Deep within the Land of Sunken Coffins, anger showed on the purple-robed old man's face.
"Qi Yuan, is it? Humph, Ruan Yixi, you're truly generous, even giving a Divine Infant magical treasure to your disciple.
"Could it be as the rumors say—that this Qi Yuan is either your lover or your son?"
"Drained of magic power, unable to drive the magical treasure..."
"Liang Ye, for dying this time, I will certainly avenge you. I will not let you die in vain!"
Liang Ye was his most valued death warrior.
With the help of an influential figure, he had raised three hundred death warriors in total.
Among the three hundred death warriors, the lowest were at late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Through demonic techniques, these cultivators gained power rapidly, but their lifespans were extremely short.
Most had a lifespan of less than ten days.
This was also the doing of that senior grand cultivator.
Liang Ye was different; Liang Ye cultivated authentic imperial arts.
"Liang Chong!" the purple-robed old man called out again.
Immediately, another man wearing soft armor appeared.
The aura on him was even stronger than Liang Ye's.
"My refinement has reached a critical juncture. I leave the master flower of the Soul Thought Flowers under your control.
"Someone named Qi Yuan has entered the Land of Sunken Coffins. He possesses a treasure..."
The purple-robed old man shared all the information with Liang Chong, then added:
"Kill Qi Yuan and bring the treasure back to me!" The purple-robed old man spoke with authority. "The three hundred death warriors are temporarily under your command!
"During this period, make sure no one else enters the Land of Sunken Coffins. Understood?"
"By your command! With Liang Chong here, no one will disrupt Your Majesty's plans!" Liang Chong's face was resolute.
He was a death warrior to begin with, ready to die for his master.
...
"Just how many people does this mastermind have? Don't tell me that was everyone?" Qi Yuan sat waiting for half a day, yet no one showed up.
If the mastermind only had a handful of people, wouldn't that be a massive loss?
Just a few Soul Thought Flowers weren't nearly enough to get started.
Just then, a fletched arrow shot over from the distance.
A powerful aura emanated from the arrow, like a shot fired by an Origin Core expert.
"How perilous!" With a carp leap, Qi Yuan dodged the arrow in an instant.
He seized the chance to activate the jade slip playing light tunes.
Then he got up, his face pale as he surveyed the surroundings. "Which petty rat dares ambush me?"
In the distance, two death warriors clad in light armor looked puzzled.
"Why did he activate a jade slip to play tunes?"
"Could he be trying to scare us off?"
"No need to fear. His magic power is heavily depleted and has yet to fully recover, so he can't activate that supreme treasure. Let's go kill him!"
Two medium-build Origin Core death warriors charged toward Qi Yuan without holding back.
Powerful spiritual energy surged, blanketing the entire meadow.
Qi Yuan tumbled to the ground like a kite with a snapped string.
"So... so strong!"
He struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand.
"No matter how strong you are, this young master would rather die than surrender!"
As Qi Yuan spoke, an aura of dauntless courage radiated from him.
The two death warriors were slightly moved, but only slightly.
"Die!"
The two struck forcefully, moving together to suppress and kill Qi Yuan.
"You two shameless old geezers, ganging up on a youngster like me!"
Qi Yuan held his kitchen cleaver, struggling desperately to hold on.
Besieged by the two, he coughed up blood before long.
Knocked down multiple times, he still stood up with determination each time. Using his cleaver to keep them at bay, he held on relentlessly, like an indomitable swordsman.
This moved the two death warriors even more.
"After you die, we will give you a lavish burial!"
They began to respect Qi Yuan.
"After you two die, I'll bury you nicely too—I'll even set up a gravestone for you!" Qi Yuan had always lived by the adage "You give me a papaya, I repay you with a fine jade."
He was like a competitive child, throwing in a free tombstone.
The two Origin Core death warriors might have been fine without hearing that, but hearing Qi Yuan's words, their expressions turned frosty.
"Finish him off quickly. We still have to guard our strongholds," one Origin Core death warrior said.
