In the Kuijin Realm, Qi Yuan stood draped in dark robes, his white hair fluttering in the breeze as his avatar far away in the Qingshan Realm dissolved into nothingness.
"As expected... how could diligent cultivation ever compare to the speed of outright plunder?"
With just that single move, the guishen he had slain numbered far more than ten thousand, and the worlds across an entire grand domain had also exceeded tens of thousands.
The surge of massive experience was incomparably faster than slow cultivation.
Shangguan Qingteng and Shangguan Qingmiao stared at Qi Yuan in utter horror, the thousands of words churning in their minds dissolving into stunned silence.
They simply could not digest or comprehend what had just taken place.
Qi Yuan cast a faint glance at the two of them and asked casually, "Do you know... what actually lies within the Divine Wood Deep Abyss?"
The blind girl in the Divine Wood Deep Abyss had once given him eight wooden plaques inscribed with artifact refinement methods.
Those wooden plaques had long vanished, leaving only the eight artifact refinement methods etched into his mind.
The eight refinement methods corresponded to Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Cloud, Rain, and Thunder.
Shangguan Qingteng was astonished, never expecting Qi Yuan to ask about this.
Frowning, he pondered seriously before answering, "The Divine Wood Deep Abyss... is a realm of nothingness where no living beings exist. An ancient Ancestral God once claimed that the Divine Wood Deep Abyss... might be the very origin of the Divine Wood Universe."
"The place where the universe began?" Qi Yuan murmured. "There are no living people inside?"
"None," Shangguan Qingteng replied. "From ancient times to the present, many Ancestral Gods have entered the Divine Wood Deep Abyss to investigate, yet none ever discovered a living soul."
In the Divine Wood Universe, nearly every world contained a Divine Wood Deep Abyss.
Just moments ago, when Qi Yuan had divided into tens of thousands of incarnations, he had also entered nearly all of them across the Divine Wood Universe, yet he had found nothing.
"If Senior wishes to learn more regarding the Divine Wood Deep Abyss, you might consider visiting the Tai Star Domain. The original copy of the Secret Essentials of Origin is kept there," Shangguan Qingteng said cautiously.
No matter how strange or bizarre Qi Yuan's appearance had been, he was still someone from the Divine Wood Universe, and he had just struck down the guishen. He was well worth winning over.
Originally, they had planned to wait until Qi Yuan grew to Yuan's height, viewing him as a potential seed to wield Mankind-Kindled Light.
Now... how could he possibly be considered just a mere seed?
"The Tai Star Domain?" Qi Yuan's gaze grew deep and distant. "I will go there, but not right now... Once I finish transforming into a mortal, I will head to the Tai Star Domain to take a look, and pay Sheng Nü a visit while I'm at it."
With a flick of his wide sleeve, his figure vanished once more.
Shangguan Qingteng and Shangguan Qingmiao were left standing alone in the clearing, looking at each other in bewilderment.
"We must report everything that happened here to Yuan as soon as possible!"
***
"The so-called transformation into a mortal means experiencing every facet of the red dust..."
In an unknown world, Qi Yuan sat alone in a vast desert, fishing.
A straight hook hung down into the sand, buried a hundred meters deep.
Qi Yuan fished quietly, his thoughts calm and tranquil.
"For the white-haired Qi Yuan, transforming into a mortal is a path to break through to the realm of an Ancestral God.
"For me... transforming into a mortal is a means of comprehending the worldly rules."
All things in heaven and earth moved in an orderly rhythm, concealing the profound truths of the Great Dao.
The path of cultivation required a balance of tension and release, tightening and loosening.
The tension was slaying guiling to gain experience.
The release was comprehending the rules of the Great Dao and knowing all things.
"So... why am I fishing in the sand?
"What can I possibly catch?
"I can catch... a tiny grain of sand."
Suddenly, the fishing line in Qi Yuan's hand twitched.
A single grain of sand was hoisted into the air.
