Kang Fulu looked down at the other two corpses on the ground and said in a heavy voice, "They're from the Qingyang Sect. Just this morning, the two of them came to pay their respects to us."
Qi Yuan also remembered them—they were a brother and sister.
When they had visited this morning, they had even brought along some spiritual broth.
It had tasted quite good, if a little salty.
"We must be extremely cautious during this Dragon Contention," Kang Fulu said, his expression dark. "Daring to harm allies of our Divine Light Sect—they're courting death!"
"This person's Regret Dragon Hand has already reached great mastery. All three were killed in an instant. Which of the princes is hiding his strength so deeply?" Dong Xian asked, baffled.
The princes of Great Shang suffered from a drought of talent; their aptitudes were thoroughly mediocre.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to hire external Foundation Establishment helpers.
Yet here, one prince and two Foundation Establishment cultivators had been slaughtered with a single strike, proving the killer was no ordinary cultivator.
"No need to dwell on who the killer is. We're bound to run into them eventually, and then we'll just kill them!" Qi Yuan offered from the side.
In the cultivation world, Qi Yuan never cared to waste brainpower.
Why use your head when you could use your fists?
"Mm. Let us push deeper into the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm," white-haired Kang Fulu said.
...
Two full days passed as Qi Yuan, Kang Fulu, and Dong Xian advanced a considerable distance into the depths of the secret realm.
This time, deep within the realm, they discovered another six corpses.
Just like the bodies Dong Xian had seen before, every one of them had died by the Regret Dragon Hand.
Kang Fulu's face grew exceptionally grim. "The Regret Dragon Hand again. Killing six Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single stroke... Does the Great Shang imperial family truly possess such a formidable prince?"
Even Kang Fulu himself could not instantly wipe out six Foundation Establishment cultivators, two of whom were in the late Foundation Establishment stage.
This required strength at the Origin Core level at the very least.
Qi Yuan looked at the six corpses, a rare grave look surfacing in his eyes for the first time. "This killer is quite capable."
His eyes, after all, could see much more.
[He was an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, slain at the hands of an unconventional Divine Infant cultivator.]
The other five corpses offered no useful information.
A Divine Infant? How could a Divine Infant enter the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm?
True Monarch Taiguang himself stood guard at the realm's entrance.
Furthermore, reaching the Divine Infant stage in under a century?
Such talent would be monstrously exaggerated.
Even for an unconventional Divine Infant, it bordered on absurd.
"Which members of your Great Shang imperial clan have cultivated to the Divine Infant stage?" Qi Yuan asked.
Dong Xian froze, unsure why Qi Yuan was asking, but he answered earnestly nonetheless.
"Within our Great Shang imperial clan, there were only two Divine Infant ancestors, but both of them... passed away several years ago," Dong Xian said dejectedly.
The imperial family's decline was intimately tied to the deaths of those two Divine Infant ancestors.
Nowadays, the consecrated Divine Infant experts serving the imperial family possessed none of the imperial bloodline.
"Is that so?" Qi Yuan did not press further.
A Divine Infant eccentric had somehow slipped inside to hunt the Foundation Establishment cultivators entering the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm.
For some reason, Qi Yuan smelled a conspiracy in the air.
Just then, Kang Fulu suddenly said, "There are waves of battle ahead—it seems to be people from Floating Mountain. Let's go take a look."
"Alright." Qi Yuan felt a glimmer of anticipation.
Could his white moonlight be among them?
The three swiftly flew toward the sounds of combat ahead.
Before they even arrived, Qi Yuan saw sword qi filling the sky and trees collapsing in swathes.
Evidently, the fight ahead was fierce.
"The Gengjin Sword Art!" Gravity showed in Kang Fulu's eyes. "One of Floating Mountain's seven great sword arts. Formidable indeed."
The three rushed over, only to see Lei Wen and Miao Li locked in combat with a powerful figure clad in a python robe.
That python-robed expert stood alone against the two Floating Mountain Foundation Establishment disciples without falling into a disadvantage in the slightest.
It was terrifyingly abnormal.
When Dong Xian saw the python-robed figure, shock flickered in his eyes. "Second Prince!"
That python-robed expert was none other than the Second Prince.
When had the Second Prince—his second elder brother—become so powerful that he could fight two true disciples of Floating Mountain to a standstill?
Just then, Lei Wen's shout rang out. "Brother Kang, come aid us quickly! This man is slaughtering innocents indiscriminately across the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm using the Regret Dragon Hand! At least three princes have already fallen to him!
"Several junior brothers and sisters from the Parting Sorrow Sect and Great Completion Society died by his hand!"
"It's him?" Kang Fulu was enraged. "Deliberately targeting us? Then let me show you the might of the Divine Light Sect Master's son-in-law and personal disciple of the Five Lights Peak Master!"
