Lan Yunzhu softly sighed and reported: “Rumor has it that the people from the Ancestral City are here. Right now, there aren’t too many of them — only a few came to check the situation. The Yin Yang Master and several Ancestral City Ancestors personally came. Someone saw them going to the lost mythical island to take a look.”
Li Qiye was not surprised at all and coldly grinned: “Hahaha, this is nothing surprising. They have heard of a few things and would absolutely not let go of this chance to participate in these muddled waters.”
Lan Yunzhu shared the same opinion. If the lost mythical island housed the existence Li Qiye was talking about, then the Ancestral City would not let it go.
“Where do we go now? The Fire Realm or the Wood Realm? Or should we go straight to the Earth Realm?” Lan Yunzhu regained her thoughts and asked.
“Where did Sect Master Bao Gui’s group go?” Li Qiye asked.
“While I was asking for information, I heard that Master’s group was at the Water Realm. Since we are not in the same realm, it is hard to contact Master.” Lan Yunzhu replied.
Li Qiye stroked his chin and said: “The Water Realm… Very well, we will go take a look at the Water Realm. From my knowledge, it is not a bad place.”
Lan Yunzhu agreed since she also wanted to see if the Thousand Carp River had any luck. She followed him to a dao platform in the Metal Realm then directly ported to the Water Realm.
With its blue sky and sea that spanned endlessly, this was a realm worth yearning for. One’s soul would become relaxed while standing in the Water Realm; the gentle misty breeze could wash away the fatigue of life.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but exclaim while standing above the water: “I didn’t expect the Water Realm to be one huge ocean.”
“This is a sea reservoir; below are many secrets that can never be excavated completely.” Li Qiye cheerfully commented.
The elders of the river sect were at the Water Realm, so Lan Yunzhu quickly communicated with them before running over to them.
When they met, the elders were all standing on top of a huge carp. They didn’t move separately and instead continued to stay together.
The huge carp swam quickly on the ocean as if the elders were chasing after something, prompting Lan Yunzhu’s question: “Master, what are you doing?”
“Chasing after a big fish.” Daoist Bao Gui answered.
A few high elders were gazing at the sea’s surface while their heavenly gazes swept across everything in this realm.
“A big fish?” Lan Yunzhu curiously inquired: “What kind of huge fish? A treasure fish?”
“Crash!” A huge splashing sound came out as a monstrous animal leaped out from the ocean, causing waves to tower up high.
A gigantic fish leaped out from the surface. Although the carp that the elders were riding was already very big, it was still smaller than this gigantic fish.
This leaping fish’s entire body was pitch black and its scales resembled black iron. When it jumped, the sunlight reflected off its body formed a faint halo. The curves of this fish appeared especially perfect under this sunlight.
When it jumped, it gave off the illusion that it was a true dragon leaping out of the water with an indescribable momentum, shocking all spectators!
“So pretty!” Lan Yunzhu had to praise this gigantic fish.
“Stay close and don’t lose it! We have been chasing after it for nine days now!” Daoist Bao Gui commanded.
“Crash!” The sound of splashing water continued nonstop. The gigantic fish sometimes jumped up and sometimes dived down while creating a big pillar of water. This majestic and beautiful scene dazzled one’s eyes. Its speed was very fast, but the river sect’s carp followed it without failure.
“The big fish is here again. Everyone, quickly give chase!” This fish that swam in the water had already alarmed many cultivators in this realm, so they started to follow it.
Prior to this, it was not only the Thousand Carp River that chased this fish, many other cultivators also followed, albeit with a slower speed.
Lan Yunzhu looked at its perfect curves and praised: “What kind of fish is this? Is it a Kun Peng?”
“No, it is a Diamond Carp.” Li Qiye looked at this jumping fish and spoke with admiration: “Very beautiful, a timeless beauty.”
“Young Noble recognizes this fish?” Daoist Bao Gui was filled with interest and said: “I had to read a secret scroll from the patriarch before finding out the name of this fish.”
“It is nothing much, I’ve only heard of it. This fish is unique in this world; I think one wouldn’t be able to find another outside of the Prime Ominous Grave.”
Li Qiye did not only know of the Diamond Carp, he had even chased after it before. It could be said that this fish carried a heaven-shaking secret.
“It is indeed the one and only Diamond Carp.” Daoist Bao Gui continued: “Just like you said, rumor has it that there is only one in this place.”
“Why is Master chasing after this Diamond Carp?” Lan Yunzhu asked: “Do we want to catch it?” However, she could see that they had no intention of catching it at this moment.
“No, we are trying to find its nest.” Daoist Bao Gui explained: “The secret book of the patriarch contains a passage about the amazing nest of the Diamond Carp, about how it contains a very rare creation of the heaven and earth. This is why we are chasing after it, we want to find its nest.”
“Do you know where its nest is?” Lan Yunzhu looked at Li Qiye and asked. Nowadays, Lan Yunzhu would first ask Li Qiye about anything. He even knew about the secrets of the grave, so she felt that there was nothing he didn’t know.
“I don’t know.” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “Just like what your patriarch’s record stated, we can only chase forever until we find the nest because this nest is always moving. The only thing we can do is wait till the carp goes back to its nest.”
“It’s quite impressive that Young Noble knows so many things.” Daoist Bao Gui couldn’t help but praise: “The patriarch’s record does indeed say that. We have to give chase until it goes back to its nest.”
Chapter 522 - Wood Realm
“But are you guys prepared? When the Diamond Carp goes back to its nest, you guys have to seal it. If not, then that carp will disappear after entering, and it will be very hard to find it again.” Li Qiye smilingly asked.
“Young Noble can rest assured.” The Daoist instantly replied: “We have brought along a treasure of the patriarch. As long as we find its nest, we will seal it right away. Even if it tries to port away, we will still be able to find it immediately.”
Li Qiye only smiled in response while looking at the Diamond Carp that swam in front of them. The high waves set off by the jumping fish combined with the reflected sunlight from its curves created quite a pretty spectacle.
The elders were determined to not give up until they found its nest.
After looking for a while, Li Qiye told Lan Yunzhu: “We’ll go now.”
Lan Yunzhu asked in surprise: “Go? Where? Are we not chasing the fish to its nest?”
Li Qiye shook his head and said: “The fish will not return to its nest until it is tired, and there is still a very long time before it fatigues. We’ll go take a look somewhere else.”
“Go.” Daoist Bao Gui nodded and said: “Leave this place to us. You guys can go test your fortune somewhere else.”
Lan Yunzhu felt that they couldn’t really help even if they stayed here, so she said goodbye to the daoist’s group and followed Li Qiye.
“Where are we going now?” She asked: “To the Earth Realm? I’ve heard that something really incredible has been dug out over there.”
“No.” Li Qiye shook his head and replied: “You can indeed dig out amazing things at the Earth Realm, but you need to stay alive to use it later on.”
“Oh? Our egotistic Uncle is suddenly so timid? Isn’t Uncle unafraid of the heaven and earth?” Lan Yunzhu gave him a look then blinked her eyes before revealing a charming smile: “If I remember correctly, Uncle is always full of confidence, so why are you so afraid of death now?”
Li Qiye flicked her forehead and said: “Don’t tease me, Girl. The Earth Realm is not enough to take my life. However, in order to take out the good stuff from there, one would need to go into the graves — this is a very time-consuming and complicated process. Moreover, I don’t need those items. The things that I need are at many different places; for example, we are about to go to a very nice location.”
“Where?” Lan Yunzhu quickly asked.
Li Qiye gazed at the distance and answered: “The Wood Realm.” He then smiled and continued: “Don’t you want to find a King Medicine root or some kind of treasure tree?”
Lan Yunzhu’s eyes lit up as she asked: “Is there a chance to stumble upon a divine tree like the Golden Divine Willow?”
“You can really dream.” Li Qiye chuckled and replied: “A divine tree like the Golden Divine Willow is unique. Obtaining such a tree is easier said than done. Your river sect’s divine willow required countless amounts of effort and time to move it from its original location back to the sect.
“In addition to requiring a lot of effort to relocate such a tree, more often than not, something like the Golden Divine Willow can only be met by chance. If you are lucky, you might be able to meet a similar divine tree.” Li Qiye smiled while shaking his head after getting to this point.
Lan Yunzhu looked at him and curiously asked: “Uncle, why do you know the matters of our river sect so well?”
Even though she was its descendant, she didn’t know about this stuff. In fact, her master didn’t know about this either, yet Li Qiye could recall these things as if he saw them with his own eyes.
He then teasingly responded: “Don’t forget that I am your Guardian. Your patriarch has appointed me as the Guardian so I’m naturally different from others. I have read a lot of books and there is nothing I don’t know or can’t do.”
Lan Yunzhu glared at him in response: “Bah, Uncle, please stop. Who doesn’t know that you were lucky, super lucky to become our Guardian.” Although she said this, she clearly knew in her mind that the patriarch chose him to be their Guardian for a reason, even though she didn’t know the exact details.
The Wood Realm was one of the five Grave Realms of the Prime Ominous Grave. Inside were old sky-towering trees that were full of vitality. It could be said that among the five, the Wood Realm was the one with the most abundant life essence.
There were also rolling mountains surrounded by rivers and loud waterfalls everywhere; life was in abundance here. Once one stepped inside, one would actually think that they were in a dense, old forest back in the Sacred Nether World.
Beasts and birds were running around among these tall trees. There was nothing that couldn’t be found here, including trees and grasses that knew how to run. To be more exact, they were King Medicines and treasure trees that knew how to move around.
This was the best location for those who wanted to find some pills and immortal grasses. Anyone who came here would become very excited because this realm resembled a large garden full of herbs both good and bad. There were even King Medicines!
Each time the grave opened, many alchemists and cultivators loved to come to the Wood Realm.
The dangers here were also more moderate compared to the other realms, but this was not to say that this place isn’t a paradise for finding treasures. It was more suited for weaker cultivators, especially the vagabonds and those who hailed from minor sects.
In the Metal Realm, one wouldn’t know what they would dig out from under the sand. It could be a treasure, or it could be a nest of Metal-eating Insects, or it might be a different kind of dangerous sinister existence.
In the Water Realm, one wouldn’t know what was under the water and what kinds of danger was below. Maybe as they were treading on the water, a water demon would come out and taste their flesh.
The Wood Realm was different. If one had no ambition and only wanted to make a little money by lingering in the outer boundary to pick some grasses, then it was absolutely safe.
Since this place specialized in producing medicines and grasses, even the entrance had a lot of them. Although they were ordinary, their freshness made up for this.
Low risk and decent rewards meant that this was the haven for many weaker cultivators. Said cultivators often chose this place as their stopping point.
Lan Yunzhu followed Li Qiye to this place where the medicinal fragrance blew into her face, causing her to take a deep breath.
She then whispered: “Silver Maple Grass, Pure Dan Fruit, Hundred Coiled Grass… This place is indeed nice for growing medicine.”
Li Qiye then stared at her in surprise. Feeling his gaze, Lan Yunzhu gave him a look and said: “What? Is it that strange? Although I am not an alchemist, it is normal for me to know a few spirit medicines. Our river sect is an emperor’s lineage, so we have a huge alchemy garden.”
Li Qiye only smiled and didn’t say anything else.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t contain her excitement and said: “This place has so many medicines, we should pick some and bring them back.”
Li Qiye slightly lifted his chin and said: “I’m sorry, but there is no Silver Maple Grass or Pure Dan Fruit left for you.”
Lan Yunzhu then shifted her gaze up ahead and noticed the barren hills. Outside of ordinary vegetation, the rest had already been plucked clean by people; there was no sign of spirit medicines.
“Hmm… This place is indeed a medicine garden, though.” Lan Yunzhu emotionally said after seeing a scene like this. Although the mountains had been harvested completely, by looking at the holes, one could see the signs of spirit medicines everywhere.
The two of them went deeper into the Wood Realm. They went past two mountains to see a group of cultivators happily harvesting some grasses.
A cultivator who climbed to the peak and then dug one thousand feet down managed to find a medicine root. Another hung by the cliff with a bated breath, waiting for a spirit flower to bloom. A different person went deep into a cave and then baited out the snakes to dig out Golden-String Grass. However, the majority of them were just picking spirit grasses normally on the mountain.
The cultivation of these cultivators was quite shallow, and a few of them were only beginners. The spirit medicines harvested by them could be found in stores. However, despite these medicines being common, this was still a great harvest to these cultivators.
“How did they manage to come in?” Lan Yunzhu puzzlingly asked after seeing these weak cultivators inside the grave.
“You have never been in a minor sect, right?” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “You have been in an emperor’s lineage since a young age so you don’t know that it is not easy to live as a vagabond or a cultivator from a minor sect. These spirit medicines are already very good for them. They risked their lives to enter the Prime Ominous Grave, and although they couldn’t make it alone, a group of them going together makes it possible.
“Among them, there will be one or two people who are quite formidable, so a group of them working together can ride the Corpseblood Clouds. Of course, many probably died during the process, but nevertheless, to these weak cultivators, entering the Prime Ominous Grave is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they are lucky, maybe they will be able to change their sect’s fate. Thus, despite knowing how arduous it would be and how only one out of ten would survive, they still risked it all and came!”
Chapter 523 - Dangers In The Wood Realm
Lan Yunzhu became quiet after hearing this. It was just like what Li Qiye had said, she had never been in a minor sect. She entered the river sect at a young age under Venerable Yang’s lead, and her master was the sect master. A genius like her didn’t know the struggles of a weak sect.
Although this place was full of spirit medicines, Li Qiye didn’t slow down his pace. He brought Lan Yunzhu deeper into the realm.
And he was not the only one who didn’t stop; any cultivator that was a bit stronger or was from a bigger sect wouldn’t pause. Although this place had a lot of medicines, they were very ordinary. Anyone with a bit of strength would not waste their time here.
This was especially true for the great powers who came here for the King Medicines and Sacred Trees. How could they allow time to be wasted on these ordinary grasses?
As Li Qiye went further inside, the grasses became rarer and more precious. At a certain depth, the truly rare spirit medicines began to appear.
“That is a Crimsonblood Fruit!” Lan Yunzhu happily uttered after seeing a red fruit growing on a lush and verdant tree by a creek.
She wanted to go closer, but this creek suddenly turned into a whirlpool.
“Splash!” White skeletons emerged from this whirlpool, warning Lan Yunzhu to not come any closer.
Li Qiye pulled her away and said: “Don’t waste time here, there are too many spirit medicines of this level.”
Lan Yunzhu wryly laughed and wondered: “Are there a lot of these here?” In the outside world, the Crimsonblood Fruit was very rare. Even the river sect’s treasury only had a few of them.
However, it was just like what Li Qiye had said. After they crossed several mountains, they saw Crimsonblood Fruits everywhere in the creeks.
Lan Yunzhu, who was following right behind him, was dazzled after seeing how many spirit medicines there were in this part of the woods: “White Phoenix Tree, Raging Flame Vine, Five Transformations Dragon Rouge, 800,000 year old Pure Dan Grass…”
The spirit medicines here were all extraordinary and precious. However, wanting to pick these medicines was not easy. They either had insect kings and cruel beasts protecting them, or they would be growing in deadly locations.
“Why don’t we pick some of them?” She was very tempted when she saw so many spirit medicines. She had absolute confidence that she would be able to easily pick a bunch of them.
“Wait a bit longer, then you will truly see what is called an alchemy garden.” Li Qiye replied and smiled: “There are even more precious things, so why waste time here?”
Sure enough, as they continued forward, they saw even more spirit medicines that couldn’t be described with just the word “precious.” These were all priceless medicines.
“That is a one million year old Scarlet Soaring Dragon Tree!” Lan Yunzhu looked at a treasure tree and exclaimed in shock. The entire tree was scarlet and it emitted waves of fluttering lights. She was someone who knew her stuff, so she spoke: “If one trains here, they will be reinforced by a dragon essence.”
However, as she came closer, she heard the sounds of bones clanking together as many skeletons crawled up from below the tree. Looking at the color of these bones, one wouldn’t be able to tell how long ago they had died.
“Don’t compete with the dead. Even after death, they will forever want to seize this treasure tree.” Li Qiye cheerfully said before dragging her away.
The value of these herbs only rose as they went deeper inside. Many experts and great powers present wanted these medicines.
“Where are you running to?!” On top of a mountain, a formidable Heavenly King with surging blood energy and an emperor’s aura was chasing a King Medicine root.
“That Heavenly King comes from the Zhan Clan. Legend states that after producing an Immortal Emperor, the clan then lived in seclusion for a very long time.” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but say after seeing this chase.
This Heavenly King had clearly brought an emperor’s weapon. Although many lusted after this King Medicine root, after seeing this Heavenly King take action, all the other Heavenly Sovereigns could only watch on the sidelines no matter how heaven-defying they might be. A Heavenly King was terrifying enough, not to mention the fact that he brought along an emperor’s weapon. Nobody wanted to offend such an expert!
The King Medicine being chased after by the Heavenly King was a 3,000,000 year old Violetblood King Ginseng. This ginseng root ran for its life at a scary speed while the Heavenly King panted as he gave chase.
This king ginseng knew that the enemy had an emperor’s weapon, a weapon that it couldn’t mess with, so it fled at an extreme speed deeper into the Wood Realm.
“Buzz!” On a different hill, a Demonic Sacred Tree exuded a terrifying divine radiance. Under the Demonic Sacred Tree were several hundred experts that all came from the same sect. They gathered together and tried their best to uproot this sacred tree.
“Clank!” Countless divine lights from this tree combined together to form a monstrous sword formation to cut into the experts of this sect.
Seeing that this sacred tree knew how to form a sword array, the sect master exclaimed in horror: “Retreat!”
But it was all too late as a rain of blood poured down from the sky. Terrible screams resounded as these several hundred experts were minced by this powerful sword formation.
“So strong!” Lan Yunzhu became shocked after witnessing the strength of the sacred tree’s sword array. She had a keen eyesight capable of seeing through this heaven-defying sword array.
“Don’t be fooled by the Wood Realm’s appearance.” Li Qiye smiled and explained: “Outsiders say that this place is safe, and indeed it is safer than the other places, but the King Medicines and Sacred Trees in this realm should not be easily provoked. Although there are no poisonous creatures or insect kings guarding them, they are plenty powerful by themselves.”
Lan Yunzhu also recognized this. The King Medicines and Sacred Trees in the Wood Realm were different from the divine stones and treasure metals back in the Metal Realm. The metals and stones didn’t have the power to fight back, but these medicine existences were different. They were very powerful, even more so than a Heavenly King.
“At this place, there are King Medicines and Sacred Trees even more powerful than Virtuous Paragons. One requires luck to be able to see them.” Li Qiye reminded Lan Yunzhu.
As they trod deeper inside, even more King Medicines and Sacred Trees showed up as well as holy springs and wells. Later on, there were trees who knew how to fly and walking grasses as well as herbs that knew how to transform.
The more she saw, the more speechless Lan Yunzhu became. Eventually, the two arrived under a cliff with an old well next to it. Li Qiye looked at it and found that there was a moon floating inside.
“Is this the legendary Immortal Moon Well?” Lan Yunzhu only watched from the distance because there was a person sitting cross-legged above the well — an old man. This old man wore armor with a sword box on his thighs. Although the box was closed, the terrifying sword energy shooting out of it made it clear just how horrifying the sword inside must be.
Lan Yunzhu looked at the old man and felt a chill before asking: “Is he dead?”
“Yes. He is this generation’s wellkeeper.” Li Qiye happily explained: “It is not difficult to obtain this well, one just has to defeat him. But sometimes, after defeating its keeper, they would no longer be able to leave because they would turn into a corpse and become the next generation’s keeper.”
Seeing this scene made Lan Yunzhu shudder. A Virtuous Paragon had inexplicably died here to become its keeper. This place was too bizarre.
As they continued to explore deeper and deeper, the thick forests and mountains became more dangerous. The sacred medicines now had fierce beasts and insects guarding them, and even the mountain paths became more arduous.
The insects and beasts wouldn’t attack someone for no reason, but the dangerous high peaks and hills were unpredictable. One wouldn’t be able to discern safe spots from dangerous spots.
“Ahh!” Screams sounded out. Lan Yunzhu noticed a large clan with more than one thousand experts falling into a deep ravine. However, what took their lives was not the fall but a group of black clouds that descended from the sky like a bunch of devils returning to their ravine nest. In just a moment, more screams resounded from within the ravine.
After the black clouds disappeared, Lan Yunzhu only saw skeletal remains. More than one thousand experts had all become mere bones.
“The White River Tribe is a great clan from the ghost race. They have more than ten Heavenly Sovereigns!” She exclaimed after seeing this scene.
More than one thousand experts and ten Heavenly Sovereigns had turned into skeletons in just a minute without being able to put up a fight. This matter was way too creepy.
However, thanks to Li Qiye, he brought her along and dodged all the dangers as if there was a god protecting them. It was as if Li Qiye knew this place very well; he knew all of its dangerous locations along with the methods to evade them.
Lan Yunzhu followed him and noticed that, at times, he would take the longer path instead of a straight incline towards the deeper parts of the Wood Realm. Because of his meticulous path, they managed to cleverly avoid many dangers.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask with doubt after seeing this: “Have you been to the Prime Ominous Grave before?” He seemed to have come here before, and his familiarity with the place indicated it hadn’t just been once.
Li Qiye smirked and remarked: “Did your patriarch not leave behind a map? For example, the dangerous spots inside the Wood Realm?”
Chapter 524 - Lost Alchemy Garden Of The Immortals
“No.” Lan Yunzhu glanced at him and said: “Is there such a thing? I’m afraid it doesn’t exist in this world. Even if our patriarch had come to the Prime Ominous Grave, it most likely would’ve only been once. The patriarch wouldn’t have been able to find out the safe and dangerous spots.”
“I’m sorry to say that I came across an old map that had the safe and dangerous spots marked on it.” Li Qiye smiled and added: “I’ll also tell you an exclusive secret.”
“What is it?” Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ask.
Li Qiye smirked and said: “Gather a lot of antiques, such as old books or maps. Then, your harvest will be completely unexpected. All of my knowledge came from these items.”
“Bah!” Lan Yunzhu looked at him with one eye and said: “Uncle, I’m not stupid. It is fine if you don’t want to say it, but don’t try to trick me. The Prime Ominous Grave is one of the twelve burial grounds, so how could the secrets of this place be contained in old books and maps? If that was the case, then there wouldn’t be any secrets about the twelve burial grounds.”
Li Qiye only laughed and didn’t deny this notion while Lan Yunzhu angrily glared at him.
He took her to a grassy field. It was not large, only around ten acres. There was absolutely nothing here, let alone King Medicines and Sacred Trees. Not even the most ordinary spirit medicines could be found.
In the middle of the field was an old stone tablet that had nothing special about its appearance.
“Uncle, you took me all this way just for this stone tablet?” Lan Yunzhu looked at him and said: “Don’t tell me that there is no secret about this tablet. I won’t accept such an answer.”
Li Qiye took her across numerous streams and hills while ignoring many King Medicines and Sacred Trees. This was definitely not because he had too much time on his hands.
Li Qiye replied with a smile: “You are right, this place is the secret.” Li Qiye took out the Prime Ominous Key. The key was like the unveiling of a decree as dao runes began to move with ancient words emerging on its surface.
“Thunk, thunk, thunk!” These old characters carved themselves into the ancient tablet, causing it to become shiny.
Lan Yunzhu had seen this before back when Li Qiye opened the grave, so after seeing these ancient characters on the tablet, she held her breath in anticipation.
“Clangggg!” The old tablet shifted itself, revealing a door where it used to be.
Li Qiye reached out with his hand and said with a smile: “Please enter. You can now see what true King Medicines are.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what was beyond the door. She took a deep breath and was ready to accept a pleasant surprise. She entered first while Li Qiye followed right behind her.
“Rollll—” After they entered, the tablet shifted back to its initial position, and the door disappeared as well. No one else knew that there had been a door here.
After going inside, Lan Yunzhu’s jaw dropped as she became astonished at the scene before her eyes.
It was too shocking. This place seemed to be a world of its own with plenty of waterfalls and hills. The gentle breeze gave the sensation that it was a paradise.
However, this was not the important part. The crux of the matter was that the vegetation here were not ordinary grasses or trees, they were all incredible King Medicines and Sacred Trees.
“Immortal Phoenix Grass, Galaxy Tree, Spatial Flower, Bewildering Bamboo…” All of these items were written down in the records, but very few people had seen them since the start of time. These immortal grasses and sacred trees were beyond the scope of alchemy. Using these things to refine pills would be wasting the heaven’s creations.
The Immortal Phoenix Grass was like a phoenix gently flying on a branch as it emitted the cries of a phoenix.
Lan Yunzhu looked at it and murmured: “Legend has it that this grass only shows up where an Immortal Phoenix made its nest.”
The Galaxy Tree gently swayed with the wind and had the appearance of stars descending to this world. The body of the tree was not large, but stars kept descending from it as if it was the sky itself.
As for the Spatial Flower, one of its tiny buds began to bloom. The moment it finished blooming, it was as if ten thousand years had passed; the endless time was flowing inside its petals.
Lan Yunzhu wanted to watch the flower bloom, but Li Qiye quickly stopped her: “Don’t watch when it is blooming or else you will grow old along with it. No matter how powerful you are, you won’t be able to stop its withering properties.”
The sacred trees and other immortal grasses here were not simply ingredients, they were extremely terrifying existences. They had the power to cause even Virtuous Paragons to feel dread.
Although all of these kinds of vegetation were before her, even a genius like Lan Yunzhu wouldn’t find picking any of them an easy task.
Despite the fact that they had no insect kings or other poisonous creatures protecting them, they themselves had horrifying power no weaker than a Virtuous Paragon.
“Where is this place?” Lan Yunzhu asked with an emotional tone. Seeing any one of these great treasures outside would already be more difficult than reaching the heavens, but from where Lan Yunzhu was standing, immortal grasses and sacred trees could be seen as far as her eyes could see. This shocking matter definitely couldn’t occur in the outside world.
Li Qiye smiled and replied: “It is anyone’s guess as to where this place really is, but you can call it the lost alchemy garden of the immortals.”
“The lost alchemy garden of the immortals…” Lan Yunzhu repeated.
This was the only appropriate name for it. How could any other place have so many rare and precious herbs located in one place? This could only happen in the lands of the legendary immortals.
This garden before her was probably the alchemy garden of the immortals that fell to the mortal world.
Lan Yunzhu calmed down then looked at Li Qiye to say: “The King Medicines growing outside were not the most precious things in the Wood Realm.”
“Correct.” Li Qiye cheerfully smiled: “There is no better place in the Wood Realm than the lost alchemy garden of the immortals.”
Lan Yunzhu suddenly recalled something, then she looked at Li Qiye and asked: “There are five great realms in the Prime Ominous Grave. The Wood Realm is not the only one with a secret grave; this lost alchemy garden is equivalent to the Heavenly Cemetery of the Earth Realm. They are both secret graves, right?”
Li Qiye smiled and said: “You are not stupid. To be more precise, all five realms have their own secret grave.”
Lan Yunzhu then murmured in response: “Legends state that Immortal Emperor Di Yu once entered the Heavenly Cemetery and obtained the method for eternal life. This was how future generations got to know about the Heavenly Cemetery.”
Li Qiye shook his head and said: “The truth is not like that. The key point is that the future generations didn’t know about the cemetery because of Immortal Emperor Di Yu. You will understand later.”
Lan Yunzhu then asked: “The Heavenly Cemetery is at the Earth Realm, then we have the alchemy garden at the Wood Realm. What about the Metal Realm and the Water Realm? If all five realms have them, then so should these two.”
Li Qiye gestured with his hand and said: “This I do not know. It is not like I know everything. If you keep asking me, then who do I have to ask for an answer?”
“Is that so?” Lan Yunzhu skeptically looked at Li Qiye because she was sure that it was not so simple. In her opinion, Li Qiye definitely knew a thing or two. She then had to say: “I got it now. Each secret grave of these realms has to be opened with the Prime Ominous Key! The world does not know that the key doesn’t just simply open the grave.”
Li Qiye flicked her forehead and said: “Smart. You are right, only with the Prime Ominous Key would one be able to enter these secret graves.”
“If you have the key, then how come you didn’t go to the other ones? Like the ones back in the Water and Metal realms?” Lan Yunzhu inquired.
People would go absolutely crazy if they knew this secret. These secret graves were unbelievable; this lost alchemy garden was a prime example. Anyone who entered would surely come out as a rich man.
Li Qiye shook his head with a smile and replied: “Hmm… I don’t know where the other secret graves are located.”
Lan Yunzhu fiercely glared at him and retorted: “Do you think I’m stupid? You even know about the Secret Realm, so how do you not know about the secret graves? Hmph, these secret graves are surely easier to find than the Secret Realm.”
“Okay, okay. Little Girl, you really are not stupid at all.” Li Qiye smiled, then continued: “There are a lot of rules for these secret graves, and it is not as simple as just going and taking the treasures. The secret graves in the Metal and Water realms do not necessarily have the things I need. My first rule for this trip is to find the things that I need, the other stuff will be for when I have enough time. Of course, unless a secret among secrets of the graves appears, I wouldn’t be able to go to all the secret graves.”
“What is a secret among secrets of the graves?” Lan Yunzhu curiously asked. She had never heard of this before, but since it came out from Li Qiye’s mouth, it would surely not be simple.
