Hearing this, Qi Yuan perked up.
"Actually, when it comes to my bloodline, I have a few theories of my own!"
The purple-robed woman cast him a surprised look. "What kind of theories?"
In their conversation just now, she had already revealed that Qi Yuan possessed the bloodline of the Black Demon Abyss, and a rather potent one at that.
"I think... I might be a long-lost old ancestor of the Black Demon Abyss who went missing all those years ago!" Qi Yuan said in a hushed whisper.
The purple-robed woman: "..."
After a long silence, she looked earnestly at Qi Yuan. "I finally understand why you managed to offend Taihuang Palace!"
That mouth of his was truly vile—it was a miracle he had survived this long.
Beside them, Jiang Lingsu could not help but cover her mouth and giggle.
At last, someone else was experiencing the exact same agony she had endured.
Back when they were at the Divine Light Sect, she had realized just how lethal her Eldest Senior Brother's mouth could be.
As long as he kept silent, he was an incomparable, peerless beauty; the moment he opened his mouth, everyone fell to their knees in despair.
"I didn't offend Taihuang Palace, Taihuang Palace provoked me! I've always kept a low profile and never look for trouble!" Qi Yuan insisted with utmost sincerity.
The purple-robed woman chuckled, then said, "Hold out your hand and let Big Sister have a feel."
Qi Yuan jerked his arm back violently. "You're sexually harassing me in broad daylight?"
"I just want to inspect your bloodline and record it. Who knows, maybe our old ancestor can recognize it," the purple-robed woman said, completely unbothered.
Whenever she drew near Qi Yuan, the sigil on her arm would flicker.
Different rhythms of flickering represented different lineages of bloodline.
The closer they were, the clearer it showed.
If she recorded this flickering and played it back for the old ancestor, perhaps the ancestor could deduce what bloodline it truly was.
She shared her thought with Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan blinked in confusion, subconsciously asking, "Does this flickering consume your energy?"
The purple-robed woman froze for a moment. "No."
Qi Yuan's eyes went wide. "Isn't this a fucking perpetual motion machine? Hahaha! I discovered a perpetual motion machine! I'm going to be rich!"
Getting close generated light without consuming energy—if that wasn't a perpetual motion machine, what was?
"..." The purple-robed woman fell silent once more.
Then she saw Qi Yuan staring at her intently. "Do you want to chop off your arm and sell it to me? This is definitely the greatest discovery in the Immortal Realm in millions of years!"
The mere thought of inventing a perpetual motion machine filled Qi Yuan with excitement.
"Piss off!" the purple-robed woman barked.
Qi Yuan looked slightly disappointed.
"Sigh... Although inventing a perpetual motion machine would bring merit for thousands of generations, I'm not the type to kidnap people with moral righteousness, so I won't force you to sacrifice yourself."
Qi Yuan had no right to make decisions for others.
He only knew how to kill people.
Even so, after pondering it, he still held out his arm.
If it turned out that he really was a long-lost ancestor of the Black Demon Abyss, that would be wonderful.
After all, the Black Demon Abyss was an immense, formidable force in the Sixth Heaven.
If all those Yang God Heavenly Venerables in the Black Demon Abyss were his grandsons, that supreme figure from Taihuang Palace would have to think twice before making a move on him.
Ignoring his nonsensical banter, the purple-robed woman placed her hand over Qi Yuan's.
The black sigil flickered at that moment, eerily mesmerizing.
She quickly recorded the rhythm of the flickers.
"Got it down?"
Qi Yuan hastily yanked his hand away.
The purple-robed woman stared at him and declared rather crudely, "I'm feeling horny."
Qi Yuan: "...What a turn-off!"
"Haha!" The purple-robed woman burst into laughter.
She had always been blunt.
"Big Sister is taking off. By the way, I know you aren't keen on becoming my concubine, so I left a little gift for you at the Black Demon Abyss's stronghold. Remember to pick it up. I'm heading up first—I'll wait for you in the Sixth Heaven."
With those parting words, her figure vanished into thin air.
Qi Yuan was utterly speechless. "People from the Sixth Heaven... really lack refinement!"
