Qi Yuan returned to the graveyard and dug himself a pit.
"There's no way I'm sleeping in a bridal chamber. I don't like lying inside a wooden box,"
Qi Yuan said with utmost seriousness to Xiao Jia behind him.
Xiao Jia followed behind in silence.
Qi Yuan hopped into the pit.
Suddenly, a thud came from outside.
Qi Yuan scrambled back out at once and saw Xiao Jia sprawled on the ground, tripped by a rock.
He helped her up and patted the dirt from her clothes.
"See? Having no eyes really doesn't work. You're always falling over!"
During their time together, Qi Yuan had already discovered Xiao Jia's many quirks.
For instance, she fell over easily. Or, for instance, she often bumped into things, knocking over items in the house.
"When I get married in the future, I definitely have to find someone with eyes," Qi Yuan sighed.
After thinking for a moment, he scooped Xiao Jia into his arms—just like scooping up laundry before the rain—and dove into the pit.
...
Yin-Yang Forbidden Ground.
In a certain valley, dozens of coffins lay arranged.
*Creak.*
The coffin lids flipped open.
Dozens of humanoid beings sat up.
Men and women alike, they radiated vast, boundless auras.
If Qi Yuan were to see these people, his eyes would surely light up.
They were all Level 90 NPCs!
Some were even Level 95 and above!
At this moment, the strongest among these humanoid beings—a man with a vertical eye on his forehead—gazed across the Yin-Yang Forbidden Ground, seemingly looking straight toward the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground.
He spoke slowly, his voice neither distinctly male nor female. "Another fellow cultivator is about to join us in the mortal realm."
"A cause for celebration indeed. Who would have thought that after the extraterrestrial demon severed heaven and earth, fishing over Wangyue, someone could still step beyond the Heavenly Domain?"
Ever since the Heavenly God departed ten thousand years ago, never to return, terrifying changes had overtaken the Wangyue Continent.
For martial practitioners, cultivation progressed through the Acquired (Levels 0–9), Innate (Levels 10–19), Grandmaster (Levels 20–29), King rank (Levels 30–49), Sovereign rank (Levels 50–69), Heavenly Domain (Levels 70–89), and the Divine Domain.
Whenever a practitioner broke through the Sovereign rank and stepped into the Heavenly Domain realm, a fishing line would dangle from the firmament, burrowing into their body to suck out their brain matter and flesh.
In the end, the fishing line would withdraw, leaving behind nothing but an empty human hide.
Thus, over the past ten thousand years, virtually no new Heavenly Domain powerhouses had emerged on the Wangyue Continent.
"Does anyone know his origins?" asked a fairy in fluttering white robes. If Qi Yuan were to glance at her, he would know she was a Level 97 big shot.
And ten thousand years ago, this very big shot had even shared a fleeting romance with the Heavenly God.
"Fairy Flower Burial, he comes from the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground. He most likely reached this step by relying on the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess's resources," an old man said, stealing a glance at the female immortal.
"Hmph, looks like Jin Jia left that wretched woman plenty of good things," Fairy Flower Burial sneered, her tone laced with mockery.
Jin Jia was the Heavenly God's true name.
Hearing this, the others held their tongues, unwilling to provoke Fairy Flower Burial's temper.
The vertical-eyed man possessed a towering, magnificent frame. When he spoke, his voice rumbled like rolling thunder. "Since he is about to step into the Divine Domain and is the new Bridal Gown Imperial Princess's husband, he ought to be our comrade.
"Three hundred years from now, during the heavenly dog's eclipse of the moon, the extraterrestrial demon will be at its weakest. That will be our time to storm the Earth Extinction Forbidden Ground."
The extraterrestrial demon occupied Earth Extinction, bringing ruin upon the mortal realm.
Meanwhile, those who were once of the Heavenly Domain and now powerhouses of the Divine Domain could only scurry and hide, sheltering within the Yin-Yang Forbidden Ground and the Five Elements Forbidden Ground.
They had cultivated in secret for ten thousand years, gathering their strength for the sole purpose of holding the Demon Slaying Assembly when the extraterrestrial demon was at its weakest, storming Earth Extinction to vanquish the demon together.
