Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, a New Ability

How much experience did Qi Yuan have stored up? Even Qi Yuan himself did not know. At the Ascension Platform, endless hordes of minor mobs had granted him a boundless sea of experience. In Dijue, nearly three thousand extraterrestrial demons had provided another immense surge of experience. At this moment, all that experience resembled an inverted ocean pouring through a single narrow sluice into Qi Yuan's body. Gripping his sword, Qi Yuan stared at the colossal flaming boulder. "I... am not level 99!" Demonic Flare! Tyrannical Strength! Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique! Every major skill and every minor skill were unleashed simultaneously at this very instant. Qi Yuan unleashed the most powerful strike he had ever delivered since arriving in this world. "Die!" Blinding white radiance intertwined with blood-red sword energy, erupting with power far exceeding mortal limits. Qi Yuan's body was bathed in the white radiance and blood-red light. His flesh slowly dissolved as the bloody glow struggled to hold on. Yet the corner of his lips curled into a smile. "You're dying faster than me, haha!" With those words, Qi Yuan powerlessly shut his eyes. He slumped upon the stone steps, his blood already dried, his hands still tightly gripping that very sword. ... Outside Dijue, a dozen breaths earlier. The Divine Domain powerhouses from the Yin Yang Forbidden Ground and the Five Elements Forbidden Ground had finally arrived. At this moment, every expression among them was solemn and icy calm. Soon, they would confront the most terrifying extraterrestrial demons in this world. The Heavenly Dog was still devouring the moon. Darkness had enveloped the realm. Yet right at that instant, a tremendous tremor resounded, seemingly echoing from deep within Dijue. Everyone recoiled in horror, exchanging stunned glances. "What happened?" "Could the extraterrestrial demons have discovered us and prepared an ambush?!" "Look over there, what is that?!" The red-robed man suddenly raised his hand toward the sky. High above the heavens, the colossal Heavenly Dog was devouring the moon. Suddenly, a great sun rose, illuminating the entire world until it was as bright as day. Everyone looked up, an inexplicable terror welling in their hearts, as if a catastrophic doom had descended upon them. "Two suns? What is going on?!" The crowd was filled with dread and disbelief. "Not good—that sun is plummeting toward the earth!" "A blazing sun hangs in the sky, sun and moon inverted... This is the revival of the Great Sun!" Realizing something, Yu felt a tear of blood trickle from the corner of his eye. "So this is what 'certain death' truly meant?" The other Divine Domain experts were utterly horrified by the spectacle. A blazing sun was actually crashing down upon the continent. Though it might pale in comparison to the true sun high in the heavens, it was still a miniature sun in its own right. Crashing into the mortal realm? What kind of apocalyptic nightmare would that unleash? Oceans would surge backward, earth veins would shatter, and living beings would be reduced to ash. "Certain death, is it?" Xiao Lü gazed up at the falling sun, suddenly finding peace. A gentle smile touched her face. "Master of the Robe Division, I no longer blame you." Yet right at that moment, a sword abruptly manifested across the heavens. "What is that?!" "Whose sword is that?!" "What is he doing?!" The Divine Domain titans were left utterly shaken. For high in the sky, a sword had appeared—a sword they knew all too well. In the Moon Dynasty, a woman looked up at the heavens. The moon mirrored in her eyes turned into a crescent. "Mister..." In the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground, a figure in a red bridal gown stumbled and sprinted forward continuously, as if calling out for someone. She fell, rose, and fell again. High above the firmament, before a grand gate, a grievously wounded man sat upon the steps, his mangled, bloodied hands firmly gripping a longsword. He looked as if he had crawled back from the depths of hell, having endured the encirclement, bites, and gnawing of countless devils. Wounds covered every inch of his body. His eyes were shattered, yet he still gripped his sword and swung it toward the sun, letting out a thunderous roar: "I... am not level 99!" As the sword struck, yin and yang were thrown into chaos. Half of the glaring white world turned blood-red. The crimson energy collided with the white radiance, erupting into unimaginable power. "The Master of the Robe Division! It's the Master of the Robe Division!" the red-robed man roared at the top of his lungs. Long Pan stared into the heavens, myriad emotions flashing across his eyes before finally dissolving into a laugh. "How could the man I placed my faith in ever flee before a battle!" "How could this be possible?! How could he do this?!" The rest of the Divine Domain powerhouses looked up at the sky in stunned silence. Some were overcome with guilt. Others had tears welling up in their fierce eyes. Before their very gaze, that mangled, bloodied figure curved his lips into a smile and closed his eyes. "You're dying faster than me, haha." Only that singular voice lingered in the world. The sword energy continued to unfurl. The glaring white light shrank further and further. The black Heavenly Dog was cleaved in two by that one strike. The blazing sun was ultimately ripped apart, dissolving into scattered motes of light. *Clang!