Blood-red armor covered Qi Yuan's body as his height soared to one hundred and thirty-seven meters.
At his shoulders, the crimson barbs gleamed vivid and bright. Under the sunlight, they appeared translucent, alluring, and looked as if they were about to drip with blood.
Wielding an enormous greatsword, he strode forward like a demon emerging from hell.
Sword in hand, Qi Yuan's voice was hoarse and heavy.
"Kill!"
At this moment, only that single word remained!
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Three thousand peaks hurtled toward Qi Yuan as peak Divine Domain experts attacked relentlessly from all directions.
Qi Yuan opened his blood-red eyes, taking in countless afterimages and innumerable martial arts divine abilities.
"Kill!"
Raising the greatsword with one hand, he leapt violently.
The immense concussive force cracked the ground beneath his feet.
The colossal, blood-armored figure soared into the air.
At this juncture, all techniques seemed utterly useless.
With a massive body of one hundred and thirty-seven meters, the sheer momentum of his descent alone was terrifying enough to shock anyone.
Not to mention, this behemoth was also unleashing an unimaginably mighty slash.
"All of you, die!"
Everything in sight would be slain!
Qi Yuan had no idea how many people he had cut down.
Yet within this game world, upon the Ascension Platform, every single figure that crossed his gaze was struck down by his hand!
To be seen was to die!
A single sword strike cleaving downward shattered an enormous mountain to pieces.
Boulders and dirt flew across the sky, disintegrating into fragments.
The master of that mountain was smashed to death directly by the blade's impact.
"Ah!"
Qi Yuan was like a god of slaughter—no, a fiend of slaughter!
Swinging his massive crimson blade, he fought blow for blow, hacking his way through the melee.
Three thousand peak Divine Domain masters joined forces, launching continuous assaults at him.
Scores, even hundreds of martial divine abilities struck at Qi Yuan in rapid succession.
It was as though they were trying to ensnare a titan within a spider's web.
Blade in hand, Qi Yuan swept it brutally outward, breaking all dharmas with sheer brute force.
With one stroke of his sword, no matter what martial divine abilities, forbidden arts, or secret techniques were thrown his way, all were severed like webs and erased into nothingness.
Mountains fractured.
Rivers flowed backward!
Blood stained the Divine Domain.
Facing three thousand peak Divine Domain experts, Qi Yuan was like a wolf among a flock of sheep!
A mighty wild beast, his feet treading the earth and his head piercing the clouds as he looked down, slaughtering all living beings with his massive sword.
His combat techniques and willpower had already been honed to perfection across these one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred battles.
His clash against the peak of the Divine Domain was filled with a violent aesthetic—brutal, rude, overbearing; yet it was also suffused with the pinnacle of technique—seamless, natural, a work of pure art.
"Kill, kill, kill!"
"Kill, kill, kill!"
He would turn heaven and earth upside down, blot out the sun and moon, and throw the mortal world into chaos!
Share the same robe.
Qi Yuan and Xiao Jia slaughtered the three thousand Divine Domain experts together!
……
Within the Five Elements Forbidden Ground.
A trace of worry lingered in Long Pan's eyes. "Have you noticed that the constraints of the Five Elements Forbidden Ground are slowly fading?
"I fear that after a thousand years, it will degenerate into an ordinary forbidden area, one that even a Supreme Sovereign can set foot in."
"You suspect it's the extraterrestrial demon?" Yu spoke up. "A thousand years from now, the Demon Slaying Assembly will have ended long ago.
"What would be the use of him taking a thousand years to slowly unravel the restrictions of the Five Elements Forbidden Ground?"
"You have a point." Long Pan dropped the topic. "How do you think the Master of the Robe Division is doing in his tempering in the mortal realm? How much of our Divine Reflection... has he digested?"
"He has only been out for a month. You're overthinking it. There are still three hundred years left. Hopefully, he can step into the peak of the Divine Domain. That way, we will have a slightly better chance when facing the extraterrestrial demon," Yu said with a sigh.
Long Pan recalled something, his expression growing solemn. "After the Heavenly God went to fend off the extraterrestrial demon, he once sent you a voice transmission. Aside from what you told us before, is there truly nothing else—such as the demon's strength or exact numbers?"
Hearing this, Yu fell silent for a moment. "None. Whatever the Heavenly God said, I have already told you all."
"Why must you hide it?" Long Pan could not help sighing upon hearing that.
"There is nothing."
……
"Die!"
A colossal sword descended from the heavens, shattering the final mountain into dust.
The tip of the sword also ground the very last and strongest expert among the three thousand Divine Domains into oblivion.
Indeed, he was not stabbed to death, because his body simply could not accommodate such a massive puncture; he was crushed and smoothed out directly.
