Snatching Xiao Jia's Snacks Is Courting Death!

Supreme divine thunder crashed into the inner palace. Every Divine Infant cultivator from the Palace of Light was slaughtered. Holding a shadow-recording stone, Qi Yuan recorded the entire scene. "What a pity that the Divine Flower Society forum doesn't let you post pictures or videos. Otherwise, if footage of the Palace of Light facing heavenly retribution and divine thunder leaked out, I could occupy the highest moral high ground. When even heavenly thunder can't help striking you down, can this Palace of Light truly be good?" Even though he could not post videos, Qi Yuan still felt it best to record it. Who knew when it might be spread? With the recording finished, Qi Yuan prepared to leave the State of Wei. After all, he still had many places to visit. Many of his alt personas had yet to make an appearance. Although in some places he had simply flung his crimson sword to act on his alt's behalf, that was still not enough. He needed to stir up chaos everywhere to give the impression of overwhelming numbers, didn't he? Holding the shadow-recording stone amid the lingering divine thunder, he was just about to depart when many cultivators across the vast imperial palace looked up at him and bowed deeply with utmost gravity. There were elders, vigorous youths, and even children among them. "Thank you, Senior, for saving our State of Wei!" "The State of Wei shall never forget Senior's grace!" In the face of the Hundred Nations Blood War, some nations were willing to capitulate, while others were not. Yet before the mighty Palace of Light, they possessed no power to resist whatsoever and could only be reduced to pawns. The more fiercely one resisted the Palace of Light, the more likely they were to be branded part of the demonic faction and utterly ruined. Feeling the goodwill radiating from the numerous cultivators, Qi Yuan declared in a clear, resonant voice, "We cultivators must know that he who commits many injustices invites heavenly wrath! In the future, you all must do more good deeds!" Having preached a dose of positive energy, Qi Yuan's figure vanished on the spot, leaving behind a crowd of cultivators both thrilled and bewildered. *** Bloodless City. The blood crystal mine stretched for dozens of li; as far as the eye could see, a sea of crimson spread before him. Qi Yuan looked at the graceful figure ahead, tenderness flashing across his eyes. Xiao Jia was currently inside the blood crystal mine, picking up vast quantities of blood crystals one by one and stashing them who-knew-where. Qi Yuan wore a doting, fond smile. Feeding Xiao Jia was always a delight. After about two hours, Xiao Jia emerged from the mine and floated to Qi Yuan's side. Her sleeve tightly gripped Qi Yuan's, and a wooden tablet with "Happy" carved on it slid from her cuff. "Eat as much as you like. The mine here is already my private property," Qi Yuan said magnanimously. True Monarch Kumu had already secured the blood crystal mine of Bloodless City for him, and a substantial supply of blood crystals was sent to Seven Colors Peak every day. This time, Qi Yuan had formally requested permission from the Sect Master to come to Bloodless City to gather blood crystals. In reality, he spent most of his time outside the mine, deploying his alts to slaughter in every direction. Naturally, everyone else assumed he had remained inside the mine the entire time. "Come on, Xiao Jia. Let's go home." Qi Yuan took Xiao Jia's hand and left the blood crystal mine. Outside the mine, Liu Guan stood with an uneasy expression, while his granddaughter, Duan Qianrou, stood beside him with countless thoughts running through her mind. Not long ago, Liu Guan had participated in the siege against Old Demon Black Chicken, teaming up with a mysterious prodigy. In the end, his soul had suffered severe injuries and he had fallen unconscious, only to be escorted home by that mysterious prodigy. He had remained intensely curious about that prodigy's identity ever since. After all, that genius had slain a late Origin Core cultivator while only at Foundation Establishment! "Grandfather, is he truly that person? What if he isn't?" Duan Qianrou also recalled the youth her mother had once encountered aboard a flying boat. Later, when riding in a cloud rabbit carriage, she had run into him herself. She had not thought much of it at the time, but looking back now, he might very well be the one