Chapter 525 - Ultimate Alchemy Location
Li Qiye nonchalantly responded: “You don’t need to know this. However, if the secret among secrets appears, then I’ll take you to experience it.”
Having heard that, Lan Yunzhu didn’t ask anything more. She only knew that this secret must be really amazing.
“Let us go.” Li Qiye brought her into the garden. They didn’t get too far before a soulgrass jumped out. This soulgrass was like a little coiling dragon. If it wasn’t for the dragon’s tail being linked to the mud, making it seem like a type of grass, then people would actually think that it was a dragon.
Lan Yunzhu knew her stuff, so she exclaimed: “A Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass! This is already an eight transformations soulgrass; it’s only one step away from becoming a dragon grass!”
Soulgrass was the essential primary leading ingredient for refining fate pills. Without soulgrass, one wouldn’t be able to refine fate pills at all. There were many types of soulgrass, but the Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass was one of the best. It had a very potent medicinal effect, so it was sought after far more than the others.
Soulgrass could have nine transformations and the ninth transformation would be the limit. It was the same for the Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass that had nine different stages. In the three initial stages, it would take on the form of an insect flower; the middle three stages were ones where it would be in the form of a soulgrass; the last three stages was when it would take on the shape of a dragon grass. Legend states that after reaching the ninth transformation, it would completely metamorphose into a real little dragon!
Li Qiye reached down and plucked the soulgrass. It was unwilling, but Li Qiye’s hand covered everything so it had no chance to escape.
Outside of the grave, this soulgrass was considered priceless as it only grew in the most dangerous of locations and was protected by poisonous creatures. However, in this lost garden, this type of soulgrass was only a common spirit medicine.
Li Qiye put it away and told Lan Yunzhu: “Remember, there are three rules in this lost garden. First, one can only pick ordinary spirit medicines.”
“What does ‘ordinary spirit medicines’ entail?” Lan Yunzhu asked.
Li Qiye replied with a smile: “Ordinary means little King Medicines, basically ones that are three million years old or younger, or ones that have nine or fewer transformations.”
“Could there be a soulgrass with ten transformations?” Lan Yunzhu found the answer puzzling.
This was impossible since the world knew that nine transformations was the limit for soulgrass.
To this, Li Qiye only smiled and continued on: “Second, Emperor Medicines, Immortal Medicines, and True Immortal Medicines as well as divine trees that are at least five million years old can only be plucked if they are willing. If they agree to go with you, then you can take them. However, if you forcefully do so, then prepare to face the punishment!”
“How are the Emperor Medicines, Immortal Medicines, and True Immortal Medicines classified?” Lan Yunzhu asked in confusion.
Li Qiye shook his head and grinned: “The truth is that there is no real standard. Some people consider King Medicines with three million years of age as Emperor Medicines, but this is the classification used by the weaker alchemists. Once an alchemist reaches a certain level, they will be able to interact with King Medicines that belong in the legends, so the majority of these alchemists consider the ones that are at least five million years old as Emperor Medicine. As for rarer spirit medicines, such as the Immortal Phoenix Grass, they call them Immortal Medicines.”
“What about True Immortal Medicines then?” Lan Yunzhu asked: “How could medicine be fake and real?”
Li Qiye responded: “True Immortal Medicines are divided into several levels. A spirit medicine like the Immortal Phoenix Grass is indeed very rare, but it is not a real immortal grass. Real immortal grasses come from a very ancient era and were cultivated by immortals. Some people even say that True Immortal Medicines hide the true secret to immortality!”
“Do they really exist in this world?” Lan Yunzhu asked: “A True Immortal Medicine capable of granting eternal life…?”
Li Qiye didn’t answer her question since he was digging up a two million year old Silver Maple Grass. It was a type of supporting ingredient for Longevity Medicines. A two million year old spirit medicine like this was very rare and absolutely priceless.
“The third rule is that one cannot be too greedy. At this place, you can pick any ordinary spirit medicines without any danger. However, if you are too greedy and pluck too many, then the alchemy garden will sanction you. If there are three, then take two and leave one behind — you should consider this as the maximum. This is already pushing it to the limit.”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but smile at this point. In this place, little King Medicines and King Medicines were only called ordinary spirit medicines. These were priceless items that could start countless conflicts.
However, she then remembered that Li Qiye was cautious about this threat from the garden, so she curiously asked: “What will happen if you are sanctioned by the garden?”
“Very simple.” Li Qiye answered with a grin: “If you are not an Immortal Emperor, then don’t even think about leaving alive.”
Lan Yunzhu immediately lost her colors. Immortal grasses were already so heaven-defying that even Heavenly Kings wouldn’t mess with them. And yet, being sanctioned by the alchemy garden was even worse, according to Li Qiye. One that wasn’t at the emperor level wouldn’t be able to dream about these immortal grasses unless they were willing to go with you.
“Don’t stand there in a daze. First come first serve, I’m not going to give you any!” Li Qiye casually dug up another nine transformations Jadeblood Bamboo.
Lan Yunzhu regained her wits and yelled: “Uncle, you are bullying this girl. You already started digging before me without saying anything!” She let go of all her feminine manners and screamed while rushing to dig out medicines with Li Qiye.
Li Qiye only smiled and let her have a King Medicine root.
She had quite a great harvest while digging with Li Qiye. The more she dug, the more speechless she became. Here, King Medicines were not any different from radishes; one could easily pluck them since they were everywhere.
She was not an alchemist so her digging skills were much worse than Li Qiye’s. If it wasn’t for him taking it easy on purpose, she wouldn’t be able to win anything in front of him. Although the amount she gathered was far less than that of Li Qiye, she was already very satisfied.
Think about it, a Heavenly King from the Zhan Clan chased with an emperor’s weapon while panting and sweating for ten thousand miles just for one King Medicine. In the end, no one even knew if he caught it or not. However, Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu were digging up King Medicines as if they were radishes in such a simple manner. This was such a joyous occasion!
After digging and moving for a long time, Li Qiye finally looked ahead and said with a smile: “We are finally here.”
Lan Yunzhu was taken aback. She now understood that digging up King Medicines wasn’t Li Qiye’s goal, it was just a convenient venture. If this wasn’t his goal, then what was attracting his attention?
She stood up after digging out another King Medicine, but she was startled after she saw the scene before her. She was so shocked that she couldn’t close her mouth.
Before them was a medicine field with a blue radiance like a jade with blue smoke. However, a more careful look would show that it was not smoke and instead was an extremely refined and precious worldly energy.
Immortal Medicines and divine trees were growing in this medicine field. Each of them spewed out mists while absorbing worldly energy just like a real living being.
The two of them were about to step inside, but they had to stop due to a dragon’s roar as a dragon landed in front of them. It was not huge, but it emitted a draconic aura and roared before Li Qiye as if it was warning them not to step into this place.
“Hold on, hold on.” Despite being roared at by the dragon, Li Qiye leisurely smiled and said: “This is not how you treat a guest.”
“This is not a place for you to visit. It’s not a place meant for little existences like you.” A voice appeared from an old tree; this tree had the face of an old man. Any coward would have a heart attack after seeing this existence.
“Of course I have my reasons for coming here.” Li Qiye replied in a laid-back manner.
“What are these things?” Lan Yunzhu whispered and asked Li Qiye after seeing how this dragon seemed as if it was about to attack them.
Li Qiye smiled and gently touched the dragon flying before him and replied: “This is a ten transformations Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass. That tree over there is an eight million year old Soldier Tree.”
“That over there is a Reincarnation Heavenly Soulvine…” Li Qiye continued to call out the names of these immortal vegetation that sucked in the mists with a leisurely expression.
A few needed no introduction from Li Qiye since Lan Yunzhu could tell what they were with a more careful glance: “Is that a seven million year old Violetblood King Ginseng?”
“No, my name is Ginseng Ancestor.” The ginseng that was emitting a violet light faintly spoke. A ginseng that knew how to talk was quite scary!
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but take a calming breath. An ancestor ginseng such as this was the finest ingredient to prolong one’s life span; even an Immortal Emperor would need this. If an Immortal Emperor came here, he would forcefully take it away even if he had to suffer the sanctioning of the garden.
“This is our territory!” The Soldier Tree warned Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu: “Leave now. We don’t care what you do in the other parts of the garden, but you can’t enter here!”
“Whether I can come or not, you guys do not have the final say.” Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and said: “The truth is that you guys are not the real masters of this place, correct? I am a peace-loving person and I don’t want to fight. I do have this thing, so maybe I can borrow a medicine field?”
Chapter 526 - Cultivating in the Alchemy Garden
After saying this, Li Qiye took out the Prime Ominous Key and slowly unfurled it. At this time, the key was just like the royal decree of an emperor.
Both the Soldier Tree and the Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass and even the Ginseng Ancestor became silent. They all looked at the key in Li Qiye’s hand. Eventually, the Soldier Tree scowled and didn’t give his opinion.
Without a doubt, these trees allowed for Li Qiye to use the medicine field in front of them.
Li Qiye then smiled and said: “My thanks. I will only cultivate here, so you guys don’t need to worry about me. Do as you please.” With that, he sat down in a meditative pose and took out his Myriad Heavenly Cauldron.
“Buzz!” After it was taken out, the cauldron turned into a giant frog and spewed out powerful flames like a wolf staring at lambs. It looked at the Ginseng Ancestor, then at the Dragon Soulgrass and it didn’t leave out the reincarnation vine… It looked as if it wanted to eat all of these immortal vegetations.
“The Myriad Heavenly Cauldron!” These grasses and trees all exuded sky-pillaring auras; they were ready for battle.
They had no love for the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron. The reason was very simple — the cauldron had eaten many immortal grasses and spirit medicines. There was even a time when it devoured King Medicines like veggies. Of course an existence who had eaten so many spirit medicines like the cauldron would be hated by the group.
Li Qiye stopped the cauldron from provoking the immortal vegetations and said: “Hey now, stop, we all need to live together peacefully.” He added with a smile: “We are only here for cultivation, not to eat immortal medicines.”
He stroked the cauldron and persuaded: “You have eaten too many spirit medicines so there is no need for more. The thing you need to do now is to refine all the essence in your body so that they can harmonize to turn your medicinal trove into the best trove possible. Otherwise, it would only be a waste if you eat even more.”
Since an archaic age, the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron had devoured countless mixes of herbs. Although it had an amazing medicinal trove, the essence of these different herbs couldn’t completely fuse together, and its power did not reach the level of an Immortal Medicine or True Immortal Medicine.
Li Qiye continued to stroke and speak to the cauldron: “This medicinal field has been blessed by the heavens so this is a very rare opportunity. Cultivate here to refine and melt all of the different kinds of essence within you.”
Eventually, the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron obediently turned into a regular cauldron next to Li Qiye and obeyed his command.
The group of immortal vegetations angrily scowled then left the field. To them, the cauldron was an unforgivable enemy. Because of its presence, they didn’t want to linger around any longer, so they temporarily gave way for Li Qiye.
Li Qiye then sat down and told Lan Yunzhu: “You should also sit down and cultivate. This field is unique in this world and it is hard to see it again. Use this chance to strengthen your True Fate and dao foundation, it will definitely be beneficial for you. However, if you don’t want to, you can go take a look around.”
With that, Li Qiye closed his eyes and opened his Fate Palaces. With a deafening blast, all of his palaces opened with his True Fate along with a dao foundation that looked like a galaxy. After a long roar, the foundation then turned into a Primordial Kun Peng that shrouded the sky.
“Boom!” His palaces then turned into a kingdom as the Terra’s Root instantly dug into the medicinal field. It quickly sucked up the extremely refined worldly essence from the field, so the kingdom inside the Fate Palaces was quickly filled with this new source of energy.
“Boom!” Another explosion occurred. The Kun Peng turned back into a galaxy and surrounded the True Fate that went on top of the dao foundation. At this time, the ten palace kingdom gave all of its energy to the True Fate and dao foundation.
More rumbling blasts resounded. His Life Wheel took action; its rolling blood energy flowed into the dao foundation like a long river flowing into the sea. The Revolving Crescent Sun Law crazily sucked in worldly energy. Like a devil, it crushed Li Qiye’s blood energy then the worldly energy and fused the two of them together before sending the newly formed energy back into his foundation and True Fate. In just a minute, Li Qiye’s True Fate emitted a blinding brilliance.
Li Qiye had been refined by the Worldly Prime Liquid so his body, dao foundation, and True Fate could be said to be perfect.
This time, Li Qiye wanted to use this medicinal field to temper them once more. Because he had opened ten palaces, he needed an even better condition to refine his dao foundation and True Fate. Only this type of training would allow his potential to become limitless and gain the opportunity to open the eleventh, twelfth, and even the thirteenth palace from the legends.
“Rumble!” Meanwhile, the cauldron sucked in an endless amount of refined essence while its treasure trove appeared. It was as vast as a sea with dense medicinal essences.
Lan Yunzhu was shocked to see such a scene and wondered just how many immortal herbs this cauldron had devoured to have such a treasure medicinal trove.
Li Qiye then roared again as his foundation turned into the Primordial Kun Peng. The creature flew into the sea of medicinal essence and immediately turned into a gigantic incubator, allowing Li Qiye’s dao foundation to wildly refine the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron’s medicinal trove.
The True Fate channeled the worldly energy and blood energy to harmonize the essences. In just a second, newly refined sources of energy filled the cauldron and strengthened it repeatedly. Universal laws smoothly poured down onto Li Qiye’s body like a waterfall, tempering both his body and the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron.
At this point, the cauldron and himself reached a new level of synchronization as Li Qiye borrowed the cauldron’s medicinal trove to strengthen both of them in a complementary manner.
Lan Yunzhu also followed suit after seeing Li Qiye meditate. She opened her Fate Palaces and borrowed the worldly essence in this medicine field to refine her True Fate and dao foundation.
A green smoke filled the garden as pure energy drifted everywhere. This place was not a simple medicine field, it was also a supreme land. This was why amazing existences like the Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass and the Ginseng Ancestor were absorbing energy at this place.
The worldly energy continuously moved as Lan Yunzhu’s dao foundation turned into an eternal river with nonstop changes. She had dual saint talents with her Saint Fate and Saint Wheel. It could be said that her talents were excellent, so her worldly energy absorption speed was very fast. Her True Fate became blindingly radiant with universal chains hovering around it. At this minute, it was as if the heavenly dao had become closer to her.
A long time later, she withdrew her law and slowly opened her eyes. She felt her True Fate had reached a new level after being refined by the worldly energy. Due to her saint talents, both her True Fate and dao foundation were already extremely perfect, but now, they had reached a new sublime level.
As she looked around, she felt an endless power as if this was the right path of the dao. As this force pervaded the area, it was as if all of the energy in all the nine worlds was being gathered at this place.
She turned around and noticed that this endless power was coming from Li Qiye’s body. He was no longer using the pure worldly energy to refine his dao foundation since the process had already been completed.
The tempering of the cauldron was also finished, so he had put it away as well.
He then sat in the medicine field with a solemn expression. The palaces floated above his head and turned into both the dao and a kingdom.
“Eleven Fate Palaces!” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed in shock after seeing the palaces above his head.
Before this, Li Qiye had nine stars and ten palaces — this was already shocking enough. Nine deserves utmost veneration, ten embodies extreme perfection! A person with ten palaces was already considered a heaven-defying genius with the fate of becoming a supreme existence.
However, Li Qiye had eleven palaces at this moment. During the refinement of his dao foundation and True Fate, he had opened a new palace.
“Eleven palaces… A miracle across the eons!”
Although eleven was only one more than ten, this was not an insignificant number. Even the most brilliant genius that was meant for greatness would find it nearly impossible to open another after having ten palaces. This was why eleven palaces was also called a miracle across the eons.
Those who had opened eleven palaces could be counted on one’s fingers, and some speculated that there were no more than three in total.
“Crack!” However, while Lan Yunzhu was astonished at the sight of eleven palaces, the meridian in Li Qiye’s forehead suddenly made a sound.
It was as if something else was digging inside and was about to burst out.
Lan Yunzhu immediately knew what was going on and uttered in horror: “The opening of the twelfth palace…!” She lost herself in fear. Twelve palaces… How terrifying was this?!
There existed a phrase in the cultivation world: eleven is a miracle across the eons, twelve decides the position of the Immortal Emperor!
In other words, one with eleven palaces would be a timeless miracle, but one with twelve meant that, who could be the Immortal Emperor during that generation if not they? Since time immemorial, no one had heard of someone successfully opening twelve palaces.
Chapter 527 - Cultivation
The formation of twelve palaces meant that the person would arrogantly sweep over the nine heavens and ten earths. Di Zuo, who was this? Tian Lunhui, so what? Even if Tian Lunhui was actually a reincarnation of an Immortal Emperor, he still wouldn’t be able to stop Li Qiye’s ascension to the imperial throne.
The absentminded Lan Yunzhu could only force a wry laugh. A genius like her was nothing compared to someone like Li Qiye. In someone else’s eyes, having dual saint talents was an unreachable apex, a reason for pride, but she had no choice but to be convinced before Li Qiye’s aptitude. It was no exaggeration that even someone with tri-saint talents would not be comparable to Li Qiye.
Once Li Qiye has twelve palaces, his talents, body, and bones would just be fleeting clouds in the sky — no longer relevant. There was no need to mention other prodigies. The twelve palaces alone would render anyone breathless.
Four palaces to form a domain, eight palaces to form a kingdom, and twelve palaces to form the heavens! Once he has twelve palaces, he will be the heavens itself; which existence was greater than the heavens? Perhaps only the high heavens beyond the nine firmaments! 1
“Whoosh!” A slight distortion appeared while Lan Yunzhu had a forceful smile on her face. Her eyes then focused on something that appeared to be flapping its wings.
She couldn’t help but to take a closer look and noticed a figure appearing in Li Qiye’s chest like a soaring immortal. Behind the figure were portals to all the nine heavens and ten earths. These portals then eventually turned themselves into supreme immortal wings!
This flying shadow was surrounded by silky strands of immortal laws, creating a very serene spectacle as if everything had stopped in its tracks.
However, once Lan Yunzhu used her Heavenly Gaze to take a better look, she was quickly startled. These silky strands of immortal laws were not standing still, they were rotating at an unbelievable speed. Because they were moving too quickly, it appeared as if they were still.
“Soaring Immortal Physique!” She finally figured out which Immortal Physique Li Qiye was cultivating.
The Soaring Immortal Physique was considered the fastest physique in this world. Once it reached grand completion, nothing would be faster than it.
“How can anyone bear to live on after seeing this?” She couldn’t help but wryly smile once more.
Eleven palaces already took away the breath of others, but now, Li Qiye also had the Soaring Immortal Physique. This was akin to suppressing all the other geniuses in this world.
Now, Lan Yunzhu understood why Li Qiye didn’t care for Di Zuo. Although he was still at the Ancient Saint realm, this was a trivial matter. Eleven palaces already exceeded the limits of an Ancient Saint. What could a Heavenly Sovereign do against an eleven palaces Ancient Saint?
When coupled with the Soaring Immortal Physique, this was simply too heaven-defying. Even if Di Zuo were to reach the Heavenly King realm, his chances of winning against Li Qiye would be slim.
Maybe if Di Zuo could reach Existence Heavenly King, then perhaps the play could go on. However, there was no chance for this because Di Zuo was still very young. He could reach Heavenly King at this moment, but it would absolutely be impossible to reach Existence Heavenly King without a few more years.
“Rmmmbbb!” While she was wryly smiling, a streak of lightning suddenly struck Li Qiye; to be more precise, it struck the Inner Physique in the middle of his chest. However, the lightning suddenly disappeared as if it had been suppressed by something.
“Physique Tribulation… The minor completion tribulation is about to come!” Lan Yunzhu could tell what was going on after seeing the flashing lightning. His Physique Tribulation was about to come.
“No, wait…” However, she found it strange when the lightning disappeared because Li Qiye’s Inner Physique didn’t budge. It seemed that the previous bolt of lightning was suppressed. It was as if there was something even more powerful behind the Soaring Immortal Inner Physique.
In a split second, Lan Yunzhu saw another Inner Physique, an Inner Physique capable of suppressing the entire nine heavens and ten earths, an Inner Physique that caused both gods and devils to quiver.
“This is impossible…” Lan Yunzhu felt that she was only seeing things. Cultivators could only have one Inner Physique — this was unchanged knowledge since the start of time.
She assumed that it was only an illusion because no one had ever been able to break this common sense. Only one Inner Physique per cultivator, even for someone with an Immortal Fate.
However, now she was not so sure and felt lacking in confidence. Common sense — it seemed that this had no effect on Li Qiye.
This wouldn’t be his first time breaking common sense. Just like back at the Divine Dragon Mountain when all the destiny stones chose to follow him. Until now, it had always been stones picking their masters, but now, Li Qiye was the one to pick the stones.
What if… What if Li Qiye actually had two Inner Physiques? Two Immortal Inner Physiques? She became dumbstruck at this point.
Anyone who heard this speculation of hers would immediately think that she was insane because it had never happened before. Having two Immortal Inner Physiques was even more unbelievable than someone with an Immortal Fate.
But at this time, this was her incredible conjecture. If Li Qiye had two Inner Physiques, then the other Inner Physique would have to be even stronger than the Soaring Immortal Inner Physique at this moment.
Having thought to this point, she felt that if this was indeed the case, then the three heroes of the Sacred Nether World were nothing at all!
After a good while, she calmed down and sighed gently, then she shook her head and no longer wanted to think. She stood up and noticed that Li Qiye was still lost in his trance. She didn’t want to disturb him, so she silently left the medicine field, intending to go to other places to witness the entire lost garden of the immortals.
Li Qiye was still sitting cross-legged back at the field while immersed in his own world. His dao foundation and True Fate had become impeccably perfect after the refinement from the extremely pure worldly energy.
Both this worldly energy and the medicinal essence from the trove of the Myriad Heavenly Cauldron helped him a lot. Because of this, he was able to easily open the eleventh palace.
Right now, opening the twelfth, to him, was not a challenge, it was already a foregone conclusion. The real challenge was opening the thirteenth palace.
***
While Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu were cultivating inside the lost garden, many shocking things happened outside. There was finally someone who obtained a big harvest.
The Thousand Carp River had managed to chase the Diamond Carp all the way to its nest. Its elders were the first to seize the nest, and they obtained many divine items and immortal treasures, including numerous amazing metals and aquas. Such a great harvest further reinforced the sect’s strength!
By the time many other great powers ran to the Water Realm after hearing this news, the digging operation at the Diamond Carp’s nest had already come to an end. The river sect obtained the majority of the treasures there.
Such a rich harvest left many reddened with greed. A few great powers and experts wanted to sneak an attack for the treasures, but an emperor’s lineage could not so easily be provoked. The high elders of the river sect killed three Heavenly Kings and beat all the robbers into submission. Afterward, no one else dared to try again.
The Thousand Carp River’s power was not just in name. Many great powers realized that, in order to fight the river sect, at least two emperor’s lineages must cooperate or else there would be no chance. Multiple great powers working together would still be slaughtered.
The luck of the river sect caused many people to drool in both greed and envy. A bunch of cultivators in the Water Realm were full of regrets, and one of them said: “Aizz, should have just followed the river sect to the end. I gave up halfway so I lost this great opportunity.”
In the beginning, many cultivators chased the Diamond Carp for a very long time just like the river sect. However, after a while, group after group began to give up because they felt that wasting time chasing the Diamond Carp was not worth it.
Who would expect that the river sect actually reached its nest and obtained such an envious fortune?
However, fortunately for the ghost race, the river sect was not the only group with good fortune. Otherwise, they would have been beating their chests in anger!
Another piece of news of someone having great luck began to spread. Tian Lunhui, the descendant of the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom, had entered the Fire God’s Palace.
The ghost race was the most excited after hearing this. They quickly went around asking for more information: “What is the Fire God’s Palace?”
This was a reason for celebration since Tian Lunhui, one of the three heroes, had obtained a great fortune.
Before this, the river sect’s great harvest had left the ghost race dejected and envious, but now, someone in the ghost race had also obtained a great fortune and gained the ghost race some pride!
“The Fire God’s Palace…” After hearing this, an undying from an emperor’s lineage emotionally exclaimed: “Legend states that this is the biggest and most desired fortune in the Fire Realm. Some say that a grand completion Immortal Physique from the Myriad Bones Throne wanted to enter this palace when he was here at the Fire Realm at a young age, but alas, he was unsuccessful. Who would have thought that Tian Lunhui would get such a great opportunity like this?”
Chapter 528 - Twelve Fate Palaces
“Amazing! Entering the Fire God’s Palace will surely grant him a great fortune.” After hearing this, many people became very envious.
Although the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom did not necessarily require a heaven-defying treasure, obtaining a great fortune inside the Prime Ominous Grave was a matter of pride. Since the start of time, anyone who obtained great fortunes in this grave would eventually become an invincible existence capable of threatening the nine worlds. Even if they couldn’t become an Immortal Emperor, they would still become a paragon of a world.
While everyone was still extremely jealous of Tian Lunhui’s luck, a shocking piece of news also came out from the Earth Realm: “Di Zuo is mounting an offensive on the Heavenly Cemetery.”
After hearing this, great characters from all the tribes greatly changed their expressions as they exclaimed: “Attacking the Heavenly Cemetery! How bold!”
Another whispered: “Legend states that the Heavenly Cemetery is the end point of the Prime Ominous Grave, and very few have been able to enter since time immemorial. Di Zuo indeed has the style of a young Immortal Emperor, now that he wants to attack the cemetery.”
Even an ancestor from a great power emotionally added: “The Myriad Bones Throne trained such an amazing descendant. This courage and decisiveness when deciding to attack the Heavenly Cemetery… It wouldn’t be strange if he becomes the Immortal Emperor in the future.”
Many were saddened after hearing this, especially the younger generation. Di Zuo was already famous enough, but today, many became shocked when he chose to attack the Heavenly Cemetery.
Geniuses didn’t dare to attack the cemetery, not even imperial descendants like the Titanic Crescent Saint Child or the Ghost Insect Evil Child who had emperor’s weapons. But now, Di Zuo was intending to do so, highlighting his domineering temperament.
“Sir Di Zuo will surely become the Immortal Emperor of this generation!” A ghost excitedly uttered.
This battle that Di Zuo started caused the ghosts to become very lively. Recently, they had been oppressed, especially when Xian Fan fought evenly against Di Zuo. Many of them couldn’t accept this result. But now, Di Zuo’s actions meant that he was confident in himself, further rejuvenating the ghosts’ hope that the future emperor would come from their race.
Outside of the actions taken by the heaven’s proud sons like Tian Lunhui and Di Zuo, powerful lineages like the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom attracted attention very easily even with the slightest movement.
Recently, news about the Immortal Kingdom began to spread. A cultivator in the Wood Realm sent out this message: “The Simple Precious Tree of the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom is going to the deepest parts of the Wood Realm.”
Many great powers became receptive to this news and, overnight, countless people paid attention to every action of the Immortal Kingdom.
An ancestor from a great power tried to analyze the kingdom’s goal: “What are they trying to find? It seems that they don’t care for treasures or divine stones or immortal medicines. However, this doesn’t make sense. They even brought along their precious tree, so they had to come to the grave for something.”
Another sect master who had always paid attention to the Immortal Kingdom murmured: “It seems like they are trying to find a certain something, and now they are off to the Wood Realm. Maybe they are trying to search every corner of the Prime Ominous Grave.”
In fact, as a lineage with two emperors, it would make more sense if they kept to themselves in order to not attract attention. However, the Immortal Kingdom was different; they even brought their Simple Precious Tree. Because of its fanfare, the other emperor’s lineages secretly tailed the Immortal Kingdom.
All of this could be traced back to Immortal Emperor Di Yu. In a very ancient era, there was a rumor where the grave had the method for everlasting life, but no one had ever seen it before.
It was not until Immortal Emperor Di Yu’s generation that there was a hint of such a thing. At a young age, he went into the grave, but no one at that time knew if he had obtained the method or not.
However, many tales explained that his talents were quite terrible, but he still managed to survive through five generations and five Immortal Emperors. Even invincible emperors disappeared, but Immortal Emperor Di Yu lived on just fine.
What was even more suspicious was that Immortal Emperor Di Yu didn’t seal himself inside a Blood Era Stone like the other undyings. He had always lived normally throughout the generations. After many years and witnessing the change of five emperors, he finally embarked on the imperial journey to become an invincible emperor.
Because of this, no matter the method, future generations suspected that he had gotten the method for everlasting life during his youth inside the Prime Ominous Grave.
Nevertheless, the Immortal Kingdom had always denied this claim, but they couldn’t dispel all suspicions.
This time, the Immortal Kingdom even brought along their precious tree and didn’t care for all the treasures inside the five grand realms. Things that others lusted for were ignored by the Immortal Kingdom, making people think that they were searching for something; their strange behavior resulted in many great powers spying on them.
During the spying process, a person had a bold thought: “Maybe Immortal Emperor Di Yu only got half of the method in the past. Maybe the other half is still inside the Prime Ominous Grave. This is why the Immortal Kingdom carried along the precious tree this time, to find the other half!”
This speculation was quite outrageous, but many great powers couldn’t stop themselves from thinking about this possibility. This was why even more eyes became fixated on the Immortal Kingdom.
If there really was another half of the everlasting life method, then a terrifying war would erupt. Even monstrous existences like the throne of bones and the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom would join in.
