A Threat from a Grand Sovereign

As night fell, Ning Tao curled her petite body tightly together, her excessively fair hands still clutching the iron chains. "Husband..." All of a sudden, she snapped her eyes open, her forehead drenched in cold sweat. Looking at the blood sphere not far away, a glimmer of disappointment flickered in her eyes. He had left. Suddenly, ripples stirred across space. A blood-red silhouette materialized, coalescing into a man. "Ning Tao, how did you end up getting mixed up with the Blood Demon?" A black cowl shrouded the man's head as well, obscuring his face. Like Ning Tao, he was one of the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends, named He Wu. "He isn't the Blood Demon," Ning Tao said earnestly. "Every Sovereign across the Northern Lands considers him the Blood Demon, so he is the Blood Demon!" He Wu countered. As members of the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends, they were different from the other Sovereigns and had no interest in grand matters concerning the Blood Demon. After all, the Blood Demon bringing calamity upon the world was something that would happen hundreds of years down the line. The crisis confronting them, on the other hand, was right before their eyes. He Wu looked at Ning Tao. "In your current state, you will probably perish long before a century passes. When the Gate of Myriad Manifestations reappears, how will you survive it? If you cannot maintain your peak strength and fight through those hundred days, only death awaits you." Hearing this, Ning Tao fell briefly silent. Rather than continuing that topic, she asked, "Have you found who was secretly spreading the rumor that the Blood Demon was at Heavenly Heart Palace? Which of my nemeses was it?" The news that the Blood Demon was at Heavenly Heart Palace had spread throughout the Northern Lands, resulting in her being besieged; there was clearly a mastermind behind it. "Suspected to be Daoist Purple," He Wu replied. "Him?" Ning Tao sneered, murderous intent flashing in her eyes. "I bear no grievance or grudge against him. Why frame me?" "Do we Thirteen Fiends ever need a grudge with someone? Aren't we already loathed by Heaven and reviled by men?" He Wu gave a self-deprecating laugh. From the moment they were born, anyone branded with the character for "fiend" upon their face was despised by all. Did anyone ever need a reason to frame them? It was their original sin. ... Within the City of No Return, Qi Yuan returned after slaying demonic monstrosities, a ruthless look flashing in his eyes. *Rather than saying the blood sphere is the Blood Demon, it's more accurate to say I... am the Blood Demon.* Qi Yuan inspected his inner self. Within his divine soul, Monstrosity Origin was accumulating more and more. From the initial size of a grain of rice, it had already grown as large as a fist. Had Qi Yuan not exerted his full might to suppress it and instead given it free rein, he would surely transform into a terrifying demonic monstrosity. "I'm a player, like hell I'm a Blood Demon." Qi Yuan cast those earlier emotions aside. "Big Brother, you're back?" Just then, a flippant voice called out. Clad in white robes, Chen Huan leapt down from the city wall, a brilliant smile on his face. Looking at Chen Huan, Qi Yuan said helplessly, "I'm not becoming sworn brothers with you. I'm not that childish." The white-robed man before him had arrived at the City of No Return five years ago. Chen Huan's status was quite extraordinary as well: he was one of the White Emperor's three thousand disciples. After arriving at the City of No Return and hearing of Qi Yuan's deeds from Yuan Qi, along with witnessing Qi Yuan strike a few times, he had persistently pestered Qi Yuan to become sworn brothers. How could a noble player swear brotherhood with an NPC? If word got out, people would laugh their heads off. "Big Brother, look at me—I'm a peak Terrestrial Myth. Who knows, I might break through to the Sovereign Realm any day now. Wouldn't having a Sovereign Realm little brother give you immense face when bragging about it?" Chen Huan was carefree by nature and remarkably familiar with strangers. "I... don't need face." Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered with Chen Huan. With a flicker of his figure, he appeared atop the gate tower. Chen Huan followed him up to the tower and gazed out over the vast desert. "Big Brother, you've guarded the City of No Return alone for seventy years. Little Brother truly admires you. However, it's only because I haven't broken through to the Sovereign Realm yet. If I actually do break through and you come looking to swear brotherhood then, who do you think I'll treat you as?" "You've been saying that for five years. Why haven't I seen you break through to the Sovereign Realm yet?" Qi Yuan looked at Chen Huan with utter disdain. "No way, right? Someone can actually be stuck at peak Terrestrial Myth for a hundred years?" Chen Huan had already reached the peak of the Terrestrial Myth realm a century ago. Chen Huan was in no rush. "Big Brother, becoming a Sovereign isn't that simple. To reach the Sovereign Realm, one must comprehend origin. First, one has to comprehend the essence of the power of human-demons; second, within that power of human-demons, one must find a path of their own and awaken an origin divine ability. How difficult are these two steps? It's like ascending to heaven!" In the Canglan Realm, to reach the Purple Mansion, one had to comprehend the essence of spiritual qi. In the Liufeng Realm, one comprehended the power of human-demons. "Is that so hard?" Qi Yuan felt Chen Huan still couldn't hold a candle to the Divine Flower Society's four sovereigns. Leaving aside Iceberg Overlord Woman and Great Sun Flame Emperor, even Rogue Celestial Venerable probably had greater talent than Chen Huan. After all, what kind of mighty figure compared themselves to a Celestial Venerable? It was a pity Rogue Celestial Venerable couldn't enter the game world; otherwise, Qi Yuan would definitely shove him right in front of Chen Huan to demonstrate what a true prodigy looked like. "Hard," Chen Huan said, his expression turning grave. Both steps were exceedingly difficult. Especially the first: comprehending the essence of the power of human-demons. As long as one succeeded in comprehending the first step, a cultivator without grand ambitions who didn't pursue a formidable origin divine ability could step into the Sovereign Realm with ease. Chen Huan happened to be the kind without grand ambitions. Unfortunately, after squandering a century, he had still failed to succeed. "I actually think the power of human-demons is quite simple, while the origin divine ability that comes after is somewhat tricky," Qi Yuan mused. From observing the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, his Way of the Human-Demon had already reached a terrifying degree. What was the essence of the power of human-demons? Qi Yuan felt he understood it better than both the White Emperor and the Venerable. As for an origin divine ability, that was rather complicated. Back in Dijue, facing nearly three thousand old men, Qi Yuan had witnessed all sorts of origin divine abilities. Every single origin divine ability forged its own path upon the foundation of origin. Some were exceedingly weak, while others were remarkably strong. Naturally, Qi Yuan didn't want the origin divine ability he awakened at level 120 to be too weak. He would need to give careful thought to the path of his origin divine ability. Upon returning from the game world, only a portion of his cultivation would carry over to his main body. However, his skills remained with him. Skills like the Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique, Dying Radiance, and Tyrannical Strength were divine abilities that could only be unleashed in the Nascent Soul realm. Qi Yuan could execute them during Foundation Establishment and swiftly obliterate Divine Infants precisely because of this. If he surpassed level 120 in the game world and possessed his own origin divine ability, then his Foundation Establishment self would also wield an origin divine ability equivalent to the Purple Mansion realm. Without an origin divine ability, Qi Yuan could only passively take beatings when facing the Palace of Light's Purple Mansion cultivators. This was because only an origin divine ability could harm a Purple Mansion cultivator protected by one. Therefore, a powerful origin divine ability was an absolute necessity. At present, even though Qi Yuan could evade