The Might of Ultimate Principle, Qi Yuan's Urgency

Joy surfaced in Heavenly Venerable Motong's eyes. The more flustered and exasperated Heavenly Venerable Mochi became, the more thrilled Motong felt. "The destiny of the Nine Heavens belongs to me! It is only right that this Venerable achieves transcendence!" Without the slightest hesitation, Heavenly Venerable Motong plunged headlong into the Gate of Ultimate Principle. Transcending the Nine Heavens and becoming supreme in this realm lay right before his eyes! In an instant, Heavenly Venerable Motong stepped into the Gate of Ultimate Principle. The surrounding aura shifted abruptly. Ahead, he saw only the crimson-robed Heavenly Venerable Mochi standing with his back turned to all living beings, his frame trembling and shuddering as though from fury and dread, almost as if he were weeping aloud. A fanatical gleam flashed across Heavenly Venerable Motong's eyes. "Hahaha! Heaven's mandate is mine! What dogshit Taihuang Palace, Moon Goddess Palace—hereafter... all shall bow before me!" The Gate of Ultimate Principle was the paramount creation treasure of the Nine Heavens. Heavenly Venerable Motong was already an Ultimate Principle Yang God. If he spent a million years inside the Gate of Ultimate Principle comprehending all ultimate principles, he was guaranteed to step into the realm of Great Ultimate Reason. Once he comprehended the principles mastered by other Great Ultimate Reason experts, would the Nine Heavens not be his to roam at will? Yet right at that moment, the blood-red silhouette ahead gritted his teeth, trembling words floating out. It was clear the speaker was consumed by towering rage! "You actually stalked me!" "Stalker, peeping tom!" "You didn't peek at me taking a bath, did you?" "Oh, right, I forgot—I haven't taken a bath recently!" "Stalking, peeping, home invasion and robbery... you have committed ten deadly sins!" The voice was rich with dramatic grievance. If placed before an ancient county magistrate back on Blue Star, the magistrate would have probably believed this sob-story complaint without even holding a trial. But this was the Nine Heavens. Heavenly Venerable Motong suddenly grew vigilant. Heavenly Venerable Mochi's condition was far too abnormal. Could it be... the Gate of Ultimate Principle affected one's emotions? Those nonsensical words just now sounded nothing like something that fellow Mochi could ever say. Deeply wary, he watched Heavenly Venerable Mochi's back. Right then, Heavenly Venerable Mochi turned around. The haze shrouding him dissipated, revealing a face as fair as white jade, incomparably handsome. Heavenly Venerable Motong blinked, momentarily stunned. Not only could the Gate of Ultimate Principle alter your emotions, but it could also... perform plastic surgery? This Heavenly Venerable Mochi looked completely different from the one in his memories! "Lawbreakers deserve to be executed by all!" "You are not Mochi?" Heavenly Venerable Motong was astonished and intensely wary. A grave look entered his eyes. Densely packed eyeballs rose behind his back, pupils rolling as they scrutinized Qi Yuan. Observing the Minute was activated at that very moment. He wanted to see through to Qi Yuan's true identity. However, as formidable as the ultimate principle of Observing the Minute was, when it fell upon the figure in the crimson robe, the feedback it yielded was exceptionally meager. Wariness swelled within him. "Naturally, I am not Mochi. I am the spirit of the Gate of Ultimate Principle!" Qi Yuan had gotten hooked on playing his role. "Trespassing into my home—I'll be taking your dog head for my use!" Along with Qi Yuan's voice, the blood-red longsword rose, its dark crimson gleams dazzling the eyes. Greed, envy, lust... powerful auras of every kind permeated the space. "Great Heavenly Position?" "No, an origin divine ability?" "Purple Mansion?" Heavenly Venerable Motong felt a profound sense of absurdity. The pressure the opponent exerted on him was close to that of a Great Heavenly Position Yang God. Yet the attack was an origin divine ability. This ludicrous contrast was akin to a mathematics professor on Blue Star squaring off against you in a duel, only for his ultimate move to be a quadratic equation. Nevertheless, this was the Gate of Ultimate Principle. Heavenly Venerable Motong remained exceedingly cautious. Even facing an origin divine ability, he drove his ultimate principle of Observing the Minute to the absolute limit. "Heavenly Punishment