The wind stirred.
Qi Yuan threw a punch.
It seemed both remarkably swift and remarkably slow.
With an "Ouch!", the white-haired old man tumbled straight off the stage.
Qi Yuan pulled back his fist and dusted off his sleeves, bearing the air of a grandmaster.
"Not bad. You're just as formidable as the opponents I faced when becoming the Spirit Realm Martial Lord—all defeated in a single move!
"It seems some Titled Martial Lords truly are no weaker than ordinary mortals."
Qi Yuan offered his critique.
When becoming the Spirit Realm Martial Lord, he had fought nearly ten thousand Martial Lords single-handedly.
He had settled it in a single move, and against the runner-up of the Martial Arts Tournament, it had also taken just one move.
Therefore, in Qi Yuan's eyes, they were equally formidable.
The white-haired old man climbed to his feet. "You brat, couldn't you go a little easy on an old codger like me? Weren't you afraid I'd just stay down and shake you down for medical expenses?"
Over the years, the old man and Qi Yuan had grown quite familiar with each other.
Even though, over a decade ago, when this immortal master Qi Yuan swallowed a star, the old man had spent a few years trembling in terror...
...eventually, he got used to it.
At worst, it was just death—a man drops dead, cock pointing to the sky!
"Not afraid. We signed an agreement before stepping onto the stage. Even if damages must be paid, the Martial Arts Tournament pays them!"
Qi Yuan shrugged.
"Old man, bye-bye."
As he spoke, he headed toward the spectator stands.
In the stands, Canary had already been absent for many tournaments.
Now, the cheerleader rooting for Qi Yuan was none other than the meowing Xie Xinsu.
She wore a blue camisole, clutching a little pennant in her cat paws.
"Meow, meow, meow!"
she cried at the top of her lungs.
Yet anyone could hear the reluctance and discontent in her tone.
Qi Yuan scooped Xie Xinsu up with one hand, his fingers instinctively slipping under the camisole as he began petting her.
Xie Xinsu's meows cut off, replaced by an expression of total surrender.
Qi Yuan suddenly paused. "Why does this feel kind of erotic?"
Petting a cat normally without clothes looked perfectly fine.
Slipping a hand into a camisole to pet a cat, however, seemed a bit indecent.
"So, better take it off before petting!"
With that, Qi Yuan yanked Xie Xinsu's camisole off.
...
Tianyuan Sect.
The woman in tight-fitting clothes kept her head bowed. Beneath the eaves, fine rain fell like strings of pearls. The sect master stood clad in green robes, her black hair flowing down to her waist.
She gazed into the curtain of rain, her eyes filled with boundless bewilderment.
"The crisis foretold by the Tianyuan Stone draws ever closer!" the sect master said, deep wariness etched into her gaze.
"With that person here, does the crisis still pose a threat?" The woman in tight clothes thought of Qi Yuan.
Back then, Qi Yuan had swallowed the sun in a single gulp, shaking the heavens and the earth.
Even if Tianyuan Sect's founding ancestor descended to this realm, she would be far beneath him.
"The Tianyuan Stone is a supreme treasure; it cannot possibly be mistaken," the sect master insisted.
Right then, a gentle voice sounded.
"The Tianyuan Stone is a rare treasure under heaven; it will never be wrong.
"It seems this realm truly is headed for annihilation."
A woman in palace dress appeared. Her eyes were lively and expressive, though a veil covered her face, concealing her features.
Seeing her, the sect master and the woman in tight clothes hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Ancestor!"
The woman in palace dress was none other than Yu Mengxian, the founding ancestor of Tianyuan Sect, who had descended from the realm above.
At this moment, Yu Mengxian looked up at the firmament, a complex look in her eyes. "There are no stars illuminating the myriad heavens; this must be an extraordinary place."
The Upper Realm consisted of Nine Heavens.
The myriad stars in the Nine Heavens were Yang Gods illuminating the heavens, along with the kin and subordinates held dear by those Yang Gods.
Throughout the Nine Heavens and all lower realms and secret realms beneath them, the stars illuminating the heavens could be seen.
