Although present Qi Yuan had not yet fully re-established himself as the Heavenly Dao of the Wangyue Continent, his words already carried the weight of a divine decree to the representatives of the seven kingdoms, swaying their decisions.
The moment he spoke, the seven kingdoms' envoys nullified all their previous agreements one after another.
At this sight, the faces of the prodigies gathered in the hall changed drastically.
The first to lash out at Qi Yuan was Ling Jiao once again.
"How dare you! You actually used illusion techniques to bewitch these natives of the Wangyue Continent and force them to annul the pacts! What immense audacity!"
"Your Excellency goes too far. With the great tribulation looming, we ought to join forces. How can you hoard everything for yourself?"
"What do you mean, 'hoarding everything'? Isn't Wangyue Continent his home?" True Monarch Dazhi could not help but chime in.
The prodigies looked toward Qi Yuan, their expressions thoroughly hostile.
After all, securing a foothold on the Wangyue Continent was a scheme devised by the sects backing them.
It would allow them to mitigate the great tribulation.
Qi Yuan's actions now clearly encroached upon their vital interests.
Challenging nearly twenty mighty factions single-handedly—just how brazen was he!
"Wangyue Continent is my home. I can lease it to whoever I want. Didn't I just ask if you wanted to rent? In the end, none of you wanted to," Qi Yuan said with a helpless shrug. "Since you're not renting, voiding the agreements is only natural. Besides, we haven't signed any contracts, so there's no legal validity. Even if you sue me in court, I'd still win."
Qi Yuan spouted words that left every prodigy present dumbfounded. They understood each individual word, but strung together, the sentences made little sense to them; they could grasp only the general gist.
He wanted to seize the Wangyue Continent for himself!
"I wonder who gave you the confidence to oppose so many of us!" Ling Jiao snapped coldly.
The others also glared at Qi Yuan with unfriendly gazes.
"Justice! Reason!" Qi Yuan retorted with righteous indignation. "In the Beautiful Country, if you trespass into my home, I'm legally allowed to shoot you dead!"
Qi Yuan used legends of the Beautiful Country to intimidate the people before him.
"Hmph! Let me see what you're actually capable of!" A potent aura billowed from Ling Jiao, as though she were about to strike Qi Yuan.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan felt disappointed.
Sure enough, tales of the Beautiful Country couldn't frighten these people.
They actually dared to make a move against him.
"Come at me all at once. Today, I'll teach you that my fist is the law!" Draped in twenty robes, Qi Yuan looked exceedingly bulky, and with turtle shells strapped across his chest and back, he appeared utterly comical.
Yet right now, he was brazenly challenging over a dozen prodigies!
Every single prodigy present felt their expression twitch, shock rippling through their hearts.
"What nerve!"
"Even if you are at the peak of the Divine Infant realm, you are destined to suffer a crushing defeat here today!"
The prodigies burned with fury.
Most were at the Golden Core realm, while some were Divine Infant experts. Beneath the Purple Mansion realm, they were the pinnacle figures of the Eastern Lands.
And this turtle-shell man before them was clearly not a Purple Mansion cultivator.
When a cultivator who had comprehended an origin divine ability entered another world, they would visibly suffer severe rejection by the world.
Yet Qi Yuan showed no signs of it, so at most, he was only in the Divine Infant realm.
A single Divine Infant challenging the entire top twenty of the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll was nothing short of suicidal.
"I'm not at the peak of Divine Infant; I'm only at Golden Core!" Qi Yuan declared earnestly.
Evidently, no one present believed him—or rather, no one bothered to heed his words.
"Whether you are a Divine Infant or possess ten thousand Golden Cores, you will certainly fall today!"
The dozen-odd prodigies braced to strike Qi Yuan.
Unmoved by the surrounding prodigies, Qi Yuan turned to Gu Xiaoyao and said solemnly, "You attained Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, the adversary I respect the most!