who obliterated the Black Mountain Sect. Liu Guan wore a helpless look. "Let us hope he is…" Duan Qianrou's expression was conflicted. She was the one in charge of this blood crystal mine. Previously, a true disciple of the Demonic Desire Sect had used her authority to bully them, compelling the Duan family to periodically deliver a portion of blood crystals to the Demonic Desire Sect. Duan Qianrou naturally had no choice but to comply. Later, however, the Divine Light Sect stepped in and claimed all the blood crystal mines in Bloodless City as their own. As a result, they had to supply their blood crystals to the Divine Light Sect and could only cut off deliveries to that Demonic Desire Sect disciple. Who would have guessed that just a few days ago, that true disciple from the Demonic Desire Sect would come knocking at their door? Duan Qianrou had laid out all the facts and reasoning, yet the woman completely ignored her, giving them a deadline of only a few days and declaring that if they did not hand over the crystals, she would take them herself. Duan Qianrou had already reported the matter to the Divine Light Sect, but because the sect was quite far away, the disciples assigned to handle it had not yet arrived. Now, they could only pin their hopes on Qi Yuan. The gates of the blood crystal mine swung open. Qi Yuan emerged clad in a white robe, looking exceptionally handsome, while Xiao Jia, cloaked in brilliant bridal red, followed obediently behind him. To be honest, the sight struck Duan Qianrou as somewhat eerie. Even so, she braced herself and said, "Greetings, Young Master Qi Yuan!" Qi Yuan swept his gaze over the two of them. "What business do you have waiting for me here?" "Reporting to Young Master, Ji Ruxue of the Demonic Desire Sect…" Duan Qianrou truthfully recounted the situation while carefully watching Qi Yuan's reaction. After all, true disciples of such great sects were lofty and arrogant; rather than lending a hand, they might just as well shift the blame onto them. Upon hearing this, Qi Yuan gave Duan Qianrou a look. "Is this the truth?" "Every word is true. This humble woman would never dare deceive you, Young Master!" The current Duan Qianrou was exceedingly humble before Qi Yuan, a world apart from her arrogant demeanor when they first met. Qi Yuan looked at Duan Qianrou. Hidden information surfaced, confirming she was not lying. He said coldly, "I never imagined someone would dare snatch Xiao Jia's snacks. Quite a bold one, aren't they?" Ever since Qi Yuan came to regard the Palace of Light as his primary enemy, he had rarely run into petty thugs. Now that some nobody dared come to snatch Xiao Jia's snacks, he naturally had to take action. Stepping on petty nobodies once in a while was a nice change of pace. Otherwise, constantly fighting Divine Infant and Purple Mansion figures grew tedious. After all, fighting too many old fogies made him feel decrepit as well. Hanging around younger crowds made him feel youthful again. Otherwise, why did so many wealthy men back on Blue Star favor college girls? "Come, come with me to take a look. Let's see just how much nerve this Ji Ruxue from the Demonic Desire Sect really has." Hearing this, Duan Qianrou felt a wave of relief and secret delight. As long as Qi Yuan stepped forward, this crisis could be resolved. *** Bloodless City. A secluded yet remarkably luxurious estate. Ji Ruxue had hair as white as snow, and her features were even lovelier than those of her elder sister, Ji Boying. Twirling a lock of white hair between her jade-like fingers, she wore a smile. "Who would have thought that coming here would let me cross paths with the person True Monarch Fengnu personally designated for capture?" The Demonic Desire Sect was split into two factions: one surnamed Ji, and the other surnamed Shen. The Shen lineage kept a low profile and rarely showed itself, while the Ji lineage held ultimate authority in the current Demonic Desire Sect. Some time ago, the Demonic Desire Sect had colluded with the Palace of Light, and her elder sister Ji Boying had even been sent to serve that old geezer, True Lord Six Zithers. Beside Ji Ruxue, two Divine Infant cultivators had smiles in their eyes. Ji Mingqiu beamed. "Qi Yuan truly possesses monstrous audacity to venture outside all by himself. This time, we will surely capture him and deliver him to True Monarch Kumu!" "What a pity that Kang Fulu is so cautious these days, refusing