Seeing Yu Nü's expression, the gathered cultivators looked somewhat puzzled.
Noticing this, the burly fellow hurriedly spoke up. "Naturally, there is no need for Your Highness Yu Nü to take action personally. We can suppress and kill him ourselves!"
He assumed that suggesting Her Highness Yu Nü take action had provoked her displeasure.
After all, Her Highness stood aloft as a Myth who reflected across the heavens. How could she deign to lower herself to deal with a mere Blood-Robed Sword God?
"Take action personally?" Yu Nü sneered coldly. "Why wouldn't I take action personally? I must do so myself!"
The burly man rejoiced upon hearing that.
Yet in the very next breath, an intense feeling of danger swept over him, prickly as needles against his back.
He instantly snapped to alert, but before the divine spiritual power throughout his body could even coalesce, a crushing pressure crashed directly down onto his form.
The other Great Venerables who had clamored alongside him just moments ago were struck by the exact same pressure.
"No!"
They could not understand, unable to fathom in the slightest why Her Highness Yu Nü was attacking them.
They were mere Alternative Mythological figures, separated from a Myth who reflected across the heavens by an immense chasm.
In an instant, eight Great Venerables perished on the spot, reduced to powder.
Yu Nü hailed from the Upper Realm, and her mastery over power had already reached a terrifying degree.
An obliteration like this did not even trigger the Heavenly Dao's pull into the Void Realm.
A collective gasp echoed across the grounds as everyone stared at Yu Nü with undisguised dread.
Yu Nü merely dusted her hands off. "He is the light of this world, the sole hope of freeing all of you from the Great Tribulation—yet you dared ask me to kill him?"
Never mind that the Blood-Robed Sword God could contend with the Great Tribulation;
even that feat of ten suns suspended in the sky was something she seemed incapable of facing.
That was someone capable of contending with the Great Sun.
And if he truly was the one whom the ancestral founder had followed and adored, then raising a hand against him was out of the question.
The remaining cultivators watched the scene, thoroughly shaken.
"He can contend with the Great Tribulation?"
"Isn't the Great Tribulation impossible to withstand?"
"What about the marks on our bodies?"
The surviving cultivators felt a surge of excitement mingled with sheer bewilderment.
How could this Blood-Robed Sword God contend with the Great Tribulation?
Yu Nü had once stated that not even the Yang Gods of the Upper Realm could withstand it.
So... what did this mean?
Something a Yang God couldn't accomplish, the Blood-Robed Sword God could?
"Let us go. Follow me to pay our respects to the Blood-Robed Sword God!" A sharp glint flashed in Yu Nü's eyes.
If the Blood-Robed Sword God truly was that Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable, the situation in the Canglan Realm was about to undergo a massive transformation.
Yet when another thought struck her, a wisp of melancholy flickered across her eyes.
If the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable openly rebelled against the Great Sun, resolving the Canglan Realm's Great Tribulation would be trivial. However... all living beings in the Canglan Realm might face total annihilation in the fallout.
***
Meanwhile, within the Sixth Heaven of the Upper Realm.
In a branch palace of Taihuang Palace.
Daoist Kunxia packed all his belongings and, under cover of night, transformed into a streak of light to flee.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Daoist Kunxia, where are you off to in the middle of the night?"
Hearing the voice, Daoist Kunxia's heart skipped a beat, but upon seeing who had arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ah, I spent too long in secluded cultivation and grew bored, so I decided to wander about and tour the mortal world," Daoist Kunxia said with a solemn expression, letting a touch of fatigue surface in his eyes at just the right moment.
"As expected of a rising talent on this term's Merit Board. Brother Kunxia has made a massive profit, making everyone quite envious.
"Alas, that meat-field I oversee hasn't produced any decent seeds of destiny after all these years.
"Unlike you, Brother Kunxia—your realm produced a Yang God earlier, and now I hear another powerhouse blessed with the providence of the Great Dao has emerged.
"That's top-grade sustenance! Once harvested, your rewards from above will surely be substantial!" The green-robed elder's eyes brimmed with envy.
In the realm he oversaw, there were plenty of rebels, but all of them were small fry.
