"Controlling the life and death of peak Six Steps of Sky Treading powerhouses while only at the Purple Mansion realm... This feeling is truly magnificent."
The rust-red mechanical bird spoke in an utterly grating voice, brimming with the vile smugness of a petty villain drunk on power.
Qi Yuan remained silent. Before he could speak, the mechanical bird continued.
"Fifty years ago, I targeted another Six Steps powerhouse. Heheh, back then I was merely at the Purple Mansion realm, yet I got a taste of her flavor.
"Who told her to keep caring so deeply about her clan and her descendants?
"Pity, though. After she died, I still ended up accidentally slaughtering her entire clan."
The mechanical bird was rampantly arrogant.
"I know you're anxious and furious, but don't bother getting worked up. Even if you burst a vein... you still can't hurt me in the slightest, hahaha!" The mechanical bird laughed wildly.
Toying with formidable figures and supreme powerhouses like this felt exhilarating.
With this miraculous creation sheltering him, not even a Mythological powerhouse could harm him in the least.
"Before coming here, I already looked into your background. Aren't you the sort who hunts people down offline whenever they curse at you in a jade slip?
"Now that I've hurled all these insults at you, do you want to come to Taihuang Palace to teach me a lesson?" the mechanical bird, controlled by Li Qiuchen, remarked with cynical mockery. "My apologies, I almost forgot. You are merely livestock reared in the Canglan Realm. First, you can't reach the Upper Realm. Second, you'll be dead very soon."
Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "How about you give me the address of Dark Sun's headquarters, and I'll make your death... a little less painful?"
The mechanical bird paused briefly. "Where do you get such confidence? Or could it be... you still don't understand your current situation?"
With the Four Generals of the Lei Family under his control, Li Qiuchen was already invincible.
And housed inside a miraculous creation, the Blood-Robed Sword God was utterly powerless against him.
His true body was safely in the Upper Realm.
This miraculous creation had been forged by a Mythological powerhouse capable of reflecting across all heavens, and a Yang God of Taihuang Palace had personally examined it. A lower realm's Mythological cultivator could never inflict any harm upon him through it.
After all, the Canglan Realm was a sealed world.
Li Qiuchen had nothing to fear.
Qi Yuan swept his gaze over the other parts of the mechanical bird's body, absorbing more hidden information into his eyes.
He was searching for the miraculous creation's flaws.
"My confidence comes naturally from my strength!"
Facing the Four Generals of the Lei Family, Qi Yuan remained exceptionally calm.
The mechanical bird chuckled gleefully. "Bring out your trump card, then—that powerhouse resembling a Divine Infant!"
He naturally knew that Qi Yuan's trump card was a peak Six Steps of Sky Treading powerhouse.
It possessed the likeness of a Divine Infant, yet was not one.
He had seen right through Qi Yuan's hidden reserve long ago.
At that moment, the unfocused pupils of the Four Generals of the Lei Family shifted toward Qi Yuan.
Thunder boomed across the sky as immense Divine Domains unfurled.
Even as puppets, the Four Generals of the Lei Family could exert the full might of peak Six Steps of Sky Treading.
Qi Yuan paid no heed to the threat posed by the four generals, his gaze remaining fixed on the mechanical bird.
"Who told you my trump card was just one Divine Infant? I clearly have... two!"
As the words fell, Qi Yuan chanted in a low voice.
"Brilliant and glorious, infant emerging from deep concealment, heed my command, exterminate all balefulness!"
Instantly, following Qi Yuan's voice, two supremely terrifying auras surged forth.
Two formidable powerhouses exuding the aura of the Six Steps of Sky Treading materialized.
Their eyes were equally lifeless, yet when facing Qi Yuan, they still carried profound reverence.
"As you command!"
As the two mighty Great Venerables appeared, their Divine Domains expanded outward.
The battle erupted at that very instant.
In the distance, astonishment flashed across the eyes of the mechanical bird controlled by Li Qiuchen. "You actually had another trump card? That exceeds my expectations."
Even so, everything remained well within his grasp.
By now, the six Great Venerables had engaged, their Divine Domains colliding violently.
It was clear that each of the two powerhouses on Qi Yuan's side possessed a Divine Domain stronger than that of any individual general among the four.
However, when the Four Generals of the Lei Family combined their Divine Domains, their unified power was formidable enough to seize the upper hand in the clash.
Lightning, metallic slaughter, and the vigorous aura of boundless timber intertwined, filling the entire Void Realm with a suffocating, lethal chill.