"A battle between you and me would likely shatter the continent, blot out the sun and moon, and drag on for half a year without a clear victor.
"Once I defeat them, I will face you in an honorable, upright duel!"
Gu Xiaoyao froze momentarily upon hearing this, before a strange surge of superiority rose within him. "Very well."
This bizarre man looked down upon the other prodigies and chose to fight him last, clearly placing him on an entirely different level from the rest.
"Heh! Taking us all on alone? It seems you truly have a death wish!" Ling Jiao sneered coldly. "Those turtle shells and dozens of robes won't save you!"
The other prodigies glared at Qi Yuan, battle intent surging in their chests.
Qi Yuan's earlier words were nothing less than an insult to them.
"In this battle... I will not participate," Xu Tongchen quietly slipped away at that moment.
He well knew that the man before them was the Blood-Robed Sword God!
Moreover, he was baffled: wasn't it said that when a Purple Mansion cultivator entered a world, celestial phenomena of world rejection would manifest?
"This humble girl is not adept at martial arts; I will not participate in this fight," Jiang Ya said after some thought, stepping back as well.
True Monarch Dazhi looked toward Qi Yuan and extended a fist. "I support you."
The remaining fifteen prodigies glared at Qi Yuan with hostile eyes.
None made the first move. After all, ganging up on a single opponent would bring little glory even in victory.
They were all waiting for Ling Jiao to make a move and teach this turtle-shell man a lesson.
Yet before Ling Jiao could strike, Qi Yuan attacked first.
"In my own home, I have a buff active! How can you possibly compete with me!"
Qi Yuan roared.
A terrifying aura swept outwards.
At that moment, every prodigy present felt their breath catch.
As an overwhelming pressure bore down on them, their expressions changed drastically.
Before they could make a single move, it felt as though several towering mountains had crashed down upon each of their backs.
The fifteen prodigies were completely immobilized, pinned down by the immense weight.
Ling Jiao fared even worse; the crushing weight drove her flat against the floor, her face making intimate contact with the ground, which caved in beneath her into a deep pit!
With a single move against fifteen peerless prodigies, Qi Yuan had scored an instant wipeout!
Or rather, they were not even in the same league to begin with!
Merely by exerting his aura's pressure, Qi Yuan had utterly crushed these fifteen prodigies.
The prodigies' faces were thoroughly ghastly, stamped with abject terror.
"Purple Mansion?"
"You're a Purple Mansion cultivator? How is that possible!"
"No, even a Purple Mansion realm isn't this formidable... You are... the Blood-Robed Sword God!"
Bewildered, the prodigies felt their souls tremble in shock.
Could this man truly be the legendary Blood-Robed Sword God?
If he was the Blood-Robed Sword God, everything made sense.
Having defeated fifteen prodigies with pure pressure, Qi Yuan turned his blazing gaze toward Gu Xiaoyao, the one with Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. "What I just did was surely trivial to an esteemed master of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment like yourself.
"Now... let us have an honorable battle! Do not go easy on me just because I am young!
"I wish to see if pushing myself to my limits can match even thirty percent of your power!"
Qi Yuan stared at Gu Xiaoyao as an aura ten times, a hundred times more immense than before erupted outward.
The legendary, perfect Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment—his true rival! Finally, he was going to cross hands with him!
Only an opponent like this could truly be considered a worthy rival!
At that moment, bearing the crushing pressure, Gu Xiaoyao was consumed by sheer panic.
Was this senior joking?
You're a Purple Mansion mighty figure—a titan who wiped out the Palace of Light, a faction backed by a Yin God heritage—and you want an honorable duel with a puny Divine Infant like me?
Isn't this just outright bullying?
Aggrieved beyond measure, he couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan grew indignant. "Why aren't you speaking? Are you looking down on me? Do you think I'm unworthy of fighting you?"
Was a perfect Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment so great?
Was he looking down so heavily on someone with a flawed Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment like him?
