A Battle Between True Powerhouses!

"My Lord, these are the curious treasures collected over the past year. There are two thousand seven hundred in total, costing..." Shi Pan kept his head bowed as he respectfully handed the storage pouch filled with curious treasures to Qi Yuan. Over these past few years, he had served Qi Yuan with utmost diligence. With the growth of his cultivation, he was no longer that ignorant, naive youth, having grown into a mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator! Yet the stronger he became, the more profoundly he realized just how fathomless and terrifying the man before him was—a figure he would have to look up to for the rest of his life. "Not bad. Hopefully there will be some new gains this time." Qi Yuan took the curious treasures and examined them closely. In recent years, aside from looking for flaws in the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner, he had continuously studied various forging methods. Unfortunately, due to a lack of materials, even though the Weapon Concealment Pavilion had been constructed, the curious treasures Qi Yuan had personally forged were few and far between—in fact, there was only one. And that single piece had been forged by extracting materials from several tattered treasures that were as broken as could be, on the verge of turning to dust. As for the other curious treasures, Qi Yuan had not destroyed them for raw materials. Perhaps they were the lingering proof that some civilization or clan had once existed. He casually glanced over the treasures, checking whether any contained new forging techniques. Shi Pan took this moment to withdraw silently. All of a sudden, Qi Yuan's expression focused slightly. Looking into the void ahead, he abruptly spoke, "Now that you're here, show yourself." As soon as the words fell, a hearty voice rang out. "A fellow Daoist comes as a guest to my Tiankun Curious Land, yet I failed to welcome you from afar. I hope you will forgive me." A man built like a double-door refrigerator materialized. His head was absurdly small, as if he had a small-head beauty filter turned on. Behind him followed a hunched old man—none other than Heavenly Venerable Tiancan. "I am Dao Bu'er, Sect Master of the Holy Light Sect," Dao Bu'er said, a radiant smile on his face. Heavenly Venerable Tiancan, standing as an old servant, looked at Qi Yuan with intense curiosity and inner shock. *He didn't run upon encountering a member of the Holy Light Clan? He really is... bold because of his skill.* "Why did you seek me out? Want to fight?" Qi Yuan asked casually. The other party was merely in the Ultimate Principle Realm; he did not care at all. Granted, for a member of the Holy Light Clan in the Ultimate Principle Realm, his Words of Holy Light were enough to influence even powerful figures of the Great Ultimate Principle. However, Qi Yuan had his special nose; he wasn't afraid. Dao Bu'er's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this. "Fellow Daoist jokes. A guest from afar is a guest. Why would I harbor killing intent toward a visitor?" *Whoosh...* Qi Yuan's nose grew. "You're lying. You felt a flicker of killing intent," Qi Yuan said flatly. The originally calm Dao Bu'er felt stormy waves surge within his heart. *Words of Holy Light... How did he see through them?* *Could it be that he also has an ancestor with an unimaginably terrifying bloodline origin?* *That is the only explanation!* It seemed the man was not a cultivator of the Sixth Heaven, but rather an outsider like himself. Looking at Qi Yuan, his wariness deepened. "Fellow Daoist must be joking. That was merely a natural, inadvertent release of killing intent. "Aren't you the same? Shrouded in departed souls, radiating towering killing intent." "We are not the same. Those I kill all deserve to die," Qi Yuan replied. "Those I kill also deserve to die," Dao Bu'er said without hesitation. Qi Yuan paused, giving Dao Bu'er a sidelong glance. "Your skin is truly thick. "Speak. What did you come to find me for?" Beside them, Heavenly Venerable Tiancan stood silently, listening to their exchange in utter disbelief. *Shouldn't this black-robed man have immediately prostrated in submission? How is he questioning the master instead?