This grain of sand appeared completely unremarkable, no different from any other.
Seeing it, Qi Yuan reached out his hand.
"I finally found you. Or rather... me."
Ever since becoming a Realm Lord, he had no need to play a role anymore.
He only needed to retrieve what was lost.
To reclaim himself.
This 'self' originated from the moment the game collapsed, when Qi Yuan had invested his own blood into the cosmos.
His blood had merged into the Divine Wood Universe, becoming a part of all creation.
This grain of sand was one such fragment.
The moment the sand touched Qi Yuan's arm, it vanished.
Qi Yuan's gaze remained placid, yet a single glance spanned ten thousand years.
The lifetime and memories belonging to that grain of sand flowed through his mind.
It had once lain buried deep in the mud beneath the sea, devoid of sunlight. It had witnessed a fish sprouting legs to crawl onto the land; it had also seen a finger bone as luminous and white as jade plunge into the oceanic depths.
Countless powerful cultivators had slaughtered one another just to seize that single finger bone.
Later, the ocean dried up, the waters vanished, and the rocks crumbled.
The seabed turned into an endless desert.
"Is this the life of a grain of sand, or... my life?"
"Now..."
Qi Yuan raised his head, his gaze deep and far-reaching. "It is time for the war banner."
In a flash, his figure manifested within the rift between worlds.
Turbulent currents churned everywhere across the void, exceedingly perilous; an ordinary person could not survive there for even a single breath.
Qi Yuan reached out and caught the corner of a tattered cloth.
[Shattered war banner of the Hong Star Domain. Three thousand years ago, during critical fighting in the Tai Star Domain, the Hong Star Domain dispatched an army to reinforce them, bearing the Hong Star banner.
The great war dragged on for thirty-six years. The Hong Star army was besieged in an isolated city; after defending it for seven years, the war banner fell.]
The scrap of fabric in his hand was the war banner of the Hong Star Domain, and it was also a part of Qi Yuan.
As vast torrents of memories flooded into him, Qi Yuan's eyes grew profound.
He seemed to witness the joy of an elderly craftsman forging the banner in his twilight years, and the dim-eyed weaver working her needle beneath a fading lamp.
He saw the banner billowing in the wind as the soldiers downed farewell wine before marching off to the front lines.
Finally, blood soaked the banner; after standing proud through relentless slaughter, it was ultimately severed and torn to shreds.
"This is the war banner, and it is also me."
Qi Yuan felt as though he had become the war banner, bearing witness to history, quietly observing this world from the perspective of an onlooker.
"Who else am I?"
Qi Yuan murmured in wonder.
He had once spilled his blood across Divine Wood, scattering his form into tens of thousands of manifestations.
The aspects of himself waiting to be retrieved... were far, far too many.
Time flowed on, and Qi Yuan's figure vanished without a trace, ethereal and mysterious.
Many sought him, yet none could ever locate him.
Only a few wandering travelers or bustling market-goers occasionally claimed to have glimpsed a white-haired man with hollow, unfocused eyes, quietly murmuring to himself as he walked by.
***
In the Tai Star Domain.
Inside a towering, majestic hall.
Yuan sat upon the main seat, clad in tattered robes and armor stained with dark blood.
That smear of blood could never be washed clean, continuously corroding his armor.
Gathered within the great hall were nearly all the powerhouses of the Tai Star Domain.
At this moment, their expressions were exceptionally solemn.
Suddenly, a heavily bearded man said angrily, "Several hundred years ago, when we had only half a curious treasure of light, Yuan dared to venture into the Void Sea alone to hold back Heitu. Why is it that today, when we possess seven curious treasures of light, we lack the courage to fight?"
This time, Heitian and Heitu had deployed their forces in the Void Sea once again. The assembled troops were far stronger than before.
Within the Tai Star Domain today, there were many conflicting voices on how to handle Heitian and Heitu.