* Inside Dijue, a great gate fell. Of the former Four Forbidden Grounds and Two Perils, Dijue was no more. All the Divine Domain powerhouses turned their gaze toward Dijue. Past the fallen gate, they saw a blood-soaked young man sitting upon the steps. He held his sword in his arms, his eyes closed and a smile playing on his lips, looking as though he had fallen asleep, perhaps dreaming a sweet dream. "Master of the Robe Division!" The Divine Domain experts cried out, heart-wrenching anguish filling their eyes as they rushed frantically toward Dijue. Just how many brutal battles had he endured? This was... Yet right before their eyes, as Dijue dissipated, that battered young man seemed to fade away from the mortal realm alongside it. All that remained was a lingering wisp of blood-red, which soon vanished into nothingness. ... "There is so much history in this world that has been buried beneath the river of time." Priestess July was shorter than Jin Li, yet as she walked beside her, she carried an air of greater dignity. A look of desolation flickered through Jin Li's eyes, and she remained silent. "Take the forbidden grounds and desolate lands, for instance. When the original Moon Dynasty was first established, there were not only the Four Great Forbidden Grounds, but also the Two Great Desolate Lands. Today, only one desolate land remains." Since its founding, the Moon Dynasty had fallen multiple times, yet it had always been rebuilt in the end. "There was another desolate land?" Jin Li's pupils constricted. She recalled Qi Yuan speaking of the Four Forbidden Grounds and Two Perils. "What was that other desolate land called, and where is it now?" Jin Li asked with a tremor of emotion in her voice. "According to ancient texts, that desolate land was named Dijue," July said slowly. "Legend has it that a world-destroying archdemon was born within Dijue. A faceless swordsman went there with his blade and slaughtered the demon." "What happened to him?" Jin Li grabbed Priestess July's arm. "Dijue was shattered to pieces. It is truly difficult to fathom what kind of terrifying might that required. "As for him... he perished together with the demon," Priestess July said softly. "He died?" Jin Li froze, her expression turning blank. "Other ancient texts claim that the founding of the Moon Dynasty was orchestrated entirely by that faceless swordsman. "Regrettably, later emperors refused to acknowledge that account. "I do not know whether that faceless swordsman truly had any connection to our Moon Dynasty, but he certainly visited this place. "There is even a divine statue of him just ahead." Jin Li looked up and saw a dilapidated shrine, its southern wall collapsed and overgrown with wild weeds. "Shall we go inside and take a look?" Priestess July asked calmly. Stepping onto the bluestone pavement, Jin Li walked with hurried yet hesitant steps. In just a dozen breaths, she stepped into the shrine. "What a pity. Even though legend says the Faceless Sword God saved the world, among all the shrines, his receives almost no incense offerings," Priestess July lamented. Jin Li came to a halt, gazing at the battered, incomplete statue in the shrine. Countless images flashed through her mind, bringing back memories upon memories. "Your Majesty, have you seen what you wished to see?" Priestess July's desolate voice came from behind. Jin Li looked at the statue and raised her hand. She took hold of the statue's left hand. At that moment, the statue's left hand suddenly burst apart. A jade-green wooden hairpin tumbled into Jin Li's hand. Tightly clutching the hairpin, she recalled the second sentence Qi Yuan had ever said to her. She raised her head, looking at the statue. "I have seen it. Ru Jian Qing—seeing this is like seeing you." ... In the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground. The cold wooden planks felt hard and chilling against Qi Yuan's body. He reached out casually, trying to pull something close, but caught only empty air. "Xiao Jia..." He called out and opened his eyes. Yet he found himself alone upon the wooden bed. "Xiao Jia?" He called again, raising his voice. Still, no one answered. The bridal chamber was utterly deserted. "Share the Same Robe!" Qi Yuan cast his major skill. Unfortunately, the only response he received was absolute silence. Sitting on the cold wooden planks, he felt an aching throbbing in his head. The only comforting thing was that the skill was still there, and Xiao Jia... was still there. "You're really failing as a wife, not even calling for me before stepping out." Dragging his weakened body, Qi Yuan walked through the Robe and Crown Forbidden Ground. He saw numerous bridal gowns. Sadly, none were as beautiful as Xiao Jia. Stumbling and struggling, he made his way into the underground palace. "They really weren't kidding when they said couples start acting alike after being together for a while. Now