How Does an Origin Divine Ability Not Count as a Divine Ability?

The State of Chen. Lingfeng Crossing. This place had once been a bustling ferry where boats crisscrossed the waters. Later, strange occurrences became frequent: travelers would often be swept away by inexplicable gusts of wind. The ferry crossing was eventually abandoned, and few visitors ever came. Now, however, the crossing had grown lively once again. The Palace of Light had arranged to meet the Bloody-Robed Sword God right here at Lingfeng Crossing. At this moment, a towering treasure ship was moored by the shore of the crossing. Three Divine Infant deacons from the Palace of Light were gathered aboard. Two late Divine Infant and one mid Divine Infant—such strength rivaled that of the greatest sects in the State of Chen. Besides the three deacons from the Palace of Light, many Divine Infant experts from the State of Chen were also aboard the treasure ship. "This so-called Bloody-Robed Sword God is likely the Marquis of Earth Sword. Everyone thought him dead, but who knew he was still alive and had joined the Divine Flower Society? We have caused so much trouble for the True Monarchs," spoke the Duke of Dongchang, his face marked by deep self-reproach. True Monarch Wukong gave the Duke of Dongchang a glance, his voice buzzing like a drone. "This matter is not your fault. It is that Bloody-Robed Sword God stirring up trouble!" Back then, True Monarch Wukong had traveled to the State of Chen for leisure and took a fancy to the Marquis of Earth Sword's estate. Beneath the manor lay a spirit spring that yielded a treasure known as the Essence of the Star Array. This item absorbed the essence of heaven and earth and contained metal fiend qi, making it more than sufficient to serve as the vessel for an Earth-grade Golden Core. Thus, True Monarch Wukong had merely expressed a casual desire. The Duke of Dongchang had promptly driven everyone out of the Marquis of Earth Sword's estate. At the time, the people of the estate were unwilling to leave and broke down in tears. Hearing their wailing, True Monarch Wukong had grown irritated and blurted out, "Throw them in the doghouse!" The Marquis of Earth Sword's ninety-something-year-old, doddering daughter was forced into a kennel. Later, the Duke of Dongchang took covert action to slaughter the marquis's entire clan down to the last person. After all, once offense had been given, it was best to pull the grass up by the roots to leave no future troubles! The Duke of Dongchang had come here today solely to curry favor with the Palace of Light. After all, this Marquis of Earth Sword seemed to have taken the moniker of the Bloody-Robed Sword God, and his cultivation appeared to have advanced; otherwise, he would never have dared to act so brazenly. "The fate that befell the family of the Marquis of Earth Sword was entirely brought upon themselves for offending the True Monarch," the Duke of Dongchang said with righteous indignation. "Once that Bloody-Robed Sword God arrives, this old man will certainly urge him to mend his ways and make a proper apology to the Palace of Light." These words were mere empty talk on the Duke of Dongchang's part. He wanted nothing more than for the Bloody-Robed Sword God and the Palace of Light to clash directly, using the hands of the Palace of Light to eradicate the Bloody-Robed Sword God once and for all. "An apology? Hmph!" True Monarch Wukong scoffed in fury. This matter had blown up completely, stirring up a storm across the entire Cuiyun Continent. He had been in secluded cultivation when he was forced out of seclusion and made to come to this godforsaken place to offer an apology. His belly was churning with suppressed fury. Apologize? Let's see whether that Bloody-Robed Sword God even dares to accept an apology from the Palace of Light! "This Bloody-Robed Sword God looks to be nothing more than a spineless rat who only dares instigate conflict from the shadows. In my opinion, everyone waiting here won't see him show up at all," remarked a Divine Infant cultivator. By now, many cultivators from the State of Chen were siding with the Palace of Light. Toward the Bloody-Robed Sword God, they harbored only rage and disgust, eager to see him destroyed without delay. They were terrified that this incident with the Bloody-Robed Sword God would compromise their standing with the Palace of Light. "Why would the True Monarchs of the Palace of Light need to lift a finger? If he comes, we will capture him ourselves and force him to kowtow and apologize to the True Monarchs!" Hearing these words, True Monarch Wukong took a sip of wine, and much of his dissatisfaction over having to come to this desolate wasteland finally dissipated. Meanwhile, outside the