Qi Yuan felt deeply aggrieved.
Gu Xiaoyao felt even more aggrieved than Qi Yuan.
At that moment, True Monarch Dazhi spoke up: "Based on my years of experience, Gu Xiaoyao cannot speak right now because your pressure is too overwhelming. He physically cannot open his mouth."
"Ah?" Qi Yuan was stunned.
Gu Xiaoyao felt like thanking True Monarch Dazhi's ancestors back eighteen generations.
"Isn't he a perfect Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment? How could he be suppressed by my pressure?
"I get it! He's feigning weakness to lower my guard, and then he'll launch a sneak attack when I'm not paying attention!
"What profound cunning—as expected of a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!" Qi Yuan came to a sudden realization.
Gu Xiaoyao felt utterly stifled.
Just then, True Monarch Dazhi pondered aloud, "Perhaps he is not a perfect Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, but a flawed one."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan blinked.
The immense pressure vanished completely. Only then could Gu Xiaoyao catch his breath, his face reflecting the raw relief of someone who had just survived a disaster. "Senior, I am a flawed Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!"
At this juncture, staying alive was what mattered most.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt intensely awkward.
The intel was wrong! It was all Xu Tongchen's fault for feeding him bad information!
Mortified, he wanted nothing more than to leave immediately.
He turned to Luo Xi and the other representatives of the seven kingdoms. "Let's go. We're going to deal with the Moluo Clan."
The representatives of the seven kingdoms were ecstatic.
This mighty figure's strength exceeded their wildest imaginations.
They felt that in front of him, they wouldn't last a single round.
Was this the legendary Rank Five expert?
"Understood!" Luo Xi exclaimed, his heart pounding with excitement.
At that moment, Jiang Ya spoke up. "Senior, I have always been collecting cultivation techniques under heaven. Might I accompany you on this journey to gather the techniques of this realm?"
"Hmm... very well." Qi Yuan looked at Jiang Ya. "I also have a condition: you must give me some of the Ascending Heaven Pavilion's cultivation techniques."
A smile touched Jiang Ya's eyes. "For every technique I obtain in this realm, I will offer Senior five of mine. How does that sound?"
"Deal! It's a promise!" Qi Yuan was thrilled.
He had finally clung to the coattails of Jiang Ya, this wealthy lady.
"Fellow Daoist, I am also quite curious about the customs of this realm. May I travel with you?" True Monarch Dazhi asked.
"Sure. It just so happens you can help me scout out which house would be best to rent," Qi Yuan agreed.
"I'll come too!" Xu Tongchen hurriedly piped up.
He hadn't fought earlier; if he stayed behind, he would undoubtedly become a target for everyone's resentment.
"All right."
Qi Yuan cast a faint glance over the dozen or so prodigies before following Luo Xi as their group slowly departed.
Only after dozens of breaths did the suffocating atmosphere in the room finally disperse.
One young man's face darkened. "As a senior, the Blood-Robed Sword God actually struck against us juniors! How utterly shameless!"
They were now almost certain that the man was indeed the Blood-Robed Sword God.
Xu Tongchen's master, Xu Yeli, was a member of the Blood-Robed Alliance.
Xu Tongchen's attitude toward the turtle-shell man made everything obvious.
Moreover, quite a few prodigies had heard rumors that the person who entered through the back door was the Blood-Robed Sword God.
They had initially assumed it was a junior from the Blood-Robed Alliance; never did they imagine it was the Blood-Robed Sword God himself!
"Strange. The origins of different worlds are largely distinct.
"Having comprehended an origin divine ability, entering another world rashly should incite severe world rejection. Why didn't the Blood-Robed Sword God experience that?" another prodigy wondered aloud.
Precisely because of this, they had assumed the turtle-shell man was simply a prodigy like themselves.
Among peers of the same tier, they feared no one.
Yet as it turned out, the Blood-Robed Sword God had bullied the weak with overwhelming seniority!