If an ordinary Yin God were to step into this zone, they would likely be caught in the crossfire and shredded to pieces in an instant.
"Your trump card was indeed surprising, but... if this keeps up, it won't be long before they both die!" Li Qiuchen spoke with complete certainty of victory.
Qi Yuan possessing two trump cards had surprised him.
Yet under these circumstances, victory would unquestionably be his.
"The battle isn't over yet. Anything is possible..."
"Otherwise, why would cultivators bother fighting?"
"They could just reveal their cultivation levels, and whoever is lower could surrender and chop off their own head," Qi Yuan remarked casually.
He remained composed, as if he were a detached bystander simply watching the mechanical bird.
"You are quite interesting. A pity you're far too dangerous. Otherwise, I might have begged my master to fish you out and keep you as my pet," Li Qiuchen laughed heartily.
Just then, Qi Yuan's nose lengthened slightly. He knew the other party was spouting nonsense.
And Li Qiuchen truly was making empty boasts.
Cultivators of the Canglan Realm were not beings he could lay a hand on.
Not even his master had the authority to bring someone up from the Canglan Realm, let alone him.
"I really dislike people who talk nonsense like that," Qi Yuan said, looking at Li Qiuchen.
"You don't like me? Then come beat me to death!" the mechanical bird clamored madly.
Sheltered by the miraculous creation, he feared nothing.
A smile appeared on Qi Yuan's face. "I will naturally grant your wish."
"You're even more stubborn than me. Unfortunately... look, how much longer can your two trump cards hold out?
"Three hundred breaths?" the mechanical bird mocked.
Battles between Yin Gods were decided very swiftly.
Only clashes between Purple Mansion cultivators might drag on for a hundred or a thousand years.
"Who wins and who loses remains to be seen," Qi Yuan replied, still looking completely in control.
The clash between Great Venerables held no flashy tricks, consisting purely of colliding Divine Domains.
Such collisions required no technical finesse whatsoever.
The eyes of the rust-red mechanical bird inhabited by Li Qiuchen rolled slightly. "I'm truly curious. Where on earth does your confidence come from?"
The youth's demeanor did not seem feigned in the slightest.
"Could it be you have yet another trump card?
"If you do, hurry up and bring it out.
"Even if the Four Generals of the Lei Family die, it matters not. I can just dispatch new ones," Li Qiuchen said.
To him, the Four Generals of the Lei Family were nothing more than four oversized toys.
"Why would I need you to send anyone? Just tell me the address of Dark Sun's headquarters, and I will go there myself!" Qi Yuan said.
"It seems you truly believe you can defeat the Four Generals of the Lei Family.
"What harm is there in telling you Dark Sun's location?
"It is in... the Youtian Domain, Wind Thunder Valley!" Li Qiuchen possessed boundless confidence and had no fear of revealing the address.
"Now that I have the address, it's time to bring this tedious battle to an end." A sharp gleam flashed through Qi Yuan's eyes.
Just a moment ago, he had completely unraveled the flaw in the miraculous creation. It was time to reel in the net.
"Oh?" Li Qiuchen retained that thoroughly punchable expression.
"Don't rush. Once I finish off the Four Generals of the Lei Family, it'll be your turn," Qi Yuan stated placidly.
"Heh, do you really take me for one of those useless wretches you can slaughter at will?" Li Qiuchen sneered with utter disdain.
At that moment, Qi Yuan began chanting once more.
The familiar chant, the familiar ripple.
Four terrifying silhouettes stepped forth as if emerging from the unknown.
Like puppets, their chiselled, stern faces were expressionless, their eyes devoid of luster.
Every single one of these four powerhouses was not an ounce weaker than the previous two.
With a total of six Great Venerables stepping forward together to suppress the Four Generals of the Lei Family, the scales of victory tipped entirely to Qi Yuan's side.
The smile on Li Qiuchen's face froze for a fraction of a second. "Where... did you get so many powerhouses?
"You have indeed surprised me, but that is all."
No matter what happened, he remained inherently untouchable.
The six Great Venerables struck simultaneously, crushing down upon the Four Generals of the Lei Family.
The Divine Domains of the four puppet-like generals began crumbling unstoppably.
"Is that all?" Qi Yuan smiled enigmatically.
Abruptly, his figure flickered with terrifying speed. He bypassed the battling Great Venerables in an instant and clamped his hand firmly around the mechanical bird.
The mechanical bird was slightly startled, then sneered. "So you plotted all this time just to capture me?
"Do you truly believe you've caught me?