to leave his mountain gates. We can only settle for this… Qi Yuan. Alas, his weight is simply too light. Even if we hand him over to True Monarch Fengnu, and he agrees to let our Demonic Desire Sect relocate out of the Hundred Nations, he won't think much of us!" True Monarch Ji Chu spoke, a trace of regret in his eyes. "Having someone to capture is already good enough, yet here you are being picky!" Ji Mingqiu retorted. "The scouts we sent out have reported that he is currently heading this way and will arrive shortly. That saves us the trouble of seeking him out ourselves," Ji Ruxue said smugly. The three inside the room were already confident of victory. With two Divine Infant experts and one Foundation Establishment cultivator, how could Qi Yuan possibly resist? Even if Kang Fulu were here, it would still be futile. Such a lineup was already giving Qi Yuan an absurd amount of respect. About the time it took for a stick of incense to burn elapsed. Outside the courtyard, Qi Yuan, Xiao Jia, Liu Guan, and Duan Qianrou appeared. Just as Duan Qianrou moved to knock on the door, Qi Yuan stopped her with a glance. Taking a step forward, he called out lazily, "People inside, come out quickly. You're already surrounded!" Duan Qianrou and Liu Guan exchanged bewildered glances, but neither spoke. At that moment, a light chuckle echoed from the courtyard. A woman with snow-white hair pushed open the doors and stepped out, an easy smile in her eyes. "Senior Brother Qi Yuan, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Have you come to discuss something important?" Seeing Ji Ruxue's relaxed demeanor, Duan Qianrou's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up inside her for some reason. Liu Guan's brow furrowed as well. Although Ji Ruxue was Ji Boying's younger sister, she was merely the daughter of a concubine and possessed mediocre talent. Within the Demonic Desire Sect, she was only an ordinary true disciple, entirely incomparable to Qi Yuan, the eldest disciple of a peak master. Where did she get such immense confidence? Qi Yuan seemed not to notice any of this. Instead, he declared without the slightest politeness, "I'm only here to notify you of one thing: anyone who forcibly snatches my Xiao Jia's snacks can go down to the underworld and keep your Ji family ancestors company!" Qi Yuan was ready to kill at the drop of a hat. Ji Ruxue froze. She knew Qi Yuan had come looking for trouble, but to declare a death sentence without exchanging a second word? Fortunately… Ji Ruxue's expression turned frigid. "You want to kill me? You'd better worry about saving your own life first!" Following Ji Ruxue's words, two overwhelmingly formidable auras suddenly erupted from the estate. Ji Mingqiu and Ji Chu materialized abruptly, their immense auras surging so violently that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth grew turbulent. Ji Chu smiled faintly. "Nephew, have you been well since we last met?" "Divine Infant?!" With two Divine Infant experts suddenly appearing, Duan Qianrou's face instantly went white. Liu Guan was even more terrified, disbelief written all over his face. Had they stumbled into a massive conflict? They were doomed—doomed! They were all going to die here. Facing two Divine Infant cultivators, Qi Yuan remained completely unbothered. "Sigh. I clearly only wanted to clean up some petty small fries. Why do big fries always rush in to seek death?" Ji Chu and Ji Mingqiu both paused. Ji Mingqiu sneered, "You truly live up to the rumors—raving mad!" As he spoke, he attacked without hesitation. Immense Dharmic powers belonging to a Divine Infant cultivator swept forth in torrents, on an entirely different plane compared to an Origin Core cultivator. A chill ran down Liu Guan's spine, leaving him in frantic despair. Some time ago, that mysterious protagonist had slain a late Origin Core expert in a single blow; even if that person was Qi Yuan, proving him to be an unmatched prodigy, the two standing before them now were Divine Infant cultivators—and one was at the mid Divine Infant stage, on par with the Divine Light Sect's Sect Master! When experts of this caliber struck, it was always with thunderous force, leaving no survivors. Yet at this very moment, Qi Yuan merely yawned. "As expected, Divine Infants from a backwater really can't compare to Divine Infants from a grand stage." He could clearly sense the massive difference between the Divine Infants