Their fighting style changed completely; they no longer hesitated out of caution toward Qi Yuan's cleaver.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan broke into a smile as well.
"Want to kill me? Fat chance!"
"I have a supreme treasure bestowed by my master!"
As he said this, he suddenly spewed out another mouthful of blood.
A solemn, tragic expression appeared on his face.
"Using this secret technique will shave a full twenty years off my lifespan.
"But it's enough to activate the secret treasure!
"To kill you two, I have sacrificed far too much!"
With an exaggerated shout, Qi Yuan swung his cleaver and cut down the two Origin Core death warriors in an instant.
His face was as pale as snow, yet a smile curved at the corners of his mouth. "*Cough, cough*... I won!"
Blood continued to drip from his lips, and a streak of white hair even appeared on his head.
...
Outside Rong City, inside the palace.
"He's gone?"
True Monarch Kumu looked at the empty bed, his expression shifting unpredictably.
The Empress's expression was also exceedingly grim. "I... underestimated this old bastard."
True Monarch Taiguang narrowed his eyes. "The old Emperor's move is likely intended to truly seize control of the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm.
"This old man is curious: what makes him think he can take control of it?"
"The Red Sword Sect." Suddenly, a voice sharp as a sword rang out.
An old man clad in a dark navy robe appeared in the hall. On his back was a sword casket holding seventeen flying swords.
This old man was the Sect Master of Floating Mountain, True Monarch Kuangjian.
"The Red Sword Sect?" Hearing this name, the faces of everyone present subtly shifted.
It could be said that everyone here was intimately familiar with the Red Sword Sect.
Several centuries ago, when the Demonic Desire Sect attempted to unify Great Shang, the shadow of the Red Sword Sect lingered behind it.
However, because of the Peak Master of Seven Colors Peak, the Red Sword Sect had failed back then.
"The old Emperor actually colluded with the Red Sword Sect?" A twinge of regret surfaced in True Monarch Kumu's heart.
Had he known, he wouldn't have shown any mercy and would have killed the old Emperor outright.
A look of guilt crossed the Empress's face. "It's my fault for not keeping a closer eye on him."
True Monarch Kuangjian said, "Now is not the time to dwell on that. What about our disciples who entered the secret realm?"
"The Red Sword Sect possesses Red Demon Seeds. At a price, they can mass-produce powerful cultivators. With the old Emperor plotting to take the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm, there will surely be many Red Demon death warriors present." Concern filled True Monarch Kumu's eyes. "Qi Yuan is inside the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm as well..."
He cast a complicated glance toward Seven Colors Peak.
The old Emperor hated the major sects to the bone and wished nothing more than to slaughter them all.
Taking experts inside, he certainly wouldn't show any mercy.
"The old Emperor likely entered this Heavenly Dragon secret realm by way of the first Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm," True Monarch Kuangjian said. "Kumu, why haven't you dispatched cultivators under the age of one hundred into the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm yet?
"Three days have already passed. We cannot determine how many disciples inside remain alive.
"What matters most right now is ruining the old Emperor's plan.
"Once he truly gains control of the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm, disaster will fall upon all of us!"
"...Fine!" True Monarch Kumu gritted his teeth.
The Divine Light Sect did not have many Origin Core cultivators under a hundred years old.
Yet now was not the time for hesitation.
Whatever could be salvaged must be salvaged.
He was already preparing for the worst, assuming that both his son-in-law Kang Fulu and Seven Colors Peak's Qi Yuan had already perished.
How could that group of Foundation Establishment disciples possibly contend against dozens or hundreds of Red Demon Seed Origin Cores?
...
"Boring. Playing the actor is so boring."
In the Land of Sunken Coffins, Qi Yuan cut down a late Foundation Establishment cultivator and took the Soul Thought Flower from his hands.
Right now, he had forty Soul Thought Flowers on him.
At first, he had put on an act here, tricking many cultivators into coming over.
Later, however, no more cultivators came.
Qi Yuan knew his plan had run its course.
Still, he was not discouraged.
With so many people having arrived, he had gathered plenty of information.
He learned that these death warriors seemed to be guarding various strongholds to aid their boss's plot regarding the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm.