"I'm sorry, but even though I am merely at the Purple Mansion realm, you are not qualified to kill me, nor can you do so."
"Is that so!" Qi Yuan exerted tremendous force through his fingers.
The supposedly indestructible miraculous creation suddenly cracked open with a fracture.
Li Qiuchen was utterly dumbfounded. "How is that possible!"
This miraculous creation was forged by a Mythological powerhouse capable of reflecting across the heavens, and inspected by a Yang God.
How could it crack!
Even an ordinary Mythological cultivator couldn't accomplish that!
After all, even if there were Mythological cultivators in the Canglan Realm, none could reflect across the heavens.
Before he could process the thought, Li Qiuchen immediately felt an intense surge of flames rushing in to burn him.
A ferocious grimace twisted his face. "You are indeed full of surprises, destroying the miraculous creation! But... do you think mere True Solar Fire can harm me!"
This was merely a strand of his consciousness. Even if ambushed and incinerated, returning to the Upper Realm would leave his true body unscathed.
"Blood-Robed Sword God, I will be waiting for you at Dark Sun's headquarters!" Li Qiuchen's eyes burned with feverish excitement. "Next time, after I kill you, I will wipe out your Blood-Robed Alliance! I will be sure to take good care of your family and friends for you, hahahaha!"
His consciousness detached from the miraculous creation at that very moment.
Qi Yuan's gaze was profound, completely disregarding Li Qiuchen's threats. "Pity, you won't live to see me wipe out Dark Sun."
How could Qi Yuan let an enemy who had pranced in front of him for several hundred breaths live that long?
With Qi Yuan's temperament, he would naturally kill him right on the spot!
Did he think returning to the Upper Realm made him safe?
That was underestimating him far too much.
Qi Yuan frequently traced people along their network cables to beat them up!
Even if the other end of that cable lay in the Upper Realm, it wouldn't save him.
Qi Yuan cast a glance at the battlefield.
Under the simultaneous onslaught of the six Great Venerables, the Divine Domains of the Four Generals of the Lei Family had shattered into ruin, leaving them struggling desperately.
Qi Yuan looked at the four generals and murmured softly, "Be free."
He pushed out a palm.
The Divine Infants within his body resonated, channeling boundless might into his palm.
He gave a gentle shove.
Though it was merely a single palm push, it landed squarely across the bodies of all four Great Venerables.
With their Divine Domains already shattered, the four possessed no defensive power whatsoever.
Their colossal bodies plummeted, yet their eyes remained entirely vacant.
"Return to the world," Qi Yuan said softly.
The bodies of the Four Generals of the Lei Family disintegrated into ash, truly returning to the world.
They would no longer be enslaved by their enemies after death.
Having dealt with the four generals, a trace of murderous intent surfaced in Qi Yuan's eyes. "You think returning to the Upper Realm means I can't track your cable and chop you down?
"Purifying the online environment starts with me!"
Qi Yuan looked up. Looking through the Void Realm, he beheld the Stellar Golden Cores high in the firmament.
The Stellar Golden Cores were not limited to being summoned to his side.
As long as he had the coordinates, he could strike wherever he pointed.
***
In the Middle Three Heavens, the Sixth Heaven.
Taihuang Palace was a hegemon-tier power in the Sixth Heaven, commanding countless worlds totaling nearly a thousand.
Inside one of these worlds, within a desolate cave dwelling, a purple-robed man awoke.
A lingering trace of fear remained in his eyes, and his face was somewhat pale, but arrogance and confidence predominated.
"That bastard was actually able to destroy a miraculous creation!"
Recalling this, Li Qiuchen still felt a hint of disbelief.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, he noticed something.
"True Solar Fire?"
Within his consciousness, a faint, barely discernible wisp of True Solar Fire was burning.
When the Blood-Robed Sword God destroyed the miraculous creation, he had used True Solar Fire to scorch his consciousness.
Having that strand of consciousness burned away counted as a minor injury to him.
"Damn him, he actually managed to hurt me! Once I beg Master for another miraculous creation, I will definitely imprison him and make him watch me humiliate his friends with his own eyes!" As an abandoned true disciple, Li Qiuchen's personality had long warped, finding delight in tormenting others. "Hmph, wanting to kill me? At best, he only left a mark of True Solar Fire inside me!"
He didn't care about the mark at all.
Although he knew the mark served as a coordinate, could a mere lower realm cultivator like the Blood-Robed Sword God actually come up here to kill him?
He was in no hurry to dispel it.