Qi Yuan stood where he was, his entire body enveloped in rich, dense blood-qi that seemed ready to solidify into substance.
Half a day outside, a full year on the Ascension Platform.
Without sleep or rest, Qi Yuan had fought relentlessly.
At last, he had completely slain all three thousand Divine Domain experts.
Upon his blood-red armor, the gore had long dried, leaving behind dark, mottled patches.
He drove the greatsword diagonally into a mountain peak, sat down where he was, and panted heavily.
The breath billowing from his nostrils and mouth blew away the nearby rubble and soil.
He reached into a lake, scooping up handfuls of water and splashing them onto his face again and again. The water level in the lake dropped noticeably, exposing the silt beneath.
Only then did Qi Yuan feel considerably cooler.
Having defeated the three thousand Divine Domain experts, he had now crossed the one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred steps.
Ascending any further led to the true Ascension Platform.
Once he defeated that Golden-Armored Divine General, he would gain complete control over Tianjue.
Even on these final steps, there were three thousand Divine Domain experts.
Just what kind of terrifying entity would the final Golden-Armored Divine General be?
Qi Yuan dared not imagine.
"Fight!"
Qi Yuan had no fear.
Right now, he was at his weakest, yet also at his strongest.
If he flinched, his martial spirit would dissipate.
He had no choice but to charge straight ahead, invincible and unrelenting.
He drew the sword from the crevice in the mountain, causing the peak to shatter.
Blade in hand, he stepped onto the final Ascension Platform.
His size shrank rapidly as well, returning to twelve meters.
At that moment, a majestic voice rang out: "You have come."
Qi Yuan looked over and saw a one-armed Golden-Armored Divine General.
He stood atop the Ascension Platform, his expression mechanical and indifferent, holding a pitch-black spear in his right hand.
The spear was stained with blood and radiated a chilly gleam.
He was somewhat different from the Golden-Armored Divine General Qi Yuan had first seen.
"After so many years, I never imagined that someone would actually reach the Ascension Platform," the Golden-Armored Divine General said, a hint of desolation detectable in his mechanical voice.
Qi Yuan asked, "Where can one go upon ascending the Ascension Platform?"
For the first time, a bizarre smile appeared on the Golden-Armored Divine General's expressionless face. "I hear it is the starry sky, but..."
He stopped speaking.
Qi Yuan pressed, "But what?"
"In truth, it is to become my master's disciple, and ultimately end up inside my master's belly." The Golden-Armored Divine General leveled his black spear, aiming it at Qi Yuan.
Hearing that, a chill ran down Qi Yuan's spine.
Who was the master of Tianjue?
Who had built this colosseum?
He had no idea.
However, the current master of Dijue was an extraterrestrial demon.
"The world is in turmoil and the sun and moon are inverted, which is why a weakling like you had the chance to ascend the true Ascension Platform and earn the right to stand before me," the Golden-Armored Divine General said, his voice mechanical and cold. "Make your move and end this tedious fight."
The spear tip was sharp, radiating a sinister chill.
Standing alone with a single arm, the Golden-Armored Divine General exuded an invisible pressure heavier than ten thousand armies.
Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, and a status prompt appeared.
[Broken Golden-Armored Divine General Remnant Soul, Level 119.]
Level 119?!!
This was the very first time in this world that he had seen such a powerful expert.
Of everyone he had encountered before, not a single one could break past Level 100.
Even he himself was unable to surpass Level 100.
Now, he was facing an expert at Level 119.
An unknown, mysterious, and terrifyingly mighty powerhouse.
Qi Yuan's hairs stood on end, his body shuddered, and his muscles tautened.
All of his focus and all of his mind were locked onto the Golden-Armored Divine General.
He held his sword, alert, ready to strike.
Every ounce of his desire to slaughter, every bit of his will to fight, reached its absolute peak at this moment.
"Kill!"
He knew that in this battle, surviving was next to impossible.
Therefore, the moment Qi Yuan made his move, it was his absolute strongest strike.
"Ah!"
Empowered by numerous martial divine abilities and skills, his greatsword unleashed the mightiest sword strike in this world.
A single thrust impaled straight into the body of the Golden-Armored Divine General.
"Huh?!"
The Golden-Armored Divine General disintegrated into fragments.
"Where is he?!"
With that single slash, Qi Yuan had caught the Golden-Armored Divine General's bewildered expression before watching him shatter into pieces.
Yet how could an expert of such monstrous power at Level 119 possibly be slain by one chop?
Naturally, he believed it was nothing more than an illusion!
"Come out!"
"Get out here!"
"I see you!"
Wielding the greatsword, Qi Yuan once again unleashed his signature sword art.
