"Swallowed by Heitian?"
Realm Lord Sanmu's expression turned bitter upon hearing this, tinged with a hint of dread.
"Why would Wu Dong head into the depths of Heitian...?"
If he had truly been swallowed by Heitian, there was nothing Sanmu could do.
In fact, even if he begged a far mightier expert to step in, Wu Dong still could not be saved.
Regarding Heitian, Dao Lord Yaoguang had once remarked that it was an unconscious cosmic marvel, devouring everything it touched.
Thus, although the Yaoguang Universe maintained the Radiant Society within the Divine Wood Universe, not a single Realm Lord dared descend.
Or rather, they could not descend.
Doing so would too easily bring disaster upon the Yaoguang Universe as well.
After all, Heitian could swallow even Realm Lords.
To die inside Heitian was to die completely in vain.
"No... judging by Wu Dong's strength and calculating from the time flow of the Divine Wood Universe, even if he hurried at full speed, he couldn't have reached the depths of Heitian by now."
Realm Lord Sanmu noticed the discrepancy, only to see that Realm Lord Suiyue had already vanished.
He knew Realm Lord Suiyue spent most of his time transforming into a mortal and rarely awakened, so he did not disturb him further.
"Strange... How on earth did Wu Dong die?"
"Should I... ask Void Paradise?"
In the Divine Wood Universe, the Radiant Society wielded tremendous influence, but its reach across different regions fell far short of Void Paradise.
Voidwalkers were scattered across every major domain of the Divine Wood Universe, and none were better at gathering intelligence.
...
"Finally killed them all."
"I almost turned into an emotionless ghost-slaying machine."
Qi Yuan halted his slaughter.
Qi Huang and the other ninety-eight guishen, having perished an untold number of times, finally met complete annihilation and fell for good.
"Heitian really is a pain to deal with."
Granted, thanks to the existence of guiling source, Heitian and Heitu were a top-grade, peerless white moonlight to him.
Yet that was only because Qi Huang and the others were vastly weaker than him, allowing him to instakill them at will to farm experience and elevate himself.
If he ran into opponents who were all Realm Lord-level powerhouses, slaying them would likely be extraordinarily difficult.
Not to mention, Realm Lord-level experts could revive infinitely.
"It's a wonder the Divine Wood Universe has managed to hold out for so long."
Qi Yuan imagined that if Heitian and Heitu ever reached the Immortal Realm, the Immortal Realm probably wouldn't last very long either.
"Heitian... what exactly is it?" A complex look flashed across Qi Yuan's eyes.
A cosmic disaster, or a cosmic marvel?
Just then, his communication artifact flickered with a faint light.
A message from Xianling Yingjun arrived.
"Brother Qi Yuan, I recently took on a mission and will be arriving in the Kuijin Realm shortly.
As a dignified Realm Lord, you should be able to ensure my safety, right?"
Xianling Yingjun's words were laced with teasing.
Naturally, he didn't believe Qi Yuan was an actual Realm Lord.
After all, Realm Lords all comprehended time rules on their own.
"Don't worry. With me here, the Kuijin Realm is completely safe." Qi Yuan was still quite accommodating toward this exposition-providing NPC.
...
Inside imaginary space.
A tall woman with her arms crossed, exuding a sharp and valiant aura, looked toward Xianling Yingjun. "Are you certain that friend of yours can keep us safe?"
"Relax, my friend is exceptionally powerful. Back then, when Fengti arrived with nine lives, he killed them all," Xianling Yingjun said, patting his chest with confidence.
Hearing this, the blond man, Tong Chang, revealed a look of surprise. "That strong? To think the Divine Wood Universe could produce such a genius."
He had heard of the Radiant Society's Fengti, who ranked among the top three in combat prowess across the entire Yaoguang Universe for those in the Five Steps of Sky Treading.
"I didn't expect this world to foster such a talent," the tall woman murmured.
At that moment, the soul within her mind sighed.
*"With talent like that, this seat would actually like to take him as a disciple."*
Of course, she had simply taken a liking to his talent upon hearing of it. Currently, she was busy breaking through to the second layer of Yang God and had no time to mentor anyone—not to mention that taking an apprentice from another universe would entail endless trouble.
Naturally, had Xianling Yingjun told her that Qi Yuan had already grasped the embryonic form of cosmic rules, her thoughts would have been entirely different.
"Still, ninety-nine guishen reside in the Kuijin Realm, along with Qi Huang. We must remain cautious," the tall woman added.
The blond man nodded. "Indeed. The other guishen aren't worth worrying about, but that Qi Huang... he has quite a lot of uncles. Who knows which uncle is actually his birth father."
At this, the blond man burst into hearty laughter.
The mystery of Qi Huang's parentage was frequently discussed in the Void Paradise community boards.
He had many uncles, but no father.
Those uncles treated him well, yet none were sure if they were Qi Huang's father, so their affection had strict limits.
Xianling Yingjun laughed as well. "Can Heitian and Heitu even bear children? How amusing."
"Alright, stop rambling. The mission comes first."
"Head to these coordinates. My good brother Qi Yuan is staying there."
"Understood."