Not to mention weaker cultivators, even Immortal Emperors would be tempted by true immortality.
***
Li Qiye sat for a very long time in the medicine field before slowly opening his eyes and issuing a roar. After this cry, the eleven Fate Palaces withdrew.
At this time, Lan Yunzhu was next to him. She cheerfully said: “Congratulations, you have finally opened eleven palaces.”
Li Qiye smiled and responded: “It is a thing of the past now. The twelfth palace will be the next challenge.”
This sentence sounded very arrogant. Everyone assumed that having twelve palaces was an impossibility. Anyone who heard of someone talking about opening the twelfth palace would laugh their teeth off and think that that person was either insane or incurably full of themselves.
However, Lan Yunzhu knew that this would not be an issue for Li Qiye. She trusted that he would be able to open the twelfth.
Lan Yunzhu emotionally spoke: “Legend states that no more than three people had eleven palaces, this miracle across the eons. Eleven opened palaces… Any type of genius would be trivial before this.”
Li Qiye shook his head and smiled: “Here is where you are incorrect. The truth is that, since the start of time, there were at least five people who had eleven palaces. The most famous are Immortal Emperor Gu Chun and Immortal Emperor Fei.” 1
Lan Yunzhu was not surprised at all to hear these names: “The first Immortal Emperor and the legendary Immortal Emperor Fei!”
Immortal Emperor Gu Chun came from the Charming Spirit Race and was the first existence to be called “Immortal Emperor” in the nine worlds. It could be said that Immortal Emperor Gu Chun created a new age during the Desolate Era and was considered the most powerful existence.
Meanwhile, Immortal Emperor Fei created a legend, the Soaring Immortal Sect. Since time immemorial, this sect continued to shine its radiance over the nine worlds.
“Okay, Uncle, your arrogance can reach even the sky. Eleven palaces may be nothing new to you, but wait until you open the twelfth. Then, you can enjoy being called number one across the ages.” Lan Yunzhu continued with a smile: “If you open the twelfth palace, then you will be the first since time immemorial to achieve twelve palaces.”
She was happy for him and his achievements.
“You are mistaken again. The title of being the first across all ages has already been taken by someone.” Li Qiye shook his head and continued: “Even if I successfully accomplish this, I wouldn’t be the first to have twelve.”
Lan Yunzhu replied in disbelief: “Who was it? Impossible… Someone opening the twelfth palace in this world is but a legend, a legend that had never been proven before. This is because everyone knows that whoever opens the twelfth would become an Immortal Emperor! However, no one has heard of an Immortal Emperor with twelve Fate Palaces!”
Li Qiye slowly uttered a name: “Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng!” 2
Lan Yunzhu had nothing to say after hearing this name. If there was someone in this world to be the first to obtain twelve palaces, then Lan Yunzhu wouldn’t be able to think of a second person outside of Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng.
Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng, the first emperor of the human race. This name was like a spell that echoed across eternity, illuminating the nine worlds.
Since time immemorial, only Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng was fitting of the two words “Jiao Heng.” He was undefeated his whole life and swept through all of his enemies in the nine heavens and ten earths. He was the only emperor who remained unbeaten even till now.
Although, after a cultivator becomes an Immortal Emperor, it would be very difficult for them to lose. Claiming that Immortal Emperors were invincible was not just mere words, but many Immortal Emperors did not have smooth sailings at a young age, and there were no emperors who were always victorious during their years of growth.
However, throughout the eons, Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng alone remained unbeaten throughout his life. When he was young, the emperor powerfully pushed through all of his foes no matter how powerful they were. No one had ever managed to stop his steps!
Chapter 529 - Secret Among Grave Secrets
For as long as one could remember, no matter who the speakers were, they would immediately control their temperament when the name of Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng came up. There was no other option since Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng was the most dominant and arrogant person from the ancient era till now.
“Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng…” Lan Yunzhu could only sigh after hearing this name. She was not surprised at all.
To any cultivator, having twelve palaces was a heaven-defying achievement beyond comparison, but it became a matter of course for Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng.
“Having twelve palaces wasn’t Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng’s most glorious achievement in life, so very few people later on knew that he had twelve palaces.” Li Qiye explained with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what else to say since the words “Jiao Heng” alone represented all there was to say. She calmed down and suddenly remembered something, then she spoke: “While you were cultivating, I took a stroll through the garden. Do you know what I saw? I actually saw a phoenix!”
“A phoenix? What kind of phoenix?” Li Qiye’s eyes suddenly lit up.
She quickly answered: “At first, I thought I met an immortal phoenix, one of the mythical beasts, but after chasing for a while, I found out that even though this phoenix was about the size of a fist, it was still extremely powerful. I noticed that it entered a location with a violet energy that could make others easily lose their way, so I didn’t dare to chase any further and had to come back.”
“That phoenix had five divine lights that turned into very long tail feathers, right?” Li Qiye inquired further.
“Yes! The bird’s cry could tear apart the nine heavens. If it wasn’t a young phoenix, then it was definitely a very amazing immortal medicine that was turning into one.”
At this time, Li Qiye’s eyes became brighter than even starlight. It was as if his eyes could see through myriad dao of the heaven and earth. He then asked: “Where did it go? Quick, take me there!”
From seeing his expression, Lan Yunzhu understood that this matter was not so trivial, so she quickly led him to the place she stumbled upon before.
The two of them ran there and saw many King Medicines and nine transformations soulgrasses, but Li Qiye didn’t even bat an eye to any of them. He was anxious to go to the place that Lan Yunzhu discovered.
“What is it, really?” Lan Yunzhu asked while leading the way after seeing his serious demeanor.
“I can’t say for sure right now, I would have to see it with my own eyes to be certain.” Li Qiye replied as he shook his head.
In a short period of time, Lan Yunzhu took Li Qiye to the place where the phoenix disappeared. It was a small valley with broken brick walls, making it seem as if someone had lived here before.
Logically speaking, no one should have lived here, but considering how the name of this place was the lost alchemy garden of the immortals, maybe the person who lived here was an immortal!
The little valley was covered by a dense violet energy as if a treasure was about to come out. Despite its humble size, one would be easily lost once entrapped by this violet treasure; they would lose all sense of direction.
“This place…” Li Qiye stood in the same spot and looked around before murmuring while becoming lost in thought.
After looking for a bit, he aimed for a direction and ran with Lan Yunzhu there. Not too long after, they reached a precipice with no other path to go.
Next to the precipice was a little hole around the size of a fist. It was pitch black and seemingly bottomless.
Li Qiye narrowed his eyes then shot out two rays of light as if he wanted to pierce through it.
“How about we use our divine intent to check out this hole first?” Lan Yunzhu suggested after seeing Li Qiye looking at the small hole.
“It is no use, your divine intent won’t be able to sweep it completely.” Li Qiye shook his head and said. He then pondered for a bit while looking at the small hole.
“Boom!” He opened his palace and a withered trunk that resembled a hand came out. With a whoosh, the dried trunk then took root inside the small hole.
“Whooosh!” A black light suddenly flashed. The dried trunk was taken by Li Qiye from the Thousand Islands. It was dead before he poured in a liquid, and a seed began to bud shortly after. The trunk looked like a spread palm with the middle hollowed like a tree.
A black portal then appeared on the tree as universal laws weaved together to form it.
This black portal was shiver-inducing since it looked as if it was connected to hell.
“Is this… Is this what you called a secret among secrets of the graves?” Lan Yunzhu looked at this scene and suddenly remembered something, prompting her inquiry.
Lan Yunzhu was also present when Li Qiye got this tree trunk from the Thousand Islands. At that time, she felt that he was being quite wasteful for cooking a young leaf of the World Tree into a liquid to pour on the tree.
However, after entering the Prime Ominous Grave and seeing Li Qiye using this tree trunk to obtain the defining treasure in the Secret Realm, Lan Yunzhu realized that he had been planning for a very long time before he entered the Prime Ominous Grave.
He was now using it again. She then remembered that Li Qiye said that each Grave Realm had a secret among secrets.
She then speculated that this little hole could be the secret among secrets that Li Qiye was talking about.
“You are right about that.” Li Qiye nodded and revealed: “This is indeed a grave secret among secrets. You are very lucky to meet such a big fortune. It is a shame that you couldn’t stop the phoenix before it went back, but it is really not your fault. This thing is extremely powerful and stopping it is exceedingly difficult, unless it agrees to give you something or you are powerful enough!”
“That phoenix is the big fortune?” Lan Yunzhu emotionally asked. She didn’t think that she would meet one.
“Yes, for you or any other person. If you could have that phoenix, then it would be quite incredible.” Li Qiye nodded and said: “But I am not satisfied with this phoenix since I want to enter the secret grave! This is a rare chance; I didn’t expect for the entrance to actually appear.”
Lan Yunzhu seemed to have guessed a thing or two from Li Qiye’s words, so she looked at him and asked: “Has no one entered the secret grave before? Do only these fortunes come out from inside?”
“Perhaps.” Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and said: “But if there were to be someone who had entered, then it could only be one person.”
She then curiously asked: “Who?” Where was this grave secret among secrets? Who had been to one before?
She also added: “Was it Immortal Emperor Di Yu?” She mentioned this emperor for a reason; he was the only person since the start of time to be rumored to have obtained the method for everlasting life.
“No.” Li Qiye denied that claim: “A person who had never existed or been heard of before. At least, this is what the future generations believe.”
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but ponder this answer. A person who had never existed or had been heard of before? Then who was it?
Lan Yunzhu looked at the dry trunk taking root in the hole and asked: “Is this trunk another key? Just like the Prime Ominous Key, is it a key to open the top secret locations of the grave?”
“No.” Li Qiye answered: “It is not a key, but it is ten thousand times more precious than one. It contains an immemorial secret that no one knows about.”
Lan Yunzhu looked at it and, at this time, no longer underestimated it. Perhaps it was not only the key to the secret graves, maybe it also had some other usages.
Li Qiye hugged her waist and said in a serious tone: “Ready? We are about to go in and it might get rocky, be careful.”
Lan Yunzhu took a deep breath and nodded her head before speaking: “I am ready.”
She then grabbed his waist as well as Li Qiye shouted: “Open!”
The place that the dried trunk connected to suddenly created a vortex, and the black portal’s black universal laws were all sucked up.
“Whoosh!” In just a moment, sand and pebbles flew everywhere. The black portal then sucked in Li Qiye along with Lan Yunzhu, who was hugging him tightly.
Once sucked in by the black portal, Lan Yunzhu felt her entire body being torn apart. This portal was different from an ordinary one.
“Crshhh!” Another rumble appeared and she felt as if she was being pushed out. Fortunately, Li Qiye was tightly grabbing her so she didn’t fall and roll on the ground.
Once she opened her eyes, she noticed that they were standing on a high peak that arched through the high sky with circulating primordial energy.
A spectator would have the sensation that this mountain was from a scene at the beginning of the world, that this mountain was there at the world’s inception. Looking upward, one would find that there was nothing except another high cliff in the sky. There was a giant wooden nest on top of the peak and primordial energy poured down from it like a sea of clouds.
Chapter 530 - Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng
After looking at the nest, Lan Yunzhu suddenly realized that the primordial energy that surrounded the mountain did not originate from the peak itself, but rather the wooden nest.
“We are finally inside.” Li Qiye looked at the gigantic nest and slowly spoke: “Allow me to uncover this mysterious veil.”
He took a deep breath as the two of them climbed the mountain. It took a while before the two finally made it up to the top.
At this second, the two stood by a cliff with primordial air surrounding them. They looked up to see the nest still exuding this energy as dense as a sea of clouds.
They found that this wooden nest was gigantic. When standing at the very top and looking down, one would feel that this nest was endless, as if it was its own world and all the mountains and rivers in existence could fit inside.
It was built by many extremely tough, blackened, and dried tree branches. Lan Yunzhu felt as if she had seen this type of wood before. After searching her memories, she realized that she really had seen it before, back at the Thousand Islands. Back then, Li Qiye had taken out this type of wood. Of course, it was the Ghost’s Origin Ancestral Key that Lan Yunzhu was thinking about!
Lan Yunzhu struggled to get through the mass of primordial chaos. There, she saw something.
“Look, what is that over there?” In the middle of the nest was a wooden pavilion. Because of the primordial energy, even Lan Yunzhu with her Heavenly Gaze couldn’t see the pavilion in its entirety. It was huge and held a touch of majesty. Her gaze could faintly see that there was something inside the pavilion.
The primordial chaos around the wooden nest was like powerful waves. If one considered the nest as a primal sea, then below it should be the vortex where this energy was pouring out of.
One couldn’t tell whether this energy was coming from the bottom of the nest or the wooden pavilion, but one thing was certain: the bottom of the nest must have something amazing or a heaven-shocking secret.
“See that? The phoenix you met earlier is over there.” Li Qiye had his eyes fixated on the wooden nest. He then pointed at the outermost corner.
Lan Yunzhu quickly turned around and saw a little phoenix right outside of the pavilion. It emitted five different divine colors that turned into its long tail feathers.
It was picking up and dropping branches to fix what seemed to be its nest.
“That’s the one!” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed after seeing the phoenix. She had the luck to meet such a great fortune, but she had given it up so she didn’t expect to see it again right now.
Lan Yunzhu asked after seeing the phoenix fixing the wooden nest: “Is this its nest?”
“No, this isn’t, it is only settling in this place right now. However, it was able to become something this amazing because of it being able to stay at this place.” Li Qiye looked at the phoenix and added: “Moreover, it isn’t a phoenix.”
“It’s not a phoenix?” Lan Yunzhu asked with surprise: “Then is it the transformation of an immortal medicine?”
Li Qiye was still gazing at the phoenix as he said: “No, it isn’t an immortal medicine either.” He shook his head then continued: “It is a True Immortal Medicine, a real one. Even an Immortal Emperor might not have the fortune to see one; of course, they crave for it as well.”
“What?! A True Immortal Medicine?” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed in shock. This name was so awe-inducing even an Alchemy Emperor would be dumbfounded.
Any cultivator or alchemist in this world coveted immortal medicines. To them, they were priceless and unique treasures in this world. Immortal Emperors needed immortal medicines as well.
However, the immortal medicines referred to by these cultivators and alchemists were not real immortal medicines. To them, rare or five million year old King Medicines would be called immortal medicines.
Knowledgeable alchemists knew that these things were real immortal medicines, so they called real ones True Immortal Medicines to distinguish them from the ones more commonly talked about by the rest of the world.
“There are actually True Immortal Medicines in this world?” Lan Yunzhu thought to herself. Was the phoenix before her actually one of them?
Although ancient sages and remarkable alchemists believed in the existence of True Immortal Medicines, no one had seen them before. Later on, even alchemists with great achievements began to doubt this notion. They felt like True Immortal Medicines were only the fantasies of those who walked before them.
If they were real, then even Immortal Emperors would crave for them. They were wonderful panaceas capable of prolonging the life of existences like Immortal Emperors.
Many of the available medicines were useless for emperors, so they needed immortal medicines if they wanted to prolong their lifespan, and True Immortal Medicines were the best items to do so!
Li Qiye nodded while staring at the phoenix ahead, saying: “Yes, one of them is before you. Its name is the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng, a very rare True Immortal Medicine.”
“Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng…” Lan Yunzhu looked at it and couldn’t see how it resembled a ginseng at all.
Li Qiye understood what she was thinking and shook his head to say: “Your current cultivation cannot see its true form. Unless you are able to suppress it, it won’t take on its true appearance.”
“Is it possible for me to obtain this fortune? Can we catch it?” Lan Yunzhu asked while looking at the phoenix. She was quite tempted, and this was understandable. A True Immortal Medicine would cause even an Immortal Emperor to palpitate, let alone her.
“No.” Li Qiye said with a smile: “Unless you were fated for it, it won’t follow you. If you have a heaven-defying method, then maybe you would be able to take one or two ginseng roots from its body, but even this is very difficult.”
“I’ll give it a shot!” As a heaven’s proud daughter, Lan Yunzhu — of course — had some arrogance in her. She took a deep breath and channelled her blood energy while stepping closer towards the wooden nest.
“Bang!” She only took one step inside, but she was suddenly bounced back. The rolling primordial chaos protected the nest.
“So strong.” Lan Yunzhu exclaimed. However, as the descendant of an emperor’s lineage, her gaze became serious as she declared: “I don’t believe that I can’t get past this!”
She wanted to take out a heaven-defying treasure but was stopped by Li Qiye. He shook his head and said: “Don’t mess around, this place is not as simple as you think.”
Li Qiye looked at the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng in the shape of a phoenix and shouted: “How about we make a deal?”
The ginseng coldly glanced at him before ignoring him. It went on with its business of gathering wooden branches while carrying an extremely arrogant posture.
“It really is arrogant.” Lan Yunzhu wanted to laugh after seeing the phoenix’s attitude.
The phoenix had looked at Li Qiye as if it was a high above existence looking down at an ant.
“A True Immortal Medicine is indeed powerful.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “However, it shouldn’t have provoked me.” With that, he took out a treasure.
“Boom!” The Tetra-war Bronze Chariot appeared before Li Qiye, then he told Lan Yunzhu: “Get on. We will enter from the edge of the nest. If it doesn’t agree to the transaction, then I will teach it a lesson so that it will know who it is dealing with.”
Lan Yunzhu sympathized with the phoenix; it had provoked someone it shouldn’t have.
“Bang—bang—bang—bang!” The four divine beasts on the chariot activated. The true dragon, divine phoenix, qilin, and white tiger stood by Li Qiye’s side as the chariot powerfully pushed away the primordial chaos.
Li Qiye quickly rode on this chaotic energy towards the edge of the nest and, in just a second, the chariot had reached the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng’s place.
At this point, the phoenix unleashed a roar capable of tearing apart the nine heavens; this loud thunder-like roar was accompanied by an alarming force. However, Li Qiye sat on the chariot with the four divine beasts accompanying him, so he was unperturbed. He looked at the phoenix and slowly uttered: “I will use one drop of Myriad Star Water to trade for five of your old ginseng roots!” He then carefully took out a drop of star water.
At this moment, he had a very little amount remaining, so he greatly treasured them and wouldn’t use this water unless he had no other choice. However, trading one drop of star water for five old ginseng roots from this phoenix was a great deal.
The eyes of the ginseng in the form of a phoenix lit up after seeing the star water drop. It sent out its divine intent to speak: “One bottle of Myriad Star Water to trade for five old roots.”
Li Qiye shook his head in response: “You know that is impossible. If I had a bottle of star water, then I could trade for a complete True Immortal Medicine. This encounter was guided by fate and is a big opportunity. One drop of star water is enough.”
However, the phoenix sat there without moving and didn’t bother to look at Li Qiye. This was also understandable since one drop of star water was not worth five of its old roots.
In fact, one drop of star water for one old ginseng root was already a terrible deal. If Li Qiye used one drop to trade for a young root, then the phoenix would definitely agree. One for five old roots? Forget it! The phoenix would not take part in such a horrible transaction.
Chapter 531 - Threat
Li Qiye still didn’t lose his temper even after seeing the phoenix’s arrogant stance. He calmly smiled and said: “I already showed my goodwill by offering to exchange one star water drop with you. At the very least, I’m being a nice and peaceful person. I didn’t wish to force this transaction, so refusing to trade with me is making it very difficult.”
The moment Li Qiye finished his words, a deafening explosion resounded. “Boom!”
The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng immediately got up and exuded its blinding five divine lights. At this time, it was no longer in the form of a phoenix, it revealed its true form — an extremely gigantic king ginseng. The giant leaves on its body took the form of a phoenix and its roots were big with little thin and long branches.
The moment it revealed its true body, it no longer hid its amazing power. With its five divine lights, it was like a god standing before Li Qiye.
“Thump thump!” Lan Yunzhu, who was standing by the edge, took in a cold breath and was forced back by the invincible and divine aura of the ginseng. The ginseng stood there like a true god, instilling fear and awe into all spectators. Its strength could cause even ordinary Virtuous Paragons to be frightened!
Meanwhile, the dragon roared and a phoenix cried out as they began to dance in the air. The four divine beasts with an incomparable posture began to circle around Li Qiye. The four bronze stallions also neighed then leaped up high, creating beams of lights like a rainbow. These unparalleled stallions had awakened at last.
With its invincible momentum, the chariot blocked the invincible aura coming from the ginseng, so Li Qiye was unaffected by this presence.
Li Qiye simply smiled at the ginseng that revealed its true form. Despite its formidable might, Li Qiye was still standing leisurely on his chariot as if nothing was happening.
“What a pity, you have taken the wrong move and won’t even get the drop of star water.” Li Qiye nonchalantly declared: “Are you aware of this? In an ancient era, a person once captured a True Immortal Medicine root and made tea out of it! You are very strong, but not strong to the point of being invincible. I’m standing here right now with at least five different methods to kill you in a single breath. However, I love peace and do not want to waste a heaven’s creation.”
“Snap!” Li Qiye suddenly had a small coffin in his hand. With a cracking sound, the coffin that was initially the size of a palm suddenly became a regular sized coffin. Li Qiye then held the coffin and slowly said: “Killing a True Immortal Medicine is indeed wasteful and an abhorrent act, right? Then we’ll play a different type of game. Do you believe that I will open this coffin or not? I trust that you know a thing or two about its origin.”
The ginseng retreated after seeing Li Qiye holding the coffin. It seemed that it was very wary of the coffin in Li Qiye’s hand.
Lan Yunzhu was startled and didn’t expect that this coffin would cause the ginseng to be afraid like this.
This coffin was the little coffin Li Qiye traded with Qin Guangwang, and now it had taken on a bigger form.
“Are you threatening me?” The ginseng didn’t open its mouth. Instead, it sent its divine intent forward.
Li Qiye smiled and said while carrying the coffin: “You are right, I am threatening you. Do you want to try me? I trust that I can open a little gap without any difficulty. Although once this coffin is opened, it might be a bit troublesome for me, you will become very pitiful. What do you think is your chance of escaping? I do think that if you can’t get away, then your fate shall be quite miserable. Believe me, this won’t be a pretty ending!”
The ginseng stared intensely at Li Qiye. If it had a face, its expression would definitely be one of ugly anger.
“I have five different ways to kill you, but they are quite complicated and I also don’t want to do so, so let us be straight with each other. I am threatening you with two choices: you can refuse my request or agree with my demand.” Li Qiye cheerfully declared.
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what to say while standing at the edge. Now she understood that Li Qiye was a hoodlum with the blood of a robber. It was a tragedy for anyone who messed with him!
“What do you want?” The ginseng asked with its divine intent. A True Immortal Medicine was a very powerful existence, but today, it was being blackmailed by an insignificant human cultivator. The worst part was that it had no choice but to acquiesce.
Lan Yunzhu was astonished. She didn’t think that the ginseng would actually accept Li Qiye’s demand. She was quite curious about just what was inside the coffin that could cause the ginseng to feel so apprehensive.
Li Qiye was not surprised with this result at all. He smirked and replied: “If I tell you to follow me, then you surely won’t agree. I am not such an unreasonable person, I am quite humane. If you happily cooperate with me, then I won’t make such an outrageous demand. The same as before, I want five old ginseng roots, but five from the main branch.”
Li Qiye then pointed at the five thickest roots on the ginseng. These huge roots were not like ginseng at all, they were more like lone divine branches. They emitted a dazzling divine light where one sniff of their fragrance would be enough to cause people to flutter.
“You!” The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng was furious. Surely it would have a reddened countenance from being crazily angered right now if it had a face. It felt that Li Qiye’s demand was too much. These were the five best and oldest ginseng roots it had. The ginseng wouldn’t even accept a drop of Myriad Star Water for just one.
“Think it over. Do you want me to open the coffin? Or do you want to trade the five old ginseng roots for safety?” Li Qiye deliberately added: “Of course, there is another option, and that is to try and attack me. However, I wonder if you have the confidence in breaking my defense in just one move or not? It is not that I’m looking down on you, but you alone will absolutely not break my defense!”
At this moment, the ginseng was gazing at the chariot. Just like Li Qiye had said, it had intended to attack Li Qiye. However, it wouldn’t be able to break through the chariot in just one move, and if it failed to do so, then the result wouldn’t be pretty.
Li Qiye slowly continued: “I’m sorry to say that if you can’t do it with one move, then I will open the coffin. Even a small gap wouldn’t be a good thing for you as you would then understand what a nightmare truly is.”
The ginseng was silent while full of regret. If it knew that it was going to be like this, then it should have just made the deal with Li Qiye in the beginning. At the very least, it would have gotten a drop of star water.
“Take it!” The ginseng plucked the five oldest ginseng roots and threw it over at Li Qiye while expressing its endless rage with the tone of its divine intent.
The five ginseng roots fell into Li Qiye’s hands like five divine branches. King Ginsengs of 3,000,000 years of age or even an Ancestor Ginseng couldn’t compare to a single root of these five.
“I very much enjoyed our transaction.” Li Qiye happily smiled and put away the five old ginseng roots. Although they were only little roots, they were the oldest from the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng. Their medicinal potency was even more frightening than an entire Ancestor Ginseng. As an item coveted by even Immortal Emperors, it was too heaven-defying; the other ginsengs were nothing compared to it.
The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng ignored Li Qiye. It was quite furious after being blackmailed out of its five oldest roots by Li Qiye. It then turned back into a phoenix and sat in its nest.
Li Qiye then rode the chariot back to the edge and handed one root to Lan Yunzhu before speaking: “For you.”
“For me?” Lan Yunzhu was taken by surprise and stood there dumbfounded. This was not an ordinary item, it was the oldest root of a True Immortal Medicine and an amazing fortune. Even undyings or legendary existences would go crazy for such an item.
This one root alone would cause a war outside in the Nine Worlds since its worth was no less than an emperor’s weapon. For those on the verge of death, it was even more valuable than an Immortal Emperor True Treasure.
“Take it. Perhaps once you reach the top, you will have a use for it. Maybe it will even save your life one day.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Remember, do not tell anyone about it, not even your closest friends and family.”
She took a deep breath and couldn’t contain her excited emotions even after having seen countless treasures. After a long time, she solemnly put away the old ginseng root and said: “Don’t worry, only you, me, and the heaven and earth will know about this.”
She understood the gravity of this matter. A True Immortal Medicine could cause all existences in the world to become crazy. For this thing, even parents and children would turn against each other and masters and disciples would massacre their own!
Li Qiye then shouted at the ginseng in the form of phoenix and said: “Okay, because I am kind, I will remind you to leave this place for now. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“What are you trying to do?” The ginseng asked with its divine intent.
“I’m about to open the coffin.” Li Qiye smiled and pointed at the wooden pavilion hiding in the primordial chaos at the middle of the nest: “I want to suppress the pavilion since I want the thing inside.”
Chapter 532 - Opening The Coffin
“You are insane!” After hearing this, the ginseng was scared out of its mind as it jumped and exclaimed: “Do you even know what it is?!”
“It is not important what it is. What matters is that I want it right now.” Li Qiye cheerfully said: “Which is why I want to suppress the source of the primordial chaos.”
“You won’t be able to!” The ginseng coldly uttered.
“What if I open half of the wooden coffin? I don’t need to suppress it for too long, just one second is enough.”
“Half of the coffin? Are you crazy? Do you think you can survive after that?” The ginseng quickly replied.
“You are wrong. If I really wanted to risk it all, then I would still have a chance of living after opening the entire coffin, let alone half of it.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
The ginseng noticed that Li Qiye was not joking around, so it flew far away from the wooden nest and watched from the distance.
Li Qiye told Lan Yunzhu in a serious tone: “Leave this place and go down the mountain. Don’t come close or else nothing will be able to protect you.”
“Be careful.” Lan Yunzhu quietly said after seeing Li Qiye’s solemn expression. Then, she left without saying anything else.
After watching her get to a safe distance, Li Qiye took a deep breath.
“Boom!” Eleven Fate Palaces appeared. At this moment, they turned into a heavenly radiant kingdom full of spirit energy as if it was about to give birth to a deity.
The kingdom of these eleven palaces was extremely powerful, just like an ancient country with an accumulated power great enough to suppress everything.
He then opened the palace to take out the Yin Yang Refining Immortal Mirror. Li Qiye very rarely used this defining treasure of the Middle Continent Ancient Kingdom. The mirror poured down a Yin Yang universal law and turned into two Yin and Yang fish. The two immortal fish swam by Li Qiye and used the grand dao of Yin and Yang to protect him.
This was far from enough. He also held the Elusive Heavenly Vase. This was the treasure that Immortal Emperor Qian Li left behind for him, something he had been searching for for a very long time.
“Thump, thump, thunk, thunk, thunk!” At this point, the clanking sounds of bronze resounded. Five bronze doors were taken out by Li Qiye. They surrounded him like five bronze walls.
Heaven Sealing Pentagate — another treasure Li Qiye obtained from Qin Guangwang.
“It is a shame that I am not strong enough, or else the pentagate alone would have sufficed.” He said with regret. At this time, he had no choice but to use all of his hidden treasures.
After preparing everything, Li Qiye also kept a drop of Myriad Star Water in his mouth without swallowing it.
“Boom!” In just a second, Li Qiye’s state reached its extreme. It was as if both of his Immortal Physiques had reached grand completion. Two physiques seemed like two True Gods had attached themselves to Li Qiye’s body.
