Within the void rift.
There was endless darkness. Even the starlight that reflected the myriad heavens could not cast its glow here.
An ordinary cultivator who stepped inside would perish before a single breath had passed.
Only a Mythological being who reflected the myriad heavens could barely travel through the void rift.
At this moment, a young male cultivator with features as fine as a painting stood atop a gourd, a flying sword in hand. The sword in his grasp became a streak of flowing light and stabbed fiercely at the phantom ahead.
Crack!
The flying sword collided with the phantom. The phantom seemed to resist with all its might, yet it could not withstand that sword at all. After a brief struggle, it promptly croaked.
A fish fell into the handsome man's hand. "Not a bad haul. A void fish."
The handsome man was a Mythological cultivator of the Upper Realm. His projected clone had entered the void rift together with his junior sister to gather resources.
"Senior Brother is truly amazing. I admire you so much!" A lightly dressed female cultivator said in a pinched, cutesy voice, little stars sparkling in her eyes.
The handsome man ate this up. With a generous flick, he said, "This void fish is yours, Junior Sister."
The young woman clutched the void fish and said happily, "Really? Senior Brother is truly too good. Xiaxia must be the happiest woman in the world!"
"There are quite a few good things in the void rift, and plenty even more precious than void fish.
"Of course, there may also be many terrifying monsters here.
"Among them is a kind of monster called a blood crystal essence. They come in all sorts of shapes, and they are enormous.
"Their greatest feature is that they are blood-red from head to toe, as red as blood itself.
"These blood crystal essences are suspected to be condensed from starlight.
"They are truly fine things. For us Mythological beings who reflect the myriad heavens, they can enhance the light of our reflection.
"Not long ago, I went to great effort and slew an extremely huge blood crystal essence!"
At the mention of this, the handsome man looked thoroughly pleased with himself. Clearly, slaying a blood crystal essence counted as a decent battle achievement for him.
"Wow, Senior Brother is incredible. You can even beat a blood crystal essence!" The young woman put on her cutesy voice at just the right moment, which suited the handsome man extremely well.
"See those things ahead, the ones with faintly glowing vortices above them? Those are continents of the lower realms. Junior Sister should keep well away. It's filthy in there. If your precious body were dirtied, Senior Brother would be heartbroken." As he spoke, the handsome man caught sight of his junior sister in her pink dress and suddenly froze. "Aiya, Junior Sister, how could you swallow the void fish in one bite?"
The pink-dressed cultivator's eyes instantly brimmed with tears. "Does Senior Brother think Xiaxia eats too much?"
"No!" The handsome man hurried to comfort her. "It's just that you can't eat too much void fish at once. It easily makes you... pass gas, and also... pass water."
This "pass gas" meant farting.
"Pass water" meant it was easy to wet oneself.
Eat too much all at once, and even an ordinary Mythological being could not control their own body.
Hearing this, the pink-dressed cultivator looked shy and bashful.
Pfft.
"Ah, Xiaxia is going to die. I can't go on living. Wuu... I have no face to see anyone."
Seeing this, the handsome man grew frantic. He took a sharp sniff. "It's fragrant. It's a milky fart."
How could he bear to let her suffer the slightest grievance?
But at that moment, the pink-dressed cultivator, who had been shy and bashful, suddenly went rigid. "Scared, scared. Such a huge blood crystal essence!"
The handsome man immediately let an overwhelming aura of dominance leak out. "Where is the blood crystal essence? How dare it frighten my junior sister!"
He hefted his longsword, just waiting to cut the blood crystal essence down in a single stroke. Who had told it to scare his precious junior sister?
"Over... there!" The pink-dressed cultivator pointed. Her cutesy voice had turned into a tremble.
The handsome man looked along her finger. In that instant his eyes abruptly contracted, then widened.
"This... this..."
In his line of sight, who knew how many tens of thousands of li away, a blood-red colossus covered all over in blood armor was traveling through the void rift.
Its body was far, far too vast to describe. The handsome man had never before seen a terrifying giant like this.
Yet what he beheld was only the tip of the iceberg, and it was still... humanoid.
A colossal humanoid form, like a terrifying deity whose head could not be seen, clad entirely in blood armor.
Even the void rift was dyed red by that suit of blood armor.
When It lifted a foot, the void quaked.
When It waved a hand, the rift shattered.