He stood up, his face pale and his eyes sunken, presenting an exceptionally sinister appearance.
Before long, he arrived outside another cave dwelling, adopting a respectful demeanor.
"Master!"
Within the dwelling ahead resided a powerhouse of the Six Steps of Sky Treading.
This powerhouse was his master, as well as a disciple of that world's supreme Mythological expert.
In the Canglan Realm, Li Qiuchen treated Mythological figures as nothing, effortlessly slaughtering and humiliating peak Six Steps Great Venerables.
Yet in the Upper Realm, facing an expert of this caliber, he had to act like a groveling grandson.
"What is it?" an annoyed murmur drifted from the cave dwelling.
"Disciple encountered some trouble in the Canglan Realm and needs to report it to Master!" Li Qiuchen recounted the events in the lower realm truthfully to his master.
The old man's voice from within the cave dwelling carried a note of surprise. "The Canglan Realm truly produces remarkable talents. No matter. I shall bestow another miraculous creation upon you. Command Dark Sun to tear him apart!"
The old man did not take the Blood-Robed Sword God to heart.
From the moment they were born, the fate of all living beings in the Canglan Realm was already sealed.
The Blood-Robed Sword God was merely a dead man walking.
"As for the True Solar Fire within you, even I cannot dispel it. But do not worry; it merely serves as a marker and cannot harm you."
Hearing the aged voice from the cave dwelling, Li Qiuchen's last trace of worry evaporated.
A vicious glint flickered across his eyes as he prepared to return to the lower realm to deal with the Blood-Robed Sword God.
Yet right at that moment, the firmament of this world suddenly blazed with blinding brilliance.
Li Qiuchen snapped his head upward, stark terror filling his eyes.
"What is happening... The sun fell!"
His voice trembled, his gaze filled with disbelief.
A blazing, intense light swept across the firmament.
The projection of a colossal celestial body was plunging downward.
The entire sky was filled with the projection of a sun!
No, two!
A full two suns, bearing an aura of boundless annihilation, crashed downward, appearing ready to level the entire world!
The boundless scorching radiance, terrifying heatwaves, and an aura that threatened to incinerate all things filled every soul with dread!
The Great Venerable inside the cave dwelling was equally shocked.
He naturally knew about the suns in the heavens. Although they had not appeared long ago, it was clear those two suns had been aimed at that certain supreme figure of Taihuang Palace!
Now, the two suns were descending upon this very world.
This world... had no Yang God stationed to protect it!
Even so, as the projections of the two suns crashed down, many powerhouses took action simultaneously to halt their descent.
"Who dares act presumptuously in Taihuang Palace territory!"
"This is the Tailing Realm, under the jurisdiction of Taihuang Palace!"
Great Venerables stepped forth one after another, unleashing their divine spiritual power to block the two overbearing suns.
Unfortunately, each sun was more ferocious than the last, and their obstruction had virtually no effect.
"Do not panic. We have not provoked such a supreme expert; this attack... will not land on us," the old man in the cave dwelling consoled, feeling rather curious as to which fellow cultivator had managed to provoke the unknown expert above.
Had he not spoken, it might have been better, but the moment he spoke, Li Qiuchen's face turned as white as a sheet.
Because the wisp of True Solar Fire within him had suddenly grown exceptionally bright and blisteringly hot, incinerating him from the inside.
At that instant, he seemed to realize something, overcome with utter terror and sheer incomprehension.
"Master, the True Solar Fire! The suns in the sky are coming for the True Solar Fire!" Li Qiuchen shrieked in desperation.
It seemed only his master could save his life now.
"What?" His master froze, utterly baffled.
Yet before he could do anything in the next breath, the projections of the two colossal suns crashed down squarely above his head.
*Boom!*
Boundless light and heat, endless flames and blistering waves swept across everything in that instant.
Terror was etched across Li Qiuchen's face. Before his consciousness was wiped out, the Blood-Robed Sword God flashed through his mind.
He could not comprehend it. He simply couldn't understand. Flames swallowed his body, annihilating his soul and divine spirit in an instant.
As for his master, despite being a powerhouse of the Six Steps of Sky Treading, he stood no chance of survival under the descent of the two Stellar Golden Cores.
Yet even in the moments before his death, he remained entirely bewildered.
How could that True Solar Fire... possibly serve as targeting coordinates for the suns?
***
Meanwhile, within the Canglan Realm, Qi Yuan shrugged. "I hate posturers the most. Satisfied now? Two Stellar Golden Cores tracked straight down your internet cable... How did that feel?"
Chapter 263