He took a deep breath with one hand holding the wooden coffin and the other preparing to open it at any time.
“Crack!” After everything was ready, the middle of Li Qiye’s forehead suddenly split apart. At this time, his sea of memories appeared. This was a gigantic galaxy without an end. Gigantic Immortal Emperors’ universal laws began to lock the stars in the sky as if Immortal Emperors were on the defensive.
This was Li Qiye’s ultimate defense. After countless blessings from ancient existences and Immortal Emperors, this was his most fundamental possession.
This was his first time using it since it could be said that he was about to risk it all in this venture.
“This… This is too unreal!” The ginseng flying far away gasped at this scene.
Li Qiye had many treasures, and they were all heaven-defying to the point where it completely exceeded the ginseng’s imagination. The moment Li Qiye opened his sea of memories, the True Immortal Medicine in the form of a phoenix lost its mind since it suddenly understood something.
At the same time, Lan Yunzhu walked down the mountain and went very far away to look at the giant wooden nest. She wasn’t hovering in the sky to watch like the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng.
She didn’t want to see nor did she dare to watch. She didn’t hope that something unfavorable would happen to Li Qiye. She had known him for a while, and this was the first time he had such a solemn expression. It must be a heaven-piercing event for Li Qiye to show such a stoic demeanor.
“Rumble!” At this moment, the heaven and earth was eclipsed and the entire world trembled.
It was as if, at this time, Immortal Emperors were visiting the wooden nest, and it wasn’t just one or two. Invincible imperial auras endlessly erupted as if all the emperors came back to life and had descended to this world.
The invincible presence suppressed all existences in the world and forced them to prostrate before its might. At this moment, even the most powerful existence would feel the limit of their being, a realization of their own insignificance.
“This is insane!” The phoenix ginseng’s heart jumped as it quickly landed on the ground and turned back into its true form, rooting itself in place.
“Rumble!” At this moment, it was as if the earth was shattering into pieces. The primordial energy inside the nest shot up for countless miles like a billowing tidal wave ripping apart the firmament in the sky. It was as if this wave wanted to take down the stars.
“Bang—bang—bang!” A series of explosions continuously rang out. The myriad worlds were in fear under this invincible divine aura. It was as if a battle between gods was taking place inside the wooden nest. True Gods had come down to participate, and the Immortal Emperors had finally arrived.
“Boom!” Finally, with a deafening blast, the endless primordial chaos was split apart like an ocean being torn asunder. This energy then drowned the celestials in the sky while even True Gods appeared to be insignificant.
Lan Yunzhu could only quiver under the imperial and immortal breath. She also felt that nothing else mattered in this world at this very moment. The phoenix ginseng’s expression also greatly changed, if it had one of course.
“This guy is crazy! He actually dared to open the coffin!” The phoenix was horrified. Luckily, it didn’t risk it before. If Li Qiye actually opened the coffin back then, then the consequences would have been disastrous.
It knew that the guy opening the coffin could suppress the center of the wooden nest for a short moment, but he himself would be wounded. Opening even half of the wooden coffin would be extremely terrifying; even True Gods would retreat before this display. Despite using countless protective treasures and even his most fundamental backup, Li Qiye was not so sure of his success. If his defensive methods were even a bit lacking, then he would absolutely die without a grave and turn into smithereens!
Some time later, the tranquility returned. Lan Yunzhu stood up as her heart was about to leap of out its cage. She shouted: “Uncle!” Then, she immediately rushed to the top of the mountain.
She ran as fast as she could. She immediately rushed to Li Qiye once she saw him lying next to the edge of the abyss. She was in dismay the moment she clearly saw his situation.
He was like a broken vase on the ground as his body was cracked into numerous pieces, creating a miserable scene.
He was not only cracked but was also roasted by a fire. His whole body was scorched and completely unrecognizable. It was already a miracle that he was still alive in this state!
“You… You… How are you?” Lan Yunzhu didn’t know where to start. She didn’t dare to touch Li Qiye lest he shattered into pieces. Her voice was trembling and on the verge of tears.
“Don’t touch me, I already swallowed some Myriad Star Water.” Li Qiye weakly uttered with a tone as fragile as gossamer.
She calmed down after hearing him speak. At the very least, he was still alive. She didn’t dare to touch him so she quietly stood there, waiting.
After a long period of time, Li Qiye’s body lit up. The wounds fell down like scales just like a snake shedding its skin.
An unknown amount of time passed, and the cracks on his body slowly fused together until there were no more wounds. He eventually stood up but stumbled due to his current feeble state.
“How are you now?” Lan Yunzhu quickly helped him up. She was both happy and scared since she had nearly been frightened to tears earlier.
“Hahaha! I did it!” Li Qiye loudly laughed. Although he was weakened at this moment, it couldn’t stop his excitement as he waved the thing in his hand.
At this time, Lan Yunzhu saw the thing Li Qiye was tightly gripping. It was a very ancient lamp full of rust, making it seem as if it had been thrown away a very long time ago.
This lamp was not eye-catching at all. No one would bother picking it up if they saw it on the streets. However, Lan Yunzhu faintly recalled that when she opened her Heavenly Gaze to look inside the wooden pavilion, it seemed that there was something like a lamp. 1
Li Qiye coughed after his excited shout. Lan Yunzhu quickly rubbed his back and worriedly said: “Watch it, you have only just recovered.”
Chapter 533 - Mysterious Lamp
“I can’t die just yet.” Li Qiye laughed and said: “Even the villainous old heavens wouldn’t be able to kill me!”
Lan Yunzhu helped him sit down while saying: “You are too weak so you need to rest. Otherwise, it will have a negative consequence.”
Li Qiye put away the lamp and assumed a meditative pose. He then swallowed another drop of star water to recover. The medicinal effect started to make Li Qiye’s body emit a shining light.
This light became brighter and brighter until it reached a blinding level as Li Qiye became one with it.
Lan Yunzhu carefully watched over him without the slightest bit of inattention.
Some time later, the light on his body dispersed. He opened a pair of eyes as bright as starlight. At this time, his usual spirit had returned.
Seeing him standing up, Lan Yunzhu quickly came to help and asked with concern: “How are you feeling now?”
Li Qiye took in a long breath and looked at Lan Yunzhu before he smilingly answered: “Very good, even the heavens couldn’t take my life!”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what to say. Just earlier, his entire body had countless cracks; it seemed as if the slightest touch could have shattered his entire being. But now, he was so high-spirited that it made him seem like an unkillable cockroach.
“Maniac!” Even the phoenix ginseng was speechless after using its divine intent to see Li Qiye’s spirited attitude. It also felt that Li Qiye’s actions were too crazy and domineering.
At this time, Li Qiye couldn’t help but to take out the lamp from the wooden pavilion for a closer look. After rubbing it a bit, he then murmured: “What a big win this trip was. Haha, even a grave secret among secrets couldn’t compare to this thing.”
To outsiders, a secret among secrets was a True Immortal Medicine like the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng — this would be more than enough to drive them crazy.
However, Li Qiye didn’t think so. He understood and viewed the secrets of the Prime Ominous Grave’s five realms with a different perspective. He knew that there was something else inside these realms. They were not simply treasures, in his opinion.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t see what was so amazing about this lamp, so she asked: “What is this thing? Was it worth risking your life for it?”
This lamp looked so ordinary… Was it actually worth Li Qiye’s risky venture and using everything that he had?
“Yes, it’s absolutely worth it.” Li Qiye happily replied: “Hahaha, this thing is beyond your imagination.”
The phoenix ginseng came back to its nest and looked at the lamp in Li Qiye’s hand with its divine intent. It sat up and exclaimed: “Good stuff, good stuff!” If it could show expressions, then it would be drooling at this moment.
Lan Yunzhu had to take another look at the ginseng. This thing was a True Immortal Medicine, yet it was praising and sighing at this lamp nonstop. One could even say that it was lusting after it, so this lamp had to be absolutely wonderful.
Li Qiye glanced at the phoenix ginseng and lazily raised the lamp before asking with a smirk: “So, it looks like you have always wanted this lamp?”
The ginseng looked at it once more. Of course it wanted this lamp, but unfortunately, no matter how powerful it was, it was not able to enter the wooden pavilion. It was not Li Qiye.
Li Qiye moved the lamp back and forth and smiled with squinted eyes: “If you come with me as my follower, then I’ll let you bask in the glory of this lamp as well.”
The ginseng angrily scowled after hearing this. It went back to its wooden nest, lying down and pretending to sleep.
Li Qiye only shrugged after being rejected: “What a shame.” He then added with a smile: “May we meet again later.”
The phoenix ginseng replied with its cold divine intent: “May we never meet again!”
The phoenix was especially annoyed with Li Qiye. It was robbed of its five oldest ginseng roots. Although they were not its life roots, they were still important. This was a huge loss and the ginseng would have killed Li Qiye if it wasn’t afraid of his treasures.
It now felt that it was best to never see Li Qiye again since seeing him only reminded it of the five old ginseng roots, causing its heart to bleed.
Li Qiye shrugged again before leaving the wooden nest with Lan Yunzhu. They exited the grave secret among secrets and went back to the lost garden of the immortals.
At this time, the Soldier Tree, the ten transformations Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass, the Reincarnation Heavenly Soulvine, and a bunch of other immortal level medicines had come back to retake the medicine field.
“Why haven’t you left yet?” The Soldier Tree asked after seeing Li Qiye again. They didn’t welcome Li Qiye. Until now, only a group of immortal medicines owned this medicine field, so it was understandable why they were all upset when Li Qiye came for a share as well.
Lan Yunzhu stared at all of these immortal medicines and wished that she could capture them all. They were real immortal medicines; any of them would be enough to drive the world crazy if they went outside.
But of course, taking them out was impossible. Not to mention that they themselves were extremely powerful, there was also the sanction of the garden. The only way was for them to be willing to go with her.
“I came to say goodbye to you guys, and I hope that we may meet again in the future.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
“May that day never come. It is more likely that no one will ever be able to enter here for millions of years.”
“Something is strange.” The Ancestor Ginseng that was rooted in the medicine field spoke: “This brat is strange, there is a ginseng smell on his body, a special one…”
“A special ginseng smell? In what way?” The Reincarnation Heavenly Soulvine asked.
“Wait!” The Ancestor Ginseng sniffed once more and startlingly exclaimed: “This brat got a huge fortune…! On his body… is the smell of a True Immortal Medicine, the smell of the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng in the grave secret!”
“What? Are you serious? Is it really the smell of the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng?” The Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass uttered in shock. Even a grass nearing the form of a True Dragon couldn’t help but stare at Li Qiye intensely.
“You really saw the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng? Did it give you something nice?” The Soldier Tree looked at Li Qiye and asked.
“It’s nothing much. I only went in that place and conveniently plucked several old ginseng roots. It was just a little harvest.” Li Qiye replied with a smirk. He played it down with a nonchalant attitude as if it was no big deal.
“Brat! How could the phoenix ginseng give you its old roots?” The Ancestor Ginseng was scared out of its mind.
“Brat, don’t brag. Outside of the phoenix ginseng, no one else can enter that place!” The Soldier Tree spoke with severity.
Li Qiye then took out the lamp and gently stroked it before speaking: “What do you guys think about this thing?” He put on an innocent and harmless appearance.
Lan Yunzhu shivered while looking at Li Qiye’s expression. Her intuition told her that he was about to do something.
All the immortal medicines lost their senses after seeing the lamp in Li Qiye’s hand. Even the Soldier Tree who was always the calmest became aghast. After a long time, the shocked Soldier Tree stuttered: “How… How… is this possible? This can’t… be…! How… can you have that thing? It is an item from the legends!”
Li Qiye calmly responded: “It’s nothing, everything I desire is always within my grasp.”
The group of immortal medicines became dumbfounded. Others might not know, but they were very aware that the thing in Li Qiye’s possession was an existence from the legends.
After a while, they regained their senses. The Ancestor Ginseng uprooted and jumped in front of Li Qiye. It lifted its head to look at him and said: “Take me out of this place, okay? I’ll go with you.”
Lan Yunzhu was astonished at the Ancestor Ginseng’s sudden proposal. An immortal medicine wanted Li Qiye to bring it with him — this was too unbelievable. She wanted to tell Li Qiye to agree right away. This was an Ancestor Ginseng root, an immortal medicine in the eyes of Alchemy Emperors, something that would drive others crazy!
Back at the Wood Realm, a Heavenly Sovereign from the Zhen Clan used an emperor’s weapon just to chase a 3,000,000 year old King Medicine root around. The Ancestor Ginseng before them was countless times more valuable than that other root!
Li Qiye leisurely responded: “What do I get for taking you outside? Use you to make chicken soup? Hmm… Using ginseng to make chicken soup is indeed a bit nutritious…”
“Hey! I am an Ancestor Ginseng!” The ginseng jumped up and angrily shouted.
Li Qiye nodded seriously and said: “I know you are an Ancestor Ginseng, but can you compare to this?” Li Qiye waved his five ginseng roots and said: “If I can’t cook you, then what is in it for me? Taking an Ancestor Ginseng around everywhere… If others find out, then I’ll lose my life.”
The Ancestor Ginseng looked at the five old ginseng roots in Li Qiye’s hand and became dejected like a deflated ball as it lost all of its confidence. Although it was also called an immortal medicine, that was only to other alchemists. These five old roots were from a real True Immortal Medicine.
Thus, the Ancestor Ginseng quickly said: “All I need is to be near the lamp. If you take me along, every few days, I will give you a ginseng drop. This is my medicinal essence and its effect is no less than a drop of Myriad Star Water!” Its glistening eyes aimed to incite some pity from Li Qiye.
Chapter 534 - Immortal Medicines Begging To Be Taken Along
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t believe her eyes. This was an Ancestor Ginseng, yet it was now begging for Li Qiye to take it along. Who would believe such a thing?
Li Qiye laughed and said: “Look at your appearance.” He then shook his head and continued on: “Although I haven’t read that many books, I do know that your medicinal juice cannot compare to Myriad Star Water. Also, I still have a bit of star water left.”
The Ancestor Ginseng became a little embarrassed and said: “Hehehe, my ginseng juice is indeed a bit weaker than Myriad Star Water. If you agree to take me along, then… When you need it, I’ll give you a bit of my ginseng roots? My ginseng roots can definitely save your life! As long as you agree, we’ll both take a vow. When you are on the verge of death, I will agree to use my own life essence to save your life, okay?”
At this point, the Ancestor Ginseng spoke with a solemn air. To an immortal medicine like itself, its life essence was extremely important. It could be said that it was putting everything on the table with this offer.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t stop her astonishment from showing. An Ancestor Ginseng willingly giving its life essence was much better than capturing one alive then cooking it.
Li Qiye looked at the Ancestor Ginseng and smiled to say: “Very well, then we have a deal. How about using a True Fate Oath?”
The Ancestor Ginseng and Li Qiye then used their True Fates to complete this deal. From now on, it would follow Li Qiye.
The Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass ran towards him as well and asked: “Can you bring me along too?” It was a ten transformations soulgrass loved by even Alchemy Emperors, but now it was begging Li Qiye with a bashful appearance.
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what else to say. The Ancestor Ginseng begging Li Qiye already left her dumbstruck, but now even the soulgrass wanted to come along.
“Hmm…” Li Qiye gestured with his hand and acted as if he didn’t know what to do: “You should know that I don’t want to bring along things without use. Surely you don’t want me to use you in pill refinement? What is the point of bringing you everywhere? Because you would also take up a spot to benefit from the lamp.”
The soulgrass quickly replied: “Bringing me along will be very beneficial for you. My medicinal energy alone can help your cultivation speed since I am the best soulgrass in this world!”
Lan Yunzhu agreed with these words. The Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass was the main ingredient for fate pills, and a ten transformations soulgrass was already at the limit. Such an existence might have never been seen before by outsiders. It was definitely beneficial to bring one along since, with its help, one would be able to cultivate as if they had wings; even a fool would have an immediate benefit.
“You are mistaken.” Li Qiye shook his head and said: “If I can’t use you for pill refinement and can only rely on your energy to strengthen my cultivation, then it would bring me more negatives than benefits. I have the lamp and can turn you into an eleven transformations, or even twelve or thirteen transformations soulgrass. More importantly, I personally focus on stability and improving step-by-step for cultivation. I don’t need to soar with a single step.”
“Not to mention, I have absolute confidence with my own cultivation. Even without your help, I can still reach the apex and become the Immortal Emperor without an issue, don’t you think?” Li Qiye cheerfully smiled at the soulgrass and added: “Your condition is not enough to tempt me.”
Lan Yunzhu didn’t know what to say. Any outsiders that knew of its existence would treat it like an ancestor. Even if they did not refine it, just worshiping it would provide lifelong benefits due to its energy.
Li Qiye was reversing this situation. The soulgrass wanted to follow him, but he was unwilling.
Lan Yunzhu could only sigh. This was the frustrating difference between people. People prayed for a nine transformations soulgrass to no avail, but Li Qiye was being nonchalant to a ten transformations soulgrass.
“I have a dragon soul!” The soulgrass paused for a moment before speaking in a formal manner.
Li Qiye looked at it and repeated: “Dragon soul?” He then shook his head and said: “Don’t fool me. Although I haven’t read enough books, I still know that it is not time for you to have a dragon soul.”
“You should know that I was born and grew up in this place. After a period of incubation for many long years, I have obtained a dragon soul and am only one step away from reaching eleven transformations.” The soulgrass seriously said: “If you bring me along, then I will be willing to take on a True Fate Oath just like you and the Ancestor Ginseng. When necessary, I will let you use the dragon soul. I will be of many uses in the future… For example… as a lackey…”
Li Qiye nodded his head and spoke with all seriousness: “Well, it is a bit luxurious to use an eleven transformations soulgrass as a lackey.”
Lan Yunzhu could only wryly smile. Did Li Qiye even know what luxurious meant? Lan Yunzhu knew very little about the dragon soul, but seeing the soulgrass’ serious demeanor, it must be an extraordinary item.
“Very well, then we’ll seal the pact with our True Fates.” Li Qiye then said with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but chuckle after seeing Li Qiye’s reluctant expression. If others knew that Li Qiye was being reluctant to sign a pact with a soulgrass nearing eleven transformations, they would all want to commit suicide from sheer outrage.
Seeing the Ancestor Ginseng and the soulgrass taking a True Fate Oath with Li Qiye, another immortal medicine crawled out of the medicine field and quickly rushed closer to say: “Can you take me too?”
The Reincarnation Heavenly Soulvine was afraid of falling behind so it let go of all reservation and quickly said: “Me too, I’m absolutely not useless!”
“Me too!” Another immortal root hurriedly rushed over as well.
Lan Yunzhu became dumbstruck after seeing three different immortal medicines running next to Li Qiye and begging for him to take them away. These were immortal medicines and normally, even the greatest characters wouldn’t be able to get a single one. Any of these medicines would be considered a defining treasure for ordinary great powers! It was completely unimaginable how all of these immortal medicines were begging for Li Qiye to take them away.
Li Qiye smiled and said: “Slowly, slowly now. Tell me your good points and what I will get from bringing you with me. If you are beneficial, then I will happily sign a pact. Everyone agree?”
Completely speechless, Lan Yunzhu thought that Li Qiye was treating these immortal medicines like radishes! However, she silently lamented the fact that it was no longer strange for Li Qiye to create miracles. He had the ability and plenty of heaven-defying items.
Eventually, these immortal medicines took True Fate Oaths to seal a deal with Li Qiye. Now, only the Soldier Tree remained in the medicine field since it was still hesitating.
“Are you coming?” Li Qiye smiled at it and asked.
“I’ll go, I’ll go.” However, before the Soldier Tree could respond, a voice came from below the medicine field. A piece of mud jumped up.
Lan Yunzhu rolled her eyes at this piece of mud that knew how to speak. What kind of monster was this?
“Oh?” Li Qiye looked at it and inquired: “You want to make a deal with me? What kind of advantage and benefits can you bring me?”
“I am a part of the medicine field that had been basked in the worldly essence to eventually form my own conscience.” The piece of mud spoke: “Since you are bringing along several immortal medicines, with me, they will have a place to stay. I will create an amazing medicinal field for you. Although it won’t be as great as this one, it will be more than good enough for you to grow any medicine you want.”
“Hmm! Not bad, makes sense.” Li Qiye nodded his head and agreed: “Really beneficial. I’ll take you, then.”
The piece of mud joyfully signed a contract with Li Qiye. Now, only the Soldier Tree was left in the field.
“Are you coming?” Li Qiye smiled and said: “I’ll think about taking you in.”
However, the Soldier Tree was still hesitating. The Ancestor Ginseng then tried to console it: “Come, everyone is leaving now. Old Soldier, do you still want to stay here? The lamp has already been excavated so this is the best time for us to leave.”
The Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass also added: “Yeah, we’ll all leave together. Since we have been living together for so long, it is only natural that we leave together.”
The Soldier Tree eventually sighed and said: “Fine, how bad could it be? What else can I do now?” Finally, the Soldier Tree also signed a pact with Li Qiye. At this moment, the best and highest ranked immortal medicines in the field had all been taken in by him.
The Soldier Tree, Silkworm Dragon Soulgrass, and Ancestor Ginseng were the best, but they had been lured by Li Qiye.
“Come, let us go.” The piece of mud then turned into a medicinal field. Although it was a bit lacking compared to this field with its billowing smoke, it was definitely still a good medicinal field!
The Ancestor Ginseng’s group then took root in this new field, and Li Qiye opened his Fate Palace then placed the field inside. Li Qiye patted his hands afterward while looking at the empty field ahead.
“Okay, we’ll go now. Not a bad trip at all.” Li Qiye smiled and told Lan Yunzhu.
At this point, Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but smile while shaking her head. It was not just a bad trip, he had such a huge harvest! Even the greatest of fortunes would not be able to match Li Qiye’s gains on this trip. All of the good things in this lost garden had been taken by him in one fell swoop.
Chapter 535 - Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom’s Quest For Treasure
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then left the lost garden of the immortals. They intended to leave the Wood Realm but only made it through several mountain ranges before a series of loud explosions shook the entire realm.
“What is that?” Lan Yunzhu looked over at a certain direction.
There was an unbelievable tree that seemed to be covering the entire Wood Realm.
Li Qiye looked at the tree that was growing bigger and bigger to pierce the heavens and narrowed his eyes to say: “The Simple Precious Tree…? It wants to risk it all?”
In the beginning, Lan Yunzhu didn’t recognize the tree since, right now, it was even bigger than normal. It was as if this tree was unleashing all of its potential to become even stronger.
“What is it trying to do?” Lan Yunzhu asked with surprise.
“Keep watching.” Li Qiye responded with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye then rushed to the area of interest and found that more than thousands of experts were already there. All of them were the strongest masters of the great powers inside the Wood Realm, and there were even ancestors.
All of them watched with a serious expression as the Simple Precious Tree took root on top of a mountain range with its gigantic body as if it was a drill piercing the surface. It seemed to want to penetrate this mountain all the way down to the core.
“Bang—bang—bang!” It attacked with one strike after another, causing the ground to shake and others to worry about whether it would collapse or not.
Lan Yunzhu looked at the tree that was trying to reach down to the core and whispered: “What does the Immortal Kingdom wish to do?”
Li Qiye replied: “They are trying to find a certain something, an item that the Immortal Kingdom had always desired.”
“What is this item that they desire?” She then remembered a certain legend had been spreading across the Sacred Nether World for a very long time now. This prompted her startling exclamation: “Could it be the other half of the method for everlasting life?”
“If there really was such a method in this world, then I would definitely be the first one to go and seize it.” Li Qiye smiled and continued: “It would still be worth it even if I had to kill gods and immortals in the process!”
Lan Yunzhu was taken aback for a moment before regaining her senses to ask: “What is it then, if not a method for everlasting life?”
In the Sacred Nether World, there had always been rumors of the Immortal Kingdom having one half of a method for eternal life.
“This is something that Immortal Emperor Di Yu had wanted for a very long time now.” Li Qiye answered: “I have to start from the beginning. In the past, the emperor obtained something really incredible from the Prime Ominous Grave. Later on, he mulled over it and realized that this thing was not complete. Thus, he wanted to come back to the grave. However, as the emperor, he had lost his chance for another grave opening, so he couldn’t complete it.”
“Later on, the Immortal Kingdom had always been searching for it. Alas, it was to no avail.” He smiled at this point and continued: “Before, they were mistaken, but now they became smarter and realized a couple of things.”
Lan Yunzhu looked at the tree drilling into the mountain and asked: “Can the tree find it?”
Li Qiye nodded and said: “They had searched all five realms and now they have gotten to the right spot in this Wood Realm.” He then gazed over at the gigantic tree and said: “If the tree can break through the last fortified rock barrier of this vein, then it can take root in the deepest part of the earth. Without any unforeseeable circumstances, the Immortal Kingdom will be successful. The heavens did not let down those who tried after generations of searching; they will finally obtain it.”
“Rumble!” Explosions emerged one after another as the tree continued to attack the earth while the experts that were watching all held their breaths in anticipation. They understood that the Immortal Kingdom was looking for something incredible underground, so some of them had devious thoughts.
“Boom!” After another deafening blast, the earth was penetrated with a trembling blow. Dense worldly energy rushed out from the ground like a waterfall.
“Did they do it?” A group recognized something as they suggestively glanced at each other.
“Roar!” At this time, while people were still lost in speculation, the roars of phoenixes and dragons appeared. The surging worldly energy from the ground had faint images of true dragons and immortal phoenixes. Although they were not the real deal, they did exude the divine aura of these mythical beasts.
And at the same time, a golden light shot up as if countless specks of golden sand were spewing up high, painting the sky yellow.
“An immortal item is coming into being!” Someone shouted after seeing this scene unravel.
In this split second, several hundred shadowy figures rushed towards the penetrated earth with lightning speed. They were all great characters from sects and countries and took advantage of the tree breaking through the ground to steal this treasure then flee.
“Woooosh!” However, before they could make it to the gigantic crater, the Simple Precious Tree swung its branches that resembled divine rods at a swifter speed than them.
“Ahh!” Shrill screams emanated as blood spurted everywhere. The sudden onslaught from the tree took these experts by surprise as they couldn’t evade the attack.
“Whoosh!” Space suddenly fluctuated while these experts were being attacked. A shadow as fast as a flood dragon with incomparable speed rushed forward with an unstoppable momentum. The shadow’s steps were impeccable as it evaded all the branches from the tree in order to rush underground for the treasure.
Feeling this invincible aura, many people became discolored and some even uttered: “A great power’s ancestor!” The eruption of this invincible aura made people realize that even an old undying from a great power could no longer sit still and personally took action to seize the treasure.
However, right when this person was near his goal, another blast resounded. A huge hand came down from the Simple Precious Tree. This palm sealed the heaven and earth as a terrifying emperor’s talisman came from it to stop everything within its grasp.
“Boom!” The shadow that was rushing down the hole became aghast. It quickly raised its hands to block the gigantic palm. In just a flash, the world collapsed with ear-splitting blasts. The shadow was blown away as his blood spewed out like a rainbow.
This shadow lost in just one move and slammed into a mountain, causing it to shatter. Because of the heavy injury, this person gave up on the treasure and quickly fled the scene.
Meanwhile, the owner of the gigantic palm on top of the Simple Precious Tree ignored the escapee and withdrew their hand as the tree infiltrated the earth.
“The Immortal Kingdom also has an ancestor with them!” Although the crowd couldn’t see the person on top of the tree, they quivered after feeling the presence of that hand.
Earlier, a great power’s ancestor couldn’t even withstand one blow and had to escape in defeat, so everyone realized that an ancestor from the Immortal Kingdom had come into being and personally came.
Thinking about a lineage at the level of the Immortal Kingdom left everyone shivering. Although no one knew why its ancestor personally came, it was a sect with two emperors; its ancestor must be a terrifying existence much greater than ordinary ancestors from the great powers. The kingdom’s ancestor was surely a legendary master or an eternal existence.
The golden light became brighter and brighter as everyone just stared at the tree proceeding downward. No one dared to try anything sneaky at this moment, no one even went closer to watch.
With the Immortal Kingdom’s ancestor present, everyone felt a chill. Even experts from the other emperor’s lineages didn’t dare to make a sound.
“They are all scared now.” Li Qiye laughed at this spectacle: “With an ancestor presiding over this excavation, it would be useless for anyone else to make a move unless a lineage like the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom or Myriad Bones Throne shreds all pretense of cordiality to start a war with the Immortal Kingdom.”
Lan Yunzhu agreed as well. Any great power would have to think it over carefully when there was an ancestor from the Immortal Kingdom at this place. Even emperor’s lineages would not carelessly start a conflict with the kingdom.
Li Qiye smiled and shook his head to say: “Come, the show is over.” Then, the two of them left the Wood Realm for the Water Realm.
Lan Yunzhu wanted to meet up with the river sect’s elders, but the moment they arrived at the Water Realm, a protector from the sect contacted the two of them then quickly ran over.
Seeing Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu, the protector quickly reported: “Young Noble, Yunzhu, the sect master and the elders are no longer in the Water Realm, they went to the Fire Realm.”
“To the Fire Realm?” Lan Yunzhu asked: “Sect Master found the Diamond Carp’s nest already?”
“We didn’t only find it…” The protector was very excited when this matter was brought up: “We had a great harvest and obtained many treasures. This time, we obtained a great fortune for our river sect!”
