Zhang Yan, his head covered in white hair, looked at Zhao Ci and said with earnest gravity, "Wangyue Continent has no future; the Moluo Clan cannot be resisted at all. You would be better off becoming my disciple and joining the Canglan Realm."
"Senior, when I was young, I swore an oath that I would take no master in this life—and if I ever did, it would only be the strongest, the Faceless Sword God!" Zhao Ci's gaze was resolute.
He had grown up listening to tales of the Faceless Sword God, feeling boundless admiration, even fanaticism, for the figure who had turned the tide and stood alone against three thousand extraterrestrial demons.
"Hmph!" Zhang Yan scoffed coldly. "Short-sighted ignorance. Wangyue Continent's Heavenly Dao is flawed; its strongest are merely Divine Infants. However strong that Faceless Sword God was, he was at best an unconventional Purple Mansion. As for this old man, I have hope of stepping into the Purple Mansion realm in this lifetime. If that nonsensical Faceless Sword God appeared before me, how could he possibly withstand a single origin divine ability of mine?"
Zhao Ci said nothing.
He knew he could not convince Zhang Yan.
"Oh, by the way. Your third brother was secretly preparing to welcome this so-called Blood-Robed Sword God, and Hu Mang mutilated him into a human pig," Zhang Yan remarked nonchalantly.
Zhao Ci's hands froze, sending ripples across the water in his basin.
A layer of mist seemed to blur his vision.
His third brother... was an upright, kind man who had often taken him out horse-riding when they were young.
Now, he had been turned into a human pig: his hands and feet chopped off, his eyes gouged out, his vocal cords pierced, and his eardrums punctured.
How could fury and sorrow not boil within his heart?
"This old man's patience is limited. If you do not give me a satisfactory answer within three days, your third brother's fate may very well be yours," Zhang Yan said coldly.
He could no longer be bothered to speak civilly with this native of Wangyue Continent.
...
Across the firmament, a streak of blood-red light flashed.
Qi Yuan and his party of four descended onto the city wall outside the imperial capital of the Chuang Kingdom.
Moments later, several terrifying auras surged toward them.
Qi Yuan glanced over and saw several Divine Infant cultivators from the Canglan Realm.
Qi Yuan said lazily, "Where is the Moluo Clan's encampment? My sword is already hungry and impatient."
At that moment, Zhang Yan stepped forward with a respectful expression on his face. "Could Your Excellency be Senior Blood-Robed Sword God? Junior is Zhang Yan, the elder brother of Mi'er, the messenger official under Venerable Yeqiong."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan paused.
Mi'er?
Wasn't that the arrogant, domineering woman who had blocked his path and threatened him while he was on his way to wipe out the Palace of Light, only to be slain by a single strike of his sword?
Her brother?
Qi Yuan looked odd. Should he kill him?
Yet at the thought that innocent relatives shouldn't bear the blame for another's crime, his killing intent receded.
He did not enjoy wiping out entire families.
He also found it strange. The man was Mi'er's elder brother—knowing that Qi Yuan had killed his sister, was Zhang Yan not furious at all?
Could he be... a noble, reasonable gentleman?
On second thought, though, Qi Yuan realized.
The entrance to Wangyue Continent opened only rarely.
Zhang Yan had entered Wangyue Continent a year ago.
Thus, news of Qi Yuan slaying Mi'er and wiping out the Palace of Light likely had not reached Zhang Yan's ears yet.
"Right, I want to go kill the Moluo Clan. Just give me the coordinates, and I'll go do the killing," Qi Yuan said earnestly.
He wanted to leave quickly. He feared that if he stayed near Zhang Yan for too long, he would not be able to resist tearing out the problem by its roots.
"Senior, our fellow Daoists here can handle the Moluo Clan on our own. You should go elsewhere instead." Zhang Yan raised his pitch. "We came here under the orders of Venerable Yeqiong. We hope Senior will forgive us."
He regarded the Blood-Robed Sword God merely as an ordinary Purple Mansion.
Hence, he showed respect, but only so much.
