He Wu glanced at Ning Tao and, after a long pause, said, "To go to the Ends of the Earth, one must cross the Hundred and Eight Thousand Cities. We are both Sovereigns of the Northern Lands; we must tread carefully."
Among the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends, there were only two Grand Sovereigns: Ning Tao and He Wu.
Hearing this, a glint of murderous intent flashed in Ning Tao's eyes. "Is Daoist Purple also within the Hundred and Eight Thousand Cities?"
Daoist Purple had plotted against her and exposed the Blood Demon.
Because of this, she had suffered a relentless pursuit spanning ten thousand li. If not for her "husband's" assistance, she might have bled to death long ago.
No matter what, this grudge had to be avenged.
"He should be in the Land of a Thousand Blood-Falling Cities," He Wu said without hiding anything. "However, I advise you against going there. You are slightly stronger than him, but not by much. If you are pinned down by him and the other Sovereigns of the Northern Lands intervene, you might be trapped there permanently."
Ning Tao smiled lightly, a smile hiding daggers. "I'm only going to take a look."
"Suit yourself!" He Wu glanced at Ning Tao. "I must leave. If I stay with you any longer, I'm afraid even I won't be able to resist... killing you."
With that, He Wu's figure dissolved into the vast expanse of snow and ice.
Ning Tao touched her left cheek and looked back at the lump of flesh bound by chains. She smiled enchantingly. "Husband, you refuse to see me—is it also because you fear that staying with me too long will make you unable to resist killing me?"
The Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends were not merely loathed by heaven and detested by humanity.
Ning Tao in particular was the most peculiar among them.
It was as though her "fiendishness" ran deeper; anyone who spent any length of time around her could not help developing the urge to murder her.
The other fiends were like this too, but not to the extent she was.
...
Inside the City of No Return.
Qi Yuan sat upright atop the city wall. "My current cultivation in the real world should be approaching late Foundation Establishment."
Due to the disparity in the flow of time, it was not convenient for him to log out of the game right now.
"I'm still too weak," Qi Yuan lamented.
Whether in reality or in the game.
Not long ago, Qi Yuan had fought above his realm to slay a Grand Sovereign.
It had seemed effortless, but in truth, it had been exceptionally grueling.
His mastery over the origin divine ability Great Oblivion Heart Scripture was merely at the level of Exhaustion.
Slaying Daoist Purple last time had completely depleted that wisp of origin, requiring considerable time to replenish.
As for the Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons, he had plenty to spare—it was practically inexhaustible.
After all, with just a slight touch, Sovereigns of the same realm simply couldn't endure it.
"Sigh, in the real world, I can jump across two major realms, using Foundation Establishment to reverse-kill a Divine Infant. Why can't I cross two major realms in the game just like in reality, using a Sovereign to kill... a Yang God?"
Qi Yuan felt that his in-game self was far too weak. He could only dominate his own realm, finding it arduous to challenge beyond it.
Of course, this had a lot to do with the fact that the higher one's realm grew, the vaster the gap between minor realms became.
"In the real world, even if I break through to Origin Core and cross two major realms, it would be difficult to contend with a Yin God."
"The Palace of Light must be destroyed as soon as possible. Otherwise, what if the usurious loan Big Sis Iceberg Overlord Woman borrowed gets tied up by the Palace of Light and she comes looking for trouble with me?"
"I wonder... after guarding the City of No Return for so long, what reward the game will give me? Can it help me reverse-kill a Yin God with a Golden Core?"
"A key fragment?"
"If it can't... then I'll just have to condense the Liufeng Realm into my Golden Core, jie-jie-jie..."
At that moment, whether it was an illusion or not, Qi Yuan felt the world around him tremble slightly.
How could heaven and earth tremble?
Clearly, it was just an illusion.
"Turns out heaven and earth weren't trembling; Chen Huan has returned."
Qi Yuan stood up and looked into the distance. A party of five was rapidly flying toward the City of No Return.
The one in the lead was none other than Chen Huan.
Behind Chen Huan followed four Terrestrial Myths.
Three appeared quite aged, while one still maintained the appearance of a young matron.
Qi Yuan could see that they were shrouded in an aura of twilight, not far from perishing.
Terrestrial Myths in this world possessed a lifespan of merely over a thousand years, far shorter than that of Divine Infants in the Canglan Realm.
At this point, these people all had half their bodies in the grave.
Only Terrestrial Myths like these were willing to come to the City of No Return.
Qi Yuan was not surprised.
A single spark could start a prairie fire.
As long as he preached the Dao once, more and more people would inevitably come to the City of No Return.
If they didn't, then there was something wrong with this world, and it would need to be corrected.
"Big Bro, I went to Great Compassion City, and only these four were willing to come," Chen Huan said, an apologetic look in his eyes.
