Qi Yuan felt thoroughly helpless.
The game hadn't even begun, yet his character was already dead.
"This Innate Seed is really no good. Its gaming skills are atrocious—Bronze rank at best?"
Qi Yuan sighed.
The reward from the previous game had sounded so illustrious.
And this was the result?
It would be far better if he took the field himself.
He glanced casually at the game icon, which had loaded to roughly two-thirds.
"At this rate of time flow, my bones will probably have decomposed by the time I can enter."
Lamenting inwardly, Qi Yuan cast the thought aside and remained seated on the stone stool, quietly waiting.
***
Fenglin Town was a mortal settlement. Because maple trees flourished there in abundance, turning the leaves fiery red in season, scions of wealthy families often came from the cities to sightsee.
Inside a carriage, Chen Xiyu lifted the curtain, a look of curiosity on her face.
"A strange man in red robes appeared in Beiye Forest, playing chess in the mountains?"
"Yes, Young Mistress. Passing woodcutters saw him, but he was dressed far too strangely, so no one dared approach," her maid replied.
Chen Xiyu's eyes lit up. "Xiao Xi, do you think he... could be an immortal from legends?"
In the mortal world, rumors of immortals had circulated within a thousand-li radius for as long as anyone could remember.
Yet Chen Xiyu had never laid eyes on one.
Since childhood, she had loved tales of the strange and supernatural, harboring an intense fascination for such matters.
"Don't, Young Mistress! What if he's a villain?
"More flaying incidents have taken place in the city recently. It would be best if you didn't go wandering into the deep, wild forests!" the maid, Xiao Xi, hastily urged.
Fenglin Town had never known lasting peace.
Not long ago, another flaying incident had struck. In a village near Fenglin Town, two hundred households woke overnight to discover that more than half the villagers had been skinned alive in their sleep—a bloody, grotesque horror.
Panic gripped Fenglin Town and the surrounding cities.
After all, across the Kingdom of Fei, flaying incidents recurred at regular intervals.
The king had once paid an exorbitant price to invite an immortal master from ten thousand li away, only for the master to prove utterly helpless.
The skinning continued unabated.
Chen Xiyu shook her head, her resolve unwavering.
"I want to go see for myself."
Two hours later, accompanied by several guards, Chen Xiyu set out for Beiye Forest.
The forest was dense with shrubs and overgrown with briars. Even with the guards clearing a path, several bloody scratches inevitably marked Chen Xiyu's fair, tender arms.
Yet her spirits remained high, her excitement undiminished.
"Young Mistress, look! Right over there!"
Xiao Xi pointed into the distance, delight spreading across her face.
Chen Xiyu peered ahead, curiosity shimmering in her eyes.
Deep in the thicket before them, a man in a red robe sat erect on a stone stool. His eyes were closed, yet his silhouette revealed remarkably handsome features.
*How could there be such a handsome man in this world?* Chen Xiyu was momentarily transfixed.
Her own fair arms suddenly seemed coarse by comparison.
*He is definitely no ordinary person!* Chen Xiyu's heart leapt with joy.
She sought an immortal encounter, wanting to unmask the true culprit behind the flaying incidents.
"Young Mistress, should we go over and ask?" Xiao Xi whispered.
Chen Xiyu shook her head at once. "His eyes are closed; he might be occupied. We mustn't disturb him."
Hesitant, Chen Xiyu dared only watch the blood-robed man from afar.
About an hour passed. The man remained motionless, only occasionally raising a finger to place a black stone upon the board.
His demeanor deepened Chen Xiyu's conviction: the man before her in the blood-colored robe was no mortal.
"Let's go back!" Chen Xiyu made up her mind. She had to seize this opportunity.
How could an immortal bestow a destiny so casually?
She was merely an ordinary person with nothing special about her, hardly the center of the world.
She needed to return home, gather all the gold, silver, and treasures she had saved over the years, along with the rare and bizarre curiosities she had collected, and offer them to the immortal in hopes of securing even a sliver of immortal fate.