If he knew that Qi Yuan had wiped out the Palace of Light, and if he understood Qi Yuan's temperament—or rather, his lunatic streak—he never would have spoken like that.
"I am naturally inclined to help others. Besides, Wangyue Continent is my home. Protecting it cannot rely solely on everyone else; it also depends on me, the master." Because Qi Yuan had killed Zhang Yan's sister, he spoke somewhat more politely.
A smile appeared in Zhang Yan's eyes. "Your Imperial Majesty, why don't you tell us: do you need their help?"
The man clad in the dragon robe was old and frail, his eyes clouded and filled with helplessness. In the end, he spoke: "We thank this senior for his kind intentions. We can deal with the Moluo Clan ourselves."
Beside them, Zhao Ci saw this, and his heart sank.
The young woman's expression was also visibly sour.
Zhang Yan smiled. "Senior Blood-Robed Sword God, please turn back!"
Qi Yuan glanced at the old emperor. "If you're being threatened, blink your eyes."
Hearing this, the old emperor looked bewildered. Prone to blinking constantly in the first place, he could not help but blink a few times.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan flew into a rage. "Good, how dare you threaten the emperor!"
Qi Yuan immediately turned his fury upon the dozen or so Divine Infant cultivators present.
In the past, these people might have qualified as his unattainable idols, requiring his full attention.
To the present him, these dozen-odd Divine Infants were absolute rubbish!
Qi Yuan's loud shout startled nearly everyone present.
True Monarch Dazhi could not help but chime in, "According to my studies of the law, threatening the emperor is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine familial generations. Alas, your mothers... are gone."
The expressions of the Divine Infants shifted slightly.
Zhang Yan could not help repeating, "Senior Blood-Robed Sword God, we came here under the orders of Venerable Yeqiong! Please think twice, Senior!"
"True Monarch Dazhi said that threatening the emperor warrants the extermination of nine familial generations. Your sister is Venerable Yeqiong's official, so Venerable Yeqiong can roughly count among your nine familial relations. He's condemned too, unable even to save himself," Qi Yuan pressed relentlessly, standing on the high ground now that he had found a reason.
He had finally found a justification to condemn Venerable Yeqiong.
In an instant, he occupied the moral high ground once again.
Qi Yuan's words caused the faces of the Divine Infants present to twitch.
They had no idea what he meant by this.
They only felt that this man possessed audacity that knew no bounds.
Even so, facing a Purple Mansion, they did not dare use their authority too aggressively.
If they ended up dead, it would be sheer misfortune.
"Senior, it is not that we wish to stop you from killing the Moluo Clan. Rather... you are already a Purple Mansion, and slaughtering the Moluo Clan wantonly on Wangyue Continent will likely draw the attention of their Purple Mansions. They may come to besiege you before long. Senior had best exercise caution!" Zhang Yan added a veiled threat as he spoke.
"Stop changing the subject! Extermination of nine generations, off with your heads, off with your heads!" Qi Yuan bellowed.
The longsword at his side cleared its scabbard, churning with sky-shrouding blood-red qi.
Zhang Yan's face darkened. "Senior, are you truly doing this?"
"Hmph! Leaving aside the extermination of your nine generations, you maliciously obstructed me from cleaning the garbage out of my home. Your intentions are utterly reprehensible! No, wait—you lot are garbage in my home as well. You deserve to die!"
Qi Yuan finished speaking without another thought, and the blood-red sword in his hand surged violently.
The moment the sword struck, it gave the dozen or so Divine Infants no time to react.
In an instant, sixteen fine heads tumbled to the ground.
As for the Divine Infants within their bodies, they were extinguished before they could even emerge.
Right up until their deaths, these Divine Infant cultivators never imagined they would be killed in such a manner.
Over a single disagreement, Qi Yuan had directly slaughtered over a dozen Divine Infants.
Seeing this, Zhao Ci felt a surge of intense emotion. "Thank you, Senior, for saving our Chuang Kingdom!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Ci fell to his knees, his face glowing with excitement.