The four behind Chen Huan were currently sizing up Qi Yuan.
Dressed in a crimson robe, extraordinarily handsome, a rich blood-red light held back in his eyes—if one were to describe him with a single word, it would be "alluringly demonic."
Wang Gai stared at Qi Yuan, growing increasingly astonished the more he looked.
This was the first time he had ever seen such a peculiar... person.
Even those mighty Sovereigns had never given him such an impression.
Could he truly help them break through to the Sovereign realm?
That was... a Sovereign.
"No matter. Since you have come to my City of No Return, then... you must join my Blood Palace. Understand?" Qi Yuan looked at the four, his expression calm.
"Lord Guardian, if you can help this concubine step into the Sovereign realm, never mind serving the Blood Palace, I would even make an enemy of Great Compassion City," the young matron said.
Wang Gai and the others nodded as well.
If they could truly step into the Sovereign realm...
Then the conditions set forth by this Guardian of the City of No Return were not harsh at all; rather, they were so lenient as to be unbelievable.
How many Terrestrial Myths were there in this world?
No one knew.
Yet the number of Sovereigns was fixed, merely a few thousand people.
Only by becoming a Sovereign did one have the possibility of jumping off the chessboard to become a chess player.
Beneath Sovereigns, all were pawns.
"Mm. Since that is the case, let us begin the sermon," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Wang Gai's heart skipped a beat.
So fast?
No signing of a contract?
No inner demon oath?
No period of service or trial?
Just gifting an opportunity to become a Sovereign so casually?
Wang Gai felt it was a bit too much of a farce.
It was hard to swallow.
This was more casual and carefree than taking his ninth concubine.
The others shared mostly the same thoughts as Wang Gai.
To varying degrees, they found it preposterous, which was followed by disappointment.
Because the simpler it was, the more likely it was to be fake.
It was as though he couldn't even be bothered to put on an act.
Chen Huan was intimately familiar with Qi Yuan's temperament and knew his Big Bro's mind operated on an entirely different plane.
Chen Huan cast a meaningful glance outside the City of No Return. "A few little bugs from Great Compassion City followed along. Should we deal with them?"
"No need. It just so happens our Blood Palace lacks a publicity department; let them handle our publicity. It even saves on wages," Qi Yuan said casually.
He had noticed the few Terrestrial Myths outside the City of No Return long ago.
He couldn't be bothered with them.
"Everyone... the sermon begins." Qi Yuan looked at the four, his gaze deepening at this moment.
The aura on his body grew increasingly enigmatic and unfathomable, as if blending seamlessly into heaven and earth.
The expressions of the four on the wall also turned solemn, and they listened attentively.
Whether it was real or fake, this concerned the monumental matter of ascending to Sovereignty; even if there were only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of it being true, it demanded their full seriousness.
"The Dao of Man and Demon, the Dao of Man, the Dao of Demon..."
"Man and demon are one, two sides of the same coin..."
The voice drifted ethereally, like celestial music.
In an instant, the four entered a meditative state, as if transported to an immortal realm with cranes, Jade Pools, auspicious clouds, and soaring phoenixes.
Suddenly, their surroundings shifted, plunging them into the Infernal Demonic Domain.
Cranes turned into black crows, the Jade Pool became a pool of blood, auspicious clouds vanished, and blazing red-and-white sunset clouds stretched across the sky. Countless demonic monstrosities reached their hands up from beneath the earth, clutching everyone's ankles as if to drag them down into hell.
The sermon continued.
Chen Huan stood to one side, listening intently as well.
Even though he was already a Sovereign, hearing the sermon again brought profound insights, providing tremendous aid to his growth in strength.
Meanwhile, outside the City of No Return, the three Terrestrial Myths wore bewildered expressions.
"He's already begun preaching? Isn't that taking things too lightly?" The speaker was Li Yunzhi.
He was a close friend of Wang Gai, who had entered the City of No Return.
When his friend entered the City of No Return, he had tried to dissuade him, fearing some colossal conspiracy within the city.
However, weighing his own circumstances and unable to let go of his clan, Wang Gai had chosen to come anyway.
Worried, Li Yunzhi had followed along to the City of No Return under the instructions of a Sovereign from Great Compassion City.
His thought was that with him present, even if that Guardian of the City of No Return had a conspiracy, he would show some restraint.
As for being a natural-born sage capable of preaching the Dao to grant comprehension of origin and elevate someone to Sovereign...
That was truly far too absurd.
It was something neither the White Emperor nor the Venerable could accomplish.
"This matter is exceedingly strange. What is the Guardian of the City of No Return trying to achieve with this?
Why do something that can be exposed so easily?
Could it be merely to trick a few Terrestrial Myths?