Blind Summer Slashing.
This style involved swinging wildly in all directions, riddled with openings, yet it provided him with the greatest sense of security.
It felt as if anyone who dared approach would inevitably be caught and wounded by his blind slashing.
Alas, no matter how much Qi Yuan roared, no one answered.
Just then, a notification sounded in Qi Yuan's mind.
[Slew the Broken Golden-Armored Divine General Remnant Soul. Obtained the opportunity to step into Level 100. Step forward now?]
Qi Yuan froze.
"Killed by me?"
"One-shotted?"
"No, that can't be right!"
The look of panic on his face deepened.
"Is this what a Level 119 expert is capable of? You can read my thoughts and even uncovered the reality that you're an in-game NPC!"
"Imitating a GM to deceive me—what sinister cunning!"
"The moment I let my guard down, you'll surely strike me down like thunder!"
Qi Yuan sneered toward the sky.
Unfortunately, no one answered him.
He stood there for who knew how long.
A puzzled expression crept across his face. "Could I have overthought it?"
He pondered for a moment, then bent down to search for something on the ground.
About an hour passed before Qi Yuan looked at the shattered golden-armored remnants he had pieced together on the ground.
Or rather, they were not even broken armor pieces, but mere dust and gravel.
His face showed pure shock. "He really died? Just like that?!"
He could not comprehend it.
"I was an idiot, worrying over nothing. Good thing there are no spectators in this colosseum, or I, a young emperor, would have lost all my dignity today scaring myself."
Only then did Qi Yuan turn his attention back to the prompt he had received earlier.
Slaying the Golden-Armored Divine General granted him the opportunity to enter Level 100?
He stood stunned.
He had relied on Xiao Jia to reach Level 104 before.
However, that was not his own inherent strength after all.
Inside his body, much of his accumulated experience had been maxed out.
The moment he crossed into Level 100, his level would skyrocket wildly, reaching a stage even he could not imagine.
Yet for some reason, he felt an inexplicable hesitation about leveling up.
Especially considering what the Golden-Armored Divine General had said earlier.
He had a nagging feeling that something terrible would happen if he reached Level 100.
After all, he had not yet seen a single genuine Level 100 in this world.
"I won't level up for now." Qi Yuan held on to the opportunity.
He would wait until he had no other choice before making the breakthrough.
In any case, he did not need it right now.
Another prompt arrived.
[Tianjue Dungeon cleared. Rewards granted.]
[Reward 1: Heavenly Dao fragment x30.]
[Reward 2: Opportunity to enter Level 100 (can be used at any time).]
"Already at sixty fragments? According to my estimate, with thirty more from Dijue and ten from the Yin Yang Forbidden Ground, I'll have gathered all the Heavenly Dao fragments to complete my Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment."
Qi Yuan was in high spirits.
Just then, another game notification arrived.
[Having stepped onto the Ascension Platform, the restrictions of Tianjue will dissipate in one hour, allowing free departure toward the mortal realm.
After one month of mortal comprehension, you will be teleported to Dijue.]
"The mortal realm?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up upon reading this. "I can meet Jin Li in real life!"
"Only one month, though, before I have to head to Dijue to fight the boss?"
"Whatever, let's meet up first!"
With that in mind, Qi Yuan hurriedly sent a message to Jin Li.
"Jin Li, I've cleared Tianjue! I can leave the forbidden ground and spend a whole month in the mortal realm!"
"Let's go, let's meet up under the Ancient Qi Toon Tree!"
"By the way, you left Southern Qian a few days ago to head there. Have you arrived yet?"
At this moment, in a small town beneath the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, Jin Li was sitting beside a lake.
Not far away, several children were frolicking and playing. One child playing in the water was yanked out by his mother and given two sharp smacks on the rear—from the force of it, she was undoubtedly his birth mother.
A large bird flew down from the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, diving into the water with a splash before emerging with a small fish in its beak.
Along the lake shore, quite a few young couples were out on dates.
"Are you coming to see me?" Jin Li's heart tightened.
"Yeah, I've got a month. Where should we meet? Drop me some coordinates."
"I'm in July Town, within the Moon Dynasty under the Ancient Qi Toon Tree. It's very easy to find. After leaving Tianjue, just keep heading southeast and you'll arrive here. I'll wait for you at Half Moon Lake." Jin Li's body trembled slightly, unable to conceal the excitement in her heart.
"Got it, noted," Qi Yuan replied, then asked, "How is the outside world? Are things expensive? Is the food good? Is the scenery pretty?"
"The scenery here is very beautiful. The Ancient Qi Toon Tree is truly, truly massive.
