Yunzhong Pavilion.
Prodigies gathered in crowds as banquets flowed without end. Exquisite delicacies and jade nectar filled the tables amidst the clinking of raised cups.
Huang Tu stood among the throng, exuding boundless confidence.
Beside him, Xu Tongchen held his cup, restless and uneasy.
He was still dwelling on that peculiar sensation from that day.
True Solar Fire was his greatest stroke of fortune, as well as his greatest reliance.
Relying on True Solar Fire, he could have broken into the top ten of the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll. But to conceal his abilities and avoid stealing Huang Tu's limelight, he had deliberately ranked below him.
True Solar Fire was immensely powerful and exceptionally sensitive to treasures associated with the sun.
Yet when he caught sight of that man, he had felt as though the man were a blazing sun itself.
The True Solar Fire within him had pulsed and danced incessantly, as if... it had seen its own father.
"True Person Huang Tu's Dao methods grow ever more profound. In this Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle, you have high hopes of breaking into the top fifteen, or even the top ten," someone at the banquet flattered Huang Tu.
Huang Tu accepted the flattery with an arrogant look.
Just then, another person chimed in, "What a pity. If True Person Huang Tu had comprehended Xu Tongchen's True Solar Fire instead, True Person Huang Tu would likely rank in the top three of the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll!"
Hearing this, Xu Tongchen's expression shifted slightly.
The speaker was ranked around seven-hundredth on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll, a man named Zheng Fangxing.
His sect had long held grudges against the Seven Words Sect.
Saying such a thing now was a blatant attempt to sow discord.
Yet even so, the haughty Huang Tu did not bother concealing anything. He glanced at Xu Tongchen. "A pity indeed."
At those words, Xu Tongchen felt stifled and infuriated, yet he could not retaliate and merely forced an awkward smile.
The overbearing nature of the Palace of Light was carved into their very bones, wanton and unrestrained.
Zheng Fangxing continued, "The Blood-Robed Sword God from the Divine Flower Society has been constantly provoking the Palace of Light.
"My master, Mo Ku, has long grown sick of that Blood-Robed Sword God's face. He has already departed for Mingwang Palace, where Elder Qian Yuan is stationed, to confront the Blood-Robed Sword God together.
"Yet... certain individuals who also reside in Cuiyun Continent and share our roots fail to unite against a common foe, maintaining an ambiguous relationship with that Blood-Robed Sword God."
Zheng Fangxing practically pointed his finger at the Seven Words Sect.
A few days ago, Elder Qian Yuan had challenged the Blood-Robed Sword God to a duel.
The Purple Mansions of the forces near Mingwang Palace, a stronghold of the Palace of Light, had all received transmissions summoning them to spectate.
Naturally, while named spectating, it was in truth cheering on the Palace of Light.
Upon receiving word, Zheng Fangxing's master, Mo Ku, had departed early.
Xu Tongchen's master, Xu Yeli, however, had excused himself and declined to go.
"I suppose some people are cowardly and afraid to die, trembling before the Blood-Robed Sword God," Zheng Fangxing prodded incessantly.
"Hmph, a mere cultivator from the Land of a Hundred Nations who barely broke through to the Purple Mansion realm dares to provoke the Palace of Light! He is truly courting death!"
"Elder Qian Yuan laid down a formation at Mingwang Palace. I reckon that Blood-Robed Sword God won't even dare to show up, cowering like a turtle back in the Hundred Nations!"
The young prodigies in the palace fawned over the Palace of Light to no end.
Toward the Blood-Robed Sword God, their words were dripping with ridicule.
Their sects were not entirely devoid of Purple Mansions, many of whom were veteran powerhouses.
Yet before the Palace of Light, they could only act as lapdogs.
Thus, a single Blood-Robed Sword God daring to challenge the Palace of Light was, in their eyes, pure suicide.
"Once the Prodigy Battle concludes, we will likely receive news that the Blood-Robed Sword God has been executed," a young cultivator remarked.
Listening to this, Huang Tu nodded as well. "The Blood-Robed Sword God is nothing to fear. He can only rely on filthy underhanded tricks."
Over the past two days, recorded jade slips showing a Divine Infant elder of the Palace of Light struck down by heavenly retribution had been circulating continuously.