of Omniscience!" Generally speaking, when an ordinary Great Heavenly Position Yang God clashed with an Ultimate Principle Yang God, the former stood virtually no chance of survival. Before reaching the Ultimate Principle Realm, mountains were not mountains and waters were not waters. The moment Observing the Minute emerged, all of Qi Yuan's movements and the trajectories of his spiritual energy circulation seemed to fall under Heavenly Venerable Motong's control. In that sword strike of towering blood qi and billowing momentum, the weakest point was instantly mirrored in Motong's sight. Certain of victory, he struck back directly. "A mere unorthodox Yang God, nothing more!" He had already deduced Qi Yuan's standing. Yet he had not anticipated just how foul-mouthed the other party was. "You actually peeked at me!" "Your gaze makes me very uncomfortable!" "This is sexual harassment!" Qi Yuan erupted in fury, unleashing a powerful sword strike. A smile touched Heavenly Venerable Motong's eyes. When the strike collided with his attack, they were evenly matched. "The Gate of Ultimate Principle belongs to me. The one from Taihuang Palace that you wish to kill... this Venerable shall slay on your behalf!" "Cut... cut the crap! You talk too much shit!" Qi Yuan spoke, also realizing the might of the Ultimate Principle Realm. Against a Yang God like Heavenly Venerable Mochi, he could take him down with a single ambush and a sliding tackle. Yet from an Ultimate Principle Yang God, he caught the scent of genuine danger and wariness. "Your sword is nothing more than this!" With Observing the Minute pushed to the limit, Heavenly Venerable Motong was brimming with confidence. As long as Qi Yuan's sword fell, he was certain he could inflict heavy injuries upon him. However, that sword strike of consummate sharpness and overbearing might was suddenly withdrawn at that very second. "Whoops, I'm pulling my sword back!" The moment his right eyebrow twitched with a warning of impending calamity, Qi Yuan sheathed his momentum and halted his attack. Heavenly Venerable Motong was taken aback, letting out a cold snort. "Nothing more than a bluff!" "Here I come again!" Right then, Qi Yuan struck once more, unleashing the Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique. His tremendous vigor surged, churning heaven and earth. Heavenly Venerable Motong sensed a dense aura of danger. He activated Observing the Minute again, frantically searching for the flaw—or rather, the weak spot—in that sword strike. In an instant, boundless information flashed past, and his eyes locked on. Found it! Yet Qi Yuan's clownish voice rang out once more. "Aha, tricked you! I'm retreating!" Qi Yuan retreated the moment he said it, pulling back his sword yet again. Seeing this, no matter how patient Heavenly Venerable Motong normally was, rage flared in his chest. He desperately wanted to tear Qi Yuan's mouth to shreds. His ultimate principle of Observing the Minute was geared toward defense. Therefore, if Qi Yuan withdrew his attack, his ultimate principle was exerted in vain. He was not a Great Ultimate Reason expert; sustaining Observing the Minute took an immense toll on him. That was why he felt anxious. Meanwhile, his opponent was an unorthodox cultivator whose raw strength, setting ultimate principles aside, was even a notch above his own. It was infuriating beyond measure. "Aha, here I come again!" A mighty sword strike arrived, accompanied by that obnoxious voice. Without hesitation, Heavenly Venerable Motong activated Observing the Minute once more to pinpoint the vulnerability. "And I'm gone again! Back, back, back!" This time, Qi Yuan did not defy his expectations. He retreated once more, squandering Motong's ultimate principle. "Damn you!" Heavenly Venerable Motong was growing somewhat frantic with rage. "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush!" Qi Yuan remained completely relaxed. "Court death!" Heavenly Venerable Motong glared at Qi Yuan and violently unleashed his ultimate principle, taking the initiative to attack. The ultimate principle of Observing the Minute prioritized defense, but that did not mean it could not attack. It was simply that attacking consumed more energy and yielded less power. Against an ordinary Great Heavenly Position, he could crush them without even using his ultimate principle. Yet Qi Yuan was not a Great Heavenly Position. "That's all you've got?" Qi Yuan did not budge. Myriad Dao Martial God! Four thousand Divine Infants poured their power into his body. Facing Heavenly Venerable Motong's strike, he chose to meet force with force! *Boom!