A ripple of spatial transmission washed over them, and all three figures vanished.
When they reappeared, they landed in a secluded courtyard within the Kuijin Realm.
Xianling Yingjun swept his gaze across the area and immediately spotted the familiar figure. Delight showed in his eyes. "Long time no see, still looking as sharp as ever! This is Wu Chun, and the blond fellow is Tong Chang."
Qi Yuan nodded.
Wu Chun and Tong Chang also nodded to Qi Yuan in greeting, considering themselves introduced.
The tall woman, Wu Chun, scrutinized Qi Yuan, a charming smile playing in her eyes. "Xianling Yingjun, your name really ought to belong to this brother of yours."
The blond man nodded in agreement.
The group exchanged a few casual remarks, keeping the atmosphere fairly pleasant.
Qi Yuan stretched lazily. "What mission are you here to do? If you need my help, let me know. In this Kuijin Realm... I currently have a bit of a reputation."
At the mention of the mission, Xianling Yingjun turned serious. "I need to find a man named Guan Ku. He's a member of the rebel army."
"This Guan Ku is the third commander of the rebel army. His identity is deeply mysterious, and he never appears under his true face," Wu Chun added.
The difficulty of this mission was ordinary; the crux lay in tracking down Guan Ku while avoiding Qi Huang and the others.
"That's simple. Wait here a moment," Qi Yuan said with a faint smile.
At that very instant, inside the Kuijin Realm, a voice abruptly resounded in the minds of all rebel members and every other living being:
*"Where is Guan Ku?"*
Everyone fell into confusion, swiftly replaced by dread.
In a certain cave, a man whose entire body was rotting revealed a look of utter horror.
*"That... that exalted one is looking for me?"*
In the span of a single breath, a satisfied expression appeared in Qi Yuan's eyes.
"Head thirty thousand li east from here, then proceed toward... there's a cave, and he's right inside. Would you like me to send you over?" Qi Yuan relayed Guan Ku's location.
"Brother Qi Yuan, that fast?" Xianling Yingjun was somewhat stunned, then turned to Wu Chun and Tong Chang. "Didn't I tell you my brother possesses vast magical powers? He's been in this Kuijin Realm for a few years now—every blade of grass and every tree here is under his control!"
Xianling Yingjun bragged shamelessly.
Wu Chun and Tong Chang were also taken aback, not expecting Guan Ku's whereabouts to be uncovered so swiftly.
Though they harbored doubts about whether the address was accurate, the man was Xianling Yingjun's friend after all; questioning him to his face would undermine Xianling Yingjun far too much.
"We have Divine Movement Talismans and can reach Guan Ku's location in mere moments. There is no need to trouble Brother Qi Yuan. Thank you," the blond man, Tong Chang, said.
"Alright. I'll keep an eye on Guan Ku for you. Before you arrive, he won't be leaving," Qi Yuan replied.
Tong Chang felt a bit baffled, but remembering Xianling Yingjun's mention that his brother often said strange things, he found it easy enough to overlook.
The Divine Movement Talismans were activated.
The three vanished into a streak of golden light.
Delight showed on Tong Chang's face. "If Guan Ku is truly there, this mission will have been ridiculously easy."
"Indeed. We only need to find him and record the guiling source aura on his body, and our task is complete."
"By the way, don't get greedy. Recording the guiling source aura is fine, but under no circumstances should you try secretly bringing back actual guiling source."
"Don't worry. Even if we tried to smuggle guiling source, we couldn't evade Void Paradise's scrutiny," Xianling Yingjun dismissed casually.
Their mission this time was connected to the mysterious guiling source.
If one were to ask who possessed the most guiling source in the Kuijin Realm, it was undoubtedly Qi Huang.
However, they didn't dare provoke Qi Huang, as he had far too many uncles.
As for the rebel Guan Ku, he had obtained a wisp of guiling source due to exceptional circumstances and had become tainted by it.
So long as they found this person and recorded the guiling source aura upon him, the mission would be concluded.
"It really is Guan Ku! Qi Yuan didn't lie to us!"
While conversing, the three had already crossed tens of thousands of li via the Divine Movement Talismans and arrived at Guan Ku's location.
At this moment, Guan Ku was draped in a black cowl, completely shrouded. His back was rotting away, covered in dense, pustulant boils.
Upon seeing the trio, he showed no panic, stating calmly, "Guan Ku has been awaiting you all for some time."
Tong Chang was astonished. "You knew we were coming?"
A sinister thought flashed across his mind.
Yet on closer reflection, it seemed implausible.
"Just now, that great one's voice echoed in this junior's mind, and I knew someone would likely come seeking me," Guan Ku replied.
"Wait, what voice?" Wu Chun also felt something was off.
Tong Chang looked at Guan Ku, caution flashing through his eyes. "We shouldn't linger here. Let's record the aura and leave immediately."
For some reason, he smelled danger in the air.
Right now, the best move was to record the aura and make a swift exit.
Their method of recording was remarkably simple: they only needed to bring out a bronze mirror and cast its light over Guan Ku.
Once the illumination was done and the guiling source aura recorded, they could depart at any moment.
The others nodded.