I fall down every two steps. "You couldn't have been like me before, could you? Groggy and overwhelmed by too many things stuffed in your head?" It took an entire hour before Qi Yuan finally reached the underground palace. "Xiao Jia, we're in a divorce cooling-off period. "Since you aren't here right now, I can't file for a divorce certificate by myself. "So let's save the divorce talk for when we meet next time. For now, you're still... my wife, right? "Am I supposed to run off and chase after my runaway wife now? "How about you chase after your runaway husband instead? That sounds a lot more interesting." Sitting in the dim underground palace, Qi Yuan caught his breath. He lifted his hand; the moon crest upon it had vanished, much like the traces Xiao Jia had left on him. He looked toward the Robe Division Imperial Guard that remained dormant in the underground palace. "Is it time for me to go?" "That Great Sun was really a coward. If I'd broken through to level 100 early on, his true body definitely wouldn't have shown up! "Then I wouldn't have been able to get a perfect clear on this game." Even after achieving a perfect clear, Qi Yuan felt a touch of melancholy. Finishing a game was like watching the finale of a television series—it left an empty void in one's heart. "Trash game, I still have an incomplete side quest!" "Wait, no, Jin Li is a player, so that doesn't count as a quest!" "Meeting offline... next time we meet up in real life, the location definitely has to be in the real world!" Thinking back to how he had gone to meet Jin Li amid fluttering snow and waited several days without anyone showing up, his thoughts wandered. Looking at the slumbering Robe Division Imperial Guard, Qi Yuan was suddenly reminded of some lines he had read somewhere long ago, and he blurted them out: "I saw thee not before, grief piling like drifts of snow, an ache profound through all ages. "I see thee not today, my gaze longing like nectar, intoxicated through all ages. "I shall see thee hereafter, no regret that we met late, no grievance that our time was brief." The original final line had been, "I see thee not hereafter, floating life like a vanished dream, all hopes hollow through all ages." He thought that sounded too ominous, so he had casually altered it. He remembered the heavy snow that day. The snow in the game was truly massive, far heavier than any snow on the Blue Star. The Ancient Qi Toon Tree had looked just like an oversized Christmas tree. Without any corpses hanging from it, the Christmas tree Jin Li saw must have been beautiful. Snapping out of his reverie, Qi Yuan looked at the Robe Division Imperial Guard and instructed, "It wasn't easy coming up with such poetic mush—make sure you pass it on to Jin Li!" Having said that, Qi Yuan sat in the underground palace and burst into laughter. "I really am a flirt." ... Upon Seven Colors Peak, snow was also softly drifting down. Wearing only a thin dress as usual, Jiang Lingsu stepped out of her thatched hut. Glancing at the adjacent thatched hut, an anxious expression flitted across her eyes. "It's been three months. Is Senior Brother still not finished?" Three whole months had passed since her senior brother had asked her to keep watch over him. She worried that something might have gone wrong with him. After all, he was still only in Qi Refinement and could not truly practice inedia. Only after reaching Foundation Establishment could a cultivator truly sustain themselves without food. Just then, a voice called out: "Senior Sister, has Senior Brother Qi Yuan not yet emerged from seclusion?" Dong Xian was clad entirely in black, standing out starkly against the vast blanket of snow. "Not yet. Senior Brother mentioned that this seclusion could take anywhere from six months to a year." After saying this, Jiang Lingsu returned to her room. Hearing that, Dong Xian felt a pang of disappointment. Only two months remained to prepare for the Dragon Contention. The Sect Master had instructed him to invite two Foundation Establishment cultivators. He had already successfully enlisted one—the Sect Master's son-in-law, Senior Brother Kang Fulu, the chief disciple of Five Lights Peak. Senior Brother Kang Fulu was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator who practiced the Five Lights Holy Method. He was indisputably the strongest among all Foundation Establishment disciples in the Divine Light Sect. Dong Xian had paid a steep price to persuade him. As for the second Foundation Establishment cultivator, the person he wished to invite was Qi Yuan. Elder Qi had said that Senior Brother Qi Yuan was exceptionally mysterious and harbored deep secrets. If he reached Foundation Establishment, then wielding that supreme treasure of a kitchen knife, he might even rival an Origin Core expert. If he had Senior Brother Qi Yuan's help, he might truly have a shot at victory in the Dragon Contention and change his destiny. Then he would no longer have to live separated from his fiancée. Yet Eldest Senior Brother Qi Yuan was still in seclusion, with no telling when he would emerge. He feared time would run out. After lingering on Seven Colors Peak for a while, he finally departed in disappointment. "Elder Qi, should