* A clash between Yang God Heavenly Venerables carried enough destructive force to completely shatter an ordinary minor world and reduce the continental crust to ash. Under this impact, even space grew unstable, and the surrounding void began to fracture. Spatial rifts widened and collapsed. His cascade of long hair billowed in the wind. Qi Yuan stood motionless with his blood-red longsword in hand, shattered space grazing past his fingertips. "Old man, are you still up for it?" Heavenly Venerable Motong fumed, "Curse you!" He was truly enraged. When had he ever encountered an opponent like this! Even when facing Heavenly Venerable Longyue, he could still hold the upper hand. "How about... you try another strike?" Qi Yuan chuckled. A look of deep wariness flickered in the depths of Heavenly Venerable Motong's eyes. Attacking proactively consumed far too much from Observing the Minute, and on top of its weaker offensive power, it had achieved absolutely nothing. Thus, he made no further moves. "If you won't take the initiative, I suppose I'll have to." "Who told you to be my white moonlight, you stinking old man!" Qi Yuan spoke with a doting expression, as if addressing an overly greedy little girl. The sword left its sheath once more, shaking heaven and earth. Every time, Qi Yuan's attacks could never be faked. Without hesitation, Heavenly Venerable Motong ran Observing the Minute again. "Oh my, you're too strong! I'm retreating..." "Not retreating anymore!" At that exact instant, Qi Yuan noticed his right eyebrow had not twitched. That meant the opponent's activation of his ultimate principle was merely a feint. A piercing sword strike punctured the firmament, impaling itself directly into the giant eyeball in that split second. In an instant, the tens of thousands of densely packed eyeballs behind his back felt as though they were being pierced by needles. "Ah!" Heavenly Venerable Motong let out a bloodcurdling scream, an expression of utter disbelief on his face. "You... you also possess an ultimate principle?" Otherwise, he could not fathom how Qi Yuan had seen through his deception. "I don't have an ultimate principle. This is a man's intuition—you wouldn't understand!" "I'm striking with my sword now. Are you going to dodge or not?" Qi Yuan slashed out once more. Anxious, Heavenly Venerable Motong wildly channeled the ultimate principle of Observing the Minute. He resolved to stop holding back. He refused to believe the opponent's consumption could be lower than his! He was an Ultimate Principle Yang God. Could he fail to outlast a mere Great Heavenly Position? Unfortunately, he was gravely mistaken. He was only a single person! Qi Yuan, on the other hand, possessed over four thousand Divine Infants. The strength those Yang Gods provided Qi Yuan was boundless. In a contest of endurance, he had no fear of an ultimate principle; he would even dare trade blows with a Great Ultimate Reason expert. "I'm in again!" "I'm out again!" "Haha..." Inside the Purple Mansion, Qi Yuan toyed with Heavenly Venerable Motong like a cat teasing a mouse, relentlessly attacking and harassing him. Heavenly Venerable Motong's initial high-spirited vigor was steadily worn down into the decrepitude of old age. "Die!" With the Myriad Dao Martial God bestowed upon his form and four thousand Divine Infants pouring their might into him, Qi Yuan showed no mercy in this strike. Even though Heavenly Venerable Motong unleashed the ultimate principle of Observing the Minute, his eyeball shattered before Qi Yuan's strike. "Aaaagh!" Heavenly Venerable Motong wailed in agony, but the opponent's onslaught was relentless. At this level of combat, a single misstep meant total defeat. He had no chance whatsoever to resist. After an unknown length of time, the endless clashes finally drew to a close. Qi Yuan sat suspended in midair, gazing down at the shattered eyeball, and murmured softly, "You are not Heavenly Venerable Motong. You are my past body!" With a Purple Mansion constitution, he had slain an Ultimate Principle Yang God against the odds. In the Nine Heavens, an Ultimate Principle Yang God belonged to the absolute upper echelon. One could say that in the Sixth Heaven, barring the Black Demon Abyss, not a single sacred ground or faction would refuse an Ultimate Principle Yang God who pledged loyalty to join them. He ought to have been