Chapter 536 - Jadewater Queen
“Outside of the many treasures in the nest, did you guys find anything strange in there?” Li Qiye quickly asked.
“There was, indeed, something strange. We found this particular place, but the masters and elders couldn’t figure out its mysteries. There was surely something strange going on there.” The protector answered: “But our Thousand Carp River took pretty much all the treasures in the nest, causing many great powers to become riled up, so the higher ups decided to temporarily avoid any trouble. They went to the Fire Realm to figure out the situation, but if there is nothing there, then we’ll leave the Prime Ominous Grave. The sect master was afraid that you two would come to the Water Realm to find us, so he ordered me to stay behind to inform you.”
This was a great harvest for the Thousand Carp River, but this also attracted the envy and jealousy of many other great powers, so the sect decided to go to the Fire Realm to have one last adventure. If they didn’t find anything there, then they would just leave the grave since they already had spectacular gains this time.
Li Qiye then asked the protector once more: “What was this place like?”
The protector answered: “It was a very big pond, and very strange looking at that. Walking into the pond would give birth to illusions as if the person had gone to a different location. The sect master said that it might not be an illusion. It was very hard to return after entering. The deeper one goes, the harder it is to come back. The sect master and elders couldn’t see through it, so they decided to temporarily leave.”
“Then I’ll go take a look.” Li Qiye stroked his chin while pondering for a bit before making up his mind.
The protector quickly advised: “I’m afraid that won’t be a good idea. There are many people from the great powers there at that place. Even imperial lineages like the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Imperial Lineage were present. They felt that we didn’t take the most important treasure and that there were more to find in that place.”
“That is the reason why we should go.” Li Qiye responded with a grin.
“There was also another strange event.” The protector added: “We didn’t find the Diamond Carp. We followed it and took the majority of the treasures, but we didn’t see any traces of it at all. After entering the nest, it suddenly disappeared, which is another reason why the great powers thought that we left behind the best treasure. The sect master and the elders also felt this way, but they still decided to retreat.”
“The Diamond Carp was gone?” This took Lan Yunzhu by surprise since it was not a small fish, it was the size of a mountain. For such a fish to escape would not be very easy.
The protector shook his head and answered: “It was as if the carp disappeared into thin air. We searched the entire nest but we didn’t see it.”
“All the more reason for me to go.” Li Qiye said as he narrowed his eyes while smiling.
The protector was quite worried and tried to convince him: “I’m afraid that once Young Noble goes there, the great powers who already hate us, such as the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground, won’t treat you too well.”
Many great powers were annoyed with the Thousand Carp River taking all the treasures in the Diamond Carp’s nest. Some of them actually wanted to steal these treasures but were beaten down by the river sect. This deterred some of those with malicious intent from acting any further.
“So what?” Li Qiye nonchalantly said: “Those who block my path… shall be killed without mercy!”
The protector could only smile wryly after hearing Li Qiye’s domineering statement. But then, he remembered that back at the Snow-shadow Tribe, Li Qiye killed tens of thousands of ghosts so he believed that Li Qiye could actually do so.
“Protector, go to the Fire Realm and inform my master that we are going to that place.” Lan Yunzhu said.
The protector then looked at them once more and didn’t try to stop them any longer. He bid farewell and went to meet up with the sect master.
Li Qiye then told Lan Yunzhu: “We’ll go now. Maybe there will be something I need there.”
The Diamond Carp’s nest could actually move. Now that one though about it, it was strange since the nest was sealed by the Thousand Carp River. After being cleaned of all its treasures, the nest still stayed there at sea in the same spot even after the river sect had left.
The nest was a huge gulf in the shape of two hands hugging each other, causing the ocean water to form a small pond.
Its outer layer was formed by mountains and in the middle was a cloud-piercing peak that faced the pond. Many caves were right under this peak.
The river sect’s treasures came from these series of caverns. When the river sect took all the treasures was when the other great powers finally arrived.
At this moment, although the river sect had left, many great powers still remained, including emperor’s lineages such as the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Immortal Lineage.
Many sects camped on the highest peaks for several days, but they still failed to unravel the mysteries within.
Today, a great character came to the highest peak, rejuvenating the initially dejected great powers.
“The Jadewater Queen is here!” Someone uttered: “Maybe the Jadewater Queen will be able to see through the mysteries inside.”
Everyone gazed at a golden palanquin slowly ascending the mountain. On the palanquin was a woman wearing a phoenix dress — regal and full of eminence. This woman possessed a kingdom-toppling beauty that did not diminish her royal prestige. Her dignified gaze commanded respect from all spectators.
Someone sighed and spoke when she appeared: “The queen of the Charming Spirit race.”
The transcendent and wonderful Jadewater Queen came from the Charming Spirit race. Providence itself had determined for her to be extraordinary.
She was the ruler of the Jadewater Country, the purest Charming Spirit country in the entire Sacred Nether World. It could be said that the majority of Charming Spirits all gathered in this particular country.
Charming Spirits had two places to go in the Sacred Nether World: the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom in the southern Distant Cloud or the Jadewater Country in the western Green River. Unlike the Immortal Kingdom, the Jadewater Country consisted of purely Charming Spirits while the kingdom had both humans and Charming Spirits living together.
Among the four great domains of the Sacred Nether World, outside of the southern Distant Cloud, the other three domains were all ruled by ghosts. The Jadewater Country was in the Green River, a place still dominated by the ghost race.
In this domain, not to mention the seclusive clans, there were monstrous existences like the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom and the Insect King Immortal Lineage. As for the great powers, there was the Kingdom Of Gods and the Zen Ghost Tribe among others; they were all part of the ghost race.
How could one let a stranger sleep in their own bed? The entire Green River could be described as the ghost’s world, but the Jadewater Country was established there and stood strong for millions of years. Some said that this country was even older than the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom!
Such a thing was difficult to imagine in this location, but after knowing that it was a country of Charming Spirits, people came to accept it easier. Although they might be few in number, the majority of these spirits were cultivating geniuses.
They were the favored children of the heavens. In this world, when it came to talents, aptitude, and understanding of the grand dao, no race was comparable to the Charming Spirits.
There was a belief in the Nine Worlds: the Charming Spirits are natural geniuses and could cultivate much easier than the other races. While others require ten years to reach a particular realm, the Charming Spirits only needed five years or less!
Keep in mind that back in the Desolate Era, the first Immortal Emperor was Gu Chun, who came from the Charming Spirit race. This was such an ancient era, yet the Charming Spirits were already able to have an Immortal Emperor. One could easily imagine how heaven-defying this race must be.
The Jadewater Queen’s arrival caused the great powers next to the pond to become quite spirited. A sect master spoke: “Perhaps the queen’s divine reflection will be able to explore this strange pool.”
Charming Spirits were very similar to humans in appearance, but they had something that the human race was without — the divine reflection!
The divine reflection was a natural gift of the Charming Spirit race. Some people said that this was bestowed to them by the heavens since they were the favored children. This saying made sense because, due to their divine reflections, they were more suitable for cultivation compared to other races.
Although the divine reflection was inherent at birth, they needed to cultivate to a certain realm before it awakened.
After the awakening, these spirits would become geniuses among geniuses in cultivation, similar to a tiger being given wings.
The magical properties of these divine reflections contributed to their abilities to comprehend the dao and understand the void. They were capable of examining the changes of nature and sensing the heaven and earth!
Imagine that, when these spirits were cultivating, they didn’t need to learn the profundities of the dao since they had their divine reflection. With it, any complex and profound merit laws would suddenly become simple. This was the reason why it was so easy for Charming Spirits to cultivate any merit law.
However, the benefit of divine reflections was more than just this. Due to the incredible nature of these divine reflections, the Charming Spirits were special.
The crowd became excited, hoping that the Jadewater Queen’s divine reflection could see through the void of this old pond. This old pond was very strange and no one could see through it. Several great characters had gone inside, but not a single one of them came out.
“I heard that the Jadewater Queen is unfathomable. When shined on by her divine reflection, even Heaven’s Will Secret Laws become very simple. Maybe her reflection will be able to see through this pond’s mysteries.” All the important people here began to focus after the queen came down from her phoenix palanquin.
Chapter 537 - Mysterious Old Pond
The Jadewater Queen looked at the old pond before her and took a deep breath, then she finally stepped into it. After taking one step inside, she suddenly disappeared.
“I wonder how many steps the queen will be able to take.” A person saw this and murmured.
A ghost cultivator responded: “Two days ago, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child took eight steps and the Ghost Insect Evil Child took nine steps. These were already the top young geniuses. An ancestor of a great power predicted that in order to reach the middle, one has to take at least three hundred steps.”
At this time, all eyes were on the old pond. Even great characters from the emperor’s lineages didn’t blink once. They all had their Heavenly Gazes activated because without it, they wouldn’t be able to see the Jadewater Queen.
In the last several days, many powerful characters tried their best with their Heavenly Gazes, but they couldn’t see through anything. An emperor’s lineage even used a supreme treasure mirror to shine into this pond, but there was no result.
At this time, geniuses like the Saint Child and Evil Child held their breaths as well. Unparalleled geniuses like them could only take eight or nine steps.
A moment later, these two lost their colors because their Heavenly Gazes showed that the queen easily crossed the ninth step and onto her tenth.
“Amazing! She’s indeed worthy of being a Charming Spirit. Rumor has it that she has become quite unfathomable so maybe fifteen steps wouldn’t be an issue.” A Royal Lord from a country spoke.
In a short amount of time, the queen already took fifteen steps into the pond and, moments later, she made it to the twentieth step.
“Twenty steps!” Even an ancestor of a great power was shaken as he murmured: “Two days ago, an ancestor of the Bronze Tree Ghost Tribe made it to the twentieth step then disappeared without returning.”
Very few could see her trail after she made it to the twentieth step. Even great characters who tried their best couldn’t see her; only the hidden ancestors were able to. At this point, her expression showed that she was struggling. She finally stopped at the thirtieth step.
Meanwhile, the hidden ancestors all stared at her intensely.
She ultimately stopped at this point and came back. The crowd was very curious as they watched her safely leave the old pond.
“How many steps did the queen take?” A person asked.
An ancestor revealed that it was thirty steps, to the surprise of many. They shockingly exclaimed: “This is equal to an ancestor of a great power! Thirty steps yet still managed to retreat safely… She’s even better than an ancestor. Charming Spirits… Their divine reflections are indeed capable of seeing through truths and mysteries.”
No matter how great her cultivation may be, it couldn’t be at the Virtuous Paragon level. Her prestige was not as great as Di Zuo’s or Tian Lunhui’s, but being able to take thirty steps was already very amazing. Many became envious and admired the divine reflection of the Charming Spirits. They were indeed favored by the heavens.
The great powers who were camping near the old pond were very curious. They wanted to know her understanding of the pond. A great power with good relations began to ask her for some information. She then talked to its royal lord and said: “This pond is a mystery. Each step is an entire world. Taking one step further is the same as crossing into another world. If you can reach the middle of the pond, then it should be equivalent to walking across three thousand worlds.”
All were moved after hearing this. What a scary thing it was to cross over three thousand worlds. Who could easily accomplish such a task besides Immortal Emperors?
Another sect master inquired: “Are there any treasures in the pond?” This was the sect master’s biggest concern and also the question many wanted to ask the most.
The Thousand Carp River chased after the Diamond Carp and took nearly all the treasures, leaving only this pond untouched. The river sect couldn’t see through the pond so it hastily withdrew.
Everyone knew that the sect obtained many treasures, but they didn’t obtain any unbelievable immortal treasures. They were also aware that there was a great fortune in each realm, but the issue was finding the right place. Many people searched the Water Realm without any results or meeting any great fortunes.
Afterward, after the river sect chased the Diamond Carp to its nest, many people speculated that if there was indeed a great fortune at the Water Realm, then it should be at this place.
This was why even emperor’s lineages showed up and not only great powers. They hoped to obtain this supreme fortune.
The Jadewater Queen answered with confidence: “Yes, there is surely a treasure. From twenty steps and beyond, there were treasures under the water. From thirty steps and up, there were incredible items as well. In order to find a supreme fortune, I think one has to go at least one hundred steps. There must be an unparalleled item there, maybe even an era-toppling immortal treasure, but I can’t say for sure.”
“An unparalleled item!” The heart of this sect master trembled. For generations, those who obtained a great fortune in the Prime Ominous Grave all became either Immortal Emperors or invincible existences.
Her answer quickly spread to the outside. Many were here for this supreme fortune, but previously, it was only mere speculations. Now that it had been confirmed, how could a furor not break out among these cultivators and great powers?
Previously, everyone couldn’t enlighten themselves with the pond, so many were jolted into leaving. However, after hearing the first half of the queen’s findings, the group became excited and no one else wished to leave. However, this group also became dumbfounded after hearing the latter part.
“One hundred steps!” No matter how powerful their sects or tribes may be, these people all gasped as they became dejected.
“What kind of genius would be able to take one hundred steps?” This was a blow to many people. An ancestor of the Bronze Tree Tribe disappeared after twenty steps, so what kind of existence would be able to take one hundred?
A person calculated: “Perhaps a legendary master or an eternal existence would be able to take one hundred steps.”
“Hmm, maybe even an extremely ancient ancestor… Someone from the Myriad Bones Throne might be able to do so.”
A great ghost also began to calculate and came up with this conclusion: only an eternal existence would be able to take one hundred steps, not even a legendary master would be able to.
The sudden burst of excitement was quickly deflated. One hundred steps was an impossibility to the people present.
In fact, many ancestors from the great powers all came to the Prime Ominous Grave. These old undyings didn’t mind paying a huge price to leave their Blood Era Stones for the great fortunes from the legends. They hoped to use these fortunes to prolong their lifespans as well as strengthen their own sects.
However, after witnessing the failure of the Bronze Tree Ancestor, many of these ancestors began to hesitate. They had lived for a very long time and paid the greatest price to seal themselves in these blood stones. Now, they all became very cautious at such a dangerous venture.
These undyings were afraid of death more than anyone else; they valued living above all else. They didn’t want to die before obtaining a great fortune at this place.
So after hearing the words of the queen, these ancestors who were hiding in the darkness remained still, waiting for their chance to see if there was any other method to enter the pond.
During this moment of stillness, a person suddenly had an idea: “Maybe not just a powerful cultivation is required for entry. The ancestor of the Bronze Tree Tribe only took twenty steps, but the Jadewater Queen made it to thirty and even left safely.”
Although this idea was out there, no one wanted to confirm it. Everyone carried the attitude of letting someone else go in first. In these last several days, some famous great characters had all failed, so it was understandable that these cultivators were hesitant. The fate of dying without a corpse remaining instilled shivers into these spectators.
While the great powers adopted a wait-and-see attitude, Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu finally arrived.
Li Qiye came and looked at the pond before him with a serious gaze. Countless ghost powers were here, but Li Qiye didn’t bother giving them a single glance.
His arrival attracted the attention of many since they immediately recognized him and Lan Yunzhu: “Fierce Li Qiye and Fairy Lan are here!”
A great character from the ghost race snorted in dissatisfaction and said: “The Thousand Carp River still hasn’t given up.”
It was all ghosts around the pond since humans and other races couldn’t mingle with them. It could be said that this entire area was under the jurisdiction of ghosts.
Many ghosts were unhappy and scowled to see the two of them here. This was not strange at all since the Thousand Carp River took pretty much all the treasures, and those who came after them only found leftover soup and a belly full of jealousy.
At that time, there were some great powers who tried to sneak attack the river sect for their treasures, but alas, they were too powerful and killed several great characters one after another, creating a huge deterrence. If it was any other sect, then it would have been slaughtered by the crowd on the spot.
Chapter 538 - Long Zuntian
At this time, a sect master from a great power coldly sneered and said: “The Thousand Carp River still isn’t satisfied after taking all the treasures in this nest? Hmph, such greed like a snake trying to swallow an elephant… Watch out, you might not be able to handle eating everything and perish instead!”
Li Qiye simply looked at the old pond and didn’t care for the others. After a while, he revealed a smile. Lan Yunzhu asked: “How is this pond? Can one enter?”
Lan Yunzhu had this question for a while because the Diamond Carp disappeared at its nest after being chased by the group of Daoist Bao Gui.
How could a huge creature like the carp suddenly disappear? Could it be that the carp jumped into this pond? But judging from its size, this pond was not big enough to contain it.
“It is possible to enter, but that will depend on the person. Not just anyone can tread inside.” Li Qiye smiled and responded while looking at the pond.
“Is it very dangerous?” Lan Yunzhu looked at the pond and asked.
It looked very ordinary without any eye-catching features, but even a Heavenly Gaze couldn’t see through it.
“For some, it would be easy like taking a stroll, but for others, it would be impossible like reaching the heavens. They wouldn’t succeed even if they tried for the rest of their lives.” Li Qiye replied with a smile.
These words made a lot of people unhappy. The first to voice his annoyance was the Ghost Insect Evil Child: “Such big tone!” He then continued with an ominous smile: “I wonder how many steps the proclaimed genius of the human race can take?”
These provocative words made the crowd glance at each other; many were happy to see this situation. They all knew the feud between Li Qiye and the Evil Child, which had been going on since the golden sea event.
Li Qiye raised his brows and lazily asked: “How many steps did you take?”
“Nine steps!” The Evil Child sneered and then spoke in a deep voice: “How about you try it? Let’s see which of us is better?”
At this time, the Evil Child was full of confidence.
“Nine steps…” Li Qiye burst out in laughter and said: “Are you a little caterpillar? Such an easy trial yet you only managed to take nine steps. I can go further than that even with my eyes closed.”
“You…!” The Evil Child became enraged by Li Qiye’s teasing as his body shivered with coldness. Frightening glints appeared in his eyes.
Li Qiye was too lazy to look at him. Instead, he waved his sleeve dismissively: “Only nine steps yet you still dare to provoke me? Go play in a corner and don’t interfere with my grand matters.”
“Is that so? Li, how many steps do you think you can take?” Another cold laugh appeared. The speaker was the descendant of another emperor’s lineage, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child.
“How many steps?” Li Qiye gave a yawn in response and added: “I’m not looking down on you guys, but to speak the truth, you already dare to challenge me just by walking a few steps? You don’t know the limits of your own abilities. I’m too lazy to care to argue with people at such a low level.”
“You challenged our ghost race and even the entire world! You don’t think you are the one who doesn’t know your own limits?” An arrogant voice appeared at this time. A phoenix chariot slowly approached and stopped by the pond. A supreme beauty stepped down; it was the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden who escaped last time.
The atmosphere became heated with her arrival: “The Phoenix Maiden is also here!”
Everyone then looked back and forth at Li Qiye and the Phoenix Maiden.
She fled during the last battle, but now she came back with great fanfare. Everyone wanted to see the conclusion between Li Qiye and the maiden.
Li Qiye leisurely stared at her and quipped: “Oh, so it is the loser from before. Since when did your Divine Spark Country become part of the ghost race? Are your ancestors ghosts?”
“Being a daughter-in-law of the ghost race means that I’m part of the ghost race.” The Phoenix Maiden was not angry at all; she calmly answered him with grace. Her excellence was part of why she could become the daughter-in-law of the throne of bones.
“Yes, you are quite right.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “So? The miserable loss last time was not enough so you want to lose again?”
It was as if the maiden came prepared; she was not angry or anxious and instead leisurely spoke: “Li Qiye, you do have the ability to act arrogant, but do you think you are unbeatable in this world?”
Li Qiye lazily looked at her and said: “I myself don’t know if I am unbeatable in this world, but I only have one answer to those who oppose me, and that is that they will all be killed without mercy! Even if it is everyone in this world.”
“Young man… Such bold words.” A middle-aged man who followed after the maiden spoke: “You have the same arrogant style as I did back in a simpler time, but your arrogance ends here.”
The middle-aged man had a special divine aura when he stepped out. A spirited bearing combined with a composed presence created a unique charm with a momentum as if he was the only one who could tread on the endless grand dao.
“Long Zuntian!” Many great ghosts exclaimed after seeing this middle-aged man.
Even the ancestors put on a serious expression.
Long Zuntian was a legendary character in the Sacred Nether World. He was a proud sun in the sky and his dao journey was full of magical tales.
Long Zuntian sought the dao during the Difficult Dao Era as its most dazzling genius in the Sacred Nether World. At a young age, he proudly cultivated as if even this era could not impede his path towards the apex.
He became a Heavenly King at a very young age. At that time, he garnered a lot of attention from everywhere. Many even thought that he had the chance to defeat the Difficult Dao Era to reach the top.
Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong age and embarked on a journey during the Difficult Dao Era. He wanted to reach a higher realm using force, leading to a Life Reduction and an untimely disaster.
Fate Calamity was the demon of the heart and Life Reduction was the withering from the heavens. To cultivators, a Life Reduction was one of the hardest trials, and countless geniuses died because of this.
What was even more unfortunate for him was that, during the Difficult Dao Era, Life Reduction was even more fatal. Many assumed that he wouldn’t be able to surpass it so his death was assured.
However, before the deadly blow, Long Zuntian managed to counter attack and powerfully surpassed his Life Reduction. This matter shocked the entire world. However, this left behind an incurable wound and his cultivation slowed down.
Nevertheless, his fame still threatened the eight directions. Many ancestors from the great powers viewed him highly. Many of them were even cautious when they talked about him.
He was not only an amazing Heavenly King but also was a grand completion Saint Physique, the Diamond Saint Physique!
The Diamond Saint Physique was the one below the Indestructible Diamond Immortal Physique. This Immortal Physique was impenetrable by countless weapons and untouchable by myriad laws. A cultivator of this physique would neither be afraid of any weapons nor laws in this world.
Although it was not an Immortal Physique, Long Zuntian still had this extremely powerful grand completion Saint Physique. A rumor stated that he once used his own body to block an attack from an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure. No one knew if this story was true or not, but this was enough to prove the toughness of his physique.
“I can’t believe Sir Di Zuo actually convinced Long Zuntian. An extremely talented genius like Long Zuntian views Sir Di Zuo so highly! Surely Sir Di Zuo will be able to shoulder the Heaven’s Will and become an Immortal Emperor.” A person emotionally uttered after seeing Long Yuntian protecting the maiden.
In the past during the Difficult Dao Era, Long Yuntian’s fame thundered across the Sacred Nether World. It was not until his Life Reduction that his fame slowly receded before the public, giving rise to the three heroes.
He started as a vagabond cultivator and many great powers and even emperor’s lineages wanted to recruit him. Even the Myriad Bones Throne wasn’t an exception, but Long Yuntian was very arrogant so he decisively refused.
Who would expect that many years later, once Di Zuo came to the light and became a great genius would he be able to convince Long Zuntian? From then on, he became the dao mentor of Di Zuo.
Although the throne of bones had some amazing ancestors at the level of legendary masters, a person like Long Zuntian was very rare to find. Di Zuo surely benefitted greatly from having him as a dao mentor.
The arrogant Long Zuntian agreeing to be Di Zuo’s mentor after rejecting the Myriad Bones Throne in the past was indicative of Di Zuo’s brilliant talents and his future potential to become an Immortal Emperor.
Li Qiye was still nonchalant as he looked at Long Zuntian. Then, he said with a smile: “Oh? You want to teach me a lesson?”
Long Zuntian stared back and shook his head, grinning: “I’m too old and do not feel like exercising. I only want to give you a piece of advice: there is always a better person and another heaven outside of this heaven. Today, there are many ancestors here. You are indeed a supreme genius, but if a Virtuous Paragon takes action, you won’t be as lucky.”
“Heed my words of advice and recede your arrogance. Otherwise, even if I don’t do it, someone else will.” Long Zuntian continued: “Of course, if you really want a shot at me, then I don’t mind teaching a young one a lesson!”
Long Zuntian spoke aggressively and was full of confidence. Of course, he was qualified to act so domineeringly. Although he was only a Heavenly King and cultivation-wise, he was not a match for a great power’s ancestor, he also had a grand completion Saint Physique. Even these ancestors would have to think twice before acting against him.
Chapter 539 - Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden’s Scheme
Li Qiye didn’t take note of Long Zuntian’s words, he simply smilingly said: “If you want to teach me, then come anytime. I agree with the sentiment that there is always someone better and that there is a heaven vaster than this heaven, but as for the whatever ancestors here who want to kill me…” Li Qiye laughed and declared: “So what if they are ancestors from great powers? Try it and I’ll slaughter all of them. Anyone who blocks my path will be killed without mercy!”
His words offended all the sects and lineages and even the entire ghost race. Of course, this was not his first time offending the ghost race.
In just a split second, many great powers coldly glared at Li Qiye. No one made a move right now, but their intentions were as clear as day: sooner or later, they would annihilate this arrogant human.
“Young one, it is not wrong to be arrogant, but words are like spilled water; once spoken, they cannot be taken back.” An ethereal voice appeared.
No one knew who the speaker was, but the tone was thunderous, causing everyone’s hearts to thump. This surely was an ancestor of a great power.
Many ancestors had come into being and entered the Prime Ominous Grave, so of course they were annoyed when Li Qiye provoked them publically like this.
However, for the time being, none of them made a move against Li Qiye. These old sly foxes didn’t want to be the first to oppose the Thousand Carp River.
Li Qiye smiled and said in response to the ethereal voice: “I always take responsibility for my words. I don’t care if you are ghosts or from another race, I do not show mercy to those who stand before me!”
“Hmph! You are acting as if people are blocking your path. That’s simply not true, you can easily enter the pond.” The Titanic Crescent Saint Child sneered.
Li Qiye looked at the Saint Child and spoke: “Oh? You don’t believe me? If I can enter, then will your ghost race withdraw?” These words made even more people unhappy.
A ghost sect master deepened his voice and uttered: “This pond does not belong to you, so why does our ghost race have to withdraw?”
“I don’t know much about the ghost race, but I do know one thing: if I obtain the fortune inside, then your ghost race will definitely sneak attack me and rob it just like you did with the Thousand Carp River. Do you dare say that you haven’t and will not commit such sly thievery?” Li Qiye calmly asked.
“Then do you want to settle this matter with our entire ghost race?” The Phoenix Maiden slowly spoke.
Li Qiye glanced at her and chuckled to say: “Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden, I know you are digging a hole for me to jump, aiming to maneuver the entire ghost race against me. Am I right? Very well, we’ll do it your way. Everyone come so we can end this. Your ghost race does not like to look at humans like me, and I’m also annoyed at ghosts like you. Just make your move and I’ll entertain all of you till the end!”
This answer left people looking at each other in confusion. Even non-ghost cultivators rolled their eyes. Such arrogance! Li Qiye, alone, challenged all the ghosts! This brat must be crazy.
However, older cultivators of the other races felt that this made sense after thinking it through. Back at the Snow-shadow Tribe, Li Qiye had already killed tens of thousands of ghosts in one breath. His relationship with the ghost race was already irreconcilable.
It was clear that Li Qiye would be a thorn for the three heroes in the future. The ghost race would definitely not accept him in the competition for the Heaven’s Will at this time, so there would be a war between the two sides. Those who backed the three heroes would not sit idly by and watch.
The cultivators of the other races thought that if Li Qiye didn’t want to be bothered by ghosts for a long time, then the most direct way was to kill them until they were scared. This was not only to strengthen his domineering fame and test his own cultivation but also a way to sweep through his future obstacles.
A few great characters from these races thought that defeating the ghost race before they became united was possible. However, the first requirement was that Li Qiye needed to be strong enough.
Thus, these other races chose to watch on the sideline as the ghosts glared at Li Qiye.
The group of the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and Ghost Insect Evil Child angrily glared at him with murderous stares after hearing his provocative statement. These geniuses truly hated Li Qiye; the two sides had a long-running feud and moreover, they had the ambition to kill him for their own future!
They would become famous after killing Li Qiye; Li Qiye could be the paving pebble for their path towards becoming the Immortal Emperor.
As opposed to last time, the two geniuses were full of ambition right now. Their expression alone clearly indicated their wish to kill Li Qiye. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Since they carried secret cards, they were confident in killing Li Qiye.
The Phoenix Maiden only smiled with a smile that could be described as kingdom-toppling. This was the result she wanted. She then slowly spoke: “Li Qiye, you are the one who said this. I am only a little girl and does not dare to speak for the entire ghost race. However, since you provoked our ghost race, I will be the first to oppose you. Even a little girl like me will not tolerate a human ant like you challenging our ghost’s supreme prestige!”
“Amazing! Women are no less capable than men at all!” Li Qiye clapped his hands and smiled. He saw through her aim but was too lazy to retort.
Lan Yunzhu only smiled. She understood the Phoenix Maiden’s scheme, but she also knew that Li Qiye didn’t care for these little tricks since he was not afraid at all!
While the young geniuses wished to kill Li Qiye to pave their path, the majority of the older crowd remained relatively calm.
Although Li Qiye and the ghost race had drawn daggers, there was no direct conflict of interest between him and the majority of great powers. At least, for now.
These sly foxes all knew that the Phoenix Maiden was trying to pave the way for Di Zuo. Anyone could see that Li Qiye would be a huge threat for him in the future. As his fiancee, she wanted to borrow others to kill Li Qiye for her husband.
“There has been too much killing recently, and the downpour of blood only brings about weariness.” The Phoenix Maiden acted as if she didn’t hear Li Qiye’s praise. She then gracefully continued on: “If you challenge our ghost race, we of course cannot stand down. How about we have a non-violent competition? For example, this pond. If Li Qiye can go deeper into the pond than us ghosts… Although I cannot represent the entire ghost race, at the very least, the Myriad Bones Throne and many other ghost tribes will not make it difficult for you from now on.”