The people of the Chuang Kingdom present could not help but drop to their knees as well, overflowing with gratitude toward this Blood-Robed Sword God who had suddenly appeared.
With a wave of his hand, Qi Yuan lifted everyone back to their feet.
"I am going to kill the Moluo Clan. Send me their locations and encampment coordinates. Also, I need cultivation manuals—the more, the better!" Qi Yuan said.
The old emperor hurriedly replied, "We will prepare them for Senior at once!"
Hearing this, Qi Yuan nodded.
He glanced at the corpses of the Divine Infants on the ground, then turned to Zhao Ci. "Your sword isn't bad. How about lending it to me for a moment?"
Overwhelmed by the honor, Zhao Ci offered the sword with both hands. "Please, Senior!"
Qi Yuan took the sword, and looking at its design, remarked with inexplicable sentiment, "This sword... is somewhat special."
Hearing this, Zhao Ci said with pride, "This sword was forged in imitation of the Faceless Sword God's blade."
"The Faceless Sword God?" Qi Yuan mused inwardly, sighing with emotion.
He had not expected that events from countless years ago were still remembered today.
Holding the sword, Qi Yuan poured a torrent of blood-red energy into it. With a sweep of his hand, he plunged the blade into the imperial highway before the imperial city.
He said softly, "Cultivators of the Canglan Realm: whoever crosses this sword shall be executed without mercy!"
His voice rang out like a divine decree.
The blood sword stood embedded in the ground, radiating a terrifying aura.
Naturally, he did not want his feud with Venerable Yeqiong to drag this small kingdom into ruin.
Having slain so many Divine Infants, he left this sword behind to prevent the Divine Infants under Venerable Yeqiong's banner from taking revenge on the Chuang Kingdom.
This single sword could easily slaughter any Divine Infant from their outposts.
As for Purple Mansions or even Yin Gods arriving later, by that time... he would likely have taken full control of Wangyue Continent and could appear here with a single thought.
Witnessing this, Zhao Ci grew visibly excited. "Senior has also heard the tale of the Faceless Sword God and Yue Nü?"
"Hm?" Qi Yuan was surprised.
"Back then, numerous experts arose from the Hundred Kingdoms Alliance to assassinate the Faceless Sword God. The Faceless Sword God entrusted his sword to Yue Nü, who held it amidst the wind and snow before thousands of troops, coldly declaring, 'Whoever crosses this sword shall be executed without mercy.' The experts of the Hundred Cities Alliance grew reckless and actually dared to cross the blade, only to be slain in a single stroke."
Distant memories resurfaced in his mind, and Qi Yuan's expression softened. "How do you know this so clearly?"
"Who among the followers of the Faceless Cult does not know?" Zhao Ci said.
Qi Yuan froze.
When had a Faceless Cult appeared?
He had become a "God"?
"My third brother also believed in the Faceless Sword God. Unfortunately... they mutilated him into a human pig!" Zhao Ci gnashed his teeth, wishing he could devour the flesh and drink the blood of those dozen-odd Divine Infants.
Qi Yuan said calmly, "Bring him over so I can take a look."
These members of the Faceless Cult were his fans.
It was rare for him to have fans; he naturally had to treat them well.
Who told them to have such great taste!
Zhao Ci was overjoyed. "Right away!"
Before long, several soldiers carried over a stretcher.
Upon it lay a figure whose limbs had been severed, barely recognizable as human.
Qi Yuan looked at the man and placed his hand on the prince.
In an instant, flesh and blood regenerated furiously across the prince's body.
His destroyed vocal cords and eyes were restored in that very moment.
Boundless gratitude washed over Zhao Ci's face. A thousand words welled up inside him, yet he did not know how to begin.
Beside them, surprise flickered in Jiang Ya's eyes. "I did not expect Senior Blood-Robed Sword God to be so proficient in the medical arts."
It was normal for powerful cultivators to use their cultivation base to heal wounds.
However, she could not understand the method the Blood-Robed Sword God had employed, though she could tell it was not standard healing via cultivation energy.