Throughout the cultivation world, many were secretly denouncing the Palace of Light.
After all, with the Palace of Light acting so domineeringly, many low-level cultivators had harbored resentment for a long time.
Yet denunciations were merely words; they could not hurt the core of the Palace of Light.
With dozens of Purple Mansions and even a damaged Yin God artifact, the Palace of Light held an unshakeable status that low-level cultivators could never overturn, even if they banded together.
The prodigies at the banquet were all of noble birth, and almost none of them paid any heed to the voices of the underclass.
The banquet grew ever livelier. Under Zheng Fangxing's covert instigation, nearly everyone gave Xu Tongchen the cold shoulder, intentionally or otherwise.
Xu Tongchen sat alone in a corner, drinking gloomily while thinking of the man he had seen that day.
He had already dispatched someone to investigate secretly.
Presumably, news would arrive soon.
***
Inside the immortal abode, Qi Yuan continued digesting some of the cultivation arts his junior sister had obtained from Jiang Ya.
Unfortunately, progress was remarkably slow.
Qi Yuan rubbed his forehead, casting a gentle gaze toward Xiao Jia, who lay fast asleep over the table beside him.
*Things have probably fermented enough by now. I'll head over to Mingwang Palace shortly to see that heart-stirring white moonlight of mine,* Qi Yuan thought.
Just then, a chime suddenly echoed from outside the abode.
It resembled the doorbell of Blue Star.
Qi Yuan peered through the formation and spotted a young man.
The door opened, and Qi Yuan looked at him, asking calmly, "What business do you have with me?"
"I am Xu Tongchen of the Seven Words Sect. I had the privilege of seeing you three days ago.
"Please forgive my presumptuous visit," Xu Tongchen said, adopting an extremely humble posture.
He was desperate to understand why his True Solar Fire had reacted so unusually.
Now, standing closer to this young man, the anomaly in his True Solar Fire grew even more pronounced.
His entire body began to heat up, and his gaze toward Qi Yuan involuntarily turned fervent.
Qi Yuan frowned. "Speak plainly."
"When I formed my Golden Core, I was fortunate enough to condense a wisp of True Solar Fire..."
"True Solar Fire?" Qi Yuan looked surprised.
That was a good thing.
With True Solar Fire, a Golden Core cultivator possessed enough power to resist the divine abilities of a Divine Infant.
A big city truly was a big city; bumping into a random Golden Core turned out to be someone capable of killing Divine Infants above his realm.
"When I saw you, my True Solar Fire kept leaping, as if..." Xu Tongchen could not bring himself to utter the rest.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan gave Xu Tongchen a glance.
[This is an ordinary cultivator. After condensing True Solar Fire, he became somewhat un-ordinary.
The True Solar Fire regards you as its father.]
"Is that all?" Qi Yuan checked the sky. "I'm very busy right now, rushing off to kill someone. After I finish, we can talk."
Having spoken, Qi Yuan paid no heed to Xu Tongchen's reaction and vanished on the spot.
He left Xu Tongchen standing there, thoroughly dumbfounded.
"Fellow Daoist..."
He tried to call after Qi Yuan, but Qi Yuan was already gone without a trace.
Torn by indecision, he ultimately resolved to wait right there.
Without uncovering the reason, he felt as though ants were crawling over his heart.
***
An hour later.
Above the sky, a figure clad in a blood-red robe streaked across the firmament like a brilliant crimson rainbow, flying with open swagger.
From time to time, a resounding voice bellowed from the heavens.
"The Palace of Light has committed countless atrocities and suffered heavenly retribution!"
"I, the Blood-Robed Sword God, stand up for all the aggrieved of this world and swear to eradicate the Palace of Light!"
The immense voice echoed across the land.
Countless cultivators looked up at the sky.
Unfortunately, the crimson rainbow moved too swiftly for them to catch sight of it.
They could only hear that boisterous roar.
Some felt thrilled, some felt apprehensive, and others felt utterly helpless.
Qi Yuan flew toward Mingwang Palace at extreme speed, as if rushing to meet a lover.
Though this time, he wasn't meeting a lover, but his white moonlight.
Suddenly, an aged transmission reached him: "Blood-Robed Sword God, please hold your step."
Qi Yuan halted and landed atop a knoll.