Rebels capable of coalescing destiny and overwhelming momentum were nonexistent.
Among the three thousand realms, the realm he watched over ranked near the very bottom.
Consequently, he had come hoping to glean some wisdom from his good friend Daoist Kunxia.
"Ahem, mere luck, mere luck." Daoist Kunxia wore an odd expression, though inside he was burning with anxiety.
A while back, he truly had been overjoyed, ecstatic even.
Because the Dark Sun had been destroyed!
The Dark Sun contained countless corpses and puppets meant as sustenance.
In terms of combat prowess, the Dark Sun was more than sufficient to suppress the Canglan Realm.
Yet when the Dark Sun was wiped out, an individual named the Blood-Robed Sword God had entered his sights.
It went without saying: for such a formidable figure to appear in the Canglan Realm, he had to be a cultivator who had condensed destiny and Great Dao providence.
In these three thousand 'pig farms,' only such a pig counted as a fine pig.
He had leaked word of this 'fine pig' just a little, earning widespread praise, and those above had even bestowed commendations on him.
For a time, he had walked on air, thoroughly enjoying himself for a year or two as he awaited the harvest.
"How could it be mere luck? Sigh, this old man came here hoping to enter the realm you oversee, Brother Kunxia, to take a look and learn a thing or two.
"Having earned no merit for so many years, I've grown somewhat restless," the green-robed elder said, handing a storage bag into Daoist Kunxia's hands.
Daoist Kunxia accepted it discreetly, then replied, "Only a few centuries remain until the harvest. Entering now won't teach you much of anything.
"How about this? Once the harvest is complete, I will personally escort you to inspect the land I oversee."
When it came to this matter, Daoist Kunxia truly had plenty of experience.
The Great Tribulation couldn't be made common knowledge, but one had to leave behind dharma treasures and leak news of the calamity so certain individuals would believe they could save the world.
Destiny was something that could be snowballed.
"That works as well. Then I shall trouble Brother Kunxia when the time comes!" The green-robed elder bowed solemnly, then sighed. "I wonder when the land I watch over will finally produce a paragon of destiny like yours."
Hearing that, Daoist Kunxia's mouth twitched violently. "I am heading out for a trip and shall return in three hundred years. When the time comes, we shall discuss the harvest together. Fellow Daoist... farewell!"
With that, Daoist Kunxia vanished as a streak of light.
As for 'farewell'?
Farewell my ass, we'll never meet again!
This old fellow had to run for his life!
True, his pig-farming skills were solid, allowing those above to reap plenty of prime sustenance.
But damn it all... being too good at it was a crime!
Especially that business with ten suns suspended in the sky...
Why did that sound so familiar?
He suddenly remembered that some time ago, a disciple had reported to him that ten suns had appeared in the Canglan Realm.
At the time, he had assumed it was an illusion or an unusual astrological anomaly.
Since he had been at a critical juncture in pill concoction, he had planned to check on it a few years later.
Now, it seemed there was no need to check.
He had simply killed that disciple on the spot and searched his soul, confirming that only he himself knew that ten suns had appeared in the Canglan Realm.
Raising pigs was one thing, but he had raised a flood dragon capable of swallowing its master whole!
If he didn't run now, when would he?
If the one in Taihuang Palace discovered that the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable—the hottest topic across the Upper Realm right now—hailed from the Canglan Realm,
how could he possibly survive?
He was packing up his lantern and running straight away!
"Alas, sometimes being too capable isn't a good thing. Fleeing is what matters most."
As for news of the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable, naturally, he would keep it hidden for as long as possible.
"The Upper Realm is no longer safe to stay in; I'll head to the Lower Realm... Currently, the Buddha Realm is engulfed in endless disputes, and many powerhouses have descended. If I slip down amid the chaos, I'll surely be safe.
"Ah, farewell, homeland. From now on, there will no longer be a glamorous Daoist Kunxia, only a Nameless Daoist lurking in the gutters..."
For someone accustomed to living in the Upper Realm—and the Sixth Heaven at that—being forced into the Lower Realm felt utterly miserable.