* "I am quite curious about Fellow Daoist's methods for controlling this army of yin souls. I wished to learn and take some pointers," Dao Bu'er said slowly. His arrival in the Tiankun Curious Land was part of a grand scheme. One of the most critical steps was gaining total control over the yin soul army. Yet these yin souls were extraordinarily peculiar; even his Words of Holy Light were ineffective against them. Barely managing to control, erode, and corrupt them with bells yielded minuscule results and glacial progress—and might even be a dead end. Yet now, under this mysterious black-robed man, the yin soul army was exceptionally orderly. Those building houses built houses; those doing morning calisthenics did calisthenics. From a distance, one might even mistake them for living people. "Because of... sincerity. I treat them with sincerity, and they treat me with sincerity," Qi Yuan said earnestly. Dao Bu'er stared blankly, then chuckled. "Fellow Daoist jokes." Evidently, he did not believe a word of it. "If I treat you with sincerity, will you treat me with sincerity like these yin souls?" Qi Yuan looked at Dao Bu'er, a faint smile playing on his lips. The smile on Dao Bu'er's face froze. "Fellow Daoist, until tomorrow. A cauldron of pills I was refining is about to finish." With that, Dao Bu'er hurriedly departed. Roughly several dozen breaths later. Standing high in the sky, Dao Bu'er gazed down at the army of yin souls below, his expression flickering between dark and bright. *He can actually withstand the Words of Holy Light!* *It seems his bloodline is noble as well!* *He came here... also for...* He muttered to himself, his expression complex. *However, his strength should be slightly inferior to mine. Otherwise... he wouldn't be probing, but would have struck directly!* *His innate bloodline talent seems similar to the Words of Holy Light. Communicating with him gives me a rather... bizarre feeling.* It was precisely because he sensed this anomaly that he had not dared to linger, choosing instead to withdraw. *Hmph. The Words of Holy Light will not necessarily lose to him. I'll meet him again tomorrow. I refuse to believe I cannot claim another servant!* Dao Bu'er did not actually care much about taking servants. What he cared about most was controlling the yin soul army through Qi Yuan to achieve his own ends. On the other side, lying on his reclining chair, Qi Yuan wore an intrigued expression. *Absolute Adaptation... actually became more stable?* The Supreme Ultimate Principles Qi Yuan had comprehended were Absolute Adaptation and Do As One Pleases. However, his cultivation was too low, making the stabilization and advancement of Supreme Ultimate Principles painfully slow. Thus, when clashing with Great Ultimate Principles, his Supreme Ultimate Principles were practically unusable for now. Yet through conversing with Dao Bu'er, his Absolute Adaptation seemed to be adapting to the Words of Holy Light, steadily advancing. *According to the old man, the comprehension of an ultimate principle is divided into four stages: Dispersed, Gathered, Substantial, and Patterned. Currently, I'm still at Dispersed.* Veteran Great Ultimate Principle masters like Ancestor Ziyuan had all reached the Substantial stage in their comprehension. Principles that were not Supreme Ultimate Principles had the Substantial stage as their peak form. Only the Supreme Ultimate Principles comprehended by Supreme Venerables possessed the Patterned stage. *It seems I can't kill this Dao Bu'er just yet,* Qi Yuan thought. He needed to farm EXP off Dao Bu'er. He had to grind his comprehension of Absolute Adaptation up to higher stages. Doing so would grant him a massive boost in power. The next day, as dawn was just breaking. Dao Bu'er and Heavenly Venerable Tiancan appeared once more. "Fellow Daoist, harbor no malice toward me. I came here today... with no intention to harm you for now," Dao Bu'er said calmly. The Words of Holy Light were also quietly activating. He had resolved to visit this mysterious black-robed man every single day for a contest of wills, to see who would prevail. "You might have no intention to harm me, but that old man beside you might feel differently." Amusement danced in Qi Yuan's eyes. Hearing this, Heavenly Venerable Tiancan's gaze snapped wide, a foreboding premonition crashing over him. "Fellow Daoist jokes. How would he dare!" A flash of surprise crossed Dao Bu'er's eyes. "Why wouldn't he dare? After all... I killed his son," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly. Back in the Canglan Realm, Qi Yuan had encountered Great Venerable Moli. That Great Venerable Moli possessed an Ancient Tiankun Mirror, which contained a remnant soul. The remnant soul had been a creature of the Sixth Heaven, the scion of a Yang God. Arrogant and domineering, that remnant soul had verbally insulted Moon Goddess Yuanjun and was slain across two heavens by her. Fortunately for him, Heavenly Venerable Tiancan possessed a curious treasure like the Ancient Tiankun Mirror, which nourished the son's departed soul before randomly teleporting it to the lower realm. In the end, that arrogant remnant soul tried to join forces with Great Venerable Moli to seize Qi Yuan's body, only to be slain by Qi Yuan. Now seeing the remnant soul's father, Qi Yuan naturally recognized him. "You... you killed Ji'er!" Light erupted from Heavenly Venerable Tiancan's eyes as his body trembled, struggling to suppress his fury. "See? He harbors killing intent toward me," Qi Yuan remarked mildly. Dao Bu'er looked at Qi Yuan, surprise flashing in his eyes. "Fellow Daoist has entered the Sixth Heaven?" He possessed almost all information regarding Heavenly Venerable Tiancan. Thus, he knew