ecstatic, yet at this moment his expression was exceptionally grave. Even against a single Ultimate Principle Yang God of the Moluo Clan, he had to exert this much effort just to prevail. What about... Great Ultimate Reason experts? What about the one in Taihuang Palace? Qi Yuan felt a profound sense of urgency. "The enemy... is far too powerful," Qi Yuan sighed. Right then, the soundless voice from the game jade slip resonated once more, carrying a hint of confusion. Qi Yuan smiled faintly. "My enemy is that one from Taihuang Palace. A very tough nut to crack." The soundless voice transmitted again. "As expected, people need to communicate more. I feel like you've grown smarter." Qi Yuan sensed richer emotions flowing through. "I won't chat anymore. I need to go take a bath. I'll be... seeing Jin Li very soon." Qi Yuan's figure dissipated and vanished. As for the spoils of battle, he would sort through them after bathing. ... "Ultimate principles have grades." "Heaven Grade, Earth Grade, Profound Grade, Yellow Grade." "Heavenly Venerable Motong's Observing the Minute was a Profound Grade ultimate principle!" "If a Profound Grade is already this formidable, what must the Heaven Grade above it be like?" "As for the Supreme Ultimate Principles beyond that... it is difficult to fathom." Qi Yuan sighed emotionally. He felt an urge to hurry. Just a moment ago, when he inhabited the body of Lord Buddha Wutian and observed as a bystander, he had witnessed a wisp of the Great Sun Radiant Buddha's remnant thoughts. That magnitude of power and grandeur was virtually impossible to imagine. A mere remnant thought was enough to suppress Qi Yuan. How terrifying would a Great Ultimate Reason expert be at their peak? Furthermore, Great Ultimate Reason experts were divided into varying tiers of strength, tied directly to the grade of the ultimate principle they had comprehended. "There are four Supreme Ultimate Principles in total: Absolute, Sole, Cycle, and Innate." Supreme Ultimate Principles stood at the very pinnacle of the hierarchy, the most powerful and unsolvable of them all. There were four broad categories. In the Sixth Heaven, the Great Ultimate Reason experts who had comprehended a Supreme Ultimate Principle numbered fewer than ten. Such figures were the true supreme sovereigns of the Sixth Heaven. To draw a comparison to the prehistoric myths of Blue Star, these individuals were Sages, while the other Great Ultimate Reason cultivators were Half-Sages. As for ordinary Ultimate Principle Yang Gods, they were mere Golden Immortals. "The Venerable Position of that figure in Taihuang Palace is Sole Great Sun, and the ultimate principle he comprehended is also Sole Great Sun. That is why he refused to let the Great Sun Radiant Buddha live." "Moon Goddess Yuanjun is Innate Greater Yin." "It seems I must attend the Ultimate Principle Dao Discussion Conference. If I don't comprehend a Supreme Ultimate Principle, there's simply no playing against these old monsters!" Although Qi Yuan possessed the Gate of Ultimate Principle, comprehending principles inside it would take hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. He could not afford to wait. "Which ultimate principles among the Supreme Ultimate Principles can I comprehend?" Qi Yuan's mind was in turmoil. This was not something a Purple Mansion cultivator was supposed to worry about. Yet there was no helping it. If earning three thousand a month on Blue Star was enough to worry about international geopolitics, why shouldn't a Purple Mansion cultivator contemplate ultimate principles? Casting all those thoughts aside, Qi Yuan changed into a blood-red robe, radiant as a jade tree. Looking up at the stars in the night sky, his gaze softened. "Time to head to Jueyue Abyss." His appearance shifted once more, transforming into Heavenly Venerable Motong's likeness. In the Netherworld, he had already brainwashed Heavenly Venerable Motong's remnant soul and extracted some of his memories. Impersonating Heavenly Venerable Motong now was trivial. However, this disguise likely would not last very long. After all, the Demonic Abyss was an active war zone. *Before they find out, maybe I can seize the chance to... steal my family's well back?* Qi Yuan pondered. Of course, all these schemes had to wait until after he saw Jin Li. A pledge from the past, bridging tens of millions of years across time and space. July Lake was no more, and the Ancient Qi Toon Tree was gone. Yet none of that mattered. "Seeing You..."