“If you lose, then hand over the Prime Ominous Key. Whoever beats you will get the key.” She put out an irresistible bait and said: “The fortune inside the Heavenly Cemetery should belong to us ghosts. What say you, everyone?!”
Her words prior were not enough for the other ghost tribes to act as her blade, outside of the ambitious young ones like the Saint Child and Evil Child. Everyone with eyes had seen the battle outside of the Snow-shadow Tribe, and being the Phoenix Maiden’s henchmen did not end well. But now, her words tempted the minds of many.
“I heard that there was no treasure inside the Heavenly Cemetery. However, if one is lucky, they might be able to get a unique fortune. This harvest would not be any less than the Diamond Carp’s nest.” The Phoenix Maiden lightly said: “For such a fortune, no matter what, I still want to challenge you, Li Qiye!”
Her words caused many hearts to beat faster alongside many swift glances.
Lan Yunzhu lamented after being exposed to the maiden’s scheme: “What a formidable ability to concoct such mind games.”
The Phoenix Maiden was quite devious. She pushed Li Qiye up to the front of the waves and winds. At this time, anyone would want to challenge him.
“Is that true?” A young person couldn’t help but ask his senior after hearing the maiden’s words.
Everyone knew that the Heavenly Cemetery was inside the Earth Realm. Rumor has it that after killing into the cemetery and making it out alive, one would be able to obtain a great fortune. However, not just anyone dared to try. Even the ancestors were hesitant, let alone the younger generation. But right now, Di Zuo was making his way into the cemetery!
“It is true.” A great character answered his junior: “The Prime Ominous Key can be exchanged for a great fortune inside the Heavenly Cemetery. The magnitude of this fortune depends on the person, but in short, the exchange is real.”
Prior to this, during the Snow-shadow battle, many people wanted to take the key from Li Qiye, but many gave up right after. Now, the maiden’s words raising this issue again provoked a lot of people.
At this point, many held their breaths while looking at Li Qiye since everyone knew that he had the key.
Li Qiye simply smiled at the maiden’s scheme. She employed numerous methods to kill Li Qiye. This, right now, was only a spark and the goal was to cause Li Qiye to fight against the entire ghost race.
“Li Qiye, do you dare to accept our ghost race’s challenge?” The Phoenix Maiden slowly enunciated each word.
Although she did not represent all the ghosts, the expressions of many proved that they were lusting after the key in Li Qiye’s possession.
“Li Qiye is not necessarily at a disadvantage in such a challenge.” The Jadewater Queen spoke: “It is not about cultivation but enlightenment when it comes to walking deeper into the pond. One step, one world, but the main essence is that it is still a pond. If one could see through its profundities, then there would still be a promising chance. Having a higher cultivation actually brings about more restrictions.”
Chapter 540 - Competition
The Jadewater Queen was the person who went the furthest for the time being, so her credibility was very high.
After hearing her words, a person excitedly spoke while slapping their thigh: “Just like what I speculated, how far one walks into the pond has nothing to do with cultivation!”
Meanwhile, Li Qiye only smiled at the Phoenix Maiden’s challenge and said: “No big deal. Taking dozens of steps would still be easy. All challengers, come forth. The losers will disappear, and if I lose, I will hand the Prime Ominous Key to the winner.”
How could Li Qiye refuse a challenge when the enemy came to his doorstep?
Li Qiye’s words caused the ghost cultivators to clamor and stare at him. He was like a fat piece of meat that everyone wanted a bite of.
“Who’s first?” Li Qiye looked at the Phoenix Maiden and slowly asked: “You?”
“Let me challenge you.” However, a sneer suddenly came about as the Ghost Insect Evil Child walked forward and smiled ominously: “If you lose, then hand over the key and get the hell out of here. The treasures of this place belongs to us, members of the ghost race!”
“Count me in!” Another person stood out and went together with the Evil Child. Of course, this was the Titanic Crescent Saint Child.
“You guys only managed to take eight and nine steps, yet you still want to challenge me?” Li Qiye was too lazy to look at them as he commented: “Your confidence is too unreasonable.”
“The winner has yet to be decided, so don’t act this arrogant so quickly!” The Saint Child said as he sneered; he was full of confidence.
Everyone knew that the Saint Child and Evil Child only took eight and nine steps respectively, but now, everyone was shaken to see them so full of confidence. They realized that these two didn’t try their best earlier.
Li Qiye glanced at the two of them and smirked: “Are you two representing your sects or the ghost race?”
“If I lose, then my sect will withdraw.” The Titanic Crescent Saint Child answered slowly: “If any sects or tribes wish to follow my sect, then we will share the treasures that are obtained!”
The Ghost Insect Evil Child also added: “Yes! Same goes for our Insect King Lineage.”
Their actions had been approved by the seniors of the two lineages, which was why they were able to speak so freely.
Geniuses like the Saint Child and Evil Child were unlucky to be born in the same era as the three heroes. Especially because of Di Zuo, who was greatly valued by many great powers; most of these great powers tended to support him.
Right now, these two wanted to borrow Li Qiye to increase their own prestige as well as re-establishing their sects’ position in the Misty Field and Green River.
Some great powers from the ghost race decided to reveal their position: “We are willing to stand together with the Insect King Lineage!”
“We are willing to stand together with the Titanic Crescent Saint Child!”
Many of them voiced their support for the two emperor’s lineages.
The Insect King Lineage had a very prestigious position in the western Green River, and the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground was also famous in the northern Misty Field. Recently, Di Zuo and Li Qiye were like kites who met the right wind, so many forgot about geniuses like the Evil Child and Saint Child. But now, if these two managed to rise up and gain the support of these great powers, then it would be killing two birds with one stone for the two emperor’s lineages.
Not only did their actions have a chance to seize the Prime Ominous Key from Li Qiye, this was also an attempt to gauge their supporters in their regions.
The sect masters and royal lords present were not stupid. They knew that this battle had no place for them. Eventually, the final victor to obtain the key would most likely be an emperor’s lineage, so they knew that they had to show their support towards these lineages first.
“Interesting.” The Jadewater Queen murmured to herself after seeing this scene.
Right now, the challenge was no longer a feud between Li Qiye and the ghost race, it was also a political contest among the ghost race. The one who created this situation was, of course, the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden!
At this point, many looked at Li Qiye and the two descendants. The Evil Child and Saint Child had always been referred to as geniuses by people. They had extremely high talents but were still far from supreme geniuses like Di Zuo.
Nevertheless, some ghost tribes were still optimistic with their chance against Li Qiye in this challenge.
“If you want to challenge me, then come at the same time. Don’t waste time going one by one.” Li Qiye looked at them and said: “You guys go first. I’m afraid that if I go first, I’ll just discourage both of you.”
“Such hubris!” A ghost loudly exclaimed with a sneer.
The two descendants also scowled. They looked at each other and took the first step into the pond, instantly disappearing.
Everyone quickly opened their Heavenly Gazes to watch each of their actions. They leisurely took the first five steps before their speed slowed down.
Now, eight steps have been taken. At this point, it was as if they were shouldering Mt. Tai on their backs as each step was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
Everyone stared at the two with bated breaths because these two could only go eight and nine steps earlier.
The influential ghosts were secretly worried for the two descendants. If they could only go this far, then they wouldn’t have any significant advantage over Li Qiye.
However, the Titanic Crescent Sacred Lord still had a relaxed expression as if he was still very confident in his disciple. He smiled and said: “My disciple shouldn’t have any problems going past twenty or thirty steps.”
Just as he said, from the eighth step onward, the initial weight was lifted off their backs and the two became much more relaxed.
A universal law as thin as a silk string faintly appeared around the Ghost Insect Evil Child’s body and led the way for him, allowing his steps to be as light as a feather.
It was the same for the Titanic Crescent Saint Child. In just a split second, a wave of light was being emitted from his body as if it was the protection of the gods. When this wave of light appeared, his steps became light. It seemed as if each step was not crossing one world but just walking casually across water.
“Eleven… Twelve… Thirteen…” A ghost began to count their steps as they quickened their pace.
More and more began to count as well, especially the disciples who came from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Lineage. They were becoming louder with their cheers, causing the atmosphere to be much more lively.
“How come they suddenly became so strong?” Everyone became surprised when those two made it to the fifteenth step.
Before, they already struggled at eight and nine steps; a single extra step was prohibitively difficult. But now, their steps were as light as the wind, so how could people not become astounded by this sudden change?
A predecessor expert figured something out and said: “There are heaven-defying treasures on their bodies, most likely Immortal Emperor Life Treasures.”
Not only one or two people realized this. A group began to understand that those two were carrying some amazing treasures.
Many great powers of the Sacred Nether World were here, and not just one or two emperor’s lineages brought emperor’s weapons. If these two had emperor’s weapons, then it meant that the sacred ground and the Insect King Lineage brought more than just one weapon.
This speculation caused many characters from the great powers to palpitate. These emperor’s lineages would be carrying immense firepower if they brought more than just one emperor’s weapon each.
These weapons were dreadful items, and they were the bane of those countries without one themselves. When two had the same cultivation and battle prowess, the person with the emperor’s weapon had an absolute advantage.
In just a blink of an eye, the Evil Child and Saint Child made it to the twentieth step. From this point, their pace slowed down since they were still affected by the pond despite carrying emperor’s weapons.
The Jadewater Queen spoke while watching on the sideline: “Unfortunately, they couldn’t understand even a little bit of the profound mysteries. Otherwise, with the powerful emperor’s weapons and some knowledge, they could go more than forty steps.”
“Twenty… Twenty-one… Twenty-two…” Clear and sonorous counting appeared when the two of them reached the twentieth step. The sacred ground and Insect King Lineage, along with some great powers, were cheering for the two of them while creating pressure for Li Qiye.
This was especially the case when the big characters were speaking; their thunderous roars caused others to be affected. These ghost powers wanted to create a surpressive atmosphere to assail Li Qiye’s psyche.
Chapter 541 - Leisurely Stroll
However, even these great characters and their imposing words couldn’t affect Li Qiye. His dao heart was as strong as a rock. He couldn’t be shaken by the words of these Heavenly Sovereigns and Heavenly Kings. Li Qiye remained calm and leisurely without a care.
Lan Yunzhu noticed these great characters using this opportunity to spew out mantras to shake Li Qiye’s emotions, so she snorted loudly: “Truly shameless.”
The unperturbed Li Qiye only smiled and said: “Ignore them. In a little while, they will know that their bag of tricks is useless.”
After reaching the 25th step, the Evil Child couldn’t handle it anymore. His face was beet red from the pond’s pressure. Eventually, he gritted his teeth and mustered one last step for a total of twenty-six steps. At this point, he couldn’t handle another one, so he had to give up and step out from the pond.
“Twenty-six is already very amazing. The Bronze Tree Ancestor disappeared after the twentieth step.” The great ghosts were very proud of his achievement after seeing him retreat safely.
Meanwhile, the Saint Child continued on with many eyes fixated on him in anticipation. They wanted to see how many steps he could take.
Seeing the withdrawal of the Evil Child while the Saint Child was holding on, Lan Yunzhu asked: “The Saint Child is going further than the Evil Child, could it be that he has an Immortal Emperor True Treasure with him?”
Li Qiye took a look at the Saint Child and shook his head in response: “No, it is not a true treasure. He can go further because he has something that is connected to the Prime Ominous Grave.”
After hearing this, Lan Yunzhu suddenly remembered a tale that had been passed on for a long time: “So Immortal Emperor Ju Tian got a heaven-defying treasure from Necropolis!”
Li Qiye nodded and said: “Right, it is that thing from the Ghost River. Alas, the Saint Child does not understand its profoundness.”
The world all knew that Immortal Emperor Ju Tian obtained a great treasure from the Ghost River. This was half the reason why future generations went to the Ghost River; they were tempted by the tale of Immortal Emperor Ju Tian.
“Thirty!” He finally reached the 30th step. This was the same as the Jadewater Queen from the Charming Spirit race.
At this time, the Saint Child was drenched in sweat, but he still bit his teeth and exerted all of his potential to strugglingly take another step.
“Thirty-one!” The ghost experts roared powerful mantras when they saw him take another hard step. These cheers served both to encourage the Saint Child and to demoralize Li Qiye.
“Thirty-two!” He took another step, but it was near impossible for him to go any further. If he kept on forcing the issue, then he would disappear just like the Bronze Tree Ancestor.
The Jadewater Queen shook her head and commented: “What a shame. He still couldn’t understand the mysteries of the pond. There is a limit to using an emperor’s weapon to force it.”
The Saint Child safely left the pond and was met with many cheers from the ghost cultivators. A royal lord praised: “Being able to take thirty steps is an achievement higher than an ordinary ancestor. So promising! This youth will surpass us in time.”
“The Saint Child’s victory is certain. An ordinary ancestor, I’m afraid, could only go thirty to forty steps. Haha, I do not believe that this Li fella is better than an ordinary ancestor. There’s no way he could go more than thirty steps in.”
The ghost cultivators were at ease, especially the great powers that chose to side with the sacred ground. They were certain of their victory and of Li Qiye’s defeat. They didn’t think that Li Qiye could take thirty steps since it was difficult for even an ancestor. For him? It was not worth mentioning.
The Saint Child stepped out of the pond. The Evil Child immediately came to congratulate him: “Brother Titanic Crescent is quite amazing, you took six more steps than me!” 1
“Nothing of the sort, this little brother was only lucky.” The Saint Child humbly responded.
Before this, these two were rivals, but now they were working together. This was not surprising at all since, in order to compete against heaven-defying geniuses like Di Zuo, they had to work together.
The Phoenix Maiden also praised him with a graceful charm: “Brother Titanic Crescent’s brilliant talent truly convinces me. Geniuses always come out from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and Insect King Lineage; my husband has always praised Brother Titanic Crescent and Brother Ghost Insect as contemporary heroes and role models. From today, we can see that your fame is indeed well-deserved and has opened my eyes.”
The maiden’s praise was one thing, but praise coming from Di Zuo was different. Both the descendants became quite proud because of this. Although it did not personally come from Di Zuo, it was still very glorious to hear the Phoenix Maiden’s words.
The two of them quickly replied: “We’re nothing that great, Brother Di Zuo’s praise is too much.” Despite spewing humble words, they quite enjoyed this on the inside.
Li Qiye looked at the sure-win attitude from the two of them and burst out in laughter before speaking: “Oh? Already celebrating before the victor has been decided? Are you that certain of victory?”
Li Qiye’s provocation darkened the two’s expressions. However, the Phoenix Maiden took the initiative and coldly replied: “Li Qiye, do not be arrogant; there is always a higher mountain. Brother Titanic Crescent and Brother Ghost Insect are two excellent prodigies of our ghost race. Their thirty steps are equivalent to that of Virtuous Paragons, and very few young people could match this. Perhaps even you won’t be able to.”
The two happily listened with pride as the maiden defended them before they had the chance to. Now, they had an even better impression of the maiden and Di Zuo.
Her scheme was quite amazing and she easily changed her attitude. She was trying to win more allies to oppose Li Qiye.
“A higher mountain?” Li Qiye smiled and responded: “This proverb is correct, but the higher mountain for me is not you guys.”
“Such ignorance.” The maiden coldly spoke: “The truth is before your eyes. It is not too late to accept your defeat before Brother Titanic Crescent and Brother Ghost Insect…”
“Accept defeat my ass!” Li Qiye bluntly interrupted the maiden and declared: “It was only thirty-two steps yet you still dare to brag before me as if you are unbeatable in this world? Very well, if you want to be humiliated, then allow me to do so. I can close my eyes and still walk that far.”
With that, Li Qiye really closed his eyes and began to head towards the pond. As he stepped inside, Lan Yunzhu quickly helped him with the counting: “One, two, three, four…” However, Li Qiye was too fast and Lan Yunzhu couldn’t keep up.
“Look!” The moment Li Qiye got in the pond, everyone quickly looked at how far he could go with their Heavenly Gazes. However, he was too fast; once their gazes were ready, Lan Yunzhu had already counted to thirty.
“Impossible—” The entire ghost race was astounded by his pace.
The moment their senses came back to them, Li Qiye already made his way back as if he had never entered at all. It was as if he had simply taken a leisurely stroll.
“Sixty steps!” Lan Yunzhu reported the number while being completely astonished. Li Qiye was way too fast even for her to count. If it wasn’t for seeing how the two descendants had struggled even with emperor’s weapon to take their final steps, she would have thought that this was only an ordinary pond after watching Li Qiye’s stroll.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became quiet while everyone was sent into a daze. Li Qiye’s casual walking made people think that this was not a magical pond at all. However, those who had entered before knew that it was not simple since one step was equivalent to one world. Even an ancestor or a legendary master wouldn’t be able to walk sixty steps as easily as Li Qiye.
Taking sixty steps in just the blink of an eye silenced all the ghosts and rendered them responseless.
Before, when the Saint Child managed to take thirty-two steps, the ghost race was certain of his victory since even an ancestor could only do so much. Such an achievement was already too amazing.
Li Qiye’s leisurely sixty steps was a slap to the ghost race! They didn’t know where to put their faces, especially the Saint Child and Evil Child.
The Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground felt the painful slap after thinking that their descendant won and that the Prime Ominous Key would belong to them.
The hidden undyings in the ground became dejected since they themselves weren’t confident in taking sixty steps. And even if they could, it wouldn’t have been easy.
Li Qiye took this stroll in just a second, then he safely withdrew. This was too heaven-defying.
Chapter 542 - Tian Lunhui
At this moment, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child, the Ghost Insect Evil Child, and the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden were all stunned on the spot. Earlier, the three of them were bragging with great pride, but now, Li Qiye’s achievement was a violent slap to their faces.
The two descendants could no longer smile; only an ugly expression remained. The Phoenix Maiden had a countenance as cold as ice.
She thought differently than the two descendants. With Li Qiye easily taking sixty steps, she was even more certain that he would be a powerful enemy of her husband. No matter what, she must destroy Li Qiye and remove this huge threat to her beloved.
“How did you do it?” Lan Yunzhu emotionally asked. She was no stranger to the miracle creator, but these casual sixty steps still amazed her.
“One step for one world.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “I can create three thousand worlds, so one step for one world can’t trouble me.”
Lan Yunzhu was speechless after hearing this. Li Qiye’s twelfth palace had already taken shape, meaning that he would have access to the heavens created from the palaces. Once it reached grand completion, he would have his own firmament, so one could only imagine the possibilities from it.
Meanwhile, the Jadewater Queen recovered her senses after seeing Li Qiye’s result and gently sighed: “It is not the cultivation but rather the insight.” She was quite moved after this spectacle. Even as a Charming Spirit with strong a cultivation as well as a divine reflection, taking thirty steps without the help of an external item was a big challenge to her. However, even if her divine reflection could help her gain more insights, she still wouldn’t be able to take sixty leisurely steps like Li Qiye did.
At this point, Li Qiye gave the two descendant an uncaring look and said: “I initially wanted to go further, but since you guys only took thirty steps, it would be a waste if I took eighty or ninety, so nevermind, sixty is enough for now.”
Of course, this was met with an ugly expression from the two descendants. The two initially wanted to use this opportunity to build their fame and — once again — become respected; they planned to use Li Qiye as a stepping stone. Who would have thought that even with the help of their emperor’s weapons, they would still lose to Li Qiye completely?
Li Qiye then ignored these two and looked towards the Phoenix Maiden: “Maiden, is it your turn to challenge me?”
The Phoenix Maiden’s eyes narrowed as they suddenly flashed with cold glimmers. She did not answer. Long Zuntian came out to speak instead: “How about I challenge you in her stead?”
Long Zuntian making a move was not without reason. He was an unparalleled genius and had been watching for a while, so he knew that the maiden was absolutely not a match for Li Qiye. Even with an assisting treasure, she still wouldn’t be able to take sixty steps, so he had to take her place.
Li Qiye looked at him and smilingly said: “As long as she doesn’t mind, I don’t either. Take sixty steps first, then you can come challenge me.”
Long Zuntian looked at the Phoenix Maiden for a response. At this moment, she felt a sense of dread and uncertainty since Li Qiye’s devilishness was far beyond her expectations.
Even a supreme genius like Long Zuntian couldn’t say for sure that he could beat Li Qiye: “Mistress, let me give it a try. Maybe there is a chance.” He said this to remind her that if she went, there would be no hope at all.
The maiden sighed and told Long Zuntian: “Then I would have to impose on Senior Long. The pride of the ghost race is now on your shoulders.”
Long Zuntian shook his head without saying anything while lamenting his situation in his mind. The maiden was too calculating; she said that to force him to use all of his strength.
In his eyes, someone with so many schemes and such frightening calculation abilities like the maiden was not fit for cultivation. It would become a chain slowing one’s cultivation down.
But at this time, a mysterious voice suddenly appeared: “If it relates to the prestige of the ghost race, then how could I be missing?” A person flew forward, creating wonderful images that spanned for miles as a mysterious aura covered the world.
It was as if the stars were flying with him as he exuded an inexplicable mysterious aura, causing others to feel that he had many eternal and unfathomable secrets.
“Tian Lunhui!” The ghost race cheerfully shouted after seeing this new arrival.
One of the three heroes of the Sacred Nether World and the descendant of the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom, Tian Lunhui, had arrived. Rumor has it that he went inside the Fire God’s Palace so no one expected him to come out so quickly.
A great character saw him and emotionally uttered: “It seems that he obtained quite a great fortune inside the palace. A supreme genius is indeed extraordinary.”
The ghost race became jubilated after seeing him. One person happily stated: “Since Tian Lunhui can enter the Fire God’s Palace, this pond shouldn’t be an issue for him. If this pond doesn’t care for cultivation, then with his aptitude, Tian Lunhui will definitely be able to see through it and enter!”
In just a second, many ghost members placed high expectations on Tian Lunhui since he gave them a glimmer of hope. Even the ancestors didn’t want to bet with Li Qiye, which elevated his current momentum.
The fury of the ghost race couldn’t be quelled until they defeated Li Qiye. The Saint Child and Evil Child had already lost and no one else in the younger generation could challenge him until Tian Lunhui’s appearance.
“Sir Tian Lunhui, you must beat him and teach this human ant a lesson. Let him learn that we of the ghost race have plenty of geniuses capable of suppressing the human race!” A ghost exclaimed.
“That’s right! Push him down to see if he will still act so arrogantly!” Countless ghost cultivators added. Even a few great characters were screaming.
The ghost race had been oppressed too hard recently. After the humiliating massacre and the events that played out here… Even imperial descendants had lost miserably to him. The ghosts couldn’t handle this anger since countless ghost geniuses were produced, yet none were able to beat an insignificant human.
However, Tian Lunhui was a cause for revival and his prestige instilled absolute confidence into the ghosts.
Tian Lunhui came forward while carrying a boundless mysterious aura and spoke: “Forgive my presumptuousness and allow me to learn from Fellow Daoist Li before Senior Long?” His words carried a strange rhythm. In terms of fame, Tian Lunhui was a bit less known compared to Di Zuo, but when it came to style and momentum, he was not lacking in any way. He was on the same level as Di Zuo and not just in title.
Long Zuntian looked at Tian Lunhui and said with emotions: “The new waves will overturn the old waves. I am old and will not compete with you youngins. This is your stage.” He then slowly went back to the maiden’s side.
The maiden then heaved a sigh of relief. Facing Li Qiye was giving her significant pressure. She was always confident, but she was not certain of victory at this moment. However, Tian Lunhui was pushing this board game towards a better position.
She became much more spirited to see Tian Lunhui challenging Li Qiye since she wanted to use this chance to guage Tian Lunhui’s abilities for her husband.
Tian Lunhui looked at Li Qiye and calmly spoke: “Fellow Daoist Li’s fame is like thunder next to one’s ear. Today, seeing your great style has left me convinced.”
Li Qiye looked at him and lazily spoke: “I’m afraid this is not our first meeting.”
This was true since the two had met each other prior without a formal greeting.
Tian Lunhui was not angry. He only smiled with an unparalleled style and mysteriously unfathomable aura.
“Indeed, but that was just a glance without an opportunity to meet Fellow Daoist Li.” Tian Lunhui spoke: “Today’s meeting and competition is my honor.”
Li Qiye didn’t care for the formalities and calmly said: “Begin. If you want to challenge me, then walk sixty steps first.”
“Then excuse me.” Tian Lunhui didn’t dare to underestimate his opponent. He took a deep breath next to the pond with his eyes shooting out divine glimmers while staring at it. 1
At this time, all the ghost cultivators couldn’t help but hold their breaths; all their eyes were on Tian Lunhui. They pinned all their hopes of defeating Li Qiye and regaining the ghosts’ glory on Tian Lunhui.
Tian Lunhui’s eyes were flashing wisps of light. At times, they were as bright as the sun yet sometimes, they were as dark as a black hole. Waves of universal law chains inside his eyes wove together to form a supreme article.
He was using this supreme article to communicate with the profound grand dao inside the pond, wishing to understand it.
The Jadewater Queen exclaimed with surprise when she saw what was unraveling inside his eyes: “Amazing, truly worthy of being one of the three heroes. He has reached this level of understanding in such a short amount of time. This puts my divine reflection to shame.”
Even Li Qiye nodded his head and said after seeing this: “A supreme genius is indeed different; he knows how to communicate with the strange dao and reached the strangest peaks. Treading the pond is not simply about power unless it is an existence at the top, like a True God or an Immortal Emperor!”
Chapter 543 - Tian Lunhui’s Strength
“The younger generation will surpass us with their free thoughts; they’re not like us conservative old men stuck in one place. Talent is one thing, but wisdom and understanding are a different matter.” The group of undyings hiding in the darkness gently lamented. They were all praising him nonstop.
The old undyings could enter the pond easily because they had sufficient strength. They were confident in their own cultivation and might, especially the ones from the emperor’s lineages. With emperor’s weapons along with their cultivation, if they risked it all in one shot, they would have a chance to enter.
However, Tian Lunhui’s actions gave them a new perspective. He was not like the Saint Child and Evil Child who merely used external help to enter. Instead, he used his own abilities and aptitude to understand the mysteries.
“Worthy of being a supreme genius of our ghost race.” An ancestor commented while being moved: “Even if he can’t become an Immortal Emperor in the future, he can still reach the top. If he chooses the path of the grand era, then with his talents, he will absolutely become a Virtuous Ancestor. His future accomplishments will be much greater than ours.”
The majority of ancestors from the great powers who were called old undyings were Virtuous Paragons, but ordinary Virtuous Paragons had a huge gap compared to paragons who trod on the path of the grand era. Those who walked on this path were existences that could form their own countries and be bestowed divine titles; they were comparable to Immortal Emperors!
Tian Lunhui’s flashing eyes continued to gaze at the pond as he tried to unravel its profundities. More and more universal laws formed in his eyes.
Li Qiye didn’t bother Tian Lunhui as he stood there, waiting. Even against someone who was called an unparalleled genius, Li Qiye still remained calm without any anxiety.
A while later, Tian Lunhui finally withdrew his gaze. His eyes returned to have the same old mysterious and indiscernible look.
“Fellow Daoist Li, I’ll go first then.” Tian Lunhui smiled and then took one step before disappearing into the pond.
“Hurry and look!” Heavenly Gazes were activated to watch his attempt. A ghost was counting his steps: “One… Two… Three… Four… Five…”
In the blink of an eye, he already took ten steps with ease. He was very different from the Saint Child and Evil Child who struggled despite relying on emperor’s weapons. He was not as fast as Li Qiye, but he appeared to still be very comfortable.
“Thirty!” The ghosts anxiously watched all of his actions. Tian Lunhui was the embodiment of their hope.
In a short amount of time, he managed to take thirty steps. The ghost race’s spirit was rejuvenated at this moment since Tian Lunhui still had a peaceful appearance as if he was taking a scenic walk.
“Incredible!” An ancestor hiding in the shadows gently sighed and said after witnessing this scene: “Back in our youth, our talents were far weaker than Tian Lunhui’s. Maybe even the Titanic Crescent Saint Child was superior to us.”
At this point, Tian Lunhui’s performance had convinced the old undyings and confirmed the fact that being powerful was not the most important aspect to entering the pond.
“Forty steps!” Another short span of time had passed, and Tian Lunhui had managed to take forty steps. His pace had slowed, but he was still relatively comfortable. The ghosts tightened their fists in excitement and hoped that he would be able to surpass Li Qiye to win the ghost race some glory.
Meanwhile, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and Ghost Insect Evil Child were dejected. They constantly sighed and were no longer able to be arrogant.
If Li Qiye’s actions were humiliating like a slap to one’s face, then Tian Lunhui, as another genius of the ghost race, left them with their proud heads hung low.
Despite having lesser fame than the three heroes among the ghost geniuses, the Saint Child and Evil Child still had some hope. If they tried their best, then maybe they would have a chance to compete against the three heroes in the future.
But now, Tian Lunhui had shattered their arrogance. The uncrossable gap between them was too great, it was just like the heaven and earth.
On the other hand, the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden was silent. Tian Lunhui had the same status as her husband, but she previously wished and believed that her husband was a bit stronger than the other two heroes. Now, it seemed that Tian Lunhui was no weaker than Di Zuo.