Guarding strongholds meant they couldn't leave.
So once he obtained the location of a stronghold, he bared his fangs and went on a killing spree.
"Taking the initiative is much better. Fishing is far too boring."
"These Origin Cores are so useless. They feel like half-baked knockoffs. It'd probably take four or five of them to beat a regular Origin Core."
Qi Yuan found it effortless to slay these Origin Cores. The strength and combat experience they displayed were laughably weak.
Qi Yuan even felt that Yu Linglong, who had plotted against him with underhanded schemes back then, could take down six or seven of these Origin Cores single-handedly.
The Origin Cores here were like rushed assembly-line products.
After wiping out this stronghold, Qi Yuan headed toward the next one.
Meanwhile, at the stronghold closest to Qi Yuan, the dozen-odd cultivators were trembling.
"My lord, that man is heading straight for us!" A death warrior was transmitting a message through a Soul Thought Flower.
Liang Chong's expression was exceedingly grim as he presided over Stronghold Number One.
He had already received word that Qi Yuan was sweeping through the strongholds with thunderous momentum, having wiped out two already.
One of those strongholds had possessed seven Origin Cores—comparable to a small sect.
Yet Qi Yuan had wiped it out nonetheless.
Armed with a kitchen cleaver, Qi Yuan slaughtered Origin Cores like butchering dogs.
Liang Chong knew that even he was no match for Qi Yuan.
"Just what kind of monster is he?!" Fear sprouted in Liang Chong's heart.
Such a prodigy was simply unimaginable.
Wasn't Seven Colors Peak's eldest disciple supposed to have just reached Foundation Establishment?
Why did the pressure he exerted feel even stronger than that of a late-stage Origin Core?
He even suspected Qi Yuan was an expert at late Origin Core in disguise.
Liang Chong barked out a cold command: "All hands hear this: assemble at Stronghold Number One!"
Liang Chong felt they couldn't let Qi Yuan continue killing like this.
Having everyone guard Stronghold Number One might not be as effective as holding separate positions, but united, their strength was greatest, preventing Qi Yuan from picking them off one by one.
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
Across the Land of Sunken Coffins, death warriors from all strongholds swiftly converged toward Stronghold Number One.
Standing inside Stronghold Number One and watching more and more death warriors arrive, Liang Chong felt a bit more secure.
"Nearly three hundred death warriors. Let's see how he breaks through this!
"As long as we hold the stronghold and wait for His Majesty to succeed, Qi Yuan is dead for sure!"
Liang Chong never considered going on the offensive to surround and kill Qi Yuan; that might lead to unforeseen complications.
Holding Stronghold Number One was the top priority, and no mistakes could be permitted.
Besides, with so many cultivators gathered here, Qi Yuan would have to steer clear upon seeing them. There was no way he would attack.
Attacking them would be suicidal, wouldn't it?
However, Liang Chong underestimated Qi Yuan's strength and audacity.
Half a day later, he saw a languid figure appear outside the stronghold.
Qi Yuan held a kitchen cleaver in his hand. Raising it, he looked at the numerous cultivators in the stronghold ahead and shouted, "I am Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment! Hurry up and surrender to your deaths!"
Liang Chong was dumbfounded.
Was there really someone this audacious?
Faced with nearly three hundred formidable cultivators, not only did he fail to keep his distance, he even blatantly provoked them.
Now, flanked by nearly three hundred death warriors, Liang Chong's courage surged. He flew into the sky, glaring at Qi Yuan with a fierce look in his eyes. "I originally thought you couldn't possibly be that Qi Yuan from Seven Colors Peak.
"Who would've thought you're raving mad! Seeing all of us, not only do you not flee, you dare talk trash. You truly are a lunatic!"
"You're the raving lunatic! Your whole family is crazy!
"I got full marks in Morals and Ethics and scored S+ in Mental Health, and you dare call me a lunatic?!"
The more Qi Yuan spoke, the angrier he became.
"Facing Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, not only do you refuse to surrender, you dare verbally attack me! You're courting death!"