we switch to someone else?" Dong Xian could not help asking. Elder Qi let out a cold snort. "If you want to cooperate, you naturally seek out the strongest. As for that Kang Fulu, if his strength were half as formidable as his mouth, you wouldn't need to fear anything. "Wait a little longer. There will be a chance!" Hearing this, Dong Xian nodded. He had asked Elder Qi intentionally, merely to bolster his own resolve. ... Upon Seven Colors Peak, the snow piled deeper and deeper. Jiang Lingsu grew increasingly worried that her senior brother might have died inside the hut, checking on him several times each day. Only upon sensing the presence of a living person would her heart ease slightly. Meanwhile, inside Qi Yuan's hut. With his eyes closed, Qi Yuan's face showed signs of pain. Sweat poured continuously from his forehead. Bizarre, indistinct voices drifted into his ears. "Heaven-grade secret art, only nine-point-nine!" "Dammit, my pill refinement failed again." "Shit really tastes good... Ah, I can't eat it anymore. I'm an Origin Core True Person now, I can't act like I did before gaining sapience." "Did you hear? Senior Sister slept with Master. But that's nothing—after Mistress found out, she hooked up with Senior Sister's younger brother!" "We've laid low in the Divine Light Sect for so many years. Just when are we going to make our move?" Countless voices flooded into Qi Yuan's ears. He suddenly snapped his eyes open. His gaze was muddled for an instant before clearing completely. "I'm back?" "Share the Same Robe?" "..." "I... succeeded in Foundation Establishment?" "Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!" Indeed, upon emerging from the game world, Qi Yuan had obtained the complete Heavenly Dao fragment. Following the *Qi Yuan Scripture*, he had used the Heavenly Dao as his Foundation Establishment spiritual item to break through. In merely half a day, he had achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. Yet after breaking through, he had felt groggy and overwhelmingly drowsy, as though something were targeting him. His consciousness had begun to slowly dissipate, sending him into a deep slumber. He had dreamed another dream. He could not recall the details. He only remembered entering a wooden house where a massive entity resided. Upon seeing him, that entity had engaged him in a fight. Admittedly, that big thing was incredibly fierce, and Qi Yuan was completely outmatched. Yet Qi Yuan was no pushover either; he beat the fellow until he was black and blue before the big thing finally stopped trying to kick him out. He had ended up staying in that big thing's home. However, fearing Qi Yuan might wreck the place, the entity had made numerous pacts with him. Qi Yuan could not remember the contents of those pacts. Upon waking from the dream in a daze, he began hearing all sorts of bizarre voices. "My strength... is so terrifying. Is this the power of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment?" Qi Yuan felt that even without a knife, he could now kill the Sect Master of the Black Mountain Sect with a single punch. As for his own sect's master, True Monarch Kumu, Qi Yuan did not know, having never fought him. "As expected of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. At my current level, I should be able to step out of rural cultivation and thrash high-school-tier cultivators, right?" Qi Yuan got up. He cast a cleansing spell upon himself and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Just then, another strange voice drifted into his mind. *"My undergarment is too tight again. How annoying."* Qi Yuan froze. "Could Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment come with auditory hallucinations?" "Why am I hallucinating Junior Sister's voice?" "Could it be that I secretly have a crush on her and crave her body?" With that thought in mind, he walked out of his room. "Junior Sister," he called toward the neighboring thatched hut. "Senior Brother? Hold on, I'll be right out!" Jiang Lingsu's voice carried a hint of joy, mixed with a flustered hurry. Before long, Jiang Lingsu stepped out of her hut. Excitement was written all over her face. "Senior Brother, you're finally out of seclusion!" Qi Yuan glanced down at her chest. *Mm... It really is quite large and magnificent.* "Junior Sister, I've reached Foundation Establishment." Returning home in wealth without showing off was like parading in fine silks at night. Now that he had succeeded, he naturally had to let his junior sister indulge her imagination. "Foundation Establishment?" Jiang Lingsu looked at him, her delight growing even brighter. "Congratulations, Senior Brother!" Hearing that, Qi Yuan stared at her expectantly. "Anything else?" "Ah?" Jiang Lingsu blinked in confusion. "What else?" "You're supposed to ask me what kind of Foundation Establishment I attained," Qi Yuan said smugly. Jiang Lingsu smiled helplessly. "Then what kind of Foundation Establishment did you attain, Senior Brother?" "Since you've asked with utmost sincerity, I shall mercifully enlighten you! I, Qi Yuan, have achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!" Standing in the snow, Qi Yuan looked every bit the flamboyant immortal. "Tch."