He is a newly risen Sovereign; if he wanted to trap a few Terrestrial Myths, why go through such trouble?" A bearded man who seemed deceptively wise mused.
"Could it be possible that the Guardian of the City of No Return is truly a natural-born sage?" the only woman among them chuckled.
Li Yunzhi shook his head. "Even a natural-born sage cannot help others step into Sovereignty.
Even if the White Emperor preached the Dao, he could not enable someone to comprehend origin.
Origin is something each person must comprehend on their own in order to forge their own path."
The bearded "wise guy" nodded, sighing. "Yunzhi makes sense. Why can't the four of them understand such simple logic?"
Li Yunzhi continued, "Cultivation is inherently a struggle against the heavens; the world has only so many resources.
It's impossible for so many Sovereigns to emerge in this world!
Even if the Guardian of the City of No Return were a natural-born sage capable of helping people become Sovereigns,
he would offend this world and suffer heavenly retribution for it."
Analyzing it from every angle, Li Yunzhi concluded... this was an unthinkable fraud.
If one really had to find an explanation, it was that the Guardian of the City of No Return was out of his mind.
The three kept watch outside the City of No Return.
Time flew by, and night fell.
Li Yunzhi stretched lazily. "Looks like we'll be waiting here a long time. If his sermon lasts a decade or two, and my foolish elder brother Wang Gai exhausts his lifespan and dies inside... then no one can prove that the Guardian's sermon was useless."
Just then, the woman furrowed her brows and said, "The Guardian of the City of No Return... has left. The sermon is over?"
All three were somewhat surprised.
Li Yunzhi gave an awkward laugh. "The Guardian of the City of No Return... sure is unpredictable."
He had just said the Guardian would drag it out until they died of old age, yet the sermon had ended already.
"Did it work?" The bearded "wise guy" looked over, his expression inscrutable.
"How could comprehending origin be that simple? Even if it works, it'll take a few months..." Li Yunzhi stopped halfway through his sentence.
He stared wide-eyed at Wang Gai on the wall of the City of No Return.
His dear friend, who had been trapped in the Terrestrial Myth realm and unable to touch upon origin, was currently emanating a terrifying aura.
"Origin!" Li Yunzhi's eyes widened.
That aura was something he was all too familiar with—it was the origin he had dreamed of for hundreds of years!
The woman's eyes widened like copper bells as well. "It really is origin!"
"Son of a bitch." The bearded "wise guy" slapped himself across the face, then looked at Li Yunzhi. "Your close friend isn't a planted shill, is he?"
"No way!" Li Yunzhi said indignantly. "Damn it, that guy's talent is worse than mine, his life was worse than mine—how did he suddenly become a Sovereign?!"
Before arriving, he had hoped his good brother would be safe and sound, with a bright future ahead of him.
Yet now, seeing Wang Gai seemingly stepping into the Sovereign realm and about to condense an origin divine ability,
his heart felt inexplicably sour.
It was that feeling of: afraid your brother will suffer, but even more afraid he'll do too well!
"This matter is exceedingly strange. Even with my brilliant intellect, I can't figure out the crux of it. I think we should hurry back and report this to the Sovereign," the bearded "wise guy" said in earnest contemplation.
The woman rolled her eyes at him. "Go back for what now?!"
"But if we fail to complete the mission entrusted by the Sovereign, we will be punished!" the bearded "wise guy" said solemnly.
"Hmph, if we are Sovereigns, can he still punish us?" Li Yunzhi's face flushed with excitement as he stared at the City of No Return, his eyes ablaze with zeal.
The woman was the same.
By now, the mission had long been cast to the back of their minds.
That was an opportunity to become a Sovereign.
"Let's go!" With that, the woman turned into a streak of light and flew toward the City of No Return.
Li Yunzhi flew in right after her.
The bearded "wise guy" was stunned, not quite understanding.
"Could it be that they're going inside to gather more useful information so they can report back?" Thinking this, he hurriedly followed.
He couldn't let those two sycophants outperform him!
After a dozen-odd breaths, the bearded "wise guy," the woman, and Li Yunzhi arrived just outside the City of No Return.
Chen Huan looked at the three before him, a faint smile in his eyes.
Looking at the trio, he said slowly, "Today's sermon has concluded. The Blood Lord said he finds it troublesome, so for the next sermon, he will wait until there are ten people gathered before preaching again.
The time after that might require twenty people, or perhaps a hundred, or a thousand."
"What?" Hearing this, Li Yunzhi was somewhat disappointed, but he quickly perked up. "That makes sense too. How could imparting the Dao be so trivial?"
Having spoken, Chen Huan turned and left, returning to the City of No Return.
Leaving the three standing in place.
Looking at the four people atop the wall, envy filled their eyes. "All of them have origin auras..."