With that, Qi Yuan charged into the stronghold, cleaver in hand, ready to chop at the slightest disagreement.
Seeing Qi Yuan act so reckless, Liang Chong sneered. "Kill him!"
Yet very quickly, his smile froze.
Qi Yuan tore into the stronghold like a wolf among sheep.
Although Red Demon Seed Origin Cores were far weaker than normal Origin Cores, they were still Origin Cores.
How could someone cut down four or five with a single swing?
With a chop of Qi Yuan's cleaver, the protective magic of the five Origin Cores closest to him shattered like paper. Before any of the five could even summon their Golden Cores, Qi Yuan hacked them to death.
How could there be a Foundation Establishment cultivator this strong?
Was he an old Divine Infant monster in disguise?
Could it really be Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment?
Even Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment couldn't possibly be this overpowered, could it?
All sorts of thoughts raced through Liang Chong's mind.
His previous confidence evaporated completely.
The security provided by three hundred men vanished into thin air.
"Quick! Quick! He's out of magic power—wear him down!" Liang Chong felt terror, yet he did not back down in the slightest.
The imperial family had given him everything.
He treated the Emperor as his birth father!
He was willing to die for the Emperor.
Even if he had to die, he would hold Stronghold Number One right here.
"Sure enough, slaying enemies with BGM really sets the mood. It's just like playing a video game—the gore doesn't even feel unpleasant anymore." With his jade slip playing tunes, Qi Yuan reaped lives with the cleaver in his hand.
He was drenched in blood—all from his enemies, of course.
To Qi Yuan, these Origin Cores were completely watered-down fakes.
Slaying them presented no pressure at all.
In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, a fifth of the people in this stronghold had died by Qi Yuan's hand.
By now, blood had thoroughly soaked Qi Yuan's robes. He was like a playful god of slaughter wielding a kitchen cleaver.
"Strike up the music, keep on slaying."
Qi Yuan plunged into the crowd, initiating hunting time once again.
Although these people yielded no EXP, every single one of them carried a Soul Thought Flower.
Smelled mighty fine.
Naturally, he was never softhearted toward enemies.
"Kill!" Liang Chong roared, directing the death warriors once more.
Resolute and impassioned expressions appeared on the death warriors' faces.
"Willing to die for His Majesty!"
"Fight for Great Shang!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
It was as though they were performing the most righteous act of their lives.
Cleaver in hand, Qi Yuan remained completely indifferent. What was the difference between brainwashed death warriors and NPCs?
If their master ordered them to butcher their parents, wives, and children, they would execute the command without hesitation.
After all, brainwashing in the cultivation world was far more terrifying.
Time flew by, and night slowly fell.
Wave after wave of death warriors died around Qi Yuan.
In the end, fewer than ten cultivators remained. They glared at Qi Yuan, eyes holding no fear, only fury.
"Die for His Majesty!"
The dozen or so cultivators charged furiously at Qi Yuan, their Golden Cores detonating at that moment as they chose self-destruction.
Unfortunately, Red Demon Seed Origin Cores were superficial fakes; even self-destructing made barely a splash.
Qi Yuan brushed off the bits of minced flesh clinging to him.
Holding his cleaver, he grinned maliciously like a great villain. "Just you left."
Liang Chong's gaze was steadfast as he leveled his spear, resembling the empire's most loyal champion.
"Die!"
His spear struck like a soaring dragon, piercing through all eight directions.
Unfortunately, this mighty thrust—rivaling that of the Sect Master of Black Mountain Sect—was casually dodged by Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan brought his cleaver down across Liang Chong's torso.
The life force inside Liang Chong's body drained away relentlessly.
Bafflement filled his eyes. "Why?"
Why was he so strong?
"Because I am... Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment."
There was one more thing Qi Yuan didn't say:
He had already been able to kill Origin Cores back in Qi Refinement.
He was afraid that if Liang Chong heard that, jealousy would make him crawl back out of his grave at night to haunt him.
"Is that everyone?" Drenched in blood, Qi Yuan looked around at the field of corpses.
He