"This..." The handsome man was terrified to the extreme. Then he noticed something, and every hair on his body stood on end. "It... is actually—!"
He saw that terrifying colossus open a bloody maw.
What that bloody maw was aimed at was clearly a... cultivation world!
That was a cultivation world!
Distant as it was, and no bigger than a steamed bun before that blood-red demonic god, it was still a genuine cultivation world.
It was no bigger than the world he came from!
His whole body trembled. He had come to the void rift, only to see an "evil Heavenly Venerable"? Swallowing a world?
The bloody maw opened, and the blood-colored demonic god violently swallowed a world down.
That enormous world had no power whatsoever to resist in the blood-colored demonic god's grasp. It was like a delicious pastry.
Seeing this, the pink-dressed cultivator went deathly pale. She clutched her senior brother's sleeve, frightened beyond measure.
The handsome man hurriedly held her close. "Don't be afraid, Junior Sister. It is very far from us. We're fine."
Yet at that moment, a voice like heavenly thunder suddenly sounded beside their ears.
"A milky fart, my ass. It was clearly a stinky fart!"
"Doing that out in the open is revolting!"
The handsome man's face changed drastically, his expression panicked. "Who?"
The pink-dressed cultivator also swept her surroundings in shame and fury, but she saw no one.
"I am the blood crystal essence you were talking about."
A heaven-shaking bolt flashed through the handsome man's heart.
He hurriedly looked over, only to see that terrifying demonic god in the distance, the one that had just swallowed a world, turning its head to look at him, a trace of utter exasperation in its eyes.
He dropped to his knees on the spot.
His pink-dressed junior sister fared even worse. Perhaps because she had eaten the void fish, she could not hold her water and wet herself outright.
The terrifying blood-red giant in the distance grew even more speechless. "This time it isn't milky pee, is it?"
With that, Its enormous body swayed and wandered off through the void rift, as if seeking another target.
As for the handsome man and the pink-dressed cultivator, the two of them clung to each other, frightened to the extreme.
"Wuu..."
Elsewhere in the void rift, that terrifying blood-colored demonic god was naturally Qi Yuan.
After obtaining the coordinates of the three thousand worlds from that Great Tribulation, he had begun wandering the void rift, devouring the three thousand worlds under the Great Tribulation's jurisdiction.
By now, he had already eaten more than a thousand worlds.
Once he ate close to two thousand more, he would have swallowed every last world.
"I'm a bit full."
Wandering the void rift, Qi Yuan felt somewhat stuffed.
"I won't... let out a milky burp too, will I?"
Remembering that pair, Qi Yuan felt a chill run through him.
He forced himself to cast the thought aside and headed for the next set of coordinates.
Vast and boundless, he wandered the void rift like a whale swimming through the ocean, feeding without cease.
Qi Yuan naturally paid no mind to the scraps along the edges of the void rift.
What he swallowed were blood crystal essences.
"I didn't expect that coming to eat the three thousand worlds this time would also let me find so many snacks for my wife, Xiao Jia."
Indeed, after arriving in the void rift, Qi Yuan had discovered this special creation, the blood crystal essence.
They had no spiritual intelligence and no spiritual nature, and they attacked any living being they saw without discrimination.
Qi Yuan took one look and found that they somewhat resembled the blood crystals he and Xiao Jia liked to eat, only of an even higher grade.
[Blood crystal essence: a special creation condensed from the light of the stars of the myriad heavens.]
This was the information Qi Yuan's eyes perceived.
By now, blood crystal essences were already piled mountain-high within his body.
"I wonder whether Xiao Jia can evolve once she finishes these snacks."
From the moment Xiao Jia appeared, she had always stayed by his side.
It could be said that Xiao Jia had played a very large part in Qi Yuan clearing the game.
If he fed these snacks to Xiao Jia, she might well grow a good deal stronger.
He wondered when his wife Xiao Jia would be able to grow jade hands and jade feet.
Of course, that was only a figure of speech. If a casual remark came true and she really grew feet of "jade," that would be somewhat impolite.
Qi Yuan let his thoughts wander.
In an instant, he arrived at another set of coordinates.
Then... he opened his enormous mouth once more and swallowed that world in one fierce gulp.
The living beings within the world had no idea what was happening. They only felt that, in that moment, every star of the myriad heavens went dark, heaven and earth turned the color of blood, and only ten suns hung in the sky.
...
The Upper Realm.