There was no doubt now that her husband’s arch-rival was not just Li Qiye, there was also a supreme genius like Tian Lunhui. However, Li Qiye was different because he was a human; this allowed the maiden to create many schemes against him.
On the contrary, Tian Lunhui left her powerless. He came from the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom and was referred to as the reincarnation of an Immortal Emperor. It could be said that he had no weaknesses. Methods that the maiden could apply to Li Qiye would not work on Tian Lunhui!
“Sixty steps!” Finally, Tian Lunhui had reached the sixtieth step — the same as Li Qiye.
“Well done!” A thunderous applause came from the ghost race. They were in high spirits and waited for Tian Lunhui to defeat Li Qiye!
Long Zuntian, with brilliant talents as a heaven’s favorite for a generation, couldn’t help but lament: “Amazing.” He nodded his head and continued on: “Such talents and aptitude make him no less than Di Zuo.”
At this moment, he was the dao mentor of Di Zuo. Although his cultivation was weaker than the great powers’ ancestors and legendary masters, his vision and talents were much greater than theirs.
Now, he himself personally praised Tian Lunhui, so one could imagine how frightening Tian Lunhui’s aptitudes must be.
At the boundary of the sixtieth step, Tian Lunhui was no longer full of himself. Instead, he became even more serious. Taking sixty steps to a genius like him was not worthy of pride; right now, this only meant that he was at the same starting point as Li Qiye.
His mysterious aura became even thicker as he immersed himself within and his image became faint.
This aura condensed and created a grand path that slowly paved itself before his feet, allowing him to walk deeper into the pond.
The path below him was extremely enigmatic as if the universal laws forming it came from the origin of the grand dao. These universal laws originated from the beginning of the ghost race — full of primordial aura.
“What is that? Is it a treasure?” Many great characters from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground emotionally asked.
Another ancestor responded in shock: “That is his grand dao! He is already building a grand dao for himself at such a young age! Such a bright future… If not an Immortal Emperor, he shall still become a Virtuous Ancestor!”
An ancestor from the Insect King Lineage was even more perceptive, so he murmured with a changed expression: “Tian Lunhui’s grand dao is so similar to our ghost race’s origin dao; it’s not just simply great. Could it be that the Prime Ominous Grave has something to do with the ghost race?”
With the grand path laid out below him, Tian Lunhui began his slowly walk forward. His pace was not fast but was full of confidence, surprising all the spectators.
“This kid’s talents are indeed matchless.” After seeing the grand dao paving the way for Tian Lunhui, even Li Qiye nodded his head approvingly and commented: “He seems to have grasped a great enlightenment on the other side of the golden sea, resulting in great benefits.”
This was indeed the case. The enlightenment on the other shore had helped Tian Lunhui a lot.
The ghost experts counted his steps from his steady pace. Once he reached the seventieth step, the ghost race cheered: “Step seventy!”
At this point, the grand path below him still continued forward. It seemed like taking more than eighty steps was not an issue.
All the old undyings made their judgment known: “He has a chance to reach one hundred steps!”
In fact, even the old undyings were not confident of reaching one hundred steps, unless a legendary master personally went out. Ordinary Virtuous Paragons like them would not be able to reach this boundary.
However, their eyes dropped to the floor when a young genius like Tian Lunhui possessed this ability. The gap between talents was as clear as day.
“Step eighty!” In just a moment, the ghost race screamed excitedly. Some ghosts even raised their chins while sneering at Li Qiye. Right now, they had assumed that Tian Lunhui’s victory over Li Qiye was guaranteed and that they could finally quench their anger.
After Tian Lunhui reached the eightieth step, the group of geniuses like the Evil Child and Saint Child were completely overshadowed. They didn’t dare to think about it too much since the distance between them and Tian Lunhui was too big.
Right now, they were Heavenly Sovereigns. Even if Tian Lunhui was at the same realm, his enlightenment and talents, to them, made an uncrossable divide.
Cultivation was no longer a metric of measurement when it came to supreme geniuses like Tian Lunhui. One extra palace within the same level of cultivation was already a huge gap, let alone the ability to grasp the grand dao.
Chapter 544 - Disappearance
“Ninety steps!” In the midst of the two imperial descendants’ moment of sadness, Tian Lunhui had already taken the ninetieth step.
“Breaking one hundred is not a problem!” Tian Lunhui was not struggling at all with his pace, so the ghosts were extremely excited. Even the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground secretly bemoaned his talents. Their descendant was too far from reaching Tian Lunhui’s level, especially when it came to their dao insight.
Li Qiye saw Tian Lunhui take ninety steps and smiled before declaring: “Interesting, my turn to catch up.” He then placed his foot into the pond.
After Li Qiye entered, Lan Yunzhu began counting right away: “One… Two… Three… Four… Five…”
Fortunately, she was ready this time and was able to keep up with his pace.
“Li Qiye has entered!” His entrance into the pond quickly attracted the attention from the ghosts.
“Can he catch Sir Tian Lunhui?” Seeing his quick pace left a ghost expert nervous.
“Hmph! Sir Tian Lunhui is the strongest genius of our race. Even if Li Qiye catches up, he still might not be able to beat Sir Tian Lunhui. The last person to persevere is the winner, there is nothing great about being able to walk so fast…” This ghost cultivator only made it halfway before shutting his mouth.
“Ninetieth step!” Amidst the anxiety building up within these ghost cultivators, Li Qiye had already taken ninety steps, shutting up the ghost cultivators who held him in disdain. They couldn’t even swallow their words in time.
‘Is this brat still a human?’ Even an old undying from the ghost race cursed in his mind.
In an instant, Li Qiye had caught up to Tian Lunhui. Inside the pond, Li Qiye looked at him in the distance.
Li Qiye then commented: “Incredible talents. To be able to study the origin grand dao of the ghost race means that you are qualified to become an Immortal Emperor. Alas, it is a misfortune that you were born in the same era as me. I have seen your grand dao, now it is your turn to watch!”
Having said that, a bright light suddenly flashed as if it was the grand dao blooming, like a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly. Li Qiye then went deeper into the pond as if he was blessed by a god. His speed was as fast as if he were flying.
Li Qiye was too fast so Tian Lunhui couldn’t stop himself from looking with his Heavenly Gaze. After seeing the expansion of Li Qiye’s grand dao, his expression greatly changed for he had lost his composure.
On the other shore, Tian Lunhui studied the grand dao and had an initial form in his mind. He didn’t know that Li Qiye had also learned a unique grand dao and had created its initial form as well.
This grand dao was much further along than Tian Lunhui’s own.
“111, 112, 113…” Lan Yunzhu was falling behind with her counting since Li Qiye became faster and faster to the point of no comparison. At this time, it was no longer one step surpassing one world in the pond, each of his steps brought about his own world.
The pond’s water no longer obstructed his steps, he was dragging the pond along. Each of his steps created a new world in the pond.
Now, he was the creator of worlds instead of the pond. He had reversed the primary and secondary relationship below his feet since he had now dominated the evolving transformations of the pond.
At this moment, even Tian Lunhui stood still. A mysterious aura encompassed his body so one couldn’t see his expression, but he was silent without the all-grasping style he previously displayed.
Meanwhile, the ghost race fell into complete despair. Li Qiye had shattered the pride of the ghosts as he drifted like he was flying inside the pond, completely leaving Tian Lunhui behind.
Before, they still had some hope of Tian Lunhui beating Li Qiye, but now, even if Tian Lunhui could take the one hundredth step, he would still be unable to defeat Li Qiye. The eventual victor was too apparent.
At the same time, a murderous glint as cold as mist appeared in the Phoenix Maiden’s eyes. She recognized the dangerous existence that is Li Qiye and placed him as the number one enemy of her husband. Li Qiye was no longer a simple, budding threat!
She felt that without eradicating Li Qiye, her husband definitely would not have the chance to shoulder the Heaven’s Will. It was not because of a lack of confidence in her husband, but because Li Qiye was too frightening and devilish. She realized that there would be no peace unless Li Qiye was annihilated!
She trusted her intuition since it had always been on point. At this moment, she thought of many different plans to destroy Li Qiye no matter the price! She had to eliminate her husband’s number one enemy!
“150…” At the 150th step, Lan Yunzhu suddenly paused and hesitated since she couldn’t count any longer. This was because Li Qiye had disappeared! Even when she utilized her Heavenly Gaze to its limit, she still couldn’t see his figure.
“Gone, why can’t I see through it?” It wasn’t only Lan Yunzhu, others also lost sight of Li Qiye. The Heavenly Gaze lost its effect after the 150th step!
“What happened? The limit of the Heavenly Gaze is 150 steps?” At this time, the gazes of Ancient Saints, Heavenly Sovereigns, and even the old undyings failed.
“There is also another possibility!” A ghost expert thought of the worst case scenario and said: “Maybe Li Qiye has failed just like the Bronze Tree Ancestor that had disappeared. Haha, if one forces their way in without having sufficient capabilities, then they will disappear and die without a corpse!”
With this reminder, many felt that this was very possible. Li Qiye’s sudden disappearance could be attributed to his failure just like several great characters earlier. A fate of dying without a body remaining!
“This was him seeking his own death and for thinking that he was really invincible. Walking like flying? Now it is over, he even lost his own life.” The ghost race thought of this possibility and gloated from others’ misfortune.
Meanwhile, the great characters remained silent. They didn’t know what was going on but were secretly hoping for this to be the case.
In their eyes, Li Qiye was too devilish. In the future, once Li Qiye’s wings hardened, he would be a huge threat for the ghost race unless they made peace with him.
However, in the Sacred Nether World, the ghost race was the master, so how could they bow down to a little human? This was why all the great characters and ancestors hoped for Li Qiye’s true disappearance. This was perhaps the best outcome.
“What a shame, the Prime Ominous Key has been lost. We will just have to wait for the next generation for the key to appear again.” A ghost cultivator lamented, but it was still said with a gloating tone.
“Or there is another possibility.” At this point, the Jadewater Queen used her divine reflection and calculated. The divine reflection of the Charming Spirits was extremely heaven-defying, especially one of an unfathomable spirit like the queen. No one knew the level of her divine reflection.
She pondered for a while and said: “Perhaps Li Qiye doesn’t want others to see the profundities of his grand dao so he is hiding in the pond. Perhaps it is no longer the pond ruling over Li Qiye, but it is he who has control over the pond. Li Qiye’s steps were creating worlds, they were no longer the pond’s worlds.”
Compared to the other ghosts, Tian Lunhui appeared to be calm — not happy or proud. He kept on using his Heavenly Gaze to scan the water’s surface, hoping to find traces of Li Qiye.
At this moment, he was no longer in the mood for competition because Li Qiye’s grand dao had shaken his mind. Tian Lunhui had studied the origin grand dao of the ghost race, but it seemed as if Li Qiye’s grand dao was even more heaven-defying, so much so that it escaped the boundaries of grand dao.
This was why Tian Lunhui wished to see Li Qiye’s grand dao once more, aiming to see through its mysteries in hopes that he might learn something from it.
Unfortunately, regardless of his efforts, he couldn’t see Li Qiye’s shadow.
In fact, on the other shore, the grand dao Li Qiye learned from observing the nine ants had escaped the boundaries of grand dao. Because of this, it was understandable that Tian Lunhui would be dumbstruck.
It had to be said that Tian Lunhui was an amazing and discerning genius. With just a glance, he instantly understood that Li Qiye’s grand dao was marvelous!
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Maiden sighed in relief with Li Qiye’s disappearance. Similar to the great characters, she also hoped for Li Qiye’s disappearance and death. It would save her a lot of trouble if he met his demise in the pond.
“This brat is the most devilish person I have ever seen.” Long Zuntian said as he stared intensely at the pond. As the most brilliant genius of the previous generation, he was not like the other ghosts who believed that Li Qiye had died.
Lan Yunzhu couldn’t help but hold her breath. In this place, she was the only person who cared for Li Qiye’s safety. She had seen him create many miracles, but his sudden disappearance still made her worry. Despite her confidence in him, this emotion was unsuppressible!
Chapter 545 - Treasure Inside The Pond
“Boom!” A loud blast resounded amidst the celebrating ghosts. An endless immortal light suddenly illuminated the entire pond with its source at the center.
“Look over there, it’s Li Qiye!” Inside the blinding immortal light, a figure appeared in the center of the pond — Li Qiye.
“He made it to the deepest part of the pool!” Everyone was aghast to see him appearing in the center of the pond because all speculations hinted that the biggest fortune of the Water Realm was at the center of this pond.
The ghost experts looked like they had just swallowed a fly, especially those who were gloating earlier. Now, they all had frozen expressions.
Their smugness earlier was slapped harshly by Li Qiye’s appearance.
“He scooped out a treasure!” Inside the immortal light, Li Qiye got something from the water. It was a stone that looked like a long trunk, and the endless immortal light came from it. At times, the light took the form of a fiery light, then it would transform into an icy shape and then back into a pure wooden shade… All of these immortal lights kept on transforming to prove its identity as an immortal stone!
All were envious and jealous of this sight. The ghost race was reddened and crazed. They had been guarding here for so long, but they didn’t even get a blade of grass while Li Qiye managed to find an immortal stone at this moment.
Many were unwilling to see it in Li Qiye’s possession, so they angrily uttered: “Is this the big fortune of the Water Realm?”
The old undyings hiding in the shadows with ice-cold glares stared at the stone in his hand. Those from the emperor’s lineages stared with especially frightening glints in their eyes.
They could hold back their greed if it was any other treasure, but an immortal stone that could prolong one’s life span was irresistible no matter Li Qiye’s origin and background.
The Phoenix Maiden, who had been relaxed, suddenly changed her expression after seeing the immortal light shrouding Li Qiye. She called for a disciple nearby and commanded: “Tell the Bronze-Carapace King to help me with a matter and that the Myriad Bones Throne will not ill-treat their insect tribe from now on.”
Long Zuntian only shook his head while watching her since he knew what she wanted to do. In the eyes of a supreme genius like himself, he didn’t support her course of action and felt that using lowly schemes against experts was a dishonorable thing. Nevertheless, he didn’t try to stop her.
To the jealous members of the ghost race, this issue was not just about an immortal stone, it was because the one who got it was Li Qiye who shamed them before.
Meanwhile, Tian Lunhui only sighed to see Li Qiye’s harvest. He didn’t continue on any further and return instead. Even if he could go further, it would be meaningless since the victor had already been decided. So what if he could take another one hundred steps? If he couldn’t surpass Li Qiye, then it was only a counting game with himself.
In the case that he managed to reach the middle of the pond and went towards the deepest parts of the water, it was still trivial since Li Qiye was there first and arrived there in a much shorter amount of time.
However, what Tian Lunhui dreaded the most was not Li Qiye’s speed, but that he had command over the grand momentum of the pond. Tian Lunhui was very confident in his own grand dao and with his created path, he would be able to go very far in the pond — one world per step.
But Li Qiye was different. The situation had reversed and the pond was no longer in control, Li Qiye was the one who mastered the spatial transformations within. It was not a world per step from the pond and instead was Li Qiye creating a world with each step.
This meant that nothing could stop Li Qiye’s pace within the pond and that he was free to come and go on his whim.
Tian Lunhui’s heart was gloomy. As a cautious and meticulous person, Li Qiye had now become his number one opponent, someone even greater than Di Zuo. His absolute confidence in his grand dao even reached the level that he was certain that the Heaven’s Will would accept it as long as he continued on this path. His grand dao would become the heavenly dao, and his secret law would become the Heaven’s Will Secret Law.
However, Li Qiye’s grand dao suffocated him today. If Tian Lunhui’s grand dao could become a heavenly dao in the future, then Li Qiye’s grand dao was above even a heavenly dao — this was the reason for Tian Lunhui’s fear. Li Qiye was too terrifying! If Tian Lunhui wanted to become an Immortal Emperor, Li Qiye would be his biggest obstacle!
All the ghost cultivators were quiet after seeing Tian Lunhui leave the pond. At this time, no one blamed him and of course, no one was qualified to do so. Even ancestors personally taking action wouldn’t have as great as an accomplishment as Tian Lunhui.
It was not due to his personal lacking, but only because his enemy was too devilish and unbelievable.
The ghost race felt powerless since they were humiliated by Li Qiye time after time and only met failure despite retaliating numerous times. First was the Phoenix Maiden in a battle where Li Qiye ended up massacring tens of thousands of ghosts. Now, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child, Ghost Insect Evil Child, and Tian Lunhui all had suffered utter defeat.
The ghost race wanted to cry, but even tears wouldn’t come out after a supreme genius like Tian Lunhui lost to Li Qiye. They wanted to fight back but had no means to do so. No one was more qualified than Tian Lunhui, and even Di Zuo was not necessarily much better.
Regarding talents and insights, even within the group of ancestors of the previous generation, it would be hard to find one or two who were more heaven-defying than Tian Lunhui.
‘How about we have a great power’s ancestor personally kill Li Qiye?!’ A ghost expert’s anger wouldn’t subside, so he had this thought. A cruel intention began to appear among the ghosts. They agreed that Li Qiye was indeed heaven-defying, but if a Virtuous Paragon took action, this paragon would definitely be able to suppress and kill him.
The issue was that they must find an ancestor who would agree to this. Normally, these ancestors wouldn’t want to touch the bee’s nest that is the Thousand Carp River without a pre-established clash of conflict. Moreover, ancestors that could actually fight against the Thousand Carp River, such as those from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground, were not stupid enough to come out to fight a junior!
“If it is a contest of strength, then Sir Tian Lunhui would surely be able to kill Li Qiye. Although Li Qiye understood the mysteries of the pond, this doesn’t mean that his cultivation is stronger than Sir Tian Lunhui’s.” A ghost expert had this thought: “Sir Tian Lunhui is a reincarnated Immortal Emperor, someone who trains two different supreme emperor’s laws from two emperors. Li Qiye definitely is not a match for him!”
A ghost royal lord had the same train of thought: “If Tian Lunhui takes action, then he can kill this human junior. In my opinion, his cultivation at best is only a Heavenly Sovereign; he cannot handle Heavenly Kings.”
Of course, Tian Lunhui was not someone that they could control. If he didn’t want to, then even if they talked till their teeth wore out, it would all be meaningless.
In short, the indignant ghosts only wanted to kill Li Qiye at this moment. As long as he lived, the ghost race would never be able to wash away this shame!
Li Qiye also came back out not long after Tian Lunhui returned. Lan Yunzhu was relieved to see his safe return and quickly rushed over to see him. While being secretly glad, she said: “Did you get a great fortune?”
“Not really, entering the center of the pond doesn’t guarantee a great fortune since it also depends on their luck.” Li Qiye continued with a smile: “But I did find out something.”
“What did you find out?” Lan Yunzhu hastily asked, unable to quench her curiosity.
However, Li Qiye did not answer because Tian Lunhui came closer while shrouded in his mysterious aura. He then spoke: “Fellow Daoist Li, I accept my defeat completely. Your grand dao is truly unequaled and has escaped the boundary of the grand dao…” Although he lost, Tian Lunhui was still very graceful as he looked at Li Qiye with his profound eyes.
Li Qiye didn’t want to talk about his grand dao, so he interrupted Tian Lunhui and steadily spoke: “Then our deal should be carried out.”
Tian Lunhui took a deep breath and said in a serious manner: “You can rest assured about this. I can represent the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom to say that we will leave this conflict. We will not touch any treasures at this place.”
After all, Tian Lunhui was Tian Lunhui, the descendant of the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom; his words were powerful and had true substance.
He then looked at the group of great powers from the ghost race and carefully declared: “This was the deal, I lost to Fellow Daoist Li due to my own lack of abilities. I hope that the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom’s allies and friends will leave this conflict. Of course, if you are unwilling, then I won’t force you; feel free to comply with the wishes of your countries.”
Tian Lunhui’s declaration caused the great powers from the ghost race to look at each other, especially those from the western Green River. The ancient kingdom was a powerful monster in this region, a force that was looked up to by many countries.
Eventually, these great powers declared their intentions: “We are willing to follow you and stand by your decision.”
“The Three Graves Country is willing to follow your decision.”
“The Bamboo Corpse Sect is willing to leave this conflict with you and will follow your order of not taking any treasures from this place.”
Chapter 546 - Bronze-Carapace King
In just a moment, many great powers from the western Green River revealed their stance. Although the treasures might be tempting, a long-lasting relationship with the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom was more important. Moreover, it was not certain that they could even obtain these treasures in the pond. There were many emperor’s lineages here, so the big fortune had no parts for great powers like them.
Instead of drinking leftover soup from these lineages, it would be better to climb up the ladder to please the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom at this moment. If they didn’t give Tian Lunhui face at this moment, then once he ruled over the ancient kingdom, it would be too late to try to make positive relations.
“This is the deal between Fellow Daoist Li and our ghost race, are you satisfied?” Tian Lunhui asked Li Qiye.
Hailing from the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom, Tian Lunhui had never lacked treasures and could obtain all that he wanted. To him, not obtaining the big fortune from the pond was not a big deal. He needed status and fame as well as the support of these great powers. This would solidify his position in the ghost race for when he eventually contends for supremacy.
He was very satisfied by the western Green River’s great powers’ attitude. In the future, he would rule over the ancient kingdom then reign over the Green River without an issue. Once his wings became stronger, he would then aim for the top of the Sacred Nether World and eventually maneuver his army into the Nine Worlds to compete for the Heaven’s Will!
“Good move.” Li Qiye smilingly said as he nodded approvingly.
Tian Lunhui didn’t continue to chat and quietly left. He didn’t go too far since he wanted to watch from the distance to see the developing situation.
His eyes were profound, and no one could see through his thoughts while he was shrouded in that mysterious aura. He wanted to see Li Qiye’s grand dao once more.
After Tian Lunhui’s departure, Li Qiye looked towards the Phoenix Maiden. This turmoil was initiated by her, but she was clever enough to make others fight first as cannon fodder.
Li Qiye didn’t intend to let her go since she continuously antagonized him. He stared at her and nonchalantly said: “Do you want to try again by using the pond, or do you want to use force? Our matter has not yet concluded!”
“What do you think?” The maiden said as she coldly glared at him. Her eyes were burning with a palpable murderous intent towards Li Qiye.
“Whatever, it’s up to you.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Using the pond or directly fighting, both of these choices are good. Today, we should resolve this grievance. Like I said, death is the only path for my enemies, so you should mentally prepare to meet your demise today!”
“Hahaha! Human ants, do you really think our ghost race has no one that can stand up to you? How could we allow a cruel and immoral butcher like you to slay our ghost juniors?” An immense voice suddenly appeared.
Loud buzzes appeared as the sky became dark with the arrival of countless insects that eventually gathered into a gigantic person.
“Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe, the Bronze-Carapace King!” The group gasped and uttered after seeing this insect giant.
This insect tribe was not the strongest ghost tribe in the Sacred Nether World, but it was definitely the most troublesome and scary tribe. They were like locusts and unkillable cockroaches; it was nearly impossible to kill them all.
The tribe brought along a group of disciples, causing many great powers to secretly dread their presence.
These insects all came together to form the Bronze-Carapace King that stood before Li Qiye. With the heavens as his crown, it stared down at Li Qiye.
Li Qiye was too lazy to look at this giant as he said: “Oh? Your Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe wants to get involved too?”
This king looked very real as if it was cast from bronze. No one would think that it was made from countless insects squeezed together.
“Yes!” The voice of the insect king was clear yet loud like thunder. It coldly spoke: “Human junior, we will not allow you to carry out your devious scheme!”
“My scheme?” Li Qiye asked with amusement.
“Time and time again, you kill our ghost geniuses in order to carry out your plan!”
“My plan? What kind of plan?” Li Qiye laughed and asked.
“You killed Ghost Monk, Golden Child, and also several tens of thousands of young talents and experts of the ghost race. Now, you reach your hands towards the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and the Ghost Insect Evil Child. Then in the future, you will also conspire against our three heroes! For what?
“This is all because you want to kill our ghost race’s youngins, our seeds as well as our future and hope! This is your scheme! After you do so, you will then lead the humans to ruthlessly massacre our ghost race and chase us out of the Sacred Nether World, even if it means to the point of extinction!
“Then, your human race will rule the entire Sacred Nether World alone!” At this point, the insect king was extremely angry. With indignation, he spoke in a righteous manner: “But as a member and child of the ghost race, we of the Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe will not let you get away with it! If you want to scheme against our youth, you will have to confront us first!”
The insect king’s rhetoric was full of devotion to righteousness that deserved reverence. His presentation against Li Qiye caused everyone to become dumbfounded, including the great powers of the ghost race.
Many great characters from these powers looked at each other. Whether it were ghosts or people from the other races, anyone with a sliver of sobriety could tell that the insect king was exaggerating. Li Qiye alone wanted to destroy the ghost race? This was just daydreaming!
Long Zuntian, who was standing to the side, shook his head. He knew the goal of the Phoenix Maiden’s scheme.
“Shameless!” Lan Yunzhu snorted and exclaimed upon hearing this. She knew that the insect king was trying to frame Li Qiye and cause all the ghosts to attack him. At the very least, this would give the old undyings of the ghost race a reason to attack, a reason for the great powers to actually maneuver their true forces.
With this kind of righteous excuse, the ghost race could easily tear apart the verbal agreement from before. Even if they had lost, they didn’t need to leave this place and could maintain their occupation of this pond!
Li Qiye couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this dignified insect king. He then looked up at the Phoenix Maiden on her chariot.
How could such a scheme elude Li Qiye? After hearing the insect king, he immediately knew who was leading him on. A person like the insect king wouldn’t be able to articulate this kind of logic.
“Well said and cleverly put.” Li Qiye applauded and said with a grin: “With such effective eloquence and lip service, it is a shame that you are not a storyteller.” Li Qiye then smirked at the maiden and continued: “However, your words are useless. Today, the maiden will definitely not leave this place alive.”
“Hmph! Li Qiye, your scheme is truly evil. You want to murder our entire ghost race!” A ghost cultivator harshly shouted.
“You want to kill our future generation? We shall absolutely not let you succeed!” A ghost royal lord boldly declared.
“That’s right! Do not let the human race’s scheme come to fruition!”
In just a moment, many important characters from the ghost race stood out against Li Qiye. A few were moved by the words of the insect king, but if these sect masters and royal lords were so easily moved by speech, then they wouldn’t be worthy of their current position.
They were pretending to be stupid as they marched against Li Qiye; their minds were still very clear!
This was the best chance for them to kill Li Qiye, and the insect king’s words gave them a legitimate reason.
Only a fool would not take advantage of such a good excuse. It could be said to be killing three birds with one arrow. First, they could kill Li Qiye. Second, there would be no need to honor the deal; they could stay at the pond so that the ghost race could have exclusive access to the treasures. Third, they could pave the way for the ghosts’ younger generation, especially the three heroes.
How could the sect masters and royal lords of the great powers choose to let this opportunity go?
In an instant, the fervent mob stimulated by these big shots had even more ghost cultivators verbally attacking Li Qiye. In the meantime, the old undyings were only sneering in the shadows.
Before this, these old undyings didn’t want to attack a junior, but it was different now since the insect king gave them the perfect excuse. If necessary, these old men would be happy to give the human junior Li Qiye a fatal blow.
While so many ghost cultivators and great powers were provoking Li Qiye, the cultivators from the other races didn’t want to join this mess, so they only watched silently by the side.
“Good trick. No words are spared when accusing someone of a crime.” The Jadewater Queen commented as she was startled by the sudden reversal of the situation.
Chapter 547 - The United Crowd
The Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden sighed in relief and revealed a smile after seeing many great powers criticizing Li Qiye. At this time, she was certain of victory and did not believe that Li Qiye could walk away alive.
There were many ghost experts here today, including Heavenly Sovereigns, Heavenly Kings, and even a few hidden ancestors from the great powers. The ancestors from the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground or the Insect King Lineage could definitely give him a fatal blow. As long as these old men who were hiding behind the curtains took action, there would be no chance for him to escape.
The situation was escalating towards her desired outcome, giving her great confidence. She wouldn’t let him escape today, she had to destroy the number one enemy for her husband — Di Zuo!
Li Qiye, on the other hand, didn’t care for this excited and united crowd. He simply stood there at his leisure. He only chuckled at the barrage of attacks from these great characters.
After a while, he dryly coughed and deliberately spoke to these excited great characters: “Forget about the excuse. You can say that I’m plotting to destroy the ghost race or whatever, but I’ll play to your heart’s content. I do not mind killing a few more tens of thousands, so leave alive or stay here and die without a grave — it’s your choice.”
Li Qiye paused here and gazed intensely at the Phoenix Maiden. Then, he declared with a smile: “However, even if you had your greatest army here, you still wouldn’t be able to stop me… Today, she must die!”
The maiden felt a chill from Li Qiye’s stare. His attitude was outside of her expectations. Anyone who withstood this constant barrage from the great powers would surely be in shambles. Even a genius with great courage and decisiveness, when facing the entire ghost race, would know of their harsh situation. They might even choose to compromise.
However, Li Qiye didn’t seem to care at all. Despite the hundreds of ghost tribes crying for his punishment, Li Qiye was still unperturbed. Perhaps, he didn’t care for the ghost race despite their considerable forces at this location.
The maiden felt a dreadful sense of foreboding. She didn’t know where his confidence was coming from, but she understood that no one could hinder his path.