She hurried home and brought out everything she had accumulated.
However, her actions immediately drew suspicion from her family.
Her cousin came upon hearing the news, her expression far from pleasant. "Second Uncle isn't home, and you're just giving away the clan's wealth to some stranger?
"Cousin, the world is chaotic right now. Don't be fooled by swindlers.
"Any rustic charlatan can put on an act, and you actually believe it?"
Facing her cousin, Chen Xiyu offered no lengthy explanation. She simply replied, "This is my own money!"
With that, she turned and left.
The cousin watched Chen Xiyu's departing figure, pity filling her eyes. "She's far too naive. Where would there be so many immortals in this world?
"Even if he is one, would an immortal bestow a destiny so easily?
"More often than not, they take everything and leave nothing behind. Human hearts are wicked, and immortals are all the more so."
Such occurrences were common in this kingdom. Some wealthy lord would encounter an immortal and offer half his family estate in pursuit of an immortal destiny, only for the immortal to pocket the fortune and brush him off with meaningless platitudes.
"Hopefully, after getting scammed this time, she'll settle down and stop daydreaming all day."
On the other side, Chen Xiyu hurried toward Beiye Forest carrying the gold, silver, and assorted curios she had gathered.
Her heart was fraught with trepidation and uncertainty about the future.
She wasn't ignorant of what her cousin had said.
She simply refused to give up, and she refused to live her life in a daze.
As night fell, Chen Xiyu once again arrived several dozen meters from the chessboard.
She gazed at the figure, her emotions tossing and turning.
Seeing that the man still rested with closed eyes, she did not disturb him.
Days drifted by.
Chen Xiyu had already stayed there for two days.
The man on the stone stool remained seated without shifting in the slightest.
Had he not placed a stone now and then, Chen Xiyu might have taken him for a corpse.
Finally, four days elapsed, and Qi Yuan opened his eyes.
Chen Xiyu, who had been sitting nearby, lit up with excitement.
The immortal had finally awakened!
She quickly straightened herself and had the guards carry the treasure chests forward.
Qi Yuan's gaze fell upon Chen Xiyu with an inscrutable expression.
Naturally, he had known of her arrival over the past few days.
He simply hadn't paid it any mind.
Chen Xiyu stepped forward with a respectful look. Just as she was about to speak, the immortal broke the silence.
His voice was like a pool of water in a dark abyss—clear, tranquil, and pristine.
"You seek an immortal destiny?"
The question was plain and direct.
Chen Xiyu's chest tightened. She bowed deeply and said with utmost reverence, "This humble woman is willing to offer everything she owns, seeking only that the Daoist Master bestow a sliver of immortal fate."
Behind her, the guards opened the chests they carried, instantly revealing a glittering array of jewels and precious metals.
Gold ornaments, silver ingots, and bejeweled hairpins filled the container. Though the chest was not large, it was packed to the brim.
Another chest held the ancient texts Chen Xiyu had collected, along with various peculiar curiosities.
To be frank, such offerings were enough to sway some Qi Refining cultivators into doling out a crude semblance of an "immortal destiny."
Qi Yuan glanced at the items, mild curiosity in his eyes.
Most of the bizarre objects Chen Xiyu had gathered were useless, save for a single item radiating faint spiritual fluctuations—a pleasant surprise for a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
At the thought, Qi Yuan smiled faintly. "Had you come half a year earlier, this might have been interesting."
Half a year ago, these things would have been of some use to him.
Chen Xiyu blinked, bewildered.
Then the immortal asked, "Why do you wish to tread the immortal path?"
"To grow strong, to take control of my own destiny, and to uncover the mastermind behind the flaying monsters!" Chen Xiyu held nothing back, speaking her true thoughts.
Hearing her answer, Qi Yuan glanced toward Wind Thunder Valley in the distance. "The mastermind behind the flaying monsters... you might cultivate for an entire lifetime and still never defeat them."
Qi Yuan knew the connection between the flaying monsters and Wind Thunder Valley.