attacks from a Sovereign's origin divine ability, he couldn't inflict damage when facing one either. In Ning Tao's crisis, all he could do was talk. Right now, he had not yet envisioned his future path and could not awaken an origin divine ability. As for the essence of the power of human-demons, to Qi Yuan, that was the easiest part of all. "Big Brother, you sure know how to brag. The power of human-demons is simple? If it were really that simple, Sovereigns would be cheaper than dirt in this world!" Chen Huan looked at Qi Yuan in utter disbelief. Qi Yuan ignored Chen Huan, instead narrowing his eyes to look ahead. Chen Huan seemed to notice something as well. The smile vanished from his face as he looked toward the direction Qi Yuan was gazing. Across the horizon, a streak of flowing light flashed by, radiating a terrifying aura that pressured the firmament. The flowing light halted eight li from the City of No Return. As the radiance dissipated, a woman in a water-blue dress appeared. With sword-like brows and starry eyes, a sharp sword intent radiated from her person. As she stood amidst the yellow sands, Qi Yuan felt as if he were looking upon an unpolished, unawakened sword. [Huang Mengling, Level 119.] "Guardian of the City of No Return, hear the decree!" Huang Mengling extended her hand, and a golden edict appeared. Qi Yuan blinked. *Looking for me?* *Except... why should I, a player, take orders?* *Whose orders would I follow?* He didn't move. The atmosphere turned somewhat quiet. At that moment, Chen Huan called out, "Senior Sister, why have you come to Yuzhou? What's going on?" Hearing Chen Huan's voice, Huang Mengling's expression remained icy. "The tides of the North-South Accord have shifted. By order of the Five Sovereigns, all Guardians across Yuzhou are to abandon their posts and converge upon Great Compassion City!" Huang Mengling declared in a ringing voice. "Within a hundred days, you must reach Great Compassion City to defend against the northern Demon Controllers!" Chen Huan's expression tightened upon hearing this. Had the situation in Yuzhou grown this tense? The Sovereigns had actually issued a decree to abandon the cities across Yuzhou and pull back together to Great Compassion City. "Senior Sister, can you share any inside information?" Chen Huan asked, utterly thick-skinned. Huang Mengling's expression remained unchanged. "On the Thousand Cities Battlefield, three new Sovereigns have arrived from the Northern Lands. One of them is a Grand Sovereign." "What?" Chen Huan's face changed drastically. "A Grand Sovereign?" A Grand Sovereign was an expert at the peak of the Sovereign Realm. One could say that aside from the White Emperor and the Venerable, Grand Sovereigns were already the peak powerhouses of the Liufeng Realm. "Why would a Grand Sovereign suddenly come to the Thousand Cities Region?" Chen Huan asked in shock. Among the battlegrounds across the Hundred and Eight Thousand Cities, the Thousand Cities Region was merely an unremarkable front; having a few Sovereigns stationed here was already extraordinary. For a Grand Sovereign to arrive now was truly bizarre. "I do not know either," Huang Mengling said coldly. "Please depart the City of No Return at once and head to Great Compassion City!" Hearing this, Chen Huan looked anxiously at Qi Yuan. "Big Brother, how about we get moving? If a Sovereign descends, with our puny strength, we won't be able to hold them off at all." Qi Yuan wore an indifferent expression. "I'm not leaving." He had guarded the City of No Return for so many years; naturally, he had no intention of leaving. Chen Huan hastily urged, "You know how critical the situation is right now. A Grand Sovereign has descended, and the thousand cities are all pulling back. If you stay here alone, you'll stick out like a sore thumb!" "You won't persuade me, so save your breath," Qi Yuan refused. Chen Huan's words made complete sense. Anyone in their right mind would leave the City of No Return, head to Great Compassion City, and concentrate all their forces in one place. Unfortunately, while Qi Yuan's head was perfectly sound, he was playing a game—why would he leave? Chen Huan grew frantic. In the distance, surprise flashed in Huang Mengling's eyes, yet she continued, "Junior Brother, if he