She gathered her strength and met his gaze while feeling a cold sensation inside. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was looking at a dead person. However, she didn’t care for her own life. Rather, she was worried about Di Zuo having such a frightening enemy like Li Qiye.
She then calmly spoke: “If my death can wake up the ghost race’s vigilance, then my death would not be without meaning!” She was prepared for the worst as she declared in a solemn demeanor: “You wish to destroy the ghost race’s future and hope, but your scheme will fail! Even if I die, I must stop your plan and destroy your scheme against the ghost race!”
“This woman’s mind is sharp. With her support, Di Zuo could have swept through the Sacred Nether World in the future.” Lan Yunzhu lamented while looking at the Phoenix Maiden’s calm expression of self-sacrifice. She was also a genius so she understood how effective this move was. The maiden was ready to die, but not for the ghosts, it was for Di Zuo instead.
“You must ask me before killing the young lady!” The gigantic Bronze-Carapace King gravely spoke; he was full of justice.
“That’s right! Do not let this human’s scheme come to fruition! You must walk through our corpses if you want to kill the Phoenix Maiden!”
The young ghost cultivators’ blood were boiling due to the Phoenix Maiden’s calm attitude. They shouted: “For the ghost race! Do not let this human brute hurt the Phoenix Maiden!”
“Yeah! Do not let the human race’s devious plan succeed! Our ghost race will not allow Li Qiye to massacre our disciples as he pleases!” Taking advantage of the aroused crowd, many great characters decided to add wind to the fire. They wanted to use others to kill Li Qiye no matter the reason.
“Good, then I’ll do as I please.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “Who wants to go first? I’ll give you a hand by stomping on your corpse.”
“You’ll have to ask for my permission first!” The Bronze-Carapace King roared. The giant with two hands capable of sealing the sky slammed the ground hard with surging blood energy. This was a strike that shook the heaven and earth.
This attack was not only the strongest blow from the insect king, it was also a move exerted by countless disciples from the insect tribe at the same time.
“I’ll fulfill your death wish!” Li Qiye did not retreat against the gigantic hands that smashed down from the insect king. Instead, he met it with full force. The Thousand Hands technique appeared as a grand world was lifted by them.
In this second, all of his hands suddenly transformed into a pair of hands as it was utilized to its strongest point. At this moment, the force of this pair of hands could shatter the earth and break the stars.
“Bang!” With a loud noise, their hands collided violently. Both sides had to take several steps back as their feet dug deep into the ground.
After seeing the full-frontal assault by both sides where they both took steps backward, the ghost experts gasped: “Does this brat really only have the power of a Heavenly Sovereign?”
The insect king’s cultivation was at the Heavenly Sovereign realm and, right now, with numerous disciples taking the form of a giant, all the disciples’ blood energy and power became his. Nevertheless, the insect king only managed to duke it out evenly with Li Qiye. How heaven-defying was this?
“Crack!” The insect king’s gigantic hand fragmented into pieces after another full-on collision with Li Qiye.
As these pieces fell down, people finally saw the insects made from bronze being smashed apart. This meant that, with that one blow, many insect disciples were killed.
However, the worst had yet to come. From the bodies of these insects came little larvae in fainter bronze colors.
These little larvae crawled out from the corpses and instantly came together again to form a new hand. The dead and broken bodies that fell to the ground looked just like flakes of skin. This scene terrified those who had never seen these insects in action before. They were clearly killed, yet new insects still crawled out from their corpses. What a frightening ghost tribe!
“Rumor has it that each disciple of the Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe all have three lives. Could this rumor be true?” A person quivered and asked after seeing this scene.
Anyone would feel a terrorizing sensation in the face of such an opponent. What a wicked thing to be able to be reborn from one’s own corpse!
“Human junior, I cannot be killed. I have the protection of my disciples and you will never be able to kill us all!” The insect king coldly shouted: “Now, it is time for you to die!”
With a great roar, his gigantic body suddenly became a huge mountain that carried a powerful weight and majestic force descending onto Li Qiye. Such a huge mountain was more than enough to flatten him into meat paste.
This sudden transformation shocked the spectators. The techniques of this insect tribe were so bizarre.
“Is that so?” Li Qiye remained still without batting an eyelash against the huge mountain crashing down at an unbelievable speed.
“Clank!” At this moment, a giant lock emerged from his body as countless refined flame universal laws covered his body. In the blink of an eye, nine suns rose from behind his back like nine sealed suns, and these gigantic chains made out of laws were dragging them out.
“Boom!” The nine suns suddenly exploded. The location where Li Qiye stood had turned into a sea of flames. Endless refined sunfire incinerated the sky and all creations!
“No!” Screams resounded the moment this endless refined sunfire encompassed the gigantic mountain.
The huge mountain was burnt into countless sand particles as they fell down and no longer had the power to suppress Li Qiye.
Under the Nine Suns Locking Heaven’s refined flames, even these insects that were shielded with their bronze carapaces were killed. Little larvae crawled out from the burnt corpses, but they were also incinerated before being able to escape.
“Buzzz!” Many powerful insects were not killed by this fire and managed to escape to the four directions like dispersed bees without a nest.
However, inside the endless refined sunfire, countless chains as thin as silk shot out and instantly penetrated these insects, killing each escaping insect one by one.
Chapter 548 - Diamond Saint Physique
“Xshhh!” The rushing torrent of flames suddenly shot out a universal law in the form of a divine chain into the fiery ocean.
“Ahh!” A miserable scream came out. A Bronze-Carapace Insect the size of a fist with a shining husk was penetrated, and the law chain instantly burned its body.
“Young lady, save me!” The Insect King cried out for help.
This insect was the king and it wanted to use its powerful cultivation to withstand the refined sunfire for a moment where it would then get closer to Li Qiye and deliver a fatal blow.
However, it never had the chance. The insect was pierced by the divine chain in an instant as its body burst into flames.
“Nooo!” The Insect King pitifully bellowed. At this moment, it was feeling its life essence melting away as it truly felt fear. It was very difficult to kill the Bronze-Carapace Insect Tribe because they could change bodies. But now, since its body was pierced by the divine chain, it couldn’t break out. The chain that pierced through its body swiftly burned the insect’s life force as it struggled on the verge of death.
“Li Qiye, halt your assault!” The Phoenix Maiden shouted after seeing this scene and went on to attack. With a screech, a phoenix spread its wings and covered the nine heavens, then it flew towards the sea of flames to attack Li Qiye.
“You won’t do!” Li Qiye’s voice rang from inside the sea of flames. With a roar that pierced the heaven and earth, a gigantic Primordial Kun Peng rushed out of the sea of flames. It soared in the sky as its wings were capable of slapping down the stars; with a slash as if it came from a divine blade, these wings cut into the fiery phoenix.
This was not the first time these two had exchanged blows. The maiden’s fire phoenix was not a match for Li Qiye’s Primordial Kun Peng.
“Boom!” The fire phoenix was blown away by the Kun Peng’s gigantic wings and disappeared, leaving behind a Phoenix Maiden that was smacked far away into the distance while spewing out blood.
Li Qiye didn’t stop there. The Kun Peng let out a long roar and, with an incomparable speed, it chased after the wounded Phoenix Maiden. Its claws tore apart the world as it once again slashed at the maiden.
The maiden was scared out of her mind since she couldn’t escape these claws with her speed. As her life hung on a thread, a dragon roar suddenly appeared. A dragon claw swiftly rushed forward and grabbed the maiden away right under the Kun Peng’s claw.
The person who suddenly joined the fray was Long Zuntian. He moved at an extreme speed to save the maiden’s life.
Meanwhile, in the sea of flames, a pitiful and unwilling scream was still ringing out: “Ahhh!” The Bronze-Carapace Insect King was burnt to ashes. With that, the sea of flames covering the sky converged back into nine suns behind Li Qiye. The Primordial Kun Peng also flew back to Li Qiye and hovered above his head for a moment before slowly disappearing.
Li Qiye watched the Phoenix Maiden being rescued by Long Zuntian, but he was not in a rush to kill her. He slowly walked forward as ashes fluttered in the sky, ashes of the countless dead Bronze-Carapace Insects.
“So you finally want to take action?” Li Qiye asked and looked at Long Zuntian with a smile.
Li Qiye didn’t care for ordinary sovereigns or even ordinary Heavenly Kings, but his current attitude showed that he held relative respect for Long Zuntian.
Of course, Long Zuntian wasn’t someone that ordinary Heavenly Kings could compare to. Although his cultivation halted at the Heavenly King realm, he was also a grand completion Saint Physique.
Long Zuntian gazed back at Li Qiye as his spirit surged along with his blood energy. All the rings around him expanded as they poured down a primordial essence that immersed him within. It was as if these rings were opening a new world for Long Zuntian.
In just a split second, he exuded a terrifying aura like an awakened dragon. He was silent, but people could hear the intermittent roars of dragons, causing them to be startled.
Afterward, the moment his blood energy all came out, waves of buddhist lights began to emanate from his body as if he was a sacred Buddha protected by a gigantic dragon.
The moment when his will to battle came to life, he suddenly became younger by several dozen years and had a spirited style capable of proudly walking across this world. He had returned to a younger age!
“Grand completion Saint Physique on top of being a heaven-defying Heavenly King!” Many shivered at the sight of Long Zuntian’s terrifying aura. Not to mention trivial sovereigns and kings, even ancestors from the great powers had to be cautious.
A supreme genius like him, with the power of a Heavenly King along with his physique, surely could kill all Heavenly Kings. He even had the ability to fight against ordinary Virtuous Paragons!
“The paragon genius of an entire generation… What a shame…” Seeing Long Zuntian’s proud style that could reign over this world, the ancestors hiding in the darkness lamented with regret.
If he hadn’t been born in the Difficult Dao Era, then today, he would have loomed over many ancestors of the great powers and might even have become an existence of the legendary master level.
Unfortunately, his birth was inopportune and the Life Reduction left a fatal wound, stopping him from reaching the peak.
“Diamond Saint Physique!” Seeing the gigantic dragon protecting the sacred Buddha left Li Qiye with a smirk as he said: “A bit interesting. A grand completion Diamond Saint Physique could stop an attack from an emperor’s weapon… I do want to give it a try.” 1
“I wouldn’t say that I can stop an attack from an emperor’s weapon wielded by an ancestor, but if it is a Heavenly King wielding the weapon, then I am confident that my Saint Physique can stop it!” With great spirit, Long Zuntian spoke with great confidence. His proud demeanor made him even more attractive.
His proclamation caused others to take a deep breath. Emperor’s weapons were unbeatable items. A Heavenly King with an emperor’s weapon might not be able to kill a Virtuous Paragon, but if this Virtuous Paragon didn’t have one of his own, then he would need to be slightly cautious. An emperor’s weapon was not a toy, so one misstep would result in monumental losses!
Everyone believed his words without any doubt. He was a supreme genius of the previous generation, and his illustrious record had proven his strength!
“Good, I like to hear these words since my favorite thing to do is to test the limit of physiques.” Li Qiye smiled and said while looking at Long Zuntian’s Diamond Saint Physique: “How about we have a match with our physiques!”
“Whatever you want!” Long Zuntian confidently replied. He was confident in fighting against even legendary minor completion Immortal Physiques with his grand completion Saint Physique. Alas, he had never seen one since he began his dao path.
“Then let us start!” Li Qiye’s gaze became serious. His chest shot out a wave of light as bright as the explosion of the sun while the space around him suddenly shook twice.
Long Zuntian was astonished. A divine buddhist light surrounded his body. In this second, he exerted the Diamond Saint Physique to its maximum potential.
At this moment, both of them took action and slammed into each other at an unbelievable speed. Long Zuntian’s speed was fast as he utilized his Heavenly King cultivation to the limit. Li Qiye was even faster and he inched closer in just a flash.
Their speed was too fast. Not to mention the other experts who couldn’t see anything, even the ancestors couldn’t grasp this split second acceleration.
“Boom!” The two collided, resulting in a deafening blast. It was as if the world had exploded! A blinding light illuminated the heavens for many miles. That one blow seemed to have destroyed dozens of suns, creating a dazzling spectacle.
Once this blinding light disappeared, everyone saw Li Qiye and Long Zuntian in a standoff position. The two of them were unscathed as they stared at each other like two bulls in an arena.
“Crank crack!” At this time, the spatial fabric broke like glass and a terrifying black hole appeared.
Because of the earlier blinding flash of light, the ancestors from the great powers couldn’t see the moment of collision between Li Qiye and Long Xuntian, so they had missed a good scene.
However, after seeing the broken space, everyone understood that the earlier blow from the two was very frightening.
“The later waves will surpass us.” Long Zuntian gently sighed and said while withdrawing his proud attitude. It seemed that he had become dozens of years older again. He then lamented once more: “I am old, this world belongs to the younger generation.”
His words caused many people to feel down. Could it be that Long Zuntian had lost? If this was the case, then it was truly bizarre.
Li Qiye calmly said: “Already lamenting before the outcome is decided, isn’t that too early?”
Many became lively again. Earlier, they thought Long Zuntian had lost, but this didn’t seem to be the case.
Long Zuntian shook his head and said: “No, I am now old and no longer have the courage and boldness from back in my youth.” He then continued on while gazing at Li Qiye: “You really have the qualification to become Di Zuo’s top rival.”
People’s minds quivered after hearing this. Long Zuntian was Di Zuo’s dao mentor, yet he recognized Li Qiye’s ability. One could imagine just how heaven-defying he must be! Li Qiye actually had the strength to fight against Di Zuo?
But Li Qiye simply smiled and didn’t respond to Long Zuntian’s evaluation.
Chapter 549 - Change Of Mind
At this point, Long Zuntian went back to the Phoenix Maiden’s side and said in a serious tone: “Young Miss, it is not too late if you want to leave now. I will escort you out.”
His sudden words caused the maiden’s heart to sink. She asked: “What is Senior trying to say?”
Long Zuntian didn’t look at her but rather stared intensely at Li Qiye and said: “I am old and wish to live in seclusion. I’m afraid I won’t be able to help Virtuous Nephew Di Zuo any longer. But before leaving, I can escort you safely away from here.”
Long Zuntian was extremely cautious of Li Qiye. After the exchange, he immediately knew he had met a terrifying opponent because he couldn’t tell which physique Li Qiye had.
Long Zuntian retreating caused the maiden to change her expression. She quickly tried to retain him: “Senior Long is too humble, you are a supreme genius of a generation…”
Long Zuntian hastily interrupted her and said: “Young Miss, you should leave.”
His attitude perplexed many. The victor had yet to be decided between him and Li Qiye. Many were more optimistic about him and felt that he would surely defeat Li Qiye.
But now, Long Zuntian chose to withdraw. He no longer showed his usual proud attitude, causing everyone to feel that something was amiss. No one thought that he was afraid of Li Qiye. In the past, he had even declined the Myriad Bones Throne right away. A proud person like Long Zuntian would not be afraid of Li Qiye. Moreover, he had a great advantage by having a higher cultivation than Li Qiye.
However, to the astonishment of others, he still wanted to pull out. This was akin to lowering his own prestige and leaving a stain on his illustrious reputation.
Why was he determined to leave despite the marring on his reputation? No one understood why, not even the Phoenix Maiden. He was Di Zuo’s dao mentor and she knew that he was not afraid of anyone, but now he wanted to leave.
She took a deep breath and shook her head in response: “Senior Long, if you want to leave, then I won’t hold you back, but I will not retreat. No matter how strong this human might be, I will not let the human race’s scheme come into fruition. I will not let Li Qiye massacre our young ones not just because I am from the Myriad Bones Throne, but also for the sake of the ghost race!”
Long Zuntian shook his head as he listened to her righteous words. He understood what she was trying to do. He sighed in response and repeated the same phrase: “I am old… This is the world of the young people now. What admirable courage.”
No one knew what he was lamenting about; was it her courage or something else? He then left behind his last words: “Take care, Young Miss.” He then flew away and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.
A lot of the crowd couldn’t help themselves from becoming dumbstruck as they watched him fly away. From start to finish, no one understood why he left. He was absolutely not weaker than Li Qiye so he couldn’t be afraid of him.
Then for what reason did he leave? All were lost at the reason why, including the maiden.
In fact, it was a thought at the spur of the moment, resulting in him no longer being optimistic about Di Zuo! He was a peerless talent of his own generation. When he was young, he was not much weaker than Di Zuo or Tian Lunhui.
He agreed to leave his seclusion to help Di Zuo because he valued Di Zuo’s talents. Seeing Di Zuo’s confidence reminded him of his past self.
He regretted the fact that he was born during the Difficult Dao Era where one couldn’t become an Immortal Emperor, so he placed his hopes on Di Zuo. When facing an opponent like Tian Lunhui or Chan Yang, he trusted that Di Zuo would come out victorious all the way until he reached the imperial throne.
But today, his trust was shaken, especially after his one blow with Li Qiye. He understood one thing immediately — Li Qiye was more terrifying than he imagined. Although he couldn’t discern Li Qiye’s physique at that moment, his intuition told him that it was more than just a simple Immortal Physique.
He felt an illusion as if Li Qiye had two Immortal Physiques, but anyone with a sliver of common sense knew that this was impossible. Nevertheless, this striking intuition resonated powerfully in his mind.
What if Li Qiye had two Immortal Physiques? Long Zuntian didn’t dare to think about this any longer. Li Qiye was already heaven-defying enough to the point where he could compete against any of the three heroes. However, what if his ace card was not the nine stars and ten palaces, not an invincible merit law, but something else?
For example, an impossible thing like one body with two Immortal Physiques? He began to believe that this was the most plausible explanation, and he knew that Di Zuo would suffer a terrible defeat, thus resulting in his retreat. He didn’t want to see the moment of Di Zuo’s utter defeat!
After he left, Li Qiye looked straight at the Phoenix Maiden and said: “Now, who else is willing to fight for you?”
“Even if I am alone, I will neither retreat nor compromise!” The maiden took a deep breath and spoke in a dignified manner: “Even if my own power is insignificant, I will still stand before you to stop your evil plan from stretching its cruel grasp towards the ghost race! If my death can wake up the ghost race… then my death is a cheap price to pay!”
The maiden spoke with dignity. She slowly uttered each word with a heroic attitude that resonated with the crowd.
She spoke as if Li Qiye was an unpardonable and sinful devil and her current actions won the admiration and support of many spectators!
Li Qiye shook his head while looking at her dignified appearance and smilingly said: “To tell the truth, I do admire your courage a little bit. You know that it is impossible yet you still try… Truly excellent.”
“For the ghost race, my own life is nothing.” The maiden proudly proclaimed: “Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will never let you get away with…”
Li Qiye interrupted her and said: “Yes, I know, I am the most heinous villain. Whether it is for Di Zuo or the ghost race, I will give you a meaningful death.”
The maiden watched Li Qiye approach. She took a deep breath and showed no signs of escaping before dryly speaking: “I know you are very strong, but I will still try despite my weakness! Let the rise of the ghost race start with me!”
Many ghost cultivators watched this scene. Once Li Qiye got even closer, many people couldn’t help but take a step forward. One ghost cultivator with his blood boiling exclaimed with emotion: “Li! If you want to touch even a hair of the maiden, you will have to walk over our corpses first!”
“The disciples of the ghost race will not let you kill as you please!” Many royal lords and sect masters were moved and wanted to group up to kill Li Qiye.
At this point, two men suddenly descended from the sky and went in front of the maiden to shield her. Their blood energies were like divine tsunamis, much stronger than the group of ghost cultivators who were in front of her just now.
Although the sect masters and royal lords were moved, none of them, at this moment, wanted to step out. On the other hand, the younger cultivators were standing by her side.
These two men from the sky, with their surging energies, were like two young True Gods. They were the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and Ghost Insect Evil Child. Although the Saint Child’s stature was humble, with his spewing blood energy, he appeared incredibly tall and powerful.
“We are all responsible for the rise and fall of the ghost race. As a man, how could we let a weak girl take the vanguard?” The Saint Child spoke with gravity: “Li Qiye, don’t think that you can display your brutality here!”
Li Qiye looked at the Saint Child and Evil Child and laughed: “Oh? The two of you still haven’t left? Does the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and Insect King Lineage want to renege on the deal?”
These two imperial lineages still hadn’t left; they were like tigers eyeing their prey, wishing to push Li Qiye to his demise. However, because of the deal, these lineages had yet to make a move.
“The deal is one thing.” The Evil Child smiled with a dark shade and continued: “We will not touch the treasures at this place and can leave at any moment. However, if anyone wishes to kill ghost disciples and the seeds of the ghosts, then I, as a member of the ghost race, and the Insect King Lineage, as a great power of the ghost race, have the responsibility to protect the ghost race’s safety!”
The Titanic Crescent Saint Child also spoke in an awe-inspiring manner: “Our Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground will also not let anyone harm the ghost race! The Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden is a woman with a heroic heart. She doesn’t even mind sacrificing herself for the sake of the ghost race! Men like us should contribute to the ghost race. In my eyes, the honor of oneself is a trivial matter, the well-being of the ghost race is a much bigger matter!”
“Li Qiye, you wish to harm the ghost disciples. Although we had a deal, so what if I lose my own honor for the ghost race? For the ghost race’s safety, I will not leave this place and allow you to massacre more ghost disciples! I will stop your brutality!” The Saint Child continued on in a resounding manner: “You can say that I have reneged my promise, and the world can curse me for going back on the deal. I am willing to bear this eternal infamy all to kill you today to rid the ghost race of your evil and bring back peace!”
Chapter 550 - Fighting Against The World
The Saint Child’s well-spoken and righteous rhetoric was quite moving. His appearance of protecting the ghost tribe above all else stirred many ghost cultivators, especially the younger ones.
“We shall support the Titanic Crescent Saint Child and Ghost Insect Evil Child! If it is for the benefit of the ghost race, so what if we die!?” A ghost cultivator immediately shouted: “We will not let the human race’s plan succeed!”
A royal lord fueled the fire: “Yes! We of the ghost race cannot bow down before the wicked!”
Another sect master knew just what to say: “We of the ghost race only keep our word with honorable people, there is no need to do so against a brute! This deal is also part of Li Qiye’s evil plan. Because it is harmful to the ghost race, it should be voided!”
“Yes! Following the agreement with this brute will only hurt the ghost race.” In just a short moment, countless ghosts agreed with this sentiment and rapidly spoke: “If the deal is a conspiracy against the ghost race, then it is immediately void!”
Of course, many great powers happily agreed with this new development. Who would be willing to let go of the great fortune inside the pond? This was even more true for the imperial lineages; they were certain of their ability to seize it, especially the Insect King Lineage. A clamor broke out as the agreement between the Saint Child and Evil Child with Li Qiye was voided. Because of this, the sacred ground and insect lineage were the largest beneficiaries.
Lan Yunzhu only sighed after seeing this. The Phoenix Maiden’s plan finally succeeded.
However, Li Qiye didn’t give a damn. To him, the bet was only for fun. If the ghost race wished to bring its face closer, then he would happily slap them a couple times. He simply didn’t care whether he was facing the entire ghost race or not.
In fact, opposing an entire race was a path each Immortal Emperor must take. For example, if a human genius wished to become an Immortal Emperor, at the very last minute of the competition, the other races would risk their lives to stop them. The other races would exert all of their strength to back up their own geniuses so that their race could have an Immortal Emperor.
If one wasn’t determined to face the entire world, then don’t even dream about becoming an Immortal Emperor! An emperor candidate not only needed talents and a strong dao heart, they also required the courage to face the rest of the world.
One trod the path towards the grand dao alone; becoming an Immortal Emperor was already a heaven-defying thing, and this required great courage. Facing the world was a crucial element before ascension.
Li Qiye only laughed to see the ghost race so stirred up. He looked at them and said: “Very well, I actually like the feeling of being called the evil schemer against your ghost race. I am waiting here for all of you ghosts to come! If one hundred thousand of you come, then I’ll slay one hundred thousand; if one million comes, then I’ll end one million. Come now, I want to see the true strength of your ghost race!”
He roared against the ghosts: “I want to trample on your corpses as I walk further along the path of invincibility! Come! Even if your Virtuous Paragons show up, I’ll still massacre them!”
Lan Yunzhu forced a smile at Li Qiye’s domineering roar. She was already used to his aggressiveness and him not putting anyone in his sight.
The ghost cultivators that were criticizing Li Qiye suddenly became silent and their eyes opened wide. The royal lords and sect masters who were urging on the crowd didn’t know what to do. This response was different from their expectations.
Under the pressure from the entire ghost race, anyone else would have chosen to acquiesce or compromise then walk away.
There were hundreds of great powers from the ghost race here and also many emperor’s lineages, especially the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Lineage that wanted to kill Li Qiye!
In this situation, even an expert from the previous generation wouldn’t want to directly confront and offend the ghost race, let alone a young person. By doing so, they would no longer have a place to stay in this world.
However, Li Qiye didn’t concede or compromise and, of course, he didn’t run away. He shouted at the entire ghost race and declared his wish to massacre them all. This aggressive and tyrannical attitude left the ghosts dumbfounded. Even great characters like royal lords and sect masters didn’t know what to do.
Declaring such a thing before so many ghost powers… Such a person was either crazy or unbeatable in this world. However, Li Qiye was not insane and definitely not invincible either.
Tian Lunhui, who was standing in the distance, took a deep breath and murmured: “He’s fighting against the world!” His eyes focused as a dreadful sensation appeared in his heart. He asked himself whether he had this type of courage or not. Would he be able to scream and declare his challenge against the rest of the world?
Talents, comprehension, dao heart, courage… All of these were essential for becoming an Immortal Emperor. However, more often than not, courage was more important than anything else. Without courage, there was no chance to have a dao heart. Without courage, although talents and comprehension might allow one to become an expert, they couldn’t raise one to the apex!
Ever since the long archaic ages, which emperor didn’t kill millions? Which emperor didn’t experience countless bloody battles in the nine worlds?
At this minute, Tian Lunhui was quivering with anxiety. He began to question his determination and courage, and whether he would retreat and compromise against an enemy stronger than himself.
At this step, the strength of the enemy was no longer important, the fear that was the devil of the heart would become one’s biggest foe for the rest of their lives.
The truth was that the majority of Immortal Emperors had lost at least once in their lives. At a young age, they faltered in the face of stronger enemies.
However, this was not a matter worthy of embarrassment. A challenge was only a challenge if it was difficult. The only humiliation was to not have the courage to face the challenge.
“Fight against the world!” Tian Lunhui’s eyes carried a serious gleam: “Do I dare to do so?” A supreme genius like Tian Lunhui was having an introspective moment.
On the other side, it was a scene of silence. Li Qiye’s declaration was followed by snorts and jeers. The ancestors of the great powers were unhappy with Li Qiye’s arrogant declaration, so some of them suddenly wanted to kill him.
“Such a big tone! There’s no need for the ancestors to kill you, we are enough!” The Titanic Crescent Saint Child said as he scowled.
With glaring eyes, the Saint Child’s blood energy filled the sky as the earth shook back and forth. The energy around his body seemed to be a Flood Dragon.
The big boil on the Ghost Insect Evil Child squirmed as he spoke with a dark glare: “Li Qiye, you think too highly of yourself! We are enough to kill you!”
“With only two losers like you?” Li Qiye looked at the two and sneered.
However, the strange part was that the Saint Child and Evil Child did not become angry. The Saint Child coldly smiled and replied: “Li Qiye, having superb comprehension doesn’t represent everything. Even if you can reach the end of the pond, it doesn’t mean that you are invincible!”
“Li, it is not too late to surrender to our ghost race!” The Evil Child added with a snort. His blood energy drowned out the sky. The Nether King Insect inside the protrusion on his forehead was excitedly squirming like a blood-thirsty monster.
The Titanic Crescent Saint Child looked just fine, but the Evil Child caused people to shiver due to the insect on his forehead.
The two of them surrounded Li Qiye, one in front and one in the back to cut off his path of retreat. Their soaring blood energies were issuing howls of tigers and wolves, instilling fear into all spectators.
The two lost to Li Qiye in the pond contest, but no one underestimated their strength because they were imperial descendants. They were stronger than the majority of big characters from the great powers.
With a sharp glare, the Saint Child declared: “Cooperate and let us take you in. We of the ghost race are benevolent and will give you a fair trial!” Despite saying this, his eyes still gave off a frightening and murderous sensation.
“You massacred our ghost race, yet we are still giving you a way out — this is the most generous and merciful offer!” The Evil Child added with an ominous smile.
When the ghost cultivators stood out to attack Li Qiye, the first to fuel the fire was not the group of royal lords and sect masters, but these two.
They had two reasons for attacking Li Qiye. First, they had an ace card and were confident that they could kill Li Qiye by joining forces. Second, they wanted Li Qiye to be their stepping stone!
Long Zuntian’s evaluation of Li Qiye made them uncomfortable. Since Long Zuntian believed that Li Qiye was the number one rival of Di Zuo, what if the Evil Child and Saint Child managed to kill Li Qiye? Not only would it establish a renewed prestige for them, it would also wash away their previous humiliation.
“So much nonsense. Just come, I am here waiting to see what you two can do.” Li Qiye said as he raised his eyelids.
“Buzzz!” The Evil Child’s and Saint Child’s power erupted. At this moment, divine rings emanated from their bodies. The Saint Child had thirty divine rings and the Evil Child had thirty-one.
“In less than a year, both of them will be grand completion Grand Sovereigns.” The ghost cultivators were shaken with admiration when they saw the number of rings around their bodies.
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