Jiang Lingsu gnashed her teeth as well. "She was way too... vulgar!"
She had anticipated scenarios where her breathtaking beauty drew wealthy scoundrels trying to hit on her, yet none appeared.
Instead, people kept flirting with her Eldest Senior Brother.
***
Time trickled by slowly.
Sitting in the Miluo Realm, Qi Yuan occasionally went fishing, and occasionally perused techniques to refine the Golden Core Chapter of the *Qi Yuan Scripture*.
As for the path of the Yin God, Qi Yuan had yet to begin refining it.
After all, he needed to discuss the Dao with others and understand the true essence of a Yin God before he began creating his own technique.
During these past days, Qi Yuan's fishing harvest had been quite plentiful.
Well, counting Heavenly Venerable Mochi, he had caught four fish in total.
All four had been meticulously handpicked by Qi Yuan.
Their disappearance would not be noticed anytime soon.
Moreover, Qi Yuan had been exceedingly considerate—he left an inflatable doll in each of their immortal caves to pose as a decoy.
There was no way anyone would figure it out in the short term.
There had been a small detour along the way, however: Qi Yuan had grazed the grass right beside his own nest.
Since the other fish were too difficult to hook, and he truly did not wish to return empty-handed, he ended up fishing out a Yang God belonging to the Moluo Sacred Tower where he was staying.
Needless to say, if word of this ever got out, the entire Moluo Clan would be shaken to its core.
"Ten more days, and I'll pack my bags and ascend to the Upper Realm!" Eagerness and delight shone in Qi Yuan's eyes.
When the time came, he would head straight for the Demonic Abyss.
Jin Li's birthday was fast approaching.
As Qi Yuan's mind drifted through random thoughts, he suddenly seemed to sense something.
***
On the other side of the Miluo Realm, near the entrance, a streak of white light was fleeing desperately.
Despair filled Hongyu's eyes.
She had lurked as a spy in the Fifth Heaven for ten thousand years, but she never imagined she would be exposed by a traitor. Now, Yin Gods of the Moluo Clan were in hot pursuit.
Within the Moluo Sacred Tower, there was zero chance of survival.
That was why she had bolted frantically into the Miluo Realm.
Yet the Yin Gods behind her clung relentlessly to her trail. She was gravely injured, and her immortal spiritual power was nearly depleted.
She would likely be captured before long.
The thought of her mission filled Hongyu with burning anxiety.
The vital aura she had spent fifty thousand years collecting undercover had yet to be delivered back to the Moon Goddess Palace.
If she died here, all those years of painstaking effort would be in vain.
Her white robes stained with blood, she fled at top speed, her Divine Domain deployed to its fullest, pushing her velocity to the absolute limit.
"Where do you think you're running, demoness?!"
"Daring to stir up trouble in our Moluo Clan—you're courting death!"
This high-stakes chase drew the attention of many cultivators gathering Miluo Light throughout the realm.
However, upon seeing that it was the Moluo Clan hunting a fugitive, they steered clear to avoid drawing trouble onto themselves.
Right then, a voice transmission abruptly echoed in Hongyu's ear.
"Head toward the southwest, over by the red Flame Mountain."
Hearing the voice, Hongyu was momentarily stunned.
Was someone... trying to help her?
Or was it a trap?
Yet she had no other way out; if she didn't take the gamble, only death awaited her.
Without hesitation, she darted straight toward the Flame Mountain in the southwest.
"Hmph, where can you run!"
Five Yin Gods pursued her like madmen.
Gritting her teeth, Hongyu plunged directly into the crimson Flame Mountain.
That familiar voice entered her ears once more.
"Keep going forward, come to my side. Remember to conceal your aura."
The owner of the voice had also left behind an imprint, seemingly guiding her way.
"Se... Senior?"
She was bewildered.
Wouldn't this bring trouble to the senior?
Before she could dwell on it, a violent tremor shook the ground.
The Flame Mountain right behind her erupted with a thunderous roar.
The world instantly turned scorching hot.
The Moluo Clan pursuers directly behind her were instantly swallowed by the flames.