He had seen those three princes killed by an unknown powerhouse.
It seemed this Second Prince was indeed slaughtering innocents without restraint.
And the Second Prince was targeting precisely the sects allied with the Divine Light Sect and Floating Mountain.
Kang Fulu flicked his horsetail whisk and swiftly plunged into the fray.
Five Lights Holy Method!
The moment Kang Fulu attacked, he unleashed his proudest art, the Five Lights Holy Method.
Qi Yuan did not join in, mainly because Lei Wen hadn't called for him.
Besides, he judged that with Kang Fulu added to the mix, the Second Prince stood no chance.
He had achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, after all—how could he intervene casually?
He had to maintain his style.
Sure enough, once Kang Fulu stepped in, the Five Lights Holy Method combined with the Gengjin Sword Art.
Ahead, timber flew and dazzling colors erupted ceaselessly.
It looked like an anime video packed clumsily with random special effects.
Watching from the sidelines, Qi Yuan found it thoroughly dull.
Dong Xian, meanwhile, watched with a pounding heart, cold sweat beading on his brow from time to time.
"Sigh, battles really do need music to feel thrilling. Without it, it's just boring," Qi Yuan could not help lamenting.
Back in the old days, when watching anime or browsing short videos, the actual footage might be mediocre, but the moment the background music hit, the coolness factor soared.
It could pump you full of adrenaline or plunge you into poetic melancholy.
Dong Xian stood beside Qi Yuan, completely bewildered.
Right then, Qi Yuan fished a jade slip from his storage bag. "Good thing I saved some tunes."
Since the fight before him lacked background music, he would provide his own.
Sure enough, as the music drifted out, Qi Yuan began watching the clash with genuine relish.
'I am a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator. In future battles, I must bring my own BGM. Only then will it fit my style,' Qi Yuan mused solemnly.
A good BGM could forge an invincible mindset.
Back in Dijue, when facing nearly three thousand extraterrestrial demons, if he had possessed an epic BGM, maybe sustaining such heavy injuries wouldn't have hurt so bad.
By now, the battle was drawing to a close. Mid-fight, Miao Li caught sight of Qi Yuan casually playing little tunes and shot him a furious glare.
Others were fighting for their lives, and there he was, playing music!
"Good tune!" Kang Fulu, on the other hand, felt a rush of heroic spirit, thinking his junior brother truly understood him.
His figure flashed, and the Five Lights Holy Method struck straight against the Second Prince's chest.
"Die!"
The immense power of the Five Lights Holy Method surged relentlessly into the Second Prince's chest.
Blood leaked from the Second Prince's seven facial orifices, and his aura plummeted drastically. Yet a rabid grin hung on his face. "Insulting my imperial family... all of you... will die."
As he spoke, a blood-red flower appeared in his hand, and he crushed it to pieces.
At that exact instant, his life force vanished entirely.
Qi Yuan's eyes widened. "A massive loss!"
For just a moment ago, his eyes had caught sight of that flower.
A prompt had appeared before his vision.
[Soul Thought Flower: Upon being crushed, it can transmit the complete images seen by the deceased before death to whoever holds the master flower.
Even uncrushed, it can convey fragmented words.
The Soul Thought Flower is also the primary spirit herb for refining Dividing Soul Pills; consuming it can enhance the strength of one's divine soul.]
Qi Yuan blurred forward and appeared before the Second Prince's corpse. Picking up the shattered remnants of the Soul Thought Flower, his eyes were full of regret.
Flat-chested Miao Li glanced at Qi Yuan, a look of displeasure in her eyes.
"Junior Brother, did you discover something?" Kang Fulu asked.
Lei Wen stood nearby as well, wearing a curious expression, wondering what Qi Yuan had found.
"This object is called a Soul Thought Flower. Once crushed, the scenes from our side will be transmitted to whoever holds the master flower.
"Which is to say, the Second Prince must have accomplices." There was no need to hide this information.
Hearing this, Kang Fulu's face darkened. "It seems this matter is far from simple."
Miao Li could not resist remarking, "Even if he has accomplices, could their strength possibly surpass the Second Prince? It's nothing to worry about."
Lei Wen found himself somewhat agreeing.
True Monarch Taiguang guarded the entrance; even if someone had slipped in through a loophole, there couldn't possibly be many of them.
At that point, Qi Yuan spoke up. "Senior Brother, I may have to part ways with you all."
Since there was a Soul Thought Flower and the Second Prince had accomplices, it meant those accomplices very likely carried Soul Thought Flowers as well.
Right now, what Qi Yuan lacked most was divine soul strength.
With a weak divine soul, he couldn't even log into his game.
Lately, he had been constantly searching for ways to bolster his soul.
Consuming the Soul Thought Flower could strengthen the divine soul.