treasure ship, a young woman in green robes stood aboard a small skiff, accompanied by an old woman. The old woman gazed at the massive treasure ship and spoke in a soft voice, "The Palace of Light is present. Would Miss Ya care to board the ship and exchange greetings?" The old woman was a Divine Infant cultivator, while the young woman in green beside her was only at the Origin Core stage. Yet the old woman treated the young woman with extraordinary deference. The young woman was named Jiang Ya, ranked fifteenth on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll. Talents in the Eastern Lands were as plentiful as the stars, yet in the Land of a Hundred Nations, one could not find a single person capable of making that roll. This young woman ranked fifteenth. Barring an untimely death, she was destined to become a Purple Mansion mighty figure in the future. Such talent was more than enough to look down proudly upon the Eastern Lands. Yet what made Jiang Ya truly formidable was not her cultivation talent, but her intimate mastery of all the worldly cultivation arts, as well as her ability to annotate and revise them. It was precisely because of this that she had been accepted as a disciple by the Pavilion Master of the Ascending Heaven Pavilion. This was an honor that even the top three on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll dreamed of. The Pavilion Master of the Ascending Heaven Pavilion, known as Old Man Wutian, was the closest among all the Purple Mansion mighty figures of the Eastern Lands to reaching the legendary Yin God realm. That was the Yin God realm—a realm that touched the domain of immortals and gods in legend. Once Old Man Wutian stepped into the Yin God realm, how could Jiang Ya's status ever be compared to the top three on the Heavenly Pride Roll? "No," Jiang Ya said, shaking her head. "I only came here because a battle might break out, and I wish to observe the clash of techniques. As for the Palace of Light... Lingsu despises them, so why would I get involved with them?" The Ascending Heaven Pavilion collected art scrolls from across the world. Jiang Ya was intrigued by every technique in existence. For an Origin Core cultivator like her, observing a clash between Divine Infant cultivators would still offer immense benefits. Her Dao lay in adapting and creating arts. She had walked steadily along this path without faltering. Eventually, upon stepping into the Divine Infant realm, she would awaken a divine ability corresponding to this path. Once she stepped into the Purple Mansion realm and understood the true essence of spiritual qi in this world, she would be able to comprehend her own origin divine ability through her Dao. Recalling something, Jiang Ya suddenly said, "If that Bloody-Robed Sword God is too weak and falls quickly, Elder Shi, I must trouble you to spar with the people of the Palace of Light. I would like to observe their Dao arts." Hearing this, the old woman nodded. "Understood, Miss Ya." Night fell, and a lonely skiff floated on the water. Jiang Ya stood at the prow, her consciousness immersed in a jade slip. Every single moment, she was practicing her Dao. Across vast expanses of dark waves, moonlight drifted over misty shoals. Suddenly, Jiang Ya opened her eyes. The old woman looked up as well, a hint of solemnity surfacing in her gaze. Amidst the rolling waves, a man clad in a blood-colored robe came treading over the water. A full moon hung high in the sky. When the cool moonlight fell upon him, the reflection it cast was crimson. "What a terrifying scent of blood!" "Just how many people did he slaughter?" "The Bloody-Robed Sword God?" Aboard the Palace of Light's treasure ship, the gazes of more than a dozen Divine Infant cultivators fell upon the blood-robed figure walking across the water. Their eyes flickered with suspicion and hesitation, carrying even a sliver of dread. The three Divine Infant deacons from the Palace of Light were momentarily stunned upon seeing the blood-robed figure. Then, True Monarch Wukong bellowed, "Such billowing blood qi! How many wronged souls have you created under your hands?" "Had this old man known such an archdemon existed, I would have slain you on the spot! How could I have allowed you to remain and bring disaster upon the mortal world?" Originally, the three Divine Infant cultivators from the Palace of Light had planned to make a show of offering an apology first before finding an excuse to make trouble for the Bloody-Robed Sword God. Yet the moment they saw the Bloody-Robed Sword God, they realized that even surface pleasantries were unnecessary. With such thick blood-fiend qi cloaking his entire body, how many people had he slaughtered to accumulate it? This was no sword god—this was