It was no different from a person on the Blue Star who owned a villa suddenly being forced to live in the sewers.
Daoist Kunxia felt bitter inside, but there was no helping it. Who told him to be so capable? He could only pack his bags, flee, and lay low in the Lower Realm.
As for returning to the Upper Realm? Out of the question.
***
While Daoist Kunxia was busy on the run,
Yu Nü finally met Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan looked over the woman who had arrived from the Upper Realm, disappointment showing in his eyes. "I thought you all came looking for trouble with me, which would've saved me the effort so I could kill you all in one go."
Lately, he had been preoccupied with reflecting across the heavens and searching for the Liufeng Realm, leaving him no time to deal with that reclusive organization.
He had originally planned to find time to visit those aged white moonlight figures.
He hadn't expected the white moonlight to be so enthusiastic as to come looking for him voluntarily.
Facing Qi Yuan, Yu Nü actually felt somewhat intimidated.
To be frank, this was her first time interacting with a powerhouse of this caliber.
"Those who offended Senior have all been suppressed and slain by this junior!" Yu Nü said hurriedly.
"Oh... you hail from the Upper Realm?" Qi Yuan asked.
His eyes could detect a distinct, foreign aura upon her.
"Reporting to My Lord, yes!" Yu Nü replied at once.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Your strength isn't bad, far stronger than that Shen Wushen fellow... How about we conduct two-realm trade and do some smuggling together?
"Tell me whatever resources from the Lower Realm you have your eye on, and I'll gather them for you.
"In return, send down whatever cultivation arts you have in the Upper Realm!"
Generally speaking, smuggling always yielded massive profits.
Back on the Blue Star, whenever Qi Yuan watched television, he had been immensely envious of those characters who shuttled between ancient and modern eras to smuggle 'antiques.'
Exchanging ordinary salt, glass, and mirrors from modern times for the gold, silver, and jewels of the ancients—or even having ancient calligraphy masters personally write a scroll for them.
Those were genuine historical artifacts, original masterpieces!
As for why ink that hadn't even dried after passing through a spacetime portal could still be appraised by master experts as authentic antiques? Simple: once spacetime portals existed, everything became entirely reasonable.
Now that an opportunity for two-realm trade lay right before him, Qi Yuan naturally didn't want to pass it up.
"If Senior requires it, Junior will do everything in her power!" Yu Nü agreed immediately.
Although the Canglan Realm had plummeted from the Upper Realm, it had been severed from the Upper Realm for so long that it had degenerated into a mere Lower Realm.
To a Mythological powerhouse like her, the Lower Realm was akin to a garbage dump. What good items could it possibly possess?
Nevertheless, since the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable wanted it, she would cater to him.
"Give me some cultivation arts right now, preferably divine arts. I'm short on divine arts!" Qi Yuan's eyes shone brightly. "The more, the better! I'm short on ordinary cultivation arts too!"
As his strength grew, advancing the *Qi Yuan Scripture* became increasingly difficult.
Even with the power of Pinduoduo scouring the world for cultivation arts,
he was still in dire need.
Now that someone from the Upper Realm was right here—and a Myth at that—
how could he not take full advantage of her?
Even Shen Wushen had been able to produce several divine arts; for a Myth, it would naturally be effortless.
Seeing this, Yu Nü did not hesitate in the slightest. She handed a jade slip to Qi Yuan. "Senior, this slip records seven divine arts, along with several cultivation arts of other tiers.
"If Senior needs more, Junior can return to the Upper Realm to gather them for Senior!"
"Not bad, not bad. What should I give you in exchange?" Qi Yuan said.
Yu Nü looked at Qi Yuan with a smile on her face. "Everything shall be as Senior decrees!"
Evidently, she left the choice to Qi Yuan.
She was placing a gamble.
If the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable was generous, she would profit.
If he was stingy, then so be it.
Forging a connection with such a grand figure was never a bad thing after all.
Qi Yuan blinked, then said, "I'm dirt poor right now without a cent to my name; I can't even afford a plot of land.
"How about this? You collect divine arts for me, and once I come into some money, I'll pay you back?"
Money... Qi Yuan couldn't bear to part with it.