Not only did he pummel them, he even pretended to demand an honorable duel with Gu Xiaoyao!
This old fellow had no martial ethics whatsoever—he was shamelessly tormenting the younger generation!
Ling Jiao said coldly, "The Blood-Robed Sword God bullies the young and dares to monopolize the Wangyue Continent! This is making an enemy of us, making an enemy of the entire Eastern Lands!"
"The Blood-Robed Sword God is powerful, and wiping out the Palace of Light was indeed astonishing. But opposing the entire Eastern Lands is seeking death! I will report this matter to my Grandmaster!"
"Hmph! Does he think hiding in the Wangyue Continent means we have no way to deal with him?"
Their sects were reluctant to clash with the Blood-Robed Sword God, but the Wangyue Continent concerned their retreat route in the coming tribulation; they had to contest it.
"Hmph! This isn't over! Standing alone against the Eastern Lands—does this Blood-Robed Sword God think the sun in the sky revolves around him?!" Ling Jiao fumed. But mid-sentence, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from her lips.
Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, her aura plummeting until her breath was as faint as gossamer.
"Ling Jiao?!" Shock swept through everyone present.
Could it be that the Blood-Robed Sword God hadn't left yet?
Was this his punishment for Ling Jiao?
The prodigies' faces turned pale, and none dared speak another word or utter another mention of the Blood-Robed Sword God.
...
Across the sky, several streaks of light flashed past.
Qi Yuan looked at Luo Xi beside him and asked, "Have you been to the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground?"
Luo Xi was taken aback. "Senior... how did you know?"
Beside them, Jiang Ya gave Qi Yuan a peculiar look.
"In the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground, doing push-ups and sit-ups increases one's strength, but the cost is... hair loss," Qi Yuan sighed wistfully.
These rules had been established by him back then to help Jin Li grow stronger.
Luo Xi was shaken to his core, waves churning in his mind.
How could this outsider from another realm know such deep secrets!
Qi Yuan looked at him. "Could you tell me about the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground?"
Luo Xi fell silent.
He did not know Qi Yuan's true identity.
Yet matters concerning the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground involved profound secrets.
He did not know where to begin or what he should say.
Qi Yuan raised his head and gazed at the colossal Ancient Qi Toon Tree in the sky, his thoughts drifting back to a distant past.
Back then, by the shores of July Lake, sitting upon a bluestone, Yue Nü had kept him company as he angled alone in the cold snow.
"Just tell me. It's all right," Qi Yuan spoke.
His voice was once again suffused with enchanting allure.
Luo Xi, who had been hesitating, slowly began, "When I was young, I followed my parents to the Moon Dynasty. Through a stroke of fortune, I joined the Moon Dynasty and became one of the Moon Sworn."
"So the Moon Dynasty still exists..." Qi Yuan recalled the people near July Town, and remembered Yue Nü, who had once left a crescent moon mark on his arm.
He glanced at his arm; it was smooth and clear, the crescent mark long gone.
"Upon becoming a Moon Sworn, one may enter the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground to increase one's strength and pledge loyalty to the Moon Goddess!" When mentioning the Moon Goddess, Luo Xi's face filled with awe and reverence. "Later, when the Moluo Clan invaded and Fenggui fell into peril, I requested leave from our leader. The leader permitted me to return to Fenggui and defend it."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan looked up at the moon in the sky.
Moon Goddess Yuanjun... Wangyue Continent... Yue Nü... Moon Token... Master.
Was there a connection between all of them?
He felt things were immensely intricate and perplexing.
Nor did he know whether coming here would allow him to see the person he wished to see.
Jiang Ya interrupted Qi Yuan's thoughts, asking, "Senior, how do you plan to deal with the Moluo Clan?"
"Kill them, of course," Qi Yuan replied decisively.
Jiang Ya continued, "The Moluo Clan forces in Fenggui and the other six kingdoms aren't particularly strong. With Senior's prowess, you might sweep them clean within days.
