Ten Stellar Golden Cores drifted through the Astral Realm.
They swept past the star belonging to the Yue Nü Jin Li and paused before that clear moon, though they did not linger long.
Taking a full circuit, the ten Great Sun Golden Cores seemed to declare to the one in Taihuang Palace: *See that? I have formed an alliance with Moon Goddess Palace.*
The Yang God Heavenly Venerables of Moon Goddess Palace were quite astonished as well.
They had known nothing about this.
At present, Moon Goddess Yuanjun was in secluded cultivation, so they had no way of learning the truth from her either.
Still, no matter what, this was certainly a good thing for Moon Goddess Yuanjun.
In the Canglan Realm, Qi Yuan's gaze was calm. "Reflect across the heavens; search for the Liufeng Realm."
He needed to locate the Liufeng Realm as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, with his front door wide open all the time, what would happen if a thief slipped in?
"Okay." The Canary nodded cheerfully.
Within the stellar projection, a flicker of anticipation also surfaced in Ning Tao's beautiful eyes.
Although it was said that home is wherever the heart finds peace, the Liufeng Realm held the unique memories of every little detail shared between her and Qi Yuan.
Only in the Liufeng Realm did he belong entirely to her.
***
In the Upper Realm, the Second Heaven.
Within a sacred ground.
A streak of light flashed by, and a dazed, muddle-headed woman stopped before an immortal cave.
"Junior Sister, it's my turn to stand guard..."
"Huh?" A hurried voice came from inside the cave. "What, so soon? My plan hasn't even been fully carried out yet—why is the guard changing already?"
A woman dressed in jade-green robes emerged, her eyes filled with anxiety.
A look of surprise flashed across the dazed woman's eyes. "Junior Sister, haven't you always had zero interest in these matters, constantly urging me... to relieve you of your shift?"
Within the Upper Realm, the domineering Taihuang Palace had countless enemies.
When the master of Taihuang Palace attained the Dao and reached the realm of Great Ultimate Reason, he had acted with peerless tyranny.
With a single word, he cast down three thousand realms!
He had caused three thousand worlds to plummet into the lower realms, turning them into his personal breeding grounds.
These three thousand worlds, naturally, were not Taihuang Palace's own territory.
Rather, they were worlds within the Lower Three Heavens that lacked sacred grounds.
Though not governed by sacred grounds, those worlds still had people connected to various mighty figures to greater or lesser degrees.
This act by Taihuang Palace had offended no small number of Yang Gods.
Those Yang God Heavenly Venerables lacked the courage to venture to the Sixth Heaven to cause trouble for Taihuang Palace.
Instead, they covertly sabotaged Taihuang Palace's breeding grounds.
Yu Nü was one of the operatives tasked with sabotage.
She was a Mythological expert and had been responsible for the sabotage plan in the Canglan Realm all these years.
Perhaps it was precisely because the Canglan Realm had fallen from the Upper Realm that it shared the same origin.
Completing the *Qi Yuan Scripture* required cultivation methods from the Canglan Realm as well as those brought down from the Upper Realm by Shen Wushen—a requirement that was likely related to this fact.
Yu Nü looked up and blinked at her senior sister. "Senior Sister, how about... I keep standing guard instead?"
The dazed woman was somewhat bewildered, unable to fathom Yu Nü's sudden change in attitude.
"Since you want to, then you may continue your watch.
"Sigh, but you must be careful. Now that the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable has appeared out of thin air, the cultivators of Taihuang Palace are wound up tight, snapping wildly like mad dogs. If they discover our covert operations, I'm afraid..."
The dazed woman's eyes were filled with deep worry.
"I wonder who that Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable really is, and in which heaven he sits enthroned?"
This was likely the question on the minds of countless cultivators across the Upper Realm.
The Sixth Heaven was vast beyond measure, and there were many Yang God experts.
For the Great Sun of Taihuang Palace, tracking down the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable would be no easy feat.
Many Yang God Heavenly Venerables and Mythological experts alike were intensely curious about the origins of the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable.
"I don't know either." Yu Nü shook her head repeatedly, though an excited gleam flickered deep within her eyes.
"Sigh, turbulent times indeed," the dazed woman lamented.
"Oh? What happened? Has another major event occurred recently?" Yu Nü asked curiously.
A complex look crossed the dazed woman's eyes.
Ever since the Great Sun Radiant Buddha entered parinirvana, the sacred ground Buddhist realms across the Fifth Heaven had fallen into endless turmoil.