When the time came, he would just... grab a handful of dirt from the Netherworld to settle the tab.
Qi Yuan's abacus clattered away merrily.
Seeing this, Yu Nü smiled. "Junior is in no hurry!"
Being able to form ties with a figure of this caliber was already a stroke of immense fortune. How could she dare hope for more?
One had to realize that in the Upper Realm, as an ordinary Myth of the Second Heaven, she wouldn't even have the qualifications to meet an existence of his level.
Qi Yuan gave Yu Nü an appreciative look, and then, a thought striking him, he asked offhandedly, "Do you have any melons?"
"Huh?" Yu Nü was baffled, having no idea what Qi Yuan meant by that.
"Doesn't the saying go that the Jade Maiden has no melons? I was just asking casually," Qi Yuan murmured.
Standing to the side, the Canary covered her mouth and giggled. "She's the Jade Maiden, not the Rain Maiden!"
Clearly, she had heard Qi Yuan bring up this gag before.
"Ah, I remembered wrong," Qi Yuan said.
This bizarre exchange left Yu Nü thoroughly mystified.
Right then, True Monarch Dazhi, standing nearby, chimed in.
"Her clothes are bulging so much; she's probably hiding two melons under there."
Yu Nü: "..."
She desperately wanted to slap this Divine Infant brat to death!
Was that even human speech?
Did she really need to hide two melons to make herself look bigger?
Just then, however, an excited gleam suddenly welled up in the Canary's eyes.
She gave a light hop and leaned close to Qi Yuan's ear. "The Liufeng Realm has been found!"
Hearing that, Qi Yuan's eyes instantly brightened. "Excellent!"
At this moment, Yu Nü looked at Qi Yuan and said softly, "If Senior intends to face the Great Tribulation, you must be cautious of... the marks on your companions.
"With a single thought from that Heavenly Venerable, every living being in the Canglan Realm will perish."
Qi Yuan nodded upon hearing her warning. "I am well aware of this matter. I definitely won't let them die at the hands of the Great Tribulation!"
This time, he had grown much smarter.
With True Monarch Dazhi's assistance, he had even made a monumental leap in progress.
On top of the perfect plan titled *Qi Yuan Eliminates the Great Tribulation*, he had added a contingency plan.
This kind of progress was a transcendent leap, exceedingly rare and unseen in ten thousand years.
In his contingency plan, if he failed to obtain the Gate of Ultimate Principle and the Great Tribulation sought to destroy Canglan's living beings via the marks,
then excuse him, but Qi Yuan would strike first, obliterating the Canglan Realm beforehand and waiting for all living beings to be revived in the Netherworld.
"Alright, enough talk. I have urgent business. Bye-bye."
Now that the Liufeng Realm was found, he would revisit the old haunt to retrieve the Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
Only... a trace of wistfulness lingered in Qi Yuan's heart.
With the passage of time and the shift of seas into mulberry fields, he wondered if those old acquaintances were still around.
***
The Liufeng Realm.
Inside a tavern.
A storyteller spoke with sweeping gestures, spraying spittle as he held forth.
"On that day, the Blood Lord of the Blood Palace led a hundred thousand Sovereigns and charged into the Gate of Myriad Demons!
"The crimson demon sword emerged, and myriad demons fell to their knees begging for mercy, leaving corpses strewn across thousands of li!
"Even that demoness who brought calamity upon the realm could only kneel and beg for her life!
"Speaking of this Blood Lord, his bearing was extraordinary, and the sword-bearing disciple by his side, Ling Yayi, was even more remarkable..." The elderly man spoke, a hint of reminiscence flickering in his eyes.
Unfortunately, below the stage, very few patrons showed any interest in his tale.
"Old Man Nangong, what era do you think we're living in? You're still droning on about that?"
"Who wants to hear about the Blood Lord? That Blood Palace has been ancient history for ages!"
"Exactly! We want to hear about the struggle among the Buddha Sons!"
"Tell us about the Buddha Realm's great war!"
The diners below chimed in one after another.
The affairs of the Blood Palace were events from ten thousand years ago.
The Blood Palace had been like a fleeting night-blooming cereus; without the Blood Lord, it hadn't even lasted a century.