"Perhaps... Heitian and Heitu are merely probing us. If we muster all our strength to confront them and recklessly ignite a war, the fragile balance maintained for the past ten thousand years might shatter in an instant," an elder with white eyebrows rasped in a hoarse voice.
"What fragile balance? It is nothing more than dragging out an ignoble existence! Don't tell me we are counting on Heitian and Heitu to show mercy?" the irascible bearded man barked in fury.
"The seeds for the curious treasures of light have not yet fully grown. This old man merely wishes to grant them a little more time to mature," the white-browed elder replied, downcast.
"Whether we fight or not does not actually depend on us," said a woman dressed in scholar's robes. "With every invasion by Heitian and Heitu, there is a chance of our... utter annihilation. Whether we resist or flatter them, the outcome will not change.
"The only reason Heitian and Heitu have not wiped out the Divine Wood Universe right now is simply because... the limit has not yet been reached."
The scholar-robed woman spoke in riddles.
Yet everyone present understood her meaning.
During the very first invasion by Heitian and Heitu, Dao Lord Yaoguang had drawn a line across the Divine Wood Universe from across endless universes and infinite void.
At first, the members of the Renqi Society had no idea what that line meant.
Only later did they come to understand that the line was known as the timeline.
The timeline was constantly shortening, continuously collapsing.
Once the timeline vanished entirely and compressed into a single point, the Divine Wood Universe would meet its absolute destruction.
Less than a hundred thousand years remained before that line disappeared.
To an individual, a hundred thousand years was an eternity, but on the cosmic scale, it was merely the blink of an eye.
"Therefore, the outcome of this battle will not change the final result... Thus, this old man believes... it is better not to obstruct them. That would only be throwing our lives away in vain. It would be better to build our strength and await the ultimate battle to unleash all our radiance," the white-browed elder said.
"A step back today, ten steps back tomorrow—when the ultimate battle arrives... are we going to retreat ten thousand steps?" the bearded man retorted.
Silence fell over the hall.
Heitian was far too mysterious and overwhelmingly powerful, plunging everyone into despair.
At that moment, Yuan, who sat quietly upon the primary seat, spoke: "For this venture into the Void Sea, which six will accompany me?"
His words settled the matter once and for all.
Hearing Yuan speak, even those harboring reluctance held their tongues.
Yuan's authority as their leader was as vast as the sea, and no one dared oppose his decision.
He had sacrificed far, far too much for the Divine Wood Universe.
"Count me in," a tall, burly man spoke up. "My Tian Clan possessed no curious treasures of light and was devoured by Heitian, leaving us to flee and barely survive in the Divine Wood Universe. This time, I shall wield a curious treasure of light to confront Heitian and Heitu!"
The tall man's eyes burned with sheer resolve.
He originally hailed from the Tian Clan.
Long ago, the Tian Clan had also suffered an invasion by Heitian and Heitu.
The Human King of the Tian Clan had been a Realm Lord-level expert, an existence who might even have transcended to an even higher realm.
The Human King sought to forge a curious treasure of light to counter Heitian.
Tragically, he failed in the end, unable to complete the artifact.
The Tian Clan was wiped out.
Their civilization was severed, with only a handful escaping.
A portion of the survivors had arrived at the Divine Wood Universe.
The artifact refinement methods of the Divine Wood Universe had in fact originated from the people of the Tian Clan.
"Who else?" Yuan asked again, accepting the man from the Tian Clan.
"I have stepped into the second layer of the Ancestral God Realm. I can go as well," Sheng Nü said, her expression as cool and detached as the moon.
She was a seed chosen to wield Mankind-Kindled Light.
"Very well." Yuan nodded, his gaze sweeping across the others. "Anyone else?"
The rest remained silent.
Most felt their cultivation was lacking and feared they might disgrace the curious treasures of light.
Across the entire Divine Wood Universe, seven curious treasures of light had been forged, yet they could not even find seven experts worthy of wielding them.
"Sigh, if Qi Yuan were here, he would probably be the most qualified to wield Mankind-Kindled Light," Shangguan Qingmiao sighed.