Yet there were a few peculiar lands where the stars illuminating the heavens were not visible.
Yu Mengxian had only heard rumors of such peculiar places and had never seen one until now.
"According to what the Tianyuan Stone revealed, the annihilation of Arch Star will even spill over into the Fire Spirit Realm," Yu Mengxian said with worry. "The catastrophe cannot be halted; only by returning to the Upper Realm can one escape danger!"
For strange anomalies and upheavals to occur in peculiar lands was entirely normal.
"Can even the Ancestor not resolve it?" the sect master asked.
In her heart, the Ancestor was the supreme powerhouse of the world.
"Leave alone me—even the Yang God Heavenly Venerable presiding over the sacred land I belong to in the Upper Realm probably could not... resolve it." When Yu Mengxian mentioned the Yang God Heavenly Venerable, her eyes were filled with reverent awe.
Possessing a miraculous stone, her progress had been extraordinarily swift, and she was already a Mythological-grade Yin God.
Having accumulated distinguished service in the sacred land, she had even been granted an audience with the Heavenly Venerable and bestowed the ability to illuminate the myriad heavens.
A Yin God capable of illuminating the heavens was far beyond the reach of ordinary Yin Gods.
Even within the sacred land, she stood among the upper echelons.
"Even a Heavenly Venerable of the Upper Realm cannot solve it?" The sect master slumped in dejection.
"Does this realm... not have a Heavenly Venerable?
"If the scene you recorded back then was real,
"this Heavenly Venerable might be even stronger than the one in my sacred land."
Yu Mengxian's heart shivered.
The dharma idol body of a Yang God was immense, sometimes even larger than an entire realm.
Yet an ordinary Yang God's dharma idol body was typically only the size of a standard star.
A dharma idol body capable of swallowing a star whole was beyond imagination.
"However, an entity of that stature should not fear the great calamity.
"Even if this realm is destroyed, he will survive," Yu Mengxian said.
Hearing this, the woman in tight clothes breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, confusion returned to her eyes. "Ancestor, do you think he... is still Qi Yuan?"
Her younger brother—that mentally ill brother of hers—how could he suddenly become this powerful?
"The Tianyuan Miracle Stone told me that he is indeed the Qi Yuan of this realm," Yu Mengxian murmured.
Hearing that, the woman in tight clothes let out another sigh of relief. "That's good."
"Could you introduce me to this Heavenly Venerable?" Yu Mengxian adopted a very humble attitude.
Every Heavenly Venerable was a figure she had to look up to with reverence.
Not to mention, that Heavenly Venerable was even stronger than the Heavenly Venerable of her own sacred land.
"Of course!" the woman in tight clothes agreed at once.
...
In the park, Qi Yuan held Xie Xinsu, staring down at the running track with a contemplative expression.
"To become a Myriad Dao Martial God, one must master ten thousand daos."
"This running track... what kind of dao is that?"
He stared fixedly at the track.
Just then, a short-haired woman in revealing sportswear jogged past, faintly smelling of sweat.
"Hey handsome, your cat is super cute. I love cats too—could we swap contacts?"
Without looking up, Qi Yuan said softly, "Do you have a dao on you too? Oh, I'm not interested in your dao."
Having said his piece, he carried the cat and walked away.
The short-haired woman froze, eyes wide. As if realizing something, she blurted out, "What a creep!"
Qi Yuan paid her no heed.
Over these years, he had been measuring the world with his footsteps, comprehending the Great Dao.
This process of comprehension was remarkably similar to cultivating immortality.
With the ability of his eyes to perceive hidden information, comprehending the dao yielded twice the result with half the effort.
No matter how difficult the dao, to him it was merely ordinary.
"This humble woman, Yu Mengxian, pays her respects to the Heavenly Venerable!"
Just then, a voice rang out.
Holding Xie Xinsu, Qi Yuan looked at the woman in palace dress and the woman in tight-fitting clothes.
"Ahem, I'm out and about right now and didn't bring my bank card," Qi Yuan said hurriedly.
Hearing this, the woman in tight clothes replied helplessly, "We're not here to collect debts."