before him and the Palace of Light Divine Infant cultivator he had slain at Lingfeng Crossing that day. The gap was enormous, yet both were equally frail. Qi Yuan tapped his finger lightly, and a broken sword condensed out of thin air. Facing Ji Mingqiu's attack, he thrust the broken sword gently forward. "To kill you, why would I even need a divine ability?" The moment the words fell, the broken sword swept forward with unstoppable force, obliterating Ji Mingqiu's entire attack. Continuing forward, the sword forced its way straight through Ji Mingqiu's protective spiritual energy and struck his Divine Infant. The Divine Infant shattered instantly, more fragile than a burst balloon. Ji Mingqiu's eyes went wide. Before he could even comprehend what had happened, he… was dead. A prominent mid Divine Infant expert, one of the strongest figures in Great Shang, had died just like that? Ji Chu's eyes nearly split with horror, brimming with sheer disbelief. "You're not Qi Yuan!" The scene before him was far too terrifying and absurd. Without a shred of hesitation, he unleashed a divine ability to flee. Yet his flight was like a snail's crawl to Qi Yuan. "Die," Qi Yuan uttered, as if speaking absolute law. A grand Divine Infant expert like Ji Chu saw his body inexplicably explode, dead beyond dead. Two Divine Infant cultivators had both perished within a single breath. Ji Ruxue was consumed by sheer terror. She stumbled backward, but suddenly her neck twisted, and she died right then and there. All three enemies were eliminated in an instant. Everything had happened so abruptly, so swiftly—as if the ones who had died were not Divine Infant True Monarchs, but… Foundation Establishment cultivators! Behind him, Liu Guan's eyes were wide, utterly incapable of believing his senses. Wasn't Qi Yuan a disciple of Seven Colors Peak? How had he suddenly… killed two Divine Infant experts? Even the Sect Master of the Divine Light Sect couldn't accomplish such a feat! His body trembled, completely unable to process the scene before him. As for Duan Qianrou, she was lying on the ground, seemingly knocked unconscious by the shockwaves of the battle. "Alright, the people are dead. Time to go. Stop playing dead," Qi Yuan said, casting a sideways glance at Duan Qianrou. Her acting was far too terrible. Only then did Duan Qianrou push herself up. She looked at Qi Yuan, her eyes completely filled with fear. Indeed, sheer terror. "Senior…" Duan Qianrou's voice trembled slightly. "Why call me Senior? Am I that old? Call me… Young Master Qi Yuan," Qi Yuan said flatly. Hearing this, Duan Qianrou's teeth chattered, unsure of what fate awaited her. After all, witnessing such a terrifying secret uninvited made it highly likely they would be silenced. Qi Yuan glanced at Liu Guan. "You're a pretty decent guy." Back when they were besieging Old Demon Black Chicken, no one had been willing to team up with him, a mere Qi Refinement cultivator, except Liu Guan. Hearing that, Liu Guan realized something, and a spark of joy flared in his heart. Could it be… it was truly him? "Don't worry, I'm not a bloodthirsty person," Qi Yuan said casually. "You only need to swear on your inner demons that you will not disclose today's events through any means whatsoever, and that will be the end of it." Currently, the Palace of Light had not yet been destroyed. He naturally needed to keep his alts covered and avoid exposing his full strength. "Senior, if I reveal even half a word of today's events, may I die a wretched death!" Liu Guan finished and hurriedly swore the oath. Duan Qianrou quickly swore the oath right after. Both felt the overwhelming sensation of surviving a catastrophe, and their gazes toward Qi Yuan were laced with profound awe. What had transpired today felt just like a dream. "Alright, now that the people are dead, I must return to the peak." With that, Qi Yuan prepared to leave with Xiao Jia. Before departing, he glanced at Liu Guan. "You're not as frail as you used to be. If you had fainted today, I would have had to carry you home again." With those words, Qi Yuan and Xiao Jia's figures vanished into thin air. Only Liu Guan and Duan Qianrou remained, their hearts unable to calm for a very long time. Duan Qianrou looked at Liu Guan. "Grandfather, was it really him?" "It was… absolutely him!" A brilliant light blazed in Liu Guan's eyes. Qi Yuan slaying a late Origin Core cultivator while at Foundation Establishment