Most likely, the Blood-Robed Sword God possessed some extraordinary medical technique.
"I know nothing of medicine. It's just that this world belongs to me, so restoring someone's injuries is very simple," Qi Yuan said, then added, "What I am truly best at is modifying cultivation techniques."
Jiang Ya froze upon hearing this.
She was reminded of Qi Yuan, who was also adept at modifying cultivation manuals.
The two were eerily alike.
If not for the vast gulf in their cultivation levels, she truly would have taken them for the same person.
Still... was Qi Yuan really just at Foundation Establishment?
Just then, an ethereal voice reached Qi Yuan's ears.
"Blood-Robed Sword God, could we speak?"
Qi Yuan's expression changed slightly.
A Yin God!
Indeed, the person transmitting her voice to him was a Yin God.
"Wait here carefully for a moment. I'm going out for a bit and will return shortly." After a brief thought, Qi Yuan vanished from sight.
Before fully taking over Wangyue Continent, he had already encountered a Yin God.
A sense of urgency stirred within him.
Yet the moment he remembered that he still had Ning Tao, his confidence surged once more.
After about a dozen breaths, Qi Yuan stopped beside a lake.
Along the lakeshore, verdant trees grew luxuriantly. A woman clad in snow-white robes stood there, a layer of mist veiling her face and obscuring her features.
[This is a mysterious woman whose cultivation is at the Yin God realm, Sky Treading Step One.]
The information from his eyes confirmed the Yin God's cultivation level.
Qi Yuan could tell that she was not from Wangyue Continent, but rather from the Canglan Realm.
"Who are you, a Venerable from the Eastern Lands? What do you want with me?"
The white-robed woman looked at Qi Yuan and shook her head. "I am not a Venerable from the Eastern Lands. I came here to advise Your Excellency to cease killing the Moluo Clan."
"Oh?" Qi Yuan was intrigued, curious about the identity of the white-robed woman before him.
To be precise, this was strictly the first Yin God he had ever met.
"On Wangyue Continent, the Moluo Clan possesses five Yin Gods, two of whom are at Sky Treading Step Two. Your Excellency's wanton slaughter of the Moluo Clan will draw their notice. Before long, those five Yin Gods will likely manifest and join forces to kill you."
"When they manifest, it remains to be seen who will be besieging whom!" Qi Yuan said confidently.
By then, he would have fully taken over Wangyue Continent.
His strength would skyrocket. He refused to believe he couldn't defeat those five Yin Gods.
Furthermore, by that time, the spiritual energy within him would likely have fully recovered, alongside his Stellar Golden Core.
Hearing this, the white-robed woman showed neither sorrow nor joy. "Your Excellency's strength is indeed formidable, but against five Yin Gods, the outcome remains uncertain."
"I have confidence."
The white-robed woman sighed softly. "Your Excellency... sigh."
"Why? What does this matter have to do with you?" Qi Yuan asked.
He certainly didn't believe that this Yin God was acting purely out of goodwill for his sake.
"I slipped into this realm secretly because I have important matters to attend to," the white-robed woman said. "If Your Excellency awakens those five Yin Gods, you may ruin my great undertaking."
"Then I can only offer my apologies," Qi Yuan said earnestly.
The white-robed woman gazed at the Blood-Robed Sword God, then said after a long pause, "Does Your Excellency know of the Great Tribulation?"
"I know a little," Qi Yuan replied.
He didn't know just a little—he knew nothing at all.
"The Great Tribulation approaches, and even we Yin Gods cannot protect ourselves. Even fleeing to Wangyue Continent merely grants us an opportunity to compromise; we still cannot escape the fate of having our cultivation drastically diminished!" The white-robed woman sighed, her tone heavy with anxiety for the future.
"Continue," Qi Yuan said.
"Currently, I have a path that allows escape from both the Canglan Realm and Wangyue Continent, breaking completely free of the Great Tribulation! So long as Your Excellency cooperates with me and is willing to assist me with one matter, I am willing to share that path with you." The white-robed woman was full of sincerity.