clearly an archdemon. Such a great demon should simply be executed on sight. Beneath the full moon, an eerie light shimmered across the blood-colored robe. When he spoke, his voice was raspy and chilling. Qi Yuan had already fully immersed himself in character, playing his persona. "My daughter was innocent and naive, sharp-witted and exceptionally clever. "I would have plucked the stars and the moon from the sky just to give them to her. "And what did you do? You forced her to live in a doghouse! This matter is not over!" Hearing this, the Duke of Dongchang showed an expression of astonishment. Innocent and naive? Sharp-witted? Marquis of Earth Sword, your ninety-year-old daughter barely has any teeth left in her mouth, does she? However, a veil of bloody mist seemed to obscure the face of the Bloody-Robed Sword God before them, preventing them from making out his features. "Such a demonic fiend—his ancestors for eighteen generations deserve to rot in hell!" the Duke of Dongchang chimed in, seizing the opportunity. At this moment, a hint of bewilderment appeared in Qi Yuan's eyes. "Didn't your Palace of Light come here to apologize? Is this your attitude?" He had come here precisely because the Palace of Light claimed they were going to apologize. He had intended to extort a tidy sum from them. "If you were an orthodox cultivator, this old man would naturally apologize for a trivial past misstep. But... you, a demonic cultivator, deserve an apology from this old man?" Standing once again upon the moral high ground, True Monarch Wukong felt invigorated and refreshed. Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan's eyes grew despondent. "It seems I still overestimated some people's moral standards. "I truly thought that every member of the Palace of Light was a noble gentleman with the world at heart. "Walking the vast immortal path yet willing to vanquish demons and slay fiends—true immortal heroes. "What a pity, what a pity. I had even thought that if you compensated me with some spirit stones, I would let the matter rest." As Qi Yuan spoke, he appeared genuinely heartbroken and despondent. This left the three Divine Infant cultivators from the Palace of Light completely flabbergasted. Did this man truly admire their Palace of Light? "Hmph!" True Monarch Wukong had no intention of letting the Bloody-Robed Sword God off because of this. "Does a demonic cultivator even have the right to admire our Palace of Light?" The late Divine Infant cultivator beside him could not help but ask, "How many spirit stones do you want in compensation?" "She is my dearest daughter, after all. You must compensate at least... ten million..." Qi Yuan paused, wondering if he had asked for too little. Hardening his heart, he jacked up the price: "Ten trillion spirit stones!" Silence fell over the treasure ship. After a few breaths, anger surged across the Duke of Dongchang's face. "Marquis of Earth Sword, are you mocking the True Monarchs of the Palace of Light?" Ten trillion spirit stones? Just how vast an amount was that? It was beyond imagination! The other Divine Infant cultivators of the State of Chen also joined in attacking Qi Yuan with words. "How laughable! First fabricating slander against the True Monarchs of the Palace of Light, and now intentionally attempting extortion! Such a villain must be slain!" A crowd of Divine Infant cultivators denounced Qi Yuan in unison, declaring his guilt. Facing their accusations alone, Qi Yuan felt small and helpless. Granted, he had made it all up, but... did being made up necessarily mean it was false? He flew into a rage, looking like a migrant worker whose wages had been withheld. "I'm going to kill every last one of you!" Qi Yuan charged straight toward the treasure ship. A contemptuous sneer appeared in True Monarch Wukong's eyes. "A mere Divine Infant from the Land of a Hundred Nations—what rank could your divine ability possibly be? You dare raise a hand against me?" The divine abilities awakened by Divine Infant cultivators were divided into ranks. Ninth rank was the lowest, and first rank was the highest. Seventh, eighth, and ninth were low rank; first, second, and third were high rank. Above the first rank were even higher tiers. True Monarch Wukong's divine ability was first rank. Divine Infant cultivators from places like the Land of a Hundred Nations mostly awakened low-rank divine abilities; even the rare exceptions were only mid-rank. Thus, when Divine Infant cultivators from the Palace of Light came here, it was a one-sided crushing blow across dimensions—the gap was simply too great. Aboard the small skiff, the old woman shook her head. "The three Divine Infant cultivators from the Palace of Light all possess high-rank divine abilities, and