Traces of Wu Shi

Hearing this, Zhao Jian could only remain silent. He knew that when dealing with a mentally troubled cultivator like Qi Yuan, no amount of words or persuasion would do any good. In fact, if he angered Qi Yuan, Qi Yuan might kill him before the Dao Gods of Heavenly King Mountain and the other factions even had a chance to strike. He shrugged, not daring to say another word. Beside them, Duke Nael still looked like a carefree young girl. Three thousand years had left no mark upon her. She wore a JK pleated skirt, her fair and tender legs exposed, and her wine-red hair gave her a vibrant, youthful air. Looking at Qi Yuan, her eyes held both delight and worry. “Master, over these three thousand years, I held more than 7,600 Yang God Conferences, with a total of over 3.7 billion attendees. But... regarding the path to the Yang God realm that you seek, Master, there has still been... very little progress.” At this point, Duke Nael was filled with self-reproach. The Vampire Emperor hadn't taken an interest in her chest, but rather in her brain; she had felt thrilled and proud back then. She had felt that her brain finally had a purpose. Over the years, she had dedicated herself conscientiously to hosting Yang God gatherings, pooling collective wisdom in hopes of finding the path to the Yang God realm. Alas, there had been virtually no results. She couldn't help thinking that had she known it would be like this, it would have been better if the Vampire Emperor had just fancied her chest instead. Then, she wouldn't have to use her brain. She could have just made a living lying down. “Oh? What progress has been made?” Qi Yuan asked. As for the path to the Yang God realm, he was actually somewhat fuzzy on it as well. The so-called Yin God was nearly omniscient and omnipotent, capable of creating living beings and impregnating anyone with a single glare. And what of the Yang God? “Refine away all yin impurities within the spirit to achieve Pure Yang without yin; that is the Yang God.” “When spirit and qi blend into one, soaring to the absolute peak, ethereal without physical form, changing boundlessly; that is the Yang God.” “Yang God—the God of the Sun.” ... “The Yang God refers to projecting the spirit, leaping out of the Three Realms and the Six Paths, never to reincarnate again.” Duke Nael laid out all the answers she had compiled over the years before Qi Yuan. What she described could be broadly categorized into several types. One was the God of Pure Yang, pursuing extreme yang, refining away all yin and negativity in the world. Another was transforming into a Singular Yang, transcending the mortal realm, the Immortal Realm, the material realm, the true spirit realm, and so on, existing solely as a concept. “They're all pretty good,” Qi Yuan nodded. As a leader, he had always maintained high emotional intelligence, making sure not to dampen his subordinates' enthusiasm. To him, these lines of thought were also useful for reference and offered some inspiration. For instance, refining away all yin dross to achieve the sole Yang God. What was 'yang'? The sun? Masculinity? Open and upright? Hearing this, Duke Nael puffed out her chest, somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected the Vampire Emperor not to blame her. Could it be that her brain actually was useful after all? Beside them, Zhao Jian listened to this conversation in silence, feeling utterly speechless. Isn't a so-called Yang God just a True God? What was there to seek? After all, in his eyes, Qi Yuan was already a God Lord. ... Space fractured continuously. A massive hand reached out, shattering the boundless emptiness. A God Lord, like a fish caught in a net, thrashed with a splash before tumbling into an abyss. Yet this God Lord was clearly unwilling to accept such a fate. Countless living beings swarmed out from his divine kingdom, an unending stream attempting to tear through the net. Daos, universal rules, laws of the divine kingdom, and more erupted with terrifying power. Unfortunately, a single flash of light rippled across the net—like an electric current running through water. All the resisting beings were casually erased like mosquitoes, vanishing completely. As mighty as a God Lord was—an existence capable of creating life and opening worlds—under this net of the Dao God, his body shattered like scattered rain. “Rank seventeen on the wanted list, Anchi, is slain.” A vast, resounding voice echoed, majestic and mysterious. Dao