Several sacred grounds all claimed to be the orthodox lineage and the true sacred ground of the Buddhist realm.
"Rumor has it that word has surfaced regarding the relic left behind after the Great Sun Radiant Buddha's parinirvana, sending the entire Buddhist realm into a frenzy," the dazed woman replied.
"A relic left by the Great Sun Radiant Buddha?" Yu Nü also realized how monumental this was.
Whoever obtained this relic would become the orthodox Buddhist realm, uniting all the sacred grounds of Buddhism.
"What a pity..." Yu Nü glanced toward the high clouds above the sacred ground, a complex expression in her eyes.
She was reminded of a peerless genius of breathtaking talent.
Back then, that man had been the foremost prodigy of the Second Heaven. He had once journeyed to the Fifth Heaven to travel through the Buddhist realms, and had even engaged in Dao discussions with the Great Radiant Buddha.
The Great Radiant Buddha had been thoroughly won over and had even wanted to accept him as a disciple, only for the offer to be nonchalantly declined.
That prodigy had stated that he was deeply attached to the mortal world and still had a Dao companion, so he was unwilling to enter the Buddhist realm.
He had also been hailed as the foremost prodigy of the Second Heaven, destined to raise his divine throne and achieve the Yang God realm.
Even the current master of their sacred ground—the Heavenly Venerable Yu Nü served—had been captivated by him back when still in the Mythological realm, willing to follow him.
Yet when the three thousand worlds plummeted, that prodigy's Dao companion happened to be in the Canglan Realm and was dragged down into the lower realms as well.
That prodigy had renounced everything, voluntarily descending to the lower realms merely to seek his Dao companion amidst the red dust of the mortal world.
Suddenly, a shocking thought flashed through Yu Nü's mind.
*Could it be... that the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable is that very prodigy?*
If so, everything made sense!
*If not him, who else would forcefully seize the Great Sun Venerable Position!*
***
In the Canglan Realm.
True Monarch Dazhi licked the bird bone hanging around his neck, his eyes casting repeated glances toward the depths of the palace.
After a few dozen breaths of time had passed, Qi Yuan emerged in his blood-red robe. The Canary clung to his arm like a chattering little bird, looking exceptionally jubilant.
"Brother Qi, I... might need your help with something," True Monarch Dazhi began, his expression distinctly bashful.
"Oh? What is it? We're brothers, why the need to be so polite?" Qi Yuan replied warmly.
True Monarch Dazhi was like a beacon of light, having offered Qi Yuan an immense amount of help.
"Aren't you planning to build the Netherworld? I was thinking... once your Netherworld is constructed, could I lodge my Golden Core inside it?" True Monarch Dazhi asked somewhat hesitantly.
"Your... Dao companion..." Qi Yuan's expression toward True Monarch Dazhi softened.
True Monarch Dazhi practiced the Dual Core Method.
His Dao companion had suffered qi deviation and perished, her fragrance extinguished.
Consequently, he had refined his Dao companion's body into an internal core and her hair into an external core.
Now, the external core had undergone shattering the core to form the infant, while the internal core remained inside his body.
That was a Golden Core condensed from his Dao companion's mortal frame; naturally, he did not want to shatter it.
"Hehe, I'll use my Golden Core to test whether your Netherworld is real or fake!" True Monarch Dazhi said.
"I never expected you to trust me so much!" Qi Yuan felt more and more that True Monarch Dazhi was truly a brilliant talent.
When constructing the Netherworld, he had provided overall guidance to the Eccentric Painter, along with the Mountain and Sea Scribe's Brush and PowerPoint slides.
Yet the Eccentric Painter had never genuinely believed that such a Netherworld could actually establish reincarnation and revive the dead.
At most, it would serve some purpose with illusions.
Only True Monarch Dazhi was directly entrusting Qi Yuan to resurrect his wife.
What immense trust that was!
He was offering up his own wife!
Qi Yuan was deeply moved.
"Rest assured. Hand your Golden Core to me, and even if I can't revive your Dao companion, I will absolutely keep her safe and sound!" Qi Yuan said.
"Good brother! If you revive my Dao companion and give me a wife, I'll repay you with a Dao companion in the future!
"If I have a daughter, I'll definitely have her become your Dao companion!" True Monarch Dazhi said earnestly.
"Don't try to take advantage of me!" Qi Yuan flatly refused.
If that happened, wouldn't True Monarch Dazhi become his father-in-law?
The Canary also glared fiercely at True Monarch Dazhi. "You don't look like a good person at all!"