Tiancan's son had remained in the Sixth Heaven. Since this mysterious black-robed man had slain Tiancan's son, he had definitely visited the Sixth Heaven. This astonished Dao Bu'er. It led him to further speculate about Qi Yuan's background. Perhaps he was a fugitive who had mistakenly wandered into the Immortal Realm's Sixth Heaven and could no longer leave. Entering the Immortal Realm meant one's life was fixed, devoid of a future. A strange sense of superiority and smugness welled up within him. His own prospects were radiant with a bright future, whereas this mysterious black robe had none. Happiness was born from comparison. "I've been there," Qi Yuan admitted freely. The smile on Dao Bu'er's face broadened, brimming with delight. "Since this useless old servant dares to harbor killing intent toward Fellow Daoist, it is best that he dies." In good spirits, he decided to kill someone to add to the merriment. Heavenly Venerable Tiancan's expression turned exceedingly ugly. *You're in a good mood, so you're going to kill me?!* "Master, this old servant is fiercely loyal to you! I beg of you!" In Heavenly Venerable Tiancan's heart, not a shred of resistance could even form. "If you end your life now, you will be resurrected in three days and step into the Great Ultimate Principle," Dao Bu'er said mildly, riding high on good spirits. The terror on Heavenly Venerable Tiancan's face morphed into fanatical fervor. Without the slightest hesitation, he struck himself. His original divine soul extinguished in that very instant. A Yang God Heavenly Venerable, a terrifying powerhouse capable of swallowing an entire world, was snuffed out effortlessly like a bug. "Does Fellow Daoist think I've shown enough sincerity?" Dao Bu'er said, his tone carrying an implicit boast toward Qi Yuan. He was flaunting the terror and might of the Words of Holy Light. Qi Yuan looked at Dao Bu'er and suddenly said with absolute seriousness, "Actually, I am your father." A sharp sense of danger suddenly surged in Dao Bu'er's heart, his consciousness falling into momentary confusion. "Fellow Daoist... you are my grandson!" Dao Bu'er unleashed his Words of Holy Light, resisting the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture—or rather, attempting to infect Qi Yuan. The clash between the Words of Holy Light and the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture looked just like two chuunibyou teenagers shouting insults at each other. "Who's the grandson talking about?" Qi Yuan asked reflexively. "The grandson is talking about you!" The moment Dao Bu'er answered, his expression twisted. "Good grandson, I hear you," Qi Yuan said casually. Though it was a worn-out joke, it proved quite effective at times. After all, the literal content of the words did not matter; what Dao Bu'er was competing in was... innate bloodline talent. "For Fellow Daoist to resort to such petty verbal gains, it seems you are nothing special after all," Dao Bu'er said coldly. "Know your place. What 'Fellow Daoist'? Grandson, I'm your father!" Qi Yuan said earnestly. The Great Oblivion Heart Scripture was also actively churning. "Fellow Daoist... we battle again tomorrow!" After a moment's hesitation, Dao Bu'er chose to leave. He dared not stay any longer, fearing that Qi Yuan's innate divine ability would imperceptibly influence him. With those words, he departed directly. Not far away, Shi Pan watched this scene with wide-eyed astonishment. This mysterious, burly man had come to pay respects to his lord, only for his servant to commit suicide, followed by a brief exchange of insults before he just walked away? This entire affair reeked of absurdity. "Shi Pan, what did you come to see me for today?" Qi Yuan asked. Absolute Adaptation had advanced quite a bit, putting him in high spirits. "My Lord, while purchasing curious treasures outside recently, I made the acquaintance of several powerful cultivators. They secretly warned me that the Holy Light Sect has deep backing. "Now, the Holy Light Sect seems to be making moves. Do we need to be careful?" Shi Pan cautioned. Qi Yuan cast a glance at Heavenly Venerable Tiancan's corpse, laughter in his eyes. "A mere Holy Light Sect is not worth mentioning." Seeing this, Shi Pan said nothing further. Over the years, he had vaguely grasped his lord's temperament. When his lord said something, it was absolute; following his instructions was all that mattered. At that moment, Qi Yuan recalled something and said mildly, "Didn't you mention a few days ago that you wanted me to teach you how higher-tier cultivators fight? Today... I battled Dao Bu'er. You were listening on the sidelines; how many layers did you grasp?" Shi Pan froze upon hearing this. *Hurling insults at each other?* *That's how higher-tier cultivators fight?* *This is way too absurd.* *My Lord must be joking, right?* *It's like child's play!