was still somewhat fathomable, but today's scene was completely beyond his comprehension. Could it be that Qi Yuan was actually the reincarnation of some divine being? That was the only plausible explanation! What an immense, heaven-sent opportunity was this? His mind was utterly shaken. Only after a long while did his emotions settle. "Qianrou, from now on, never mention relocation again. We shall live and die with Great Shang! Mine more blood crystals; next time, I will personally deliver them to the Divine Light Sect!" With such a monstrous opportunity before them, how could they not cling to it with all their might? *** When Qi Yuan returned to Seven Colors Peak, he received a transmission summoning him to see the Sect Master. Now, standing inside the great hall of the sect, Qi Yuan looked at True Monarch Kumu and spoke slowly, "What does the Sect Master need me for?" As Qi Yuan spoke, he also glanced at Kang Fulu beside True Monarch Kumu. By now, Kang Fulu had already stepped into the Origin Core realm, which surprised Qi Yuan a little. "Do you still remember the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle we spoke of earlier?" True Monarch Kumu asked. "Naturally, I remember." "The Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle has suddenly been moved forward. It will commence in a month or two. This time, you and Kang Fulu will participate together," True Monarch Kumu said. Qi Yuan froze upon hearing this. So soon? "How long does the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle last before the results are decided?" Qi Yuan asked. He was still in a rush to fulfill his great mission of obliterating the Palace of Light. Where would he find the time to join some Prodigy Battle? "At shortest, half a month; at longest, several years. There is no set duration." Hearing that, Qi Yuan's face fell. "Can I not go?" True Monarch Kumu was stunned. He stared at Qi Yuan without saying another word, but his expression grew extremely dark. Kang Fulu said gently, "Junior Brother Qi Yuan, have you encountered some trouble? Feel free to speak of it, and we can help you resolve it." "I'm currently preparing to destroy the Palace of Light. I don't have time to participate in this Prodigy Battle," Qi Yuan stated casually. Since no one ever believed what he said anyway, he might as well speak the absolute truth. Sure enough, the gentle smile on Kang Fulu's face froze the moment he finished speaking. Your trouble really is trouble! You truly dare say anything! True Monarch Kumu glared at Qi Yuan and said coldly, "The location of this Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle is in Cuiyun Continent, not far from the Palace of Light. It won't delay your… destroying the Palace of Light!" True Monarch Kumu placed heavy emphasis on the final words to express his inner exasperation. Hearing this, delight showed on Qi Yuan's face. "In that case, Sect Master, you can rest assured! While destroying the Palace of Light, I'll definitely enter the Prodigy Battle on the side and bring back a good result!" Since it was on the way, it wouldn't interfere with his wiping out the Palace of Light! True Monarch Kumu looked at Qi Yuan with utter helplessness. "This old man didn't expect the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle to be moved up either. You only recently reached Foundation Establishment, and your cultivation hasn't increased by much. You don't need to aim for too high a ranking in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle; just do your best." Originally, the schedule would not have been so tight, and with Qi Yuan's talent, he would have had time to raise his cultivation. Now that it was opening so abruptly while Qi Yuan's strength had yet to advance significantly, his chances of making the top hundred were even slimmer. True Monarch Kumu could only place all his hopes on his son-in-law, Kang Fulu. "Rest assured, Sect Master. The treasure you gave me last time was of tremendous help. This time, no matter what, I'll bring back your clan's heirloom treasure!" Qi Yuan said with utter confidence. True Monarch Kumu gave a helpless smile. "When you travel to the Eastern Lands, do not reveal your identities. There is a Divine Infant deacon in the Palace of Light who seems hostile toward you." Qi Yuan nodded. The Sect Master was talking about True Monarch Fengnu, right? He had died long ago. The news would probably spread in just a few days.