As for the ancient events of the Gate of Myriad Demons and the Blood Lord saving the world, those details were barely known to outsiders.
Modern cultivators merely treated those past events as tall tales and casual folklore.
The cultivation world was vast, and time was cheap.
Across ten thousand years, countless thrilling tales were bound to unfold.
No myth, no figure could remain immortal in memory forever.
The old storyteller sighed wistfully. Just as he was about to speak, an overbearing voice rang out.
"What Blood Lord? He was merely a bit luckier than most.
"Ten thousand years ago, when he led his army into the Gate of Myriad Demons,
"this seat happened to be right there!
"Regrettably, back then, this seat was merely at the Grand Sovereign realm, and outnumbered at that.
"When that Blood Lord entered my territory, this seat naturally refused to suffer humiliation. I urinated right there on the spot, declaring to the Blood Lord that this was... my turf!
"Even though his numbers were vast, I showed no fear!"
Two figures, one old and one young, stepped into the tavern.
The elder was the one who had spoken so arrogantly, radiating a thick, dense demonic aura.
He was a survivor from the Gate of Myriad Demons ten thousand years ago.
Back then, he had been too far from the battlefield.
Seeing the sky filled with Sovereigns, he had literally pissed himself in fright and scurried back into the Myriad Demons Realm.
Later, he broke through into the Yin God realm and ascended to the Upper Realm.
However, he was a dog demon.
Now that he had reached the Yin God realm and looked back on the past, he naturally had to rewrite his personal history.
How could he possibly admit he had pissed himself in terror?
Clearly, he had been a brave soul who, facing the bullying Blood Lord, boldly urinated to mark his territory and show he wouldn't back down!
Hearing that voice, the patrons in the tavern turned to look.
However, their gazes soon fell upon the youthful figure beside the old demon.
That young figure wore Buddhist robes, his shaven head smooth as jade without a single strand of hair.
"A Buddha Son!"
"It's Buddha Son Wuguang!"
All the diners and cultivators straightened up in solemn respect, their eyes filled with awe.
In today's Liufeng Realm, who was the last kind of person one should ever provoke?
Monks!
And among the monks, who held the most exalted status? Naturally, the Buddha Sons.
These Buddha Sons all hailed from the Upper Realm.
Every immortal descending from the Upper Realm wielded the power to tear the world asunder.
Right then, Buddha Son Wuguang raised his head, his gaze settling upon the old storyteller.
His eyes were profound, carrying a bizarre light in their depths. "Ling Yayi, former member of the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends and disciple of the Blood Lord. This poor monk is quite interested in you. Come with me."
His tone brooked no refusal, carrying an air of absolute authority.
The old storyteller's expression changed slightly, and a flicker of memory crossed his despondent eyes.
"Sigh."
Hearing this, the patrons around them turned pale with shock.
A disciple of the Blood Lord?
A figure from legends... actually existed!
"What does a venerable monk want with this old fellow?" Ling Yayi brushed off his robes with a calm demeanor, retaining the arrogance befitting a disciple of the Blood Lord.
Back when the Blood Lord preached the Dao, he had been one of the listeners, seated in the foremost rows.
Mentioning Ling Yayi might draw blank stares from members of the Blood Palace,
but mentioning Nangong Dagou—that name had once been renowned far and wide.
"This monk is quite interested in the Blood Lord." Buddha Son Wuguang's gaze was penetrating.
If possible, he wished to capture the Blood Lord; he was deeply eager to study... the power of reincarnation.
Within the Buddha Realm, the power of reincarnation was the legendary supreme truth, something not even the Great Sun Radiant Buddha had been able to comprehend.
Yet... after flipping through the ancient records of the Liufeng Realm, he had discovered to his astonishment that the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends seemed to have undergone reincarnation.
The old storyteller, Ling Yayi, flicked his wide sleeve, adopting an attitude as unbothered as a dead pig unbothered by boiling water. "Master and I haven't seen each other in ten thousand years. Even if you kill me, Master won't appear. I'm afraid your wishful thinking is bound to come to nothing."
Chapter 391