She trusted none of the Yin Gods from the Canglan Realm.
She didn't trust the Blood-Robed Sword God either.
Yet his wanton killing here threatened to unravel her plans, forcing her to reveal herself.
Qi Yuan knitted his brows. "Is the Great Tribulation very strong?"
The white-robed woman nodded. "If It wished, It could swallow... Wangyue Continent whole in a single gulp."
There was an unsaid continuation.
Wangyue Continent's Heavenly Dao was flawed, which was why It could swallow it so easily.
If Wangyue Continent's Heavenly Dao were whole, It would find swallowing it... nearly impossible, though doing so to a world of a lower energy tier remained plausible.
Of course, there was no need to tell the Blood-Robed Sword God that.
"That strong!" Qi Yuan was shaken to the core.
Wangyue Continent was vast, at least as large as a dozen or more regions like the Hundred Kingdoms.
Yet It could swallow the entire continent in one gulp!
Just how powerful was that?
Qi Yuan's confidence evaporated instantly.
"If It's that strong, can It swallow the sun in the sky?" Qi Yuan asked timidly.
If It was so powerful that It could swallow the sun, he was certainly no match for It right now.
Such a powerhouse was beyond his comprehension.
Hearing this, the white-robed woman could not help laughing. "Is Your Excellency joking? A Yin God capable of reflecting across the heavens must at least be at the Great Venerable realm. Not to mention... an immortal deity as mighty as the sun. Even the entity behind the Great Tribulation cannot swallow the sun."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Even so, worry still weighed on his mind.
After all, his Golden Core was in another universe.
When would he be able to transport his Golden Core over here?
"Merely several centuries remain before the Great Tribulation. Your Excellency must prepare early to leave this realm, otherwise... sigh." The white-robed woman sighed once more.
"Is it possible for the Great Tribulation to arrive early?" Qi Yuan asked again.
"No," the white-robed woman shook her head, stating firmly, "It is muddled and devoid of clarity."
The urgency in Qi Yuan's heart eased a bit more. "That's good. In several centuries, not to mention how many more stars my Stellar Golden Core might swallow, even my daughter will probably have dominated all eternity. No need to fear!"
The white-robed woman frowned.
She had long heard that the Blood-Robed Sword God was lunatic and unhinged.
She had assumed such madness was only fleeting. Who could have known that even regarding matters of monumental importance, he remained so completely deranged?
This was the Great Tribulation!
A catastrophe for all living beings in the Canglan Realm, yet he treated it with such an attitude.
"Does Your Excellency truly refuse to cooperate with me and leave this realm together?" the white-robed woman confirmed once more.
"The Canglan Realm is my second home, and Wangyue Continent is my third home. I will not leave for now," Qi Yuan said earnestly.
A look of disappointment surfaced on the white-robed woman's face. "In that case, Your Excellency should proceed with caution and delay unleashing Yin God-level power for as long as possible."
"Understood." Qi Yuan nodded. Remembering something, he could not help asking, "Senior, may I ask you a question?"
It was rare to meet a Yin God; he needed to gather more information regarding them.
"Oh?"
"It's like this... I achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment using Wangyue Continent's Heavenly Dao, swallowing it in one gulp. Once I regain control of Wangyue Continent, roughly how strong will I be?"
The white-robed woman gave him a bizarre look. "I have never heard of such a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. However... for any Heavenly Dao born of a world, to scheme against it and swallow it requires at least the Great Venerable realm. Even in a palm-sized world, if a Heavenly Dao is born, an ordinary Yin God Venerable cannot touch it; only a Great Venerable can. Worlds come in different energy tiers, and Great Venerables vary in strength. Not every Great Venerable can plot against a Heavenly Dao. Against the Heavenly Daos of certain mighty worlds, even a Yang God would be entirely powerless!"
Qi Yuan paused, then asked expectantly, "Then how strong will I be?"
The white-robed woman offered a wry smile. "Such matters are beyond what I can know."
Chapter 161