"What, do you have business with me?" Qi Yuan looked at the Purple Mansion cultivator completely cloaked in black robes. He sensed no hostility or killing intent.
"Blood-Robed Sword God, the Palace of Light has laid an ambush at Mingwang Palace. Besides three of their own Purple Mansions, two nearby Purple Mansions have gone to assist.
"Elder Qian Yuan is in the middle Purple Mansion realm, and he possesses a treasure bestowed by the First Palace Master.
"Going there now is certain death. Why not... retreat? They have too many Purple Mansions. Harassing their Divine Infant deacons is the proper course!" the black-robed cultivator said hurriedly, a trace of worry in his tone.
Qi Yuan gave the black-robed cultivator a look. "What, do you hold a grudge against the Palace of Light?"
The black-robed cultivator paused, his eyes desolate.
This black-robed cultivator was none other than Xu Yeli.
A while ago, Qian Yuan had pressured his disciple to serve Huang Tu.
He could swallow that.
Later, however, he learned that the First Palace Master of the Palace of Light had gone to the Divine Flower Society not only over the Blood-Robed Sword God, but also to borrow a supreme treasure... the God-Form Fire-Trapping Shroud.
Once the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle ended, the First Palace Master would likely use that treasure to extract the True Solar Fire from his disciple Xu Tongchen and transfer it to Huang Tu.
He knew the Seven Words Sect had encountered its greatest crisis.
"A grudge? A blood grudge!" Xu Yeli nodded firmly. "Why don't you form an alliance with me? We can wage guerrilla warfare, pressuring the Palace of Light so they tread cautiously!
"Our forces are weak; we cannot face the Palace of Light head-on!"
Xu Yeli pleaded with earnest sincerity.
He valued this fellow traveler, the Blood-Robed Sword God, greatly. If they joined forces, they could pose a substantial threat to the Palace of Light.
Perhaps the Palace of Light would grow wary and refrain from moving against his disciple Xu Tongchen.
Qi Yuan looked at Xu Yeli thoughtfully. "Cooperation... is indeed workable."
"Really?" Xu Yeli grew excited. Though joining hands was still like throwing eggs against a stone compared to the Palace of Light, it was far better than fighting alone.
"This time, as I head to Mingwang Palace, I happen to lack... a suona player.
"When I battle the Purple Mansions of the Palace of Light, how about you play music by my side?
"Having someone provide accompaniment makes killing people so much more enjoyable," Qi Yuan said calmly.
He rather missed the brass-and-drum troupe back in the Liufeng Realm.
"..." Xu Yeli was completely stunned.
He understood every single word the Blood-Robed Sword God spoke, so why did it sound so utterly bizarre?
Killing people?
Playing music?
What on earth was this!
"You still intend to go to Mingwang Palace?" Xu Yeli asked.
"Of course. Righteousness is on my side, and Heaven's mandate rests with me.
"Right now, I am Archmage Liu Xiu. Opposing me is nothing more than seeking death!" Qi Yuan declared with supreme confidence.
Xu Yeli was rendered speechless.
He felt that communicating with this Purple Mansion was exceedingly difficult.
It seemed... something was wrong with his head.
"Sigh, geniuses are indeed lonely," Qi Yuan could not help lamenting. "But time will prove everything.
"How about this: if I flatten Mingwang Palace today, then every time I campaign against the Palace of Light in the future, you play music behind me, agreed?"
Although a single Purple Mansion playing music couldn't compare to three hundred or three thousand players,
special circumstances called for special measures, didn't they?
Xu Yeli fell silent, not knowing what to say.
He had clearly come to warn him that Mingwang Palace was perilous and urged him not to go.
How had it turned into a wager... to play music for the man?
Looking at the Blood-Robed Sword God, he ultimately gritted his teeth. "If you can truly eliminate Qian Yuan, what harm is there in this old man playing music for you!"
Qi Yuan glanced at Xu Yeli, a smile blooming on his face. "Remember to await my good news."
Qi Yuan's figure vanished.
Draped in his black robe, Xu Yeli stood speechless for a long time.
"Either... he is a madman, or... he has something to rely on."
Yet he could not fathom what reliance the man could possibly have.
The Palace of Light's initiation of the Hundred Nations Blood War had received tacit approval from those paramount figures.
***
Mingwang Palace was filled with a chilling murderous aura.