"However... once Senior reveals your true strength, it will alert the powerhouses of the Moluo Clan.
"In ten-odd days at the earliest, or a few months at the latest, the Moluo Clan's Yin God experts will surely track you down.
"Senior stands alone and has offended so many major factions of the Eastern Lands. Facing the Moluo Clan, I fear..."
Anxiety clouded Jiang Ya's eyes.
The Moluo Clan was exceptionally formidable; otherwise, the Eastern Lands' Yin Gods wouldn't have been at a disadvantage in their contest against them.
"This is my home. Just because the enemy is strong, should I hand my home over on a silver platter?" Qi Yuan countered.
Wangyue Continent was his home. When unwanted guests barged into his home, naturally they had to abide by "the person may leave, but their life stays behind."
Jiang Ya was struck speechless.
She felt communicating with the Blood-Robed Sword God was just as exhausting as talking to Jiang Lingsu's senior brother.
True Monarch Dazhi chimed in from the side, "Heads may roll, blood may spill, but one's home cannot be yielded!"
Xu Tongchen remained silent, not taking part in their discussion.
At this point, Qi Yuan looked at Luo Xi. "Who told the Moon Dynasty the secrets of the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground?"
Back then, he had only told Jin Li, never mentioning it to anyone else—not even Yue Nü.
How did the Moon Dynasty come to know the secrets of the Xuanyuan Forbidden Ground?
"Junior... does not know," Luo Xi admitted, not quite grasping the context behind Qi Yuan's question.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan sighed inward.
It seemed he would have to make a trip to the Moon Dynasty in person to uncover the truth.
Could it be that Jin Li later went to wait for him under the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, and eventually joined the Moon Dynasty?
Innumerable doubts filled Qi Yuan's mind.
He asked again, "Is the current Moon Dynasty still located near the Ancient Qi Toon Tree? Are there still people by July Lake?"
"Yes," Luo Xi nodded. "The Moon Dynasty keeps a low profile nowadays, yet it produces powerhouse after powerhouse.
"July Town is the holy land of the Moon Dynasty.
"The Grand Priest has always resided in a wooden cabin by July Lake in July Town."
Speaking of the Grand Priest, reverence filled Luo Xi's eyes.
For some reason, hearing the words 'Grand Priest' made Qi Yuan's left brow twitch. "What is the Grand Priest's name? What does she look like?"
"The Grand Priest... has the body of a young child, unchanged for centuries. Her face is perpetually veiled, so no one can clearly see her appearance.
"She is the foremost powerhouse of the Moon Dynasty and the greatest expert on the Wangyue Continent.
"Her swordsmanship is peerless under heaven; none can rival it!" Fanaticism shone in Luo Xi's eyes.
Evidently, this Grand Priest held a supreme standing in the hearts of the Moon Sworn.
"The Grand Priest is also the one who attends closest to the Moon Goddess," Luo Xi added.
Hearing this, countless thoughts flashed through Qi Yuan's mind.
Swordsmanship?
A child's physique?
Could it be Yue Nü?
Yet he had been gone for so long; Yue Nü should have grown into adulthood ages ago, or fallen amidst the long river of time.
Could it be a mere coincidence?
To uncover all of this, he would have to go to the Moon Dynasty.
For some reason, after arriving on the Wangyue Continent, a trace of trepidation had crept into his heart.
He was afraid that all of it would amount to nothingness.
Yet that thought lasted only an instant.
"Hmph! I will surely become a Hunyuan Saint, a Daluo Golden Immortal! Even if everything has turned to naught, I can turn illusion into reality!" Qi Yuan thought to himself.
He resolved that after hacking down the unwelcome guests around the seven kingdoms like Fenggui, he would head to the Moon Dynasty to uncover the whole truth.
"Twenty-one days... It'll pass quickly," Qi Yuan murmured.
Chapter 159