refuses to go, let him be. I still have other cities to notify. Come with me." Chen Huan's face filled with conflict. "Go on," Qi Yuan said as well. This Chen Huan talked too much, chattering endlessly in his ear and disturbing his peace. "No." Chen Huan steeled his resolve and shouted toward Huang Mengling, "Senior Sister, you go ahead. I'll wait a bit longer." Huang Mengling continued, "The forces of the Thousand Cities Region are retreating to gather at Great Compassion City. If you stay here, no reinforcements will come. You will be an isolated force stranded beyond the lines. Even if by some stroke of luck you two manage to break through to the Sovereign Realm, only death awaits you." Huang Mengling directed these words at Qi Yuan. She couldn't discern Qi Yuan's strength, but estimated it to be on par with Chen Huan's. Peak Terrestrial Myth experts often took desperate risks in order to break through their realm. She presumed Qi Yuan was staying behind in the City of No Return to gather momentum, forge an origin divine ability, and break through to Sovereign. Yet the probability of succeeding like this was practically nonexistent. Not to mention, with a Grand Sovereign descending, even breaking through to Sovereign would lead to nothing but death. After finishing her warning, Huang Mengling transformed into a streak of flowing light and vanished into the boundless desert. Watching that streak of light, Qi Yuan asked, "Is she also a disciple of the White Emperor?" "Yes, she's my senior sister!" Admiration shone in Chen Huan's eyes at the mention of Huang Mengling. "She isn't a disciple like me. I entered the White Emperor Palace a thousand years ago and haven't even laid eyes on the venerable master. Senior Sister is different; she has met Master. Senior Sister's comprehension of origin is already seventy to eighty percent complete. It probably won't be long before she steps into the Sovereign Realm." "Oh?" A thought struck Qi Yuan, and he couldn't help but ask, "Since your senior sister has comprehended origin, why don't you beg her to tell you what origin is? Wouldn't that allow you to step into the Sovereign Realm as well?" Chen Huan looked at Qi Yuan as if looking at an idiot. "Setting aside why Senior Sister would ever tell me, when it comes to origin... being told by others is utterly useless. You have to comprehend it yourself. To be honest, sometimes I suspect there's something wrong with your head—you don't even know the most basic things." "Being told by others is useless?" Qi Yuan asked, surprised. "Isn't it useful?" When he had preached the Dao at Mount Jiupan, he had also touched upon a bit of origin. Back then, several cultivators who were already formidable had comprehended some origin right on the spot. At the time, Qi Yuan had mostly spoken about the *Demon Imprisoning Art*; if he had expounded entirely on the origin of the power of human-demons, quite a few people might have gained complete comprehension then and there. "If origin could be passed down by word of mouth, wouldn't Sovereigns be everywhere in the mortal realm?" Chen Huan replied. Qi Yuan said no more. He looked at Chen Huan, his thoughts unreadable. ... Twenty days passed, and Chen Huan rushed over to Qi Yuan in a panic. "All the cities across Yuzhou have evacuated, and you're still not leaving?" Chen Huan's face was flushed with urgency. Qi Yuan sat as steadily as a tortoise in the City of No Return. "No rush. By the way, do you know which Grand Sovereign came to the Thousand Cities Region this time?" Qi Yuan recalled Wu Tong. Back when Wu Tong attacked, he had carried an origin divine ability strike from a Sovereign. That matter had been rather suspicious. He wondered if it had any connection to the Grand Sovereign's arrival here. "Daoist Purple," Chen Huan said grimly. "Even among Grand Sovereigns, he ranks among the very pinnacle." "Is that so?" Qi Yuan remembered that purple drop of water. Was he the person who had plotted against him? There was a decent chance. Whether he was or not, he was an enemy! Qi Yuan pulled a small notebook from his robes. "What are you doing?" Chen Huan asked in surprise. "I'm writing him down in my little notebook." If someone offended him, Qi Yuan made sure to jot them down. After all, his memory occasionally