Dark clouds stretched for ten thousand li, heralding an impending storm.
Qian Yuan stared at the footage within the jade slip, his eyes solemn. "Heavenly thunder..."
Anything involving heavenly thunder touched upon taboos.
Now, heavenly thunder had descended, slaying Divine Infants.
The sight was particularly shocking.
"This Seven Desires Demon Lord must harbor secrets!" Sharp light flashed in the red-bearded elder's eyes.
"Hehe, once the Blood-Robed Sword God falls, this old man will personally head to the Land of a Hundred Nations to see what secrets lie there!" Black Rope spoke as though he had already claimed the secret for himself.
"These Divine Flower Society people are truly detestable. Many of them are secretly supporting that Blood-Robed Sword God!" Mo Ku chimed in, holding a Divine Flower Society jade slip in his hand.
He was counted as a member of the Divine Flower Society as well.
"After we slay the Blood-Robed Sword God, I will have to trouble Fellow Daoist Mo Ku to announce the matter in the Dao discussion area of the Divine Flower Society to vindicate my Palace of Light," Elder Qian Yuan said flatly.
He did not care in the slightest about the opinions of ordinary members of the Divine Flower Society.
What mattered was the stance of the Divine Flower Society's Eastern Lands Chapter Master.
The First Palace Master had already gone to pay a visit, and an outcome would arrive soon.
"To cultivate to such a realm and yet act so foolishly, this Blood-Robed Sword God..." a Purple Mansion powerhouse remarked with a sigh.
"Hmph, Xu Yeli has lived for thousands of years, yet isn't he just as foolish?" Mo Ku spoke up. "The Palace of Light has been as gracious to him as a mountain, yet the moment a slight disturbance arises, he uses excuses to absent himself. Truly abominable."
Hearing this, a profound look flashed through Qian Yuan's eyes. "Xu Yeli... has had it too easy."
A trace of delight flickered across Mo Ku's heart.
This was precisely the outcome he wished to see.
Just then, the five Purple Mansions present looked up at the sky simultaneously.
A blazing crimson rainbow was streaking toward Mingwang Palace.
A terrifyingly oppressive aura permeated the air. Merely glancing at the crimson rainbow shook their minds.
"The Blood-Robed Sword God, he actually came!"
"He dared to show up!"
The five Purple Mansions were startled, but quickly regained their composure.
With numbers on their side, why would they fear a newly ascended Purple Mansion?
The crimson rainbow came to a halt in midair, revealing a figure draped in blood-red robes. A sword rested on his back, and his features were exceptionally handsome.
Terrifying blood qi rolled outward as Qi Yuan asked coldly, "Is everyone here?"
Looking down at the five Purple Mansions, he felt somewhat disappointed.
Why were there only five?
Far too few.
Moreover, there wasn't even a late Purple Mansion.
This batch of white moonlights was truly subpar.
Qian Yuan stared at Qi Yuan, his voice booming like thunder: "Blood-Robed Sword God, you do possess some courage. This old man rather admires it.
"Were it not for your constant slandering and provocation in the Divine Flower Society, I might have even subdued you to serve as our palace-guarding divine beast!"
"Isn't your Palace of Light being a bit too comical? At your age, you're still playing the clown?" The blood-red sword on Qi Yuan's back hummed. "Today, I have come to act on behalf of Heaven."
Since they had agreed on a duel, it was time for a slaughter.
Why waste so many words?
The blood sword left its sheath.
At that moment, Qi Yuan looked as if he had crawled out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
His blood-red robe seemed to drip with gore.
His entire being was enveloped within a realm of blood.
The five Purple Mansions were stunned for an instant.
How did this person look anything like an orthodox cultivator?
He was blatantly an archdemon of the demonic path!
With blood qi so thick, if someone claimed he had slaughtered hundreds of millions of living souls, people would believe it without question.
And he claimed to be acting on behalf of Heaven?
"Acting on behalf of Heaven? What a joke! Today, my Palace of Light shall rid the world of you, devil!"
Qian Yuan was in the middle Purple Mansion realm, standing among the very peak figures in the entirety of Cuiyun Continent, second only to the three palace masters of the Palace of Light.
His strength gave him confidence.
The five Purple Mansions looked at Qi Yuan with a mixture of wariness and disdain.