She had already grown accustomed to the eccentric wiring of her younger brother's brain.
Her mood lightened somewhat. Her brother was just as he had always been; he really was still her brother.
Hearing that, Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. "What did you come to see me for, then?"
Yu Mengxian curtsied gracefully, then said, "This humble one is the founding ancestor of Tianyuan Sect, descended from the Upper Realm.
"This realm... appears to be on the brink of destruction."
"Oh, I know a little about that, but not too clearly," Qi Yuan said.
Seeing his reaction, Yu Mengxian felt that it was just as she had expected.
Even the Tianyuan Stone knew the world was facing destruction; how could such an exalted being remain unaware?
"Does the Heavenly Venerable have a way to prevent it?" Yu Mengxian asked.
Qi Yuan shook his head. "Actually, I'm not very clear on it either. But well, I have to become a Myriad Dao Martial God, so naturally I won't allow this world to truly shatter."
Yu Mengxian was somewhat dazed by this answer.
She could not shake the feeling that this Heavenly Venerable was a bit unreliable.
He had none of the dignified majesty and enigma of the Heavenly Venerable in her sacred land.
"If this realm shatters, mortal beings likely will not survive. I intend to take some people with me to leave this realm..." As Yu Mengxian spoke, she cast a glance at Qi Yuan.
The woman in tight clothes shared a close bond with Qi Yuan; if she were to take her to the Upper Realm, she naturally had to consult Qi Yuan.
However, bringing people to the Upper Realm was exceptionally difficult; even someone of her standing could hardly bring more than a few.
"Suit yourself, just don't get in my way," Qi Yuan replied nonchalantly. But remembering something, he suddenly asked, "You came from the Upper Realm—do you know of the Moon Goddess Palace?"
Yu Mengxian's heart skipped a beat.
As expected, he was undeniably a powerhouse who hailed from the Upper Realm.
"This junior knows of it. The Moon Goddess Palace is a sacred land faction of the Middle Three Heavens!" Yu Mengxian answered.
The Upper Realm was divided into Nine Heavens in total: the Lower Three Heavens, the Middle Three Heavens, and the Upper Three Heavens.
The higher one ascended, the more abundant the immortal spiritual qi.
Thus, the higher heaven a sacred land occupied, the stronger it was.
The Moon Goddess Palace was situated in the Sixth Heaven.
"I have a wife who is a Yue Nü of the Moon Goddess Palace, named Jin Li. Do you know her?" Qi Yuan asked.
As he spoke, he waved his hand.
Instantly, the phantom image of a woman manifested before Yu Mengxian.
Resplendent as spring blossoms, fair as the autumn moon.
The moment she appeared, all colors of the mortal realm paled like dust.
Yu Mengxian and the woman in tight clothes were utterly overshadowed.
Qi Yuan had never met Jin Li in person, but he had seen the form Qi Jianjun took when transforming into Jin Li.
"This..." Yu Mengxian's heart gave a violent jolt. "Seven hundred years ago, this humble one saw this Yue Nü at the Demonic Abyss."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan's heart leaped.
A feeling of intertwining time and space, of dreams blurring with reality, washed over him.
The Yue Nü of the past, the Jin Li of later days—in this instant, she felt so near to him, as if he could reach out and touch her.
In this moment, Qi Yuan grew quite poetic:
"Years apart with all letters ceased, an inch of parting grief tied in ten thousand knots.
"When you saw her, how was she?"
"She... should be well.
"This humble one heard that after returning to the Moon Goddess Palace, this Yue Nü continuously battled in the Demonic Abyss without resting for even a moment, seemingly to accumulate more merits so that she could make a wish to Moon Goddess Yuanjun." Yu Mengxian took another look at Qi Yuan.
In the Moon Goddess Palace, a Yue Nü held an exceptionally special status.
They were groomed virtually as successors.
A Yue Nü of the Moon Goddess Palace was forbidden to marry.
Once, a Yang God had come to the Moon Goddess Palace seeking to take a Yue Nü in marriage, only to be cast right out of the palace gates by Moon Goddess Yuanjun.