"It is the divine tree of the Wangyue Continent, and the Moon Dynasty sits right beside it. Unlike Southern Qian, there is no war here, and everyone lives in peace and contentment.
"There are many delicious foods. Today I tried a crispy sweet duck, and the flavor was wonderful.
"I'm trying to learn how to make it. When you arrive, I'll cook for you myself!"
"Alright. Hope it's not too terrible, or it'll be torture having to choke it all down while pretending it's delicious."
"……"
"Man, this is my first time meeting an internet friend in real life. Honestly, I'm pretty excited."
"Me too."
"What do you look like? Ah, my bad, that was blunt."
"I should look... decent, I suppose?"
"No worries, no worries. I'm very handsome, so I won't hold it against you.
"I've asked you so many questions; don't you want to ask me a few?
"Like my height, my annual income, whether I have a car or a house, how much betrothal gift I'm offering..."
"……"
"Said too much, now it feels like a blind date.
"On the internet, we should just be asking for an online partner."
"What does that mean?"
"It just means looking for a significant other. Anyway, today took too much out of me, so I need to log off and rest a bit. I should be out of Tianjue tomorrow.
"If I don't get lost, see you tomorrow.
"If I get lost, then see you in three days—or seven!"
After saying that, Qi Yuan logged off.
Clad in white, Jin Li sat beside the lake, lost in thought.
"Your Majesty, is that master coming to see you?" Aunt Qin appeared at Jin Li's side.
Hearing her, Jin Li smiled gently. "Yes. And Aunt Qin, please don't call me Your Majesty from now on. Just call me A-Li.
"I am no longer the Empress of Southern Qian, and I am not suited to be an empress anyway."
Aunt Qin smiled softly, knowing Jin Li better than anyone. "Seeing you so restless and distracted, what are you worried about?"
"No... nothing..."
Aunt Qin said, "Your Majesty is of noble blood and possesses beauty that could topple nations. You are worthy of anyone."
Jin Li remained silent, saying nothing.
Aunt Qin continued, "That master was willing to lend the terrifying Robe Division Imperial Guard to Your Majesty, which shows he cares deeply for you as well. Your Majesty has no need to fret. If you stay this restless, you might wear yourself out before you even lay eyes on him."
Hearing that, Jin Li stood up. "Alright, Aunt Qin, let us head back."
The two left the lake shore and walked toward the courtyard they had bought.
Just then, a group of children wearing masks walked past Jin Li.
The masks were of all shapes and designs. Wearing their masks and holding wooden sticks, the children hummed a folk song as they followed a private school teacher toward a certain destination.
"Aunt Qin, what are they doing wearing masks?" Jin Li asked, feeling curious.
"It seems they are going to pay respects to the statue of some god." Aunt Qin knew a little, though not much.
"What god? Why must they wear masks?"
"It seems that god also wears a mask."
"Then why are they all carrying sticks?"
"This old servant does not know."
"What does that god oversee?"
"It does not oversee marriage, certainly. However, there will be a temple fair in this town in three days. If that master arrives by then, the two of you could visit the fair together.
"This town seems to have many divine statues and bustling temples rich with incense.
"That masked god, however, seems to have very few pilgrims. It's really just that private school teacher who believes in him."
"Mm, a temple fair? That does sound interesting. We can go take a look."
……
The following day.
Within Tianjue.
Qi Yuan stretched lazily.
Standing by the lake, he looked at his reflection in the water.
"Handsome as always."
He stood up, suddenly struck by a thought.
"Meeting up in person—shouldn't I bring a gift? Otherwise, it'd be rude.
"Ah, but I have nothing on me."
Standing beside the lake in Tianjue, he pondered for a moment.
His figure blurred as he dashed across all of Tianjue.
Before long, a wooden hairpin appeared in Qi Yuan's hand.
The hairpin looked plain, yet it was crafted from numerous precious plants.
"A handmade wooden hairpin should be fine, right?
"I won't end up like those people roasted online for giving cheap handmade stuff, will I?
"Jin Li isn't that kind of person. It'll be fine."
He thought it over and sent a message to Jin Li.
"I made a meeting gift for you—a wooden hairpin, handmade. Don't look down on it for being cheap."
Having said that, he stepped out of Tianjue and walked into the outside world.
After a few dozen breaths of time, Qi Yuan finally walked out of Tianjue.
"A desert?"
He gazed into the horizon.
A line from an ancient poem welled up in his mind:
A solitary plume of smoke rises straight in the boundless desert; the setting sun hangs round over the long river.
Looking as far as his eyes could see, all that lay before him was a golden desert.
"Wait? Where did my game interface go?"
Qi Yuan stood frozen.
The moment he stepped out of Tianjue, his game interface had vanished.
Chapter 72