Moreover, it could be refined into Dividing Soul Pills.
He needed it urgently.
Once his soul grew stronger, he might be able to enter that second game.
That brazen game teased him every single day, yet refused to let him enter.
Qi Yuan had long wanted to dive in, slaughter everything in sight, and elevate his strength.
Kang Fulu pondered for a moment. "Junior Brother, be careful."
He did not ask why Qi Yuan was leaving.
Truth be told, across the entire Divine Light Sect, Seven Colors Peak enjoyed a somewhat peer status. While the chief disciples of the other peaks had to show Kang Fulu deference, Qi Yuan did not.
Beside them, Miao Li said, "Setting off alone might be dangerous."
Qi Yuan had just stated that those people had accomplices. Even if their strength wasn't much to the Great Shang Ten Paragons, it was still dangerous.
In her eyes, Qi Yuan had only recently broken through to Foundation Establishment; roaming the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm alone was indeed perilous, especially if he encountered someone like Po Lang.
"Don't worry, I have my own plans."
With that, Qi Yuan bid everyone farewell and walked off alone toward the depths of the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm.
Along the way, Qi Yuan turned into a streak of flowing light, rocketing inward.
He muttered to himself, "I heard Iceberg Overlord Woman say that Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment is blessed by fortune—words become law, and a single phrase can make gods fall.
"Why does my Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment feel so weak?
"Could it be that during my dream when I achieved it, I didn't actually beat that fellow and ended up signing an unequal treaty?
"Did that weaken my strength?"
Qi Yuan pondered as he flew, growing angrier the more he thought about it.
Wasn't it just an accidental stumble into that big fellow's wooden cabin?
Why did that guy insist on fighting him?
Qi Yuan hadn't backed down. Even though he couldn't win outright, he had still beaten the guy black and blue.
In the end, Qi Yuan had reached an agreement with him and taken up residence in that little wooden cabin.
Yet now Qi Yuan suspected that very agreement was why his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment couldn't match what others claimed.
'So to achieve a true Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, you have to completely suppress the big fellow in the wooden cabin to truly command spoken law like Iceberg Overlord Woman said?
'I suffered from having no master to guide me. If someone had told me back then, I would have used every ounce of strength I had to beat him into submission!'
Pondering this, Qi Yuan halted his steps.
Before him, a river had appeared.
The water of this river was completely still, showing no flow whatsoever.
Within the river, not a single living creature could be seen.
[This is the Lost Soul River. If an ordinary cultivator recklessly crosses it, their divine soul will tumble into the waters.]
"Does this river divide the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm into two halves?"
Evidently, the spiritual energy on the opposite bank of the Lost Soul River was much denser than on this side.
Qi Yuan sent out a wisp of divine sense, extending it across.
The Lost Soul River, capable of ensnaring souls, had no effect on Qi Yuan at all.
"Sure enough, having achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, I am no longer an ordinary cultivator.
"This Lost Soul River can't drag my divine soul down into it at all."
Qi Yuan grew bold, shot forward, and crossed over in an instant.
...
Deep within the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm, an old man cloaked entirely in purple robes sat with his eyes closed. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, a dense aura of death radiating from his whole body.
"Someone crossed the Lost Soul River?" A glint of astonishment flashed across his eyes.
The Lost Soul River existed in the first Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm as well.
Great Shang had studied it in secret for a century, and only with the sponsorship of a mysterious grand cultivator had they managed to find a loophole in the Lost Soul River, allowing them to enter the deepest part of the realm—the Land of Sunken Coffins.
Yet now, someone had abruptly barged in. How could the old man not be surprised?
"Liang Ye," the purple-robed elder called out in a low voice.
Instantly, a man clad in soft armor appeared, looking upon the old man with fervent zeal.
And the aura emanating from this soft-armored man was unmistakably at the Origin Core stage!
This Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm was guarded by True Monarch Taiguang, who forbade any Origin Core cultivator from entering.
If Kang Fulu were to see this, he would surely be shocked at how an Origin Core cultivator had managed to slip inside.
"To the northeast, a cultivator has barged in. Go dispose of him. Make it quick," the old man commanded.
Right now, he was plotting to seize true control over the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm.
No one was permitted to disturb him.
Anyone who interfered would be shown no mercy.
"Understood!" Liang Ye replied respectfully.
A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator could be suppressed with a flip of his hand.
He quickly withdrew, heading northeast to suppress the intruder.
The purple-robed elder remained seated where he was, his face twisted in a sinister sneer. "Soon, very soon. Just ten more days, and the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm will truly belong to our Great Shang imperial family.
"Xiao Er, rest easy. I will avenge you!
"Once matters here are settled, I will personally sever the heads of Kang Fulu, Lei Wen, Miao Li, and Qi Yuan as an offering to you!