there are twelve other Divine Infant cultivators aboard. This Bloody-Robed Sword God's action is exceedingly unwise." The divine abilities of Divine Infant cultivators in the Land of a Hundred Nations were far too weak. Their combat prowess was naturally inferior to those from the Palace of Light. Jiang Ya watched the Bloody-Robed Sword God, a glimmer of doubt flitting through her eyes. For some reason, the Bloody-Robed Sword God gave her an odd impression. At this moment, Qi Yuan held a blood-red longsword, his expression murderous. "You think you're the only ones with divine abilities? I have one too!" He flew toward the treasure ship with his sword raised, resembling a crimson crow traversing the night sky. A cold sneer surfaced in True Monarch Wukong's eyes. "Let me handle you!" He soared away from the treasure ship and raised his arm toward the heavens. "Nine Heavens Divine Thunder!" "Resplendent Sword!" "Slay all evil!" Following his voice, boundless daylight cascaded down upon him. His entire being became holy and radiant. A sword of light condensed in his hand, giving him the bearing of an orthodox master of transcendent grace. With one strike, he could sweep away all demons under heaven. Qi Yuan looked at that sword of light and shook his head. "That's not how you use a lightsaber. You need to change into an outfit and remember to transform. "No, wait—you need a gender swap first! Only then does a lightsaber transformation hit the spot!" Back on the Blue Star, lightsaber transformation videos had once been quite a trend on short-video platforms. One would start in ordinary clothes, brandish a lightsaber, and then, under dim lighting, transform into provocative attire. Some of the versions were even quite risqué. Seeing True Monarch Wukong unleash his divine ability now, Qi Yuan could only critique it as a lightsaber transformation. A righteous noble aura radiated from True Monarch Wukong. His face wore thunderous fury, resembling an enraged Heavenly God. "First-rank divine ability, Resplendent Sword! Let us see how you withstand this!" "And let us see how you withstand my divine ability!" At that moment, the blood-red longsword in Qi Yuan's hand was finally unsheathed. A terrifying, eerie aura revealed itself. Before Qi Yuan even executed a move, the mere emergence of the blade turned the waters beneath his feet blood-red. The crimson color spread outward continuously. Even the great sun's brilliance radiating from the Resplendent Sword was contaminated by the bloody hue. True Monarch Wukong felt as though he had plunged into the Avici Hell, encircled by endless blood. "Behold... my divine ability!" The Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons unleashed at that very moment. The crimson hue was no longer confined to that modest stretch of water. The entire Lingfeng Crossing seemed to sink into a hell of blood. Grisly winds howled; a sea of blood churned! Every Divine Infant cultivator wore an expression of shock and horror. True Monarch Wukong was stricken with absolute terror. "An or... origin divine ability..." He was terrified; he shrank back, yet he was already drowning in the abyss. The Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons was engraved upon the blood-red longsword. A single sword strike was equivalent to a Sovereign at the Engraving Realm executing an origin divine ability. Furthermore, the tier of the Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons was by no means low. Using it against a mere Divine Infant cultivator? That was using a nuclear weapon to swat a fly! In merely a single breath, True Monarch Wukong dissolved into a pool of bloody water. Looking down at the puddle of blood, Qi Yuan boasted, "Isn't my divine ability much stronger than yours?" Unfortunately, True Monarch Wukong was already dead and could not answer him. Aboard the treasure ship, the Divine Infant cultivators trembled like leaves. An origin... divine ability! What the Bloody-Robed Sword God had unleashed was undeniably an origin divine ability! Although many of them had never seen a Purple Mansion mighty figure take action, the moment Qi Yuan struck, they knew that it was an origin divine ability! Origin divine abilities were techniques mastered exclusively by Purple Mansion mighty figures. They saw through the essence of reality—something no Divine Infant cultivator could ever resist! The Bloody-Robed Sword God... was actually a Purple Mansion mighty figure! A Purple Mansion mighty figure had appeared in the Land of a Hundred Nations? The Duke of Dongchang's heart skipped a beat, seized by overwhelming dread. How had he suddenly become a Purple Mansion cultivator? The faces of the other two Divine Infant cultivators from the Palace of Light also turned