Moon Goddess Yuanjun had declared that the Yang God was never to set foot in any place illuminated by moonlight again.
Now, numerous thoughts ran through Yu Mengxian's mind.
"Is that so?" Qi Yuan sighed, and then something suddenly struck him. "From here in the lower realm, is there any way I can contact her?"
Although he had already asked Shen Wushen to deliver a letter to the Yue Nü, Shen Wushen was in the Lower Three Heavens, so delivering a letter would take many years.
"From the lower realm... it would likely be very difficult.
"Oh, that's right! Favored by Moon Goddess Yuanjun, this Yue Nü has a star that illuminates the myriad heavens.
"If she knows which star is yours, Heavenly Venerable, you could move your star over to hers. She would surely understand your meaning," Yu Mengxian suggested.
"Oh? You can do that?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up.
Didn't that mean he could move one of his Stellar Golden Cores right next to Jin Li's star?
And then reshape the Stellar Golden Core into a heart or a love-struck brain, and Jin Li would know he was here?
Of course, she might not recognize it either.
After all, Jin Li had no idea that the sun in the sky was actually his Golden Core.
Still, that didn't matter.
"Which star is hers? Do you know?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Look here, Heavenly Venerable!" Yu Mengxian waved her hand, and a star chart immediately unfolded before Qi Yuan's eyes.
"This one right here is that Yue Nü's star."
Qi Yuan's gaze locked onto that tiny star, a doting look surfacing in his eyes. "How cute."
Held in Qi Yuan's arms, Xie Xinsu struggled continuously, meowing frantically.
Where was that cute?!
"Heavenly Venerable, please be cautious. Moon Goddess Yuanjun is a mighty Yang God. By no means should your star projection approach too close to Moon Goddess Yuanjun, or it will be seen as a provocation!" Yu Mengxian reminded him.
"Mm, understood. Don't worry, I'm a good citizen, law-abiding, and I never break the rules," Qi Yuan agreed glibly. In his heart, though, he was already scheming how to use his Stellar Golden Core to let Jin Li know he had arrived.
"By the way, do you have any cultivation formulas that can change the shape of an illuminated star? It's always round, which is pretty weird," Qi Yuan inquired.
If he turned it into a heart-shaped sun, Jin Li would definitely know he was here.
"Ahem, this junior has never heard of such a formula."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan was somewhat disappointed.
"Sigh, I still have too few Golden Cores.
"If I had a few million of them, like drones forming letters and patterns, I could send messages straight across realms."
So Qi Yuan mused to himself.
If only he had millions of Golden Cores.
He could write giant characters across the firmament of the myriad heavens and worlds with stars:
"Promote Civility, Foster New Trends."
Mhm, the atmosphere of the cultivation world would definitely improve.
Beside him, Yu Mengxian fell silent, failing to understand Qi Yuan's words.
Just then, Qi Yuan asked again, "Do you know Ruan Yixi? She's my master and also my wife, and she's from the Moon Goddess Palace too."
Yu Mengxian gave Qi Yuan an odd look. "I have never heard of her."
She had a premonition that if Qi Yuan ever showed up at the Moon Goddess Palace, he would definitely get beaten up by Moon Goddess Yuanjun.
"If I write them letters, how long would it take you to deliver them?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Probably... a few years?" Yu Mengxian answered.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt rather disappointed.
It seemed writing letters was out of the question.
Shen Wushen had already carried his letter up for him anyway.
Besides, once the game resumed and he resolved the Great Tribulation, he could go to the Upper Realm himself to see Jin Li.
Having only ever been online acquaintances with Jin Li and never meeting in person, Qi Yuan honestly felt rather nervous deep down.
Then again, considering they already had a child together, they were practically an old married couple—why the hell be shy!
"Alright, enough chitchat. I still have to comprehend the ten thousand daos. Bye-bye."
Having obtained useful information, Qi Yuan didn't linger in conversation with Yu Mengxian.
Holding Xie Xinsu, he walked away.
The robot Zero-One followed closely behind, like a loyal servant and little sidekick.
Chapter 375