suffered brief lapses, and he couldn't afford to forget an enemy. "Haha." Chen Huan laughed. "You aren't planning to turn that notebook into a family heirloom so your descendants can go cause trouble for Daoist Purple, are you?" He didn't believe for a second that Qi Yuan would ever have a chance of slaying Daoist Purple in this lifetime. "Once I reach level 120, slaying him will be like slaughtering a dog!" Qi Yuan said confidently. At present, he could rely on Xiao Jia to unleash power above level 120. Even so, lacking an origin divine ability, he could not overcome a Sovereign. "That's a Grand Sovereign! Even if you cultivated for thousands of years, you wouldn't be his match!" Chen Huan said. Hearing this, Qi Yuan pondered for a moment. "You have a point. I can't kill Daoist Purple for the time being." "You sure dare to dream. If you ask me, we should hurry up and run! Once we step into the Sovereign Realm, we can come back and settle the score," Chen Huan urged once more. As for becoming a Sovereign, he personally felt it was out of the question within a millennium. Perhaps even when the North-South Accord ended, he still wouldn't have stepped into the Sovereign Realm. Amidst the great tides of the world, he was merely a grain of sand. Even if he became a Sovereign, he would merely be a slightly larger grain of sand. "Run? Wrong! What I need now is to devise a meticulous hunting plan targeted at Daoist Purple!" Qi Yuan declared earnestly. "...You really dare to dream. That is a Grand Sovereign! The gap between a Sovereign and a Terrestrial Myth is even wider than the gap between us and ordinary mortals. As long as their origin remains indestructible, we can't even scratch a Sovereign!" Chen Huan said helplessly. "You might as well listen to my plan. Once you hear it, you'll definitely be moved by my wisdom and agree with me wholeheartedly." Had Chen Huan not been a link in the plan, Qi Yuan wouldn't have leaked it to an NPC in the first place. "Tell me, then." A smile appeared on Chen Huan's face. "A meticulous plan requires deep contemplation. If I tell you directly, I might leave something out. I'd better write it down for you to read." Qi Yuan had always felt clumsy with words and poor at expressing himself. Important things were best put in writing. Gripping a brush, he scribbled furiously into the notebook with rapid strokes. His expression was stern, sometimes deep in thought, sometimes frowning. Standing to the side, Chen Huan watched—this was the first time he had ever seen Qi Yuan look so serious. Could it really be some invincible, supreme master plan? A single thread connecting multiple Sovereigns, followed by counter-espionage, chaotic stratagems, and scheming to slay Sovereigns? "Finished!" Qi Yuan held up the notebook, looking more and more pleased with himself. Had he written such a flawless plan back on Blue Star, he would definitely be dripping with sweat. Now that he was a cultivator, that naturally wouldn't happen. Even so, to set the mood, he still squeezed out a tiny bead of sweat on his forehead. "Let me see." Bursting with anticipation, Chen Huan took the notebook from Qi Yuan's hands. Holding it in both hands, he read Qi Yuan's grand blueprint intently. Roughly a dozen breaths passed. He was struck speechless. "That's it?" Chen Huan was utterly dumbfounded. "What a dogshit plan! It's completely unworkable! My great-great-great-granddaughter could write a better plan than this!" [Days 1 to 10: Impart origin to Chen Huan, assist Chen Huan in breaking through to Sovereign; Days 11 to 20: Venture out to locate isolated Sovereigns, have Chen Huan hunt them using origin divine abilities while I provide guidance from the side, and finally, I personally claim the kills; Days 21 to 100: Continue this routine, slaying Sovereigns to accumulate experience, comprehend origin, break through to Sovereign, and slay Daoist Purple.] Receiving this critique, Qi Yuan immediately engaged in self-reflection. After a long while, realization dawned upon him. "I get it! Did I forget to label the quest difficulty? I'll label it right now!" "..." Chen Huan sighed. "Your plan is completely detached from reality! Just take the very first step—imparting origin to me and helping me ascend to Sovereign—is that even possible?"