This matter felt eerie; finishing the task and leaving was indeed paramount.
Tong Chang produced the bronze mirror and shone it upon Guan Ku.
A peculiar aura diffused outward, as if recording something.
The process was swift and lasted only a brief moment, yet everyone present sensed the encroaching danger and grew eager to conclude it faster.
However... right then, Guan Ku, whose body was covered in sores, suddenly grinned, his smile ghastly and chilling.
"To think I truly caught a fish. A pity... they're merely minnows."
As the words fell, an ethereal, shadowy silhouette materialized.
The figure appeared entirely unremarkable, formless and shapeless, yet the expressions of everyone present changed drastically.
"A Yang God!"
They had never imagined encountering a Yang God during this mission.
Without hesitation, they scrambled to flee back to Void Paradise.
"A pity... too late..." The Yang God's voice was thoroughly hair-raising.
The trio's expressions warped in terror as they discovered the space around them had been sealed, rendering escape impossible.
"A conspiracy!" Tong Chang cried out, his face pale with horror and fury.
No wonder this mission had seemed so easy.
That Qi Yuan was clearly in cahoots with this Yang God of Heitian and Heitu!
A cold, fierce glint flashed in Wu Chun's eyes.
Suddenly, the wisp of divine soul within her mind erupted with terrifying power, sweeping outward like an autumn gale stripping leaves.
Were this power brought into the Zhou Universe, it would be enough to bring stars crashing down.
Xianling Yingjun and Tong Chang rejoiced, never expecting Wu Chun to possess such a trump card.
The soul of a Yang God was actually concealed within her body!
"Hehe, a mere first layer Yang God dreams of breaking my seal? Go cultivate for another hundred million years!"
A mocking glint flickered in the eyes of the Heitu Yang God as an eerie power surged forth.
In an instant, that Yang God soul of the Great Heavenly Position Realm was struck hard, and blood trickled from the corner of Wu Chun's lips.
"He's at the second layer of Yang God—the Ultimate Principle Realm!" Wu Chun's face filled with bitterness, even despair.
She never imagined this mission would run into a Yang God, let alone a horrifying being of the second layer.
With Realm Lords not taking the field, a second layer Yang God was already a supreme titan of the cosmos, an existence to be revered from afar.
"Splendid. Three small bugs and one big bug... that should be enough... to smuggle a bit of guiling source into Void Paradise." A smug grin spread across the Heitu Yang God's face.
Xianling Yingjun and the others fell into despair, instantly understanding his scheme.
This Heitu Yang God had clearly used the guiling source as bait, hoping to smuggle guiling source into Void Paradise.
If guiling source infiltrated that place... the consequences were unthinkable.
Perhaps the Zhou Universe would become a second Divine Wood Universe.
Of course, now was hardly the time for such grand thoughts; surviving the moment was already doubtful.
"It's over. Am I going to die here?" Xianling Yingjun's voice was filled with lamentation, completely blindsided that a simple mission could derail so disastrously.
"What? You're going to die? Can I attend your funeral banquet?"
Just then, a familiar voice drifted over.
Xianling Yingjun froze.
Qi... Yuan?
How did he get here?
He didn't have a Divine Movement Talisman, did he?
Wu Chun and Tong Chang turned toward Qi Yuan as well, their expressions a mix of emotions.
Tong Chang especially gnashed his teeth, convinced that Qi Yuan was an accomplice to Heitian and Heitu.
Yet... the moment Qi Yuan arrived, the Heitu Yang God laid eyes on that tall, upright silhouette, and alarm bells rang ceaselessly in his mind. His scalp went numb, feeling as though he had been locked onto by some horrifying behemoth.
Without a second thought, he immediately turned to flee.
This unfolded so quickly that none of the three onlookers nor the Yang God himself could process it.
Yet Qi Yuan simply extended a hand, a smug look in his eyes. "I've been watching the show for so long precisely to cut off your retreat. If you still manage to slip away, where would my dignity go?"
As Qi Yuan's voice fell, his pristine, porcelain-white hand descended.
The Heitu Yang God's dissipating form re-condensed once more.
Myriad Transformations.
Turtle!
Qi Yuan unleashed his skill.
In an instant, that formidable, terrifying second layer Yang God was turned upside down into a turtle.
All four legs kicked at the empty sky, flipped onto its back and flailing wildly, just as utterly helpless as a real tortoise.
The trio stood aghast, utter shock written across their faces.
A terrifying entity of the second layer of Yang God... dispatched in a single move and turned into a turtle?
Wait, just what realm had Qi Yuan reached?
Xianling Yingjun felt the greatest shock of all. Could it be... Qi Yuan really was a Realm Lord?
At that moment, Qi Yuan clapped his hands, looking down at the turtle on the ground and speaking calmly, "To think a ghost actually dared go fishing in the Kuijin Realm, unaware that... the mantis stalks the cicada, oblivious to the oriole behind."
At that thought, Qi Yuan's heart tightened.
Could there be another oriole behind him?
Seeing that his brow didn't twitch, he breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the group. "I told you, didn't I? If you'd let me send you over, you wouldn't have run into this sort of trouble."
Chapter 553