Hundreds of years ago, when he had met Qi Yuan, he had regarded him like a celestial being.
After all, Qi Yuan was actually a Realm Lord.
The Realm Lord stage had reached an unfathomable, incomprehensible degree.
Hearing this, Sheng Nü's expression shifted slightly. "I fear he alone would be capable of wielding two, or even three curious treasures of light."
"Regrettably, that esteemed lord's whereabouts are entirely unpredictable. We cannot find him at all," the white-browed elder murmured with a soft sigh.
Over the years, the Tai Star Domain had repeatedly tried to track down Qi Yuan.
Yet they had failed completely.
It was as though he had vanished into thin air.
Yuan surveyed the crowd, his voice devoid of joy or sorrow. "Five days remain to select the other four. The meeting is adjourned."
Yuan's figure disappeared.
The others departed in small groups.
The vast palace soon grew empty and quiet.
About half an hour later, a group of three entered the hall with their heads bowed.
All three carried brooms, led by an old man with grizzled white hair.
Upon entering the hall, they did not gawk around, but immediately set to work cleaning.
This 'cleaning' naturally did not refer to sweeping dust, but rather clearing away the lingering aura of guiling.
These Ancestral Gods fought on the front lines all year round, their bodies heavily tainted with the stench of guiling.
When they gathered here, their residual guiling auras accumulated; left uncleaned for too long, guishen might even be born on this very spot.
The three cleaned quietly without uttering a word.
The palace was enormous, and tidying it took a tremendous amount of time.
After wiping down a table, the old man's gaze fell upon a slender back, his brows furrowing slightly. "Hey, Xiao Qi, instead of sweeping, what are you doing sitting over there?"
The handsome young man called Xiao Qi had actually sat down in the seat reserved for a Yang God, an enigmatic look in his eyes.
"Sigh, I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to meet these Yang God lords. I have so many questions I want to ask them," Xiao Qi murmured, his gaze drifting aimlessly.
"Big figures like that—are they people folks like us can just casually question?" The old man chuckled, amused by Xiao Qi's wild fancy.
This Xiao Qi was the orphan of a frontline soldier, raised and looked after by him all along.
"Besides, those questions of yours are way too bizarre!" the old man added, recalling past remarks.
"What's bizarre about them? I just want to ask them what a mountain is, what a shoe is, and what a bug is," Xiao Qi replied offhandedly, his eyes somewhat vacant and unfocused.
"Old Dad is right, your questions are far too strange," the other man chimed in with a grin. "What's the point of asking about that stuff? You'd be better off asking how to become a god."
Xiao Qi shook his head. "Life is arduous, and there are far too many unknowns. It's too hard, simply too hard."
"Why don't you go write a copy of One Hundred Thousand Whys?" the old man teased.
Even in this world, the allusion to One Hundred Thousand Whys existed.
"Xiao Qi, what good does racking your brain over that do? You might as well earn more money to buy Old Dad some wine," the other man remarked.
"What is wine?" Xiao Qi paused, then blinked. "Isn't there plenty of wine right here?"
As he spoke, he reached for a flagon and gave it a shake, a look of distaste spreading across his face.
"Which cheapskate took all the wine from this?"
"You little rascal, your courage knows no bounds!" Seeing that the flagon was empty, the old man breathed a sigh of relief.
This was wine drunk by the Ancestral Gods; even if any remained, it wasn't something people of their station could touch.
Since the rest of the wine had been carried off by one of the lords, Xiao Qi had been spared from making a grave mistake.
"Stop letting your thoughts run wild. Work hard, earn some money, and buy Old Dad some wine!" the other burly man said.
"I'm not letting my thoughts run wild. I just want to understand what these things actually are," Xiao Qi muttered to himself. "If I figure it out, maybe I can brew wine for Old Dad every single day."
"Fine, Old Dad will be waiting for that day," the old man said with a hearty chuckle.
Chapter 556