God Tufeng's divine body descended, bearing an aura that commanded reverent awe. “Tufeng, your technique of turning heaven and earth into a net has grown ever more exquisite. This Anchi was no simple figure; born from an innate divine treasure to attain godhood, had his Dao fruit not been flawed, he would likely have been one of our peers as well,” praised the mountain master of Heavenly King Mountain. Heavenly King Mountain was not overwhelmingly powerful, possessing only three Dao Gods. This time, all three mountain masters had struck out together to scour the Abandoned Land. The one just killed was named Anchi. His strength had been extraordinary, and he even held a record of having escaped from Dao Gods. The mountain master of Heavenly King Mountain had assumed Tufeng would need to expend considerable effort to take him down. He had not expected it to be so effortless. “He possessed some strength, but that was all,” Tufeng said as if it were only natural. The gap between a Dao God and a God Lord was immense. “He ran rampant in the Abandoned Land for so many years without any Dao God dealing with him only because they feared Dao God Baitang, did they not? Now that Dao God Baitang is wounded and can barely protect himself, Anchi's death was long overdue,” Tufeng continued. Among sentient beings born of innate divine treasures, Dao God Baitang was the strongest. Moreover, this Dao God was fiercely protective of his own kind. Anyone wishing to make a move against his kin had to ask his permission first. “This Dao God Baitang truly didn't know what was good for him, daring to offend even the Heavenly God,” the mountain master of Heavenly King Mountain remarked, awe and dread in his eyes. “There is no lack of cultivators in this world who have lived too long to fear death. Back then, wasn't there also a reckless Dao God who tried to strike against Nine Heavens Divine Palace? And the result...” Tufeng's gaze turned cold. Outside the Abandoned Land, there were numerous major factions dedicated to purging True Gods who mistakenly entered it. Behind these major factions stood the Heavenly God and the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly God advocated slaughter. The Heavenly Emperor advocated persuasion to leave. To a certain degree, Heavenly King Mountain counted as a faction under the Heavenly God, acting on his behalf. “All right, this area has been cleared. Time to move forward. I hear there is another reckless God Lord over there,” Dao God Tufeng said. “Be careful. Travel through the Dark Void to conceal our forms. I've heard that within the Abandoned Land, there is the reincarnation of a Dao Lord who is extremely hostile toward Nine Heavens Divine Palace,” the mountain master of Heavenly King Mountain cautioned. Dao God Tufeng nodded solemnly, clearly having heard of that figure's renowned might. “I wonder when His Majesty the Heavenly God will take action to execute that person.” “The Abandoned Land is in utter chaos, where time flows backward. Finding someone here is far too difficult,” the mountain master of Heavenly King Mountain said. Just then, however, his expression changed drastically, as if he had realized something. “Run!” Beside him, Dao God Tufeng did not hesitate for an instant, immediately plunging into the Dark Void. The mountain master of Heavenly King Mountain panicked even more, diving into the Dark Void. For in that moment, he sensed a bizarre aura. Who else here could feel bizarre and unnerving to existences of their level as Dao Gods? Only that formidable Dao Lord. That Dao Lord had slain many Dao Gods of Nine Heavens Divine Palace with her sword. The two didn't even dare to glimpse the person's face, scrambling into the Dark Void. Yet even so, a dazzling radiance still shattered their bodies. Their bodies were pulverized, leaving only their true spirits to flee deeper into the Dark Void, scrambling desperately. “Is this a Dao Lord?” “She is no ordinary Dao Lord!” “A Dao Lord who has stepped into the Cycle is nearly impossible to kill, even for those of us who have weathered the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations!” The two true spirits fled madly for their lives. Here and now, only a graceful woman was left, holding an invisible sword. She watched the fleeing Dao Gods, her gaze cold and carrying a hint of emptiness. She stood there for a long time, her black hair drifting in the wind, before her figure vanished as well, as if she had never appeared.