Within the Mountain of Ultimate Principle.
The clones of nearly a hundred Yang God Heavenly Venerables had gathered, exceptionally busy.
These Yang God Heavenly Venerables were using supreme magical power to forge a palace.
This palace was the Hall of Ultimate Principle.
In the Sixth Heaven, there was a loose organization called the Ultimate Principle Society.
As the name implied, to become a formal member of the Ultimate Principle Society, one had to be a powerhouse of the Ultimate Principle Realm.
It could be said that this loose organization had gathered nearly all the Ultimate Principle Realm powerhouses of the Sixth Heaven.
"Time spares no one. After a hundred thousand years, the Ultimate Principle Dao Discussion Conference is being held once again.
"Last time, this old man could only take the form of a laborer to build the Hall of Ultimate Principle. Who would have thought that, a hundred thousand years later, I would still be one of those repairing the hall." A Yang God Heavenly Venerable sighed, rather rueful.
Upon reaching the realm of a Yang God Heavenly Venerable, breakthroughs no longer had anything to do with time.
Even if one moved to a world where time flowed extremely slowly, those who could not break through still could not break through.
This was somewhat similar to the Yin God.
"I wonder who will be able to break through to the Ultimate Principle Realm this time.
"I wonder whether that Lord Buddha of the Buddha Realm can break through to ultimate principle." A Yang God Heavenly Venerable sighed.
He came from the Third Heaven, and he held the Buddha Realm of the Fifth Heaven in great awe.
"Since he is Lord Buddha, he must surely have the bearing of the Great Ultimate Principle. Breaking through to ultimate principle will naturally be no difficulty at all!" said Futu Heavenly Venerable of Mount Futu. His sect lay in the Second Heaven.
Now he, too, had been conscripted by the Ultimate Principle Society to work without pay.
"The Buddha Realm and Taihuang Palace have a grudge between them. Hehe. How would that one from Taihuang Palace ever let Lord Buddha step into the Great Ultimate Principle Realm?" said a Lesser Heavenly Position Yang God Heavenly Venerable of the Moluo Clan, disdain in his voice.
The Moluo Clan and the Buddha Realm were at war now, so these words of his were perfectly natural.
"Hmph. How many years has it been since a Great Ultimate Principle appeared in our immortal realm?
"If Lord Buddha has the bearing of the Great Ultimate Principle, the Ultimate Principle Society will certainly not sit by and watch that one from Taihuang Palace make a move!" A purple-robed Yang God Heavenly Venerable spoke. He came from the Purple Mountain Alliance, a great power of the Sixth Heaven.
Hearing him, the Moluo Clan's Yang God Heavenly Venerable dared not refute him, dissatisfied though he was within.
Still, he then said, "Setting the Buddha Realm aside, that Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable is nothing more than a posturing clown.
"The suns of the ten suns are truly terrifying, but to think of contending with that one is simply courting death.
"If he truly had the strength, why hide and skulk like this?
"That one from Taihuang Palace even sent an invitation, asking him to go to Taihuang Palace to discuss the Dao, yet he dared not show himself.
"This old man guesses he is merely a Yang God Heavenly Venerable who stumbled onto some fortuitous encounter.
"He gained a fortuitous encounter and swelled without limit!"
The Moluo Clan had always been Taihuang Palace's lackeys. When he said this, the Yang God Heavenly Venerables present were not surprised.
"One who can condense ten suns could slay the likes of us with ease." Futu Heavenly Venerable could not help speaking up.
"Futu, don't speak for me.
"If that Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable dares come to our Moluo, we'll make sure he enters and never leaves!
"A mere aberrant Yang God who has not obtained a Venerable Position, nor even attained ultimate principle, dares to be so rampant!" said Mo Kan Heavenly Venerable of the Moluo Clan, disdain in his eyes.
He did have confidence of his own.
That Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable was indeed very powerful.
But the greatest of that power lay only in potential.
He had not proven a Venerable Position, though he had condensed ten suns. In terms of strength, he likely fell short of ultimate principle, merely at the peak of the Great Heavenly Position.
For the next several hundred thousand years, within a million years, the Moluo Clan could indeed keep the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable suppressed.
If the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable entered Moluo territory, the Moluo Clan's Ultimate Principle Realm experts would all come forth and kill him.
That one from Taihuang Palace would surely reward the Moluo Clan handsomely.