* "I... I didn't grasp any," Shi Pan answered honestly. "It seems you're a bit slow. How about this: for the coming period, this Dao Bu'er will visit every day, and I should be battling him each time. Stand nearby, listen well, and learn diligently," Qi Yuan said offhandedly. He acted entirely as he pleased, following his whims. This aligned perfectly with his Great Ultimate Principle: Do As One Pleases. "Thank you, My Lord," Shi Pan replied, somewhat apprehensive, but still obedient. After taking his leave, Shi Pan exited the area. Puzzlement lingered in his eyes. *Was that... an argument?* *No, isn't My Lord that Dao Bu'er's father?* *Then how could My Lord be Dao Bu'er's grandson?* His head felt messy and muddled, completely tangled up. Full of doubts, he returned to his residence. Just then, a tall cultivator walked over. "Little friend Shi Pan, did you pass along the message to that lord?" This tall cultivator was a Great Venerable in the Tiankun Curious Land. Upon learning of Qi Yuan's existence, he had sought to curry favor. After all, someone capable of controlling yin souls had to be an Ultimate Principle Yang God. "I have delivered the words to My Lord," Shi Pan said. "What did that lord say?" Joy surfaced on the tall cultivator's face. "My Lord said... the Holy Light Sect is not worth mentioning!" Shi Pan repeated Qi Yuan's exact words. Hearing this, the tall cultivator's expression grew conflicted. "This lord... is a bit too confident." He felt his attempt to curry favor had been in vain. This Ultimate Principle Yang God was clearly overconfident; one had to remember that the Holy Light Sect harbored a member of the Holy Light Clan. He felt Qi Yuan was not long for this world. He had also heard that Liu Xi had once refused to run errands for this Heavenly Venerable. Back then, quite a few cultivators in their small circle within the Tiankun Curious Land thought Liu Xi was too cowardly and had missed a golden opportunity. Now it seemed Liu Xi's choice had been the correct one. Currently, Liu Xi had entered a secret realm within the Tiankun Curious Land and reaped abundant rewards, appearing poised to ascend to greater heights. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Principle Yang God here was arrogant and conceited, with death written all over his face. If that Holy Light Clan member appeared, this Ultimate Principle Yang God would surely perish. Thoughts of retreat arose in his mind. It was best not to fawn over a dead man, lest he bring disaster upon himself. "Senior, I have a doubt in my heart," Shi Pan asked softly. "Oh? What doubt?" the tall cultivator asked casually, though his tone was no longer as cordial as before. "What is combat between higher-tier cultivators like? "Today, a cultivator named Dao Bu'er came to visit My Lord, and they..." He recounted the day's events to this cultivator. This cultivator was a senior expert whose discernment far exceeded his own. Hearing the tale, a mocking smile appeared in the tall cultivator's eyes. "Even when Great Ultimate Principle powerhouses battle, it would never be like that. Your lord was just teasing you!" Shaking his head, the tall cultivator turned and left. Only Shi Pan remained, looking hesitant. *My Lord wouldn't lie to me. It must be that this senior's level is too low!* Shi Pan felt certain of it. In the days that followed, Shi Pan maintained a serious attitude, visiting Qi Yuan's side every day to observe the clashes between the mighty. Frowning, he pondered deeply over their war of words. "I am your father!" "I am your grandfather!" "You're triggered!" "A hit dog will holler!" The more he listened, the more ridiculous it felt. This routine continued for three years. Shi Pan's efficiency in acquiring curious treasures outside grew lower and lower. Rumors circulated that the Sect Master of the Holy Light Sect had emerged from secluded cultivation. Consequently, cultivators stayed far away from the area Qi Yuan occupied, terrified of trading with him lest they draw the Holy Light Sect's wrath. One day, after another war of words concluded. Qi Yuan felt thoroughly refreshed. "Finally, minor mastery of the Gathered level!" Through these high-level clashes—fraught with hidden undercurrents and perilous traps where a single misstep meant plunging into eternal doom—his Absolute Adaptation had practiced survival of the fittest and attained minor mastery at the Gathered level. *Now, without relying on my Myriad Dao Martial God cultivation, relying solely on this Supreme Ultimate Principle, I should be able to hold my own against cultivators who have just entered the realm of Great Ultimate Reason.