ashen, though they managed to maintain a shred of composure. After all, the Palace of Light still possessed dozens of Purple Mansion experts. "Senior, using an origin divine ability against True Monarch Wukong's divine ability is somewhat unfair, is it not?" The Divine Infant deacon from the Palace of Light, who had been arrogant and overbearing moments ago, now spoke in a far milder tone. He was nowhere near as haughty as before. Yet the pride deep in his bones remained. After all, they hailed from the Palace of Light, and they bore no direct personal enmity toward the Bloody-Robed Sword God. True Monarch Wukong was the one who had an enmity with the Bloody-Robed Sword God; now that he was dead, so be it. "How does an origin divine ability not count as a divine ability?" Qi Yuan replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He had copied this line from Wu Tong, but since Wu Tong had already been slain by him, it no longer counted as plagiarism. As he spoke, he walked toward the treasure ship with sword in hand. The Divine Infant cultivators of the Palace of Light paled. "Does Senior truly intend to wipe us out completely? "Senior may be at the Purple Mansion realm, but our Palace of Light does not lack experts of your caliber. "Furthermore, Senior has already slain True Monarch Wukong, who insulted you. This matter should be considered settled. "We hope Senior will think twice!" At this point, fighting was out of the question. They could only appeal to reason. "Hmph." Qi Yuan looked at them coldly. "That wasn't what you were saying just now." When he had first appeared, these Divine Infant cultivators had hurled nonstop insults at him. Moreover, nearly every Divine Infant cultivator had looked at him with murderous intent, itching to carry out justice on heaven's behalf. And now... they had changed their tune? "Senior, have you truly resolved to make an enemy of our Palace of Light?" the late Divine Infant cultivator said in a chilled voice. "It is your Palace of Light that insists on making an enemy of me!" Qi Yuan said without further hesitation. The Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons erupted at that instant. The massive treasure ship seemed to be dyed crimson with blood. Every Divine Infant cultivator aboard descended into madness. "No!" "Ah, I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have murdered my brother and violated my sister-in-law!" "I really didn't mean to, but who told him to have such high talent?!" Inner demons manifested, and in an instant, the opulent treasure ship transformed into a crimson demonic domain. Over a dozen Divine Infant cultivators flailed wildly, their features twisted in agony as inner demons ran rampant. Meeting wretched ends, every single one of them perished. The servants and singing girls aboard the ship trembled in terror, as though witnessing the most horrifying spectacle in the world. "Boring. Not even one could take a single strike from me." Qi Yuan sheathed his sword. These people from the Palace of Light were far too weak; he hadn't even needed to draw upon the power of his Golden Core. He estimated that even the Purple Mansion experts of the Palace of Light would not be able to force him to bring out his Golden Core. Presumably... only the Sovereign Dragon-Alarming Crown would be worthy of him deploying his Golden Core. After all, according to what the Iceberg Overlord Woman had said, the Sovereign Dragon-Alarming Crown was capable of unleashing power on the level of a Yin God. A Yin God... was unimaginably strong. That was a true immortal and god! An immortal and god that did not manifest in the mortal world! An immortal and god before whom mortals and cultivators alike had to bow and worship! Qi Yuan sheathed his sword, swept his gaze over his surroundings, and shouted in a booming voice, "Under the pretext of offering an apology, the Palace of Light actually sent people to surround and attack me! Such a grievance cannot go unavenged—the laws of heaven will not tolerate it! "I, the Bloody-Robed Sword God, formally declare war on the Palace of Light! "Either the Palace of Light falls, or I perish!" Qi Yuan's bellow resonated across dozens of li. All the onlookers in the vicinity were shaken to their core, deeply moved. This Bloody-Robed Sword God was actually a Purple Mansion mighty figure! A Purple Mansion mighty figure had finally emerged from the Land of a Hundred Nations! With a wave of Qi Yuan's hand, all the storage bags flew into his grasp. These white-moonlight benefactors had traveled thousands of li to see him. What reason did he have to decline the gifts they brought? Just as he collected the storage bags and prepared to depart, a gentle, melodious voice called out: "Senior, please wait."