Meanwhile, Qi Yuan gripped his longsword, his blood robe fluttering. "Once, with this sword, I slaughtered one thousand seven hundred Purple Mansions. Today... sending you on your way is letting you off easy."
The Purple Mansions froze for a moment, then burst into uproarious laughter.
"Raving mad! No wonder he dared come to Mingwang Palace!"
How many Purple Mansions did Cuiyun Continent even have in total?
Slaying a thousand Purple Mansions with a single sword? Pure boast!
Even a Yin God would never claim to slaughter two thousand Purple Mansions in one strike.
Qi Yuan spoke no further.
Sweet words were useless when dealing with white moonlights; one had to ravage them ruthlessly until they wept bitter tears.
Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons!
Qi Yuan unleashed his origin divine ability.
Sun and moon fell into chaos.
Souls were overturned.
Inner demons ran wild.
At that very instant, the expressions of the Purple Mansions warped entirely.
A true master's strike reveals everything in a breath.
Their previous arrogance and disdain vanished without a trace.
Only by experiencing it firsthand did they comprehend what manner of powerhouse they had encountered.
"Engraving... you are in the late Purple Mansion realm?!" Qian Yuan's face turned grave, laced with sheer terror.
An origin divine ability at the Engraving level, the late Purple Mansion realm... the Palace of Light possessed only three such individuals, and those three were the palace masters!
The Blood-Robed Sword God... was a late Purple Mansion? They had never even considered the possibility.
A remote region like the Hundred Nations producing a Purple Mansion by sheer luck was already shocking enough.
Yet he was in the late Purple Mansion realm?
Every late Purple Mansion in the Thirteen Continents of the Eastern Lands was a renowned figure of long standing.
How had one suddenly popped up here?
Baffled and frantic, he struggled desperately against Qi Yuan's origin divine ability.
His own origin divine ability, merely at the Subtle level, was utterly fragile before the Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons.
Qi Yuan could not be bothered to waste words on dead men.
The red-bearded elder sank directly into madness.
He seemed to behold an immense city where thousands of Purple Mansions had gathered.
A man in blood-red robes stepped forward, unleashing a sword strike that plunged one thousand seven hundred Purple Mansions into a demonic domain, sinking endlessly until every last one perished.
"It's real... How is this possible?!"
How could someone slaughter over a thousand Purple Mansions with a single sword?
In that instant, his mind collapsed.
The remaining three Purple Mansions possessed no power to resist either. The moment Qi Yuan's origin divine ability emerged, they descended into frenzy.
Granted, they were not Sovereigns of the Liufeng Realm.
Yet Qi Yuan's origin divine ability was of immense tier, resting at the Engraving level.
To him, settling these five Purple Mansions was indeed the work of a single sword.
Standing in the void, Qi Yuan looked helplessly at the five Purple Mansions. "They're dying too slowly. I'm in a hurry to get back."
They were not Sovereigns of the Liufeng Realm after all; even after being struck by his origin divine ability, inner demons did not instantly tear through their bodies to kill them.
At this moment, they were merely trapped in stupor, unable to extricate themselves.
With that thought, Qi Yuan thrust his sword forward once more.
Like Runtu spearing zha, he finished off the five Purple Mansions one by one.
"Good thing they don't have super armor to ignore crowd control, or killing them would have been quite troublesome."
Slaughtering five Purple Mansions with utter ease,
Qi Yuan felt that bullying noobs was undeniably satisfying.
By now, all the Divine Infants throughout Mingwang Palace stood frozen, boundless terror surging in their eyes.
Qi Yuan grinned. "Die."
With a light word,
those Divine Infant cultivators plunged straight into the Avici Hell.
In an instant, Mingwang Palace was reduced to utter ruin.
With a smile playing on his lips, Qi Yuan stood atop the rubble of Mingwang Palace.
"Five white moonlights, not bad at all."
With a wave of his hand, he deftly collected all their storage bags.
Then, he glanced at the fallen Divine Infants.
"Even if they weren't white moonlights, they traveled thousands of li to deliver gifts.
"The gift is light, but the sentiment is deep.
"When an elder bestows a gift, one dare not decline."
Qi Yuan stowed those storage bags away as well, resembling a dragon obsessed with hoarding treasure.
Chapter 145