* Of course, that was merely holding his own. To actually harm an ordinary Great Ultimate Principle expert, his Absolute Adaptation would need to reach great mastery of the Substantial level. To slay a veteran Great Ultimate Principle like Ancestor Ziyuan, he would need the Patterned level. This Dao Bu'er truly was a qualified power bank. "Shi Pan, how many layers did you understand this time?" Qi Yuan asked once more. Shi Pan wore a bitter smile. "This disciple is dull-witted and hasn't grasped even a single layer." Over the past three years, he had observed these battles constantly, yet could not understand them at all. "My Lord's combat methods return too much to simplicity and follow the flow of nature. Shi Pan finds them impossible to comprehend." "Sigh, with your intellect, it truly is hard to grasp such profound combat. I won't force you," Qi Yuan sighed. "As the saying goes, having crossed the vast sea, other waters cease to move; except for Mount Wu, no other clouds compare. In the future, when you see other subtle arts of battle, you will only find them utterly bland." Shi Pan kept his head down, not daring to speak. To be fair, he had watched his lord and Dao Bu'er argue very earnestly, but... honestly speaking, that verbal sparring was less thrilling and intense than two stray dogs barking at each other on the roadside. ... In an unknown location, cold sweat beaded on Dao Bu'er's forehead. *This black-robed man is truly formidable. Over the past few years, he has silently influenced me, yet my Words of Holy Light... are practically useless against him.* A chilling glint flashed in Dao Bu'er's eyes. *I'll battle for another half year. If there's still no effect... it seems I can only get serious.* Dao Bu'er was no ordinary member of the Holy Light Clan. His combat prowess was exceptionally terrifying. No matter which cultivator from the Sixth Heaven entered the Tiankun Curious Land, he was confident he could toy them to death. Thus, he did not fear Qi Yuan. Killing Qi Yuan would be simple, but what he wanted was absolute subjugation. Only then could he obtain the true method to control the yin soul army. Yet if control proved impossible, he could only steel his heart, strike to kill, and then search for another way to command the army. Half a month passed. Joy lit up Qi Yuan's expression. "The flaw in the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner... is finally solved!" Having observed the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner daily for all these years, he had finally uncovered its loophole. Now, if he wished to enter Ghost Pass, the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner was a complete non-factor. In fact, if he wanted to, he could even steal the banner away. *However... I can't swagger in openly right now. Otherwise, the Banner Lord might prepare other methods. I need to pretend it took immense effort to barely slip in.* *Still, with a mighty cultivator of that caliber, I estimate he'll notice something amiss after about three times. But... that's plenty.* Qi Yuan felt quite pleased with himself. His gains during this period had been plentiful. The only pity was... *Dao Bu'er seems unable to out-argue me and doesn't want to spar verbally anymore. This won't do; looks like I need to show some weakness,* Qi Yuan thought seriously. Dao Bu'er's charge hadn't been fully drained yet, and he didn't want to discard this portable battery. Although Absolute Adaptation's growth was slowing down, Dao Bu'er was still enough to push Qi Yuan into great mastery of the Gathered level. "For Dao Bu'er's sake, I am willing to linger in the Tiankun Curious Land for a few more years. Is this the greatness of paternal love? How truly touching!" Qi Yuan murmured. In the days that followed. Shi Pan's expression grew increasingly bitter. Even though he had broken through to the Origin Core Realm, he couldn't feel happy at all. Cultivators were steering completely clear of the area his lord occupied. Several close friends he used to have had abandoned him one after another. His cultivation journey had plunged from bustling glory with countless guests to desolate silence where barely a sparrow dared land. Even so, he chose to remain at Qi Yuan's side. However, he was deeply anxious, because lately, his lord had seemed faintly disadvantaged in the verbal sparring against Dao Bu'er. This worried him immensely. By now, he had come to believe that this truly was a profound contest between his lord and Dao Bu'er. "My Lord... should we leave the Tiankun Curious Land? You have already gathered most of the curious treasures," Shi Pan finally could not resist asking. A smile appeared in Qi Yuan's eyes. "Enough curious treasures have been gathered, but the battery... hasn't been completely drained yet!" Or rather, it was nearly empty. "You need not worry about me." Remembering something, Qi Yuan murmured, "In another half month, I should be leaving the Tiankun Curious Land. You will remain here and continue collecting curious treasures for me." "My Lord is leaving?" Shi Pan felt a burst of joy upon hearing this, mingled with a touch of melancholy. It was good that his lord had listened to reason, but... "Yes," Qi Yuan nodded. Once the battery's charge ran dry, he would bring an end to this tedious battle. After all, he had social anxiety; he couldn't even win an argument against the online veterans back on Blue Star. Fortunately, Dao Bu'er wasn't very good at arguing either.