Besides Wang Gai, origin auras were gradually surfacing around the other three as well.
Li Yunzhi knew that in less than a day or half a day, all four of them would step into Sovereignty.
What an incredible fortune this was.
He looked up at the sky, lost in thought.
The bearded "wise guy" looked up at the sky as well, saw nothing, and asked in confusion, "Li Yunzhi, what are you looking at?"
"I'm looking to see... why the heavens haven't sent down retribution." What the Blood Lord did defied the heavens; heavenly retribution should have struck down.
Alas, there was nothing.
"What retribution? And weren't you two here to gather intel? Why do you want to join the Blood Palace too?" the bearded "wise guy" asked.
"Has an inner demon fried your brain? To achieve Sovereignty, of course!" the woman snapped.
"Let's go. We must head to Great Compassion City and gather ten people to hear the Blood Lord preach the Dao!" Li Yunzhi urged anxiously.
His brother was about to step into Sovereignty.
He didn't want to see his brother strutting and showing off in front of him.
...
A day later.
Great Compassion City.
Huang Mengling opened her eyes and looked at the message before her, an incredulous expression on her face. "A Sovereign... truly a Sovereign? How is this possible?"
Just moments ago, word had come from within Great Compassion City that Wang Gai and the other three who went to the City of No Return had already comprehended origin and were condensing origin divine abilities. Once successful, they would become genuine Sovereigns.
This was utterly baffling.
After all, Huang Mengling had seen Wang Gai just a few days ago.
Wang Gai was decrepit and old; how could he have looked like someone capable of comprehending origin?
"Is this information true or false?" Huang Mengling still found it difficult to believe.
"This matter... is absolutely true," a Sovereign spoke up. He was one of the few Sovereigns of Great Compassion City.
Hearing this, Huang Mengling fell into complete silence.
She had seen the Guardian of the City of No Return not long ago.
Clearly at the same level as Chen Huan, how had he suddenly stepped into Sovereignty?
"There must be something fishy about this!" Huang Mengling paced back and forth, finally making up her mind. "This matter must be reported to Eldest Senior Brother!"
She had no channel to meet the White Emperor directly.
When such a momentous event occurred here, it had to be reported to Eldest Senior Brother.
The Sovereign nodded upon hearing this.
When something this big happened, the true grand figures indeed had to be informed.
Though he was a Sovereign, he was merely at the early Sovereign stage; he was powerless to handle such a matter.
Just then, the Sovereign thought of something and said quickly, "In recent days, the Demon Controller Sovereigns in the Land of a Thousand Blood-Falling Cities seem to have disappeared without a trace.
Even Daoist Purple hasn't shown himself again. I wonder if there is some plot, or whether it's connected to what happened in the City of No Return."
"What? Those Sovereigns are gone?" Huang Mengling was shocked inside.
She recalled what Chen Huan had said earlier—that the Guardian of the City of No Return had slain Daoist Purple and a group of Sovereigns.
At the time, she naturally hadn't believed it.
Yet now, Daoist Purple had gone missing?
Could it be... he was really killed?
But that was a Grand Sovereign!
Even if Eldest Senior Brother personally intervened, slaying him would not be so easy.
How could a cultivator who had just entered the Sovereign realm kill a Grand Sovereign?
Or had some other unexpected turn of events occurred?
Huang Mengling rubbed her temples and finally said, "Sovereign Yintian, you still need to dispatch people to investigate this thoroughly and see whether Daoist Purple... has truly fallen."
"Fallen? What?!" Sovereign Yintian gasped in shock and disbelief.
That was a Grand Sovereign.
A supreme being standing at the absolute pinnacle of this world.
"There is one more matter that I must inform Sovereign Yintian about.
In the coming days, the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends may cross the Hundred and Eight Thousand Cities and might pass through Great Compassion City. Please ensure Great Compassion City does not obstruct them. This is my Eldest Senior Brother's intention," Huang Mengling said.
Her Eldest Senior Brother's intention, in all likelihood, represented the White Emperor's will.
"Understood, that won't be a problem," Sovereign Yintian agreed. Compared to the first matter, the second was nothing at all.
When it came to schemes at the highest levels, they merely had to execute their parts.
"Mm, then I shall trouble Sovereign Yintian." Huang Mengling's words carried the polite implication of seeing her guest out.
With a suspicious look in his eyes, Sovereign Yintian finally took his leave.
Inside the palace, Huang Mengling had a headache.
The development of events had defied all her expectations.
She didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Hopefully Eldest Senior Brother's arrival here can resolve this matter." She knew this was beyond her ability to resolve.
She also couldn't fathom how that Terrestrial Myth she had seen a few days ago—who was merely a bit handsome and had some aura about him—had suddenly...
Chapter 122