Just then, the face of that Yang God Heavenly Venerable from the Purple Mountain Alliance changed abruptly. He then said, "If this Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable were to appear among your Moluo Clan, it would likely be a calamity for the Moluo Clan."
"Hmph. If he dares appear, he will learn the price of rampant arrogance!" Mo Kan Heavenly Venerable said, his voice cold.
But then he heard the Heavenly Venerable of the Purple Mountain Alliance speak, a trace of shock in his voice. "This venerable has just received word. Taihuang Palace... a Great Tribulation has been destroyed, and a world has been swallowed."
"What?"
Hearing this, every Yang God Heavenly Venerable present was utterly shocked.
They did not know much about the Great Tribulation, but they understood that it was practically a reverse scale Taihuang Palace would not allow anyone to touch.
To actually destroy a Great Tribulation and swallow alive a world under Taihuang Palace's control...
This... was no different from a slap in the face!
Most important of all, with Yang God Heavenly Venerables as numerous as stars in Taihuang Palace above, how could someone have slain one of its Great Tribulations and swallowed a world alive!
"Could this be the doing of the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable? Hmph. He has some guts, taking advantage of Taihuang Palace being unprepared to sneak off, destroy one Great Tribulation, and wipe out one realm!" Mo Kan Heavenly Venerable stubbornly refused to yield, quite unconcerned.
The Great Tribulation of a single world, without support from Taihuang Palace, would amount at most to the combat power of one Yang God.
Swallowing a world alive looked frightening.
But if he unfolded his dharma idol body, swallowing one or two worlds alive would be no problem. Any more than that, and it would not work.
So what the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable had done did not frighten him.
Yet the Yang God Heavenly Venerable of the Purple Mountain Alliance spoke, his voice carrying a shock beyond words. "The Great Tribulations Taihuang Palace has lost are not merely one, and the worlds swallowed alive are not merely one either."
Mo Kan Heavenly Venerable felt a stir of wariness. Feigning indifference, he asked, "How many?"
"All of them... All three thousand Great Tribulations of Taihuang Palace, all three thousand worlds, have been swallowed alive!"
"What!"
Mo Kan Heavenly Venerable's eyes flew wide, disbelief written across them.
The other Yang God Heavenly Venerables were shocked beyond words as well.
"Three thousand worlds... swallowed entirely. How is that possible!"
"What realm is he in? What strength does he have? How does he not even possess a Venerable Position!"
The Yang God Heavenly Venerables present were shocked beyond words.
Destroying one realm—they could do that too.
Destroying three thousand worlds, if those worlds offered no resistance—they could do that too.
But destroying Taihuang Palace's three thousand Great Tribulations and swallowing Taihuang Palace's three thousand worlds alive—not one of them could do that.
A single Great Tribulation was comparable to a single Yang God.
And the result: three thousand Great Tribulations fallen, three thousand worlds swallowed, Taihuang Palace had received no word at all, and that one from Taihuang Palace had not even moved to aid them. Truly terrifying!
Seeing the look on Mo Kan Heavenly Venerable's face, the Heavenly Venerable of the Purple Mountain Alliance was thoroughly pleased. He spoke with open schadenfreude. "Hehe. If the Ten Suns Heavenly Venerable were set upon your Moluo Clan, I wonder how many worlds your Moluo Clan has... enough for him to swallow."
...
Within the Netherworld, Qi Yuan, dressed in a blood-red robe, held Xiao Jia's cold sleeve and let out a breath.
"Finally finished eating. Thankfully... I didn't let out a milky burp!"
He deliberately put the stress on "milky."
Having said it himself, even he felt a little sick.
Xiao Jia stood at his side. If she had eyes, they would surely have held nothing but Qi Yuan.
No matter when, so long as Qi Yuan needed her, she accompanied him anytime and anywhere.
"Eat. These blood crystal essences ought to taste better than blood crystals."
Qi Yuan took a blood crystal essence and set it upon Xiao Jia's sleeve.
The sleeve closed around the blood crystal essence, and a wooden plaque painted with joy slid free.
The blood crystal essence vanished.
Qi Yuan looked Xiao Jia over and found that her body seemed more solid.
Aside from that, there was no other change.
A flicker of disappointment passed through his heart. He put his arms around her at the waist, his voice inexplicably bleak. "Xiao Jia, ah, Xiao Jia. When will I be able to hear your voice?"
Chapter 405