This was no ordinary mountain, but a volcanic hazard native to the Miluo Realm. The destructive fury of its eruption was far more than mere fire—even Yin Gods could not afford to take it lightly.
The Yin Gods hunting Hongyu were utterly disoriented by the blast.
By the time they pulled themselves out of the inferno, Hongyu was nowhere to be seen.
"Dammit!"
"Where did she go? She actually slipped away!"
"Keep searching! She's wounded; she can't have gotten far!"
The Yin Gods transformed into streaks of light and scattered in all directions to track her down.
***
About a hundred breaths later, inside a tent, Hongyu looked at the Black Demon Abyss cultivator before her with lingering bewilderment. Lowering her voice, she said, "Thank you, Senior, for coming to my aid!"
In truth, her heart was filled with doubts.
The Black Demon Abyss was vast, but portions of it were hostile toward the Moon Goddess Palace, and they had even waged war against one another.
Why would a cultivator from the Black Demon Abyss save her?
"Are you from the Moon Goddess Palace?"
The man who had saved Hongyu was naturally Qi Yuan.
He had caught the scent of the Moon Goddess Palace on her.
Having obtained part of Heavenly Venerable Mochi's memories, he was intimately familiar with the palace's distinctive aura.
"Yes," Hongyu nodded.
"What a coincidence! One of my wives is from the Moon Goddess Palace too. Do you know her?" Qi Yuan asked warmly.
Hearing this, Hongyu finally understood why he had saved her.
"May I ask which senior of our palace she is?"
"Her name is Jin Li. She's a Yue Nü of the Moon Goddess Palace," Qi Yuan answered without holding anything back.
Hongyu swallowed hard, her eyes blinking in shock. "A... a Yue Nü Highness?!"
She was completely floored.
A Yue Nü held an extraordinary status in the Moon Goddess Palace.
One could say they were groomed as future palace masters.
In fact, a Yue Nü enjoyed treatment almost on par with a Yang God.
With such immense privileges came heavy responsibilities.
A Yue Nü was strictly forbidden from marrying, nor was she permitted to have a husband.
Because of this, she found Qi Yuan's claim hard to believe.
If the Moon Goddess Palace's upper echelons found out that a Yue Nü had married, her fate would be utterly miserable.
"Have you seen her? Is she happy in the Moon Goddess Palace? How has she been doing?" Qi Yuan fired three questions in rapid succession.
Hongyu shook her head. "This junior has been undercover in the Fifth Heaven for tens of thousands of years; I have never met her."
As for the matter of a Yue Nü having a husband, she swore to take it to her grave. If the upper echelons ever found out, that Yue Nü Jin Li would suffer horribly.
"I have another wife in the Moon Goddess Palace as well. Her name is Ruan Yixi. Do you know her?" Qi Yuan asked again.
Hongyu: "..."
She could barely keep her composure.
*So, you treat the entire Moon Goddess Palace as your personal harem?!*
"I have never heard of her either!" Hongyu said.
Qi Yuan looked thoroughly disheartened. "Looks like I'll have to go look for my wives in person."
Hongyu then spoke up, "Senior, now that my injuries have stabilized somewhat, this junior should take her leave. Lingering here would only bring trouble upon you."
Her wounds remained severe, but if she stayed and the Moluo Clan searched the area, finding her would drag Qi Yuan down with her.
"Don't worry about it. I'm currently an affiliate of the Black Demon Abyss—I don't fear the Moluo Clan. You're a colleague of my two wives, so just relax and rest here. There won't be any issues!" Qi Yuan said grandly.
Having someone from the Moon Goddess Palace around was a good thing. Once he reached the Sixth Heaven, it would make tracking down Jin Li much easier.
Otherwise, without a guide, barging in blindly might mean... he wouldn't even make it past the front gates.
"This..." Hongyu hesitated.
Just then, the voices of Moluo Clan cultivators sounded from a distance.
"Esteemed Lord, our Moluo Clan is currently pursuing a fugitive. Would you please step out and permit us to search your cave dwelling?"
The Moluo cultivator outside the tent was exceptionally polite.