"The Divine Light Sect, Floating Mountain... all of them deserve to die!
"We, the Great Shang imperial family, are the true sovereigns of Great Shang!"
Within his death-laden eyes, madness flickered.
Once he refined this place, the coffin in the Land of Sunken Coffins would emerge rather than being startled away as it had in the past.
To obtain that coffin... the purple-robed elder could hardly fathom what immense fortune that would be.
...
"Qi Yuan?" When the soft-armored man caught sight of the person who had inexplicably broken into the Land of Sunken Coffins, surprise flashed across his eyes.
"You know me?" Qi Yuan looked at him. His eyes revealed no useful information.
"I have committed every young talent of the three great sects to memory!" Liang Ye said, dense murderous intent filling his gaze. "Today, I shall offer your blood as a sacrifice to inaugurate Great Shang's glorious path!"
Liang Ye stepped forward, slowly closing in on Qi Yuan.
Had he encountered one of the Great Shang Ten Paragons like Kang Fulu, he might have felt a shred of wariness.
Someone like Qi Yuan, who had only just reached Foundation Establishment, was completely beneath his notice.
"Qi Yuan, remember my name: Liang Ye.
"In the future cultivation world of Great Shang, this name shall be a legend!"
Liang Ye looked fervent, his eyes full of yearning for the future.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan thought, 'A villain really is a villain. We haven't even exchanged three lines and he's already out to kill me?'
Qi Yuan pulled out his kitchen cleaver; he needed to create a false impression.
"This blade was bestowed upon me by my master—a Divine Infant Dharma treasure.
"I can barely activate a fraction of its might, but it is more than enough to slay you!"
Brandishing the cleaver, Qi Yuan lunged frantically at Liang Ye.
The blade strikes were ferocious, radiating a terrifying aura that suggested anyone struck by it would suffer grave injuries.
Sensing that dreadful aura, Liang Ye's expression shifted slightly. "How can he be this strong?!"
He distinctly felt that with the empowerment of that treasure, the youth's strength clearly surpassed the Great Shang Ten Paragons.
Even so, he could still suppress him.
"Once you're dead, that treasure will be mine!" Liang Ye's face filled with greed as he stared at the kitchen cleaver in Qi Yuan's hand.
Seizing the moment, Qi Yuan let a look of indignant struggle cross his face. "How can you be so strong?!
"No, I have to use a secret technique, otherwise..."
Steeling his resolve, Qi Yuan silently chanted something.
Instantly, his movements accelerated sharply. Across the grassy field, nothing could be seen except a flash of white blade light.
The white blade light was extraordinarily sharp, enough to cleave an Origin Core in two.
"No!" Pure terror filled Liang Ye's face, yet he had no chance to resist.
With a single downward slash, Liang Ye's entire body was split in half.
Meanwhile, the victor, Qi Yuan, looked utterly drained. "Pfft!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed out. His face turned as pale as paper, and his steps grew unsteady.
"As expected of an Origin Core... Even using the treasure bestowed by Master and expending over half my spiritual power, it barely sufficed to kill him.
"No good, I must quickly recover my spiritual power here. Otherwise, if another enemy comes, I won't be able to activate the supreme treasure."
As Qi Yuan spoke, he took Liang Ye's storage bag and stashed the Soul Thought Flower at his waist into it.
Only then did his sickly, weakened appearance completely vanish.
'My performance just now ought to be enough to snag that... what was it, the Magnolia Award?'
'I really am a genius!'
The moment he encountered Liang Ye, Qi Yuan could have cut him down in an instant.
Yet he hadn't.
The man clearly carried a Soul Thought Flower on his person; while worn, fragments of words and impressions would be transmitted back.
So he had intentionally pretended to struggle desperately, barely defeating his foe with the aid of a master-bestowed treasure.
Then he had faked severe injuries.
Now, looking as though he was desperately trying to recover his power, the mastermind behind the scenes would surely be eager to dispatch more people to kill him.
Beat the small one, and a bigger one comes; beat the big one, and an old one shows up.
That way, an endless stream of Soul Thought Flowers would fall right into his hands.
Otherwise, if he revealed too much strength right away, what if he scared them off?
Reflecting on his brilliant scheme, Qi Yuan felt smug, thoroughly pleased with his own intellect.
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically.
"Crap, this is bad!"
A look of dismay appeared on his face. "I forgot to play the BGM just now! Without musical accompaniment setting the mood, my acting alone won't win the Magnolia Award!"
Qi Yuan felt immense regret.
He resolved that next time an enemy showed up, he would first put on some fiery battle music.
Once the fight was over, he would switch to something sentimental.
'Too bad I don't have "A Spray of Plum Blossoms." Otherwise, playing that song while I cough up blood after the fight would definitely be ten times more effective,' Qi Yuan thought to himself.
Chapter 87