Otherwise, if things continued like this and the extraterrestrial demon completely dominated Earth Extinction, allowing it to unleash its full power upon the Wangyue Continent, not even the Yin-Yang and Five Elements Forbidden Grounds would enable them to withstand it. They would meet only death and the obliteration of their Dao.
"An invitation to the Demon Slaying Assembly should be delivered to him," the vertical-eyed man declared.
"However, he hasn't even stepped into the Divine Domain yet. He might not even pass the hurdle of the Ugly Robe Monster Sovereign," a man said, casting an ingratiating look toward Fairy Flower Burial.
Fairy Flower Burial despised the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess, so she naturally despised this new princess's husband as well.
Having long admired Fairy Flower Burial, the man naturally spoke up in her favor.
"With the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess by his side, him slaying the Ugly Robe Monster Sovereign is merely a matter of time.
"What a pity... Why would the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess choose him as her husband?
"Had she chosen Tong, or failing that, one of us, our strength would have surged tremendously, granting us far greater certainty at the Demon Slaying Assembly.
"What a waste. In a mere three hundred years, even with the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess's support, his combat strength will likely barely approach that of a weaker titan," an old man lamented.
Tong, the vertical-eyed man, was their leader and a peak Divine Domain powerhouse.
There were only three such powerhouses in total—one in the Yin-Yang Forbidden Ground and two in the Five Elements Forbidden Ground.
The Heavenly God of the past had stood at this exact level.
Meanwhile, figures like Fairy Flower Burial, ranging from Level 95 to 98, were titan-level powerhouses within the Divine Domain.
Yet that husband of the new Bridal Gown Imperial Princess in the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground had not even reached the Divine Domain. Even if he broke through over these few centuries, aided by the princess's divine abilities, the combat strength he could display would at best match a second-rate titan.
If one of these titans had received the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess's support instead, they might well have exhibited peak Divine Domain strength—or perhaps even exceeded it.
Against the extraterrestrial demon, they would have had far greater confidence.
"What is the point of saying all this? Do any of you dare leave the Yin-Yang Forbidden Ground to look for that Bridal Gown Imperial Princess?
"Besides, did any of us even know a new Bridal Gown Imperial Princess had been born into this world?" a plump man sneered. He, too, was a titan.
Hearing this, some felt dissatisfied, while others fell silent.
"I simply feel that the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess marrying that fellow is too great a waste!"
"Alas, the extraterrestrial demon is terrifying beyond measure. Even the Heavenly God was no match for it.
"In the Demon Slaying Assembly three hundred years from now, can we really win?"
The Heavenly God had been the most supremely gifted powerhouse ten thousand years ago.
Tong, along with the two peak Divine Domain powerhouses of the Five Elements Forbidden Ground, had all been completely overshadowed by the Heavenly God.
If even the Heavenly God had fallen in defeat...
Could they... truly win?
"Admitting defeat before the battle has even begun—Old Man Tang, you wouldn't be scared, would you?
"I seem to recall that your most cherished grandson was the one hooked away by the extraterrestrial demon's fishing line, having every bit of his blood and flesh devoured!"
"Every ounce of strength is of paramount importance to us.
"No matter what, the one in the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground is our comrade. How can you speak so disrespectfully?"
"It's just that... the Bridal Gown Imperial Princess is wasted on him. If Tong had been chosen... we might well have forged a second Heavenly God, or someone even stronger!"
The crowd argued back and forth, each harboring their own thoughts.
At that moment, Tong spoke, his voice grim and chilling. "Enough. With the great enemy before us, infighting is forbidden.
"Mo Li, dispatch an invitation to that fellow cultivator, inviting him to join the Demon Slaying Assembly."
"Understood," replied the man named Mo Li.
Inside the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground, Qi Yuan, who was just preparing to log off, paused in surprise.
"An invitation?"
Upon Xiao Jia's body, an invitation materialized.
"Three hundred years from now? Demon Slaying Assembly?"
"Like hell I'm going!
"In three hundred years, my daughter will have already reigned supreme across eternity!"
Chapter 46