After all, the person residing here belonged to the Black Demon Abyss.
Had this tent belonged to some other sacred ground, they would have barged right in long ago.
Hongyu grew tense, her body taut and ready to strike at any moment.
"Piss off, you filthy swine! Don't you dare step into this Daoist master's dwelling!"
"What, do you think this master would harbor a petty criminal?!"
Qi Yuan put on a brilliant act.
He instantly channeled the persona of an arrogant, haughty Black Demon Abyss cultivator looking down his nose at everyone.
And sure enough, the Moluo Clan swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.
True to form, the moment Qi Yuan barked at them to piss off, the Moluo cultivators outside hunched their backs even lower, servile smiles plastering their faces.
"Forgive us for disturbing you, Senior!"
"It was our mistake!"
Casting a cautious glance at Qi Yuan's tent, the Moluo cultivators quickly withdrew.
Sensing their departure, Qi Yuan could not help but sigh. "This Black Demon Abyss identity really is handy."
However, he knew very little about why the Moluo Clan feared the Black Demon Abyss so deeply.
Although he had searched the souls of Heavenly Venerable Mochi and other Yang Gods, soul-searching a Yang God was entirely different from doing so on an ordinary cultivator; Qi Yuan had only recovered a fraction of their memories.
Unless he traveled to the Astral Realm and devoured Mochi's star directly, he couldn't get the full picture.
"Do you know why the Moluo Clan fears the Black Demon Abyss?" Qi Yuan asked Hongyu casually.
He still had ten or so days before ascending to the Upper Realm under Heavenly Venerable Mochi's identity.
Fishing was out of the question for now.
He might as well chat and gather more intel about the Upper Realm.
Hearing his question, Hongyu hesitated for a moment before whispering, "It is related to the Moluo Clan's Creation Treasure."
At the mention of that, Qi Yuan instantly brightened up.
Although the Gate of Ultimate Principle was the number-one Creation Treasure in the Immortal Realm, it did nothing to boost his combat strength and took far too much time to use.
"The Moluo Clan's Creation Treasure is known as the Moluo Well!"
"What? A well?!" Qi Yuan's eyes popped wide open.
Hongyu was puzzled, having no idea why a well would elicit such a reaction.
"What is it, Senior?"
Then she heard Qi Yuan say, "My family's well seemed to have gone missing too—someone carried it away on their back. The Moluo Well couldn't possibly be my family's well, could it?!"
The Gate of Myriad Manifestations had been snatched away through the front door, though he had retrieved it.
As for the well, someone had literally carried it on their back and fled the homeland, and it still hadn't turned up.
Looking at the Moluo Clan's Moluo Well, it seemed awfully familiar, bearing quite a resemblance to the well from his home.
"...Senior truly has a fine sense of humor." Hongyu offered a strained smile, inwardly speechless.
Qi Yuan seemed utterly crestfallen, his mind completely consumed by thoughts of his family's lost well.
Even so, he retained his sanity. "Keep going, I'm listening."
Hongyu continued, "The Sixth Heaven is currently the highest plane in the Immortal Realm, and the ideal place for Yang God Heavenly Venerables to cultivate.
"Because of this, numerous major sacred grounds reside in the Sixth Heaven.
"Yang God Heavenly Venerables from the five heavens below who lack a sacred ground of their own usually ascend to the Sixth Heaven and choose to join one.
"However, the Black Demon Abyss is the most unique sacred ground in the Sixth Heaven—they never recruit any Yang God who does not possess the Black Demon Abyss bloodline!"
The six heavens of the Immortal Realm formed a pyramid hierarchy.
The Yang Gods below all dreamed of stepping into the Sixth Heaven to cultivate.
The Sixth Heaven was a paradise for Yang God Heavenly Venerables.
One could say that for a Yang God, cultivating in the Sixth Heaven yielded several times the speed of cultivating in the lower realms.
That disparity was something not even time-dilation could bridge.
Because of this, countless Yang Gods flocked to the Sixth Heaven like moths to a flame.
Yet... the Sixth Heaven... was far from welcoming to outside Yang Gods.
Chapter 413