Originally, she hadn't wanted to say this, but Ning Tao had made her say it.
***
Within a secret realm, mighty figures had gathered.
"Jiu Fuzi is dead. This Blood-Robed Sword God... has gone too far!" a burly man said, murder in his eyes.
He had joined the reclusive organization on Jiu Fuzi's recommendation.
Within the reclusive organization, he belonged to Jiu Fuzi's faction.
"Hmph, the Blood-Robed Sword God overestimates his own strength, delusionally trying to challenge the Great Tribulation!
"Little does he know that even this realm's Heavenly Dao is nothing more than a plaything in the palms of the Great Tribulation.
"The Great Tribulation wouldn't even need to lift a finger directly; a mere instruction to the Heavenly Dao, and the Heavenly Dao could make it impossible for him to take a single step in the Canglan Realm, turning everyone into his enemy!"
For Great Venerables, their reverence for the Heavenly Dao was already quite diminished.
After all, in certain small worlds, a Great Venerable could capture the Heavenly Dao.
However, if the Heavenly Dao of the Canglan Realm issued a Heavenly Dao decree, all cultivators would be bound to obey.
One could say that when the time came, the Blood-Robed Sword God would not only be opposing the Great Tribulation, but fighting against the entire Canglan Realm.
How could he possibly win?
"You all... go too far. No matter what, the Blood-Robed Sword God possesses a fearless heart in opposing the Great Tribulation.
"Doing what one knows to be impossible—such great fearlessness ought not to be slandered!" an elderly man spoke up, his voice somber and melancholic.
Many members of the reclusive organization fell silent, evidently agreeing with the old man's words.
Back in their own day, hadn't they too been high-spirited like the Blood-Robed Sword God, believing themselves to be the chosen protagonists of destiny who could resist the Great Tribulation?
Only later, upon realizing the terrifying might of the Great Tribulation, had their hearts grown cold. They had entered the reclusive organization to evade it.
Neither resisting the Great Tribulation nor becoming its provisions.
"Heh, what you say makes sense, but his killing of Jiu Fuzi remains an unforgivable offense!
"If we allow him to slaughter our deputy leader with impunity, where will our organization's dignity stand?"
"Right!"
"We must retaliate!"
Instantly, seven or eight members chimed in.
Having spent so long in the reclusive organization, their mindsets had altered long ago.
"Yu Nü is about to descend. With Yu Nü here, no matter how heaven-defying this Blood-Robed Sword God's cultivation may be, death is his only fate!"
"Indeed. Killing him now will prevent him from stepping into the Mythological realm and becoming provisions for the Great Tribulation!
"In its own way, is that not also a form of resisting the Great Tribulation?"
These seven members of the reclusive organization clearly belonged to Jiu Fuzi's faction and had reached a consensus.
Right at that moment, atop the worshipped statue before them, a mystical ripple suddenly welled up.
Every member of the reclusive organization present showed profound reverence in their eyes.
"We pay our respects to Yu Nü!"
These members were exceedingly respectful.
Yu Nü was the true master of the reclusive organization.
Without her, none of them would have become alternative Mythological figures; they would have appeared on the Mythological Stele and ended up as provisions for the Great Tribulation.
"Rise," Yu Nü spoke. She looked up at the ten suns hanging in the sky, an expectant gaze in her eyes.
The members of the reclusive organization rose. When they looked upon Yu Nü, their expressions shifted slightly.
In the past, the Yu Nü they saw had merely been a wisp of a projection.
Yet now... she appeared to be a... real body?
The burly man who had previously proposed slaying the Blood-Robed Sword God was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Lady Yu Nü, have you descended in your true body this time?
"Splendid! A short while ago, an arrogant expert calling himself the Blood-Robed Sword God slaughtered Jiu Fuzi, showing utter contempt for you, Lady Yu Nü!
"We beseech Lady Yu Nü to take action and execute this scoundrel!"
"We beseech Lady Yu Nü to execute this scoundrel!"
Those belonging to Jiu Fuzi's faction spoke up one after another, their voices quivering with excitement.
Yu Nü was momentarily taken aback, then asked, "Is this Blood-Robed Sword God the strongest in this world, claiming he will resist the Great Tribulation?"
The burly man replied hastily, "Yes! But his resistance against the Great Tribulation is nothing more than a joke. Only by joining us can one avoid becoming provisions!
"We beseech Lady Yu Nü to take action and slay this man!"
A mocking look appeared in Yu Nü's eyes. "You want me to go slay him?"
That was the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable—how on earth would she dare!
Chapter 390