Faced with the Dark Sun within Wind Thunder Valley, all the Yin Gods across the vast Youtian Domain had chosen silence, even abetting the villainy.
What could a mere mortal do, even if she learned that Wind Thunder Valley stood behind the monsters?
"Even if you step onto the immortal path, you will be no match for them. Investigating further will only bring fatal disaster upon yourself. Do you still wish to pursue it?" Qi Yuan asked casually.
"The end of all things is death. If one shrinks from the search out of fear of dying, what point is there in walking the immortal path?" Recalling a line from an ancient record of anomalies, Chen Xiyu felt a sudden surge of conviction and answered firmly.
Qi Yuan smiled.
Reaching into the wooden chest, he drew out a short sword and tossed it to Chen Xiyu.
"The true culprit behind the flayings is right inside this chessboard.
"Strike it once with this sword, and I will grant you an immortal destiny," Qi Yuan said lightly.
Chen Xiyu caught the short sword. Perhaps due to a lack of strength, her hand trembled as she gripped the hilt.
Holding the blade, she stared at the chessboard before her, her gaze hardening with resolve.
"Hah!"
She brought the sword down with all her might. To fulfill Qi Yuan's condition, she threw her entire body weight downward, channeling every ounce of strength into the short sword as it cleaved toward the board.
*Clang!*
A powerful backlash sent stars dancing before her eyes and left her wrist throbbing with ache.
At that moment, the chessboard before her cracked, a fracture spreading across its surface.
Watching this, Qi Yuan suddenly chuckled. "The Yin Gods didn't dare strike, yet a mortal dared. How fascinating."
With a flick of his finger, a streak of flowing light sank into Chen Xiyu's mind.
A cultivation art and insights into practice flooded her consciousness.
Wild joy surfaced on Chen Xiyu's face, and she dropped to her knees at once. "Thank you, Master, for bestowing the art!"
Qi Yuan waved his hand. "Not so. I do not take disciples, nor can I be bothered to.
"You gave me gold and silver, and you cracked the chess puzzle. This cultivation art is yours in return. From now on, you and I are even."
Disappointment flickered across Chen Xiyu's face.
Having finally encountered an immortal—and one who appeared both kind and handsome—she had naturally longed to be taken under his wing.
That way, she would have someone to look out for her once she stepped into the cultivation world.
"Very well. I am off to kill some people. Farewell."
As the chessboard shattered, a gateway manifested in the distant sky.
Qi Yuan transformed into a streak of light and entered the portal.
Witnessing this, Chen Xiyu gasped in shock. "The immortal lord can actually fly... Could he be a legendary... Foundation Establishment Ancestor?"
Sheer delight surged within her. If her immortal destiny had been granted by a Foundation Establishment Ancestor, she had struck an unimaginable fortune!
According to ancient records, whenever a Foundation Establishment Ancestor descended, even kings had to kneel in welcome.
He was a truly supreme immortal figure!
Beside her, Xiao Xi was equally thrilled and giddy with excitement.
She resolved to write down the past few days' bizarre encounters as soon as they returned home, compiling them into a book.
At the very end of the tale, she would record: *The Young Mistress Steps into the Cultivation World; The Foundation Establishment Ancestor Battles the Flaying Monster.*
***
Meanwhile, within Wind Thunder Valley.
A blood-red figure materialized in the void, clutching a crimson sword.
The sky behind him was dyed scarlet at that instant, resembling an ocean of blood.
Any cultivator who arrived here would think him a terrifying arch-demon.
"White moonlights of the Dark Sun, your undertaker has arrived!"
His voice rolled like thunder, instantly echoing across the entire Wind Thunder Valley secret realm.
Fissures split the earth as the crust churned. Boundless gales, lightning, and flames surged forth, turning Wind Thunder Valley into a scene of purgatory in the blink of an eye.
Fires blazed; thunder roared incessantly.
The ground shuddered with deep, grinding tremors.
Towering giants began striding across the landscape.
Thousands of meters tall and burly of frame, each giant stood like a colossal mountain, radiating a terrifying aura.
Had such frightening might been unleashed in the outside world, it would have sufficed to sweep across entire domains.
Confronting these thirty-odd puppets, Qi Yuan's expression did not waver in the slightest.
"Not bad. The quantity is decent."
A decent quantity and considerable strength meant that Wind Thunder Valley held an abundance of good things.
"With so many high-quality white moonlights showing up all at once, I'm almost feeling embarrassed."
Despite his words, Qi Yuan's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Hehe, Blood-Robed Sword God, you have finally come." Just then, the faint phantom of an elderly man appeared, regarding Qi Yuan with an amused, mocking look.
"You're... that admin dog!" Qi Yuan's gaze flared with instant fury. "Great! So you're the one who muted me!"
Having been muted for the first time in his life, Qi Yuan was naturally incensed.
The Head Society Master of the Divine Flower Society narrowed his eyes. Holding control over all the pig slaves, he possessed immense confidence even when facing an absolute powerhouse like the Blood-Robed Sword God.
"This old man did not mute you to cause offense, but merely to protect the members of the Divine Flower Society.
"Blood-Robed Sword God, you truly are not a clever man.
"The Canglan Realm is vast. How many talents populate its lands?
"Do you think you were the only one to discover the flaw in the cultivation arts?
"Other luminaries noticed as well, yet they chose to bide their time in obscurity rather than publicize the matter.
"By broadcasting it and inciting turmoil, you were bound to provoke unrest from the Dark Sun.
"If the other members of the Divine Flower Society believed your words, the Dark Sun might well have purged them too.
"Therefore... this old man was protecting them!"
The Head Society Master spoke with eloquent confidence, assuming the moral high ground.
"Only by stopping your mouth could this disaster be kept from spreading.
"Sigh, how wonderful it would have been had you contentedly played the fool; then this monstrous calamity would never have fallen upon your head.
"Even with the Great Tribulation approaching, you would still have had a chance at survival.
"The Great Tribulation may be terrifying, but it left us a sliver of life. Why rush forward to seek your own death?
"Marching off to die alone might make you a hero basking in the reverence of tens of thousands, but it will only enrage the Great Tribulation, dragging down the other Yin Gods who merely wished to keep out of trouble.
"To satisfy your own vanity and desire for acclaim, you provoke the Great Tribulation into a slaughter. You are the truly hypocritical, selfish one!
"Fortunately, by acting so brazenly, you won't even need to wait for the Great Tribulation—you shall perish this very day."
Such was the philosophy of the Head Society Master.
The Great Tribulation was invincible; why bother resisting?
Without resistance, though some cultivators would perish, those with enough luck would survive unscathed.
Yet to resist meant certain death.
In his eyes, any Yin God who dared strike against the Great Tribulation was merely chasing empty clout.
For the sake of their own reputations, they disregarded the lives of their fellow cultivators entirely.
Were their deeds kept from the public eye, who knew if they would ever have dared take a stand against the Great Tribulation?
"You old codger, you're quite like the folks from Dijue. In that case... I'll send you to reunite with the Palace of Light." Qi Yuan waved his hand, his expression dripping with disdain.
He had to admit, he saw the shadow of that old Dijue fellow in the Head Society Master.
Always spouting nonsense about the greater good, yet in truth looking out only for their own gain.
Profiting for oneself was one thing; being an outright villain was at least honest. But insisting on playing the sanctimonious hypocrite was simply repulsive.
As the vulgar saying went: wanting to sell yourself while erecting a chastity arch.
"Blood-Robed Sword God, you are strong indeed—you easily wiped out the Palace of Light and even executed the Four Generals of the Lei Family.
"Yet this is Wind Thunder Valley. Even if a Mythological figure from the Central Heavenly Domain came here, they would still meet certain doom.
"Today, I shall use your blood to forge my supreme achievement!" The Head Society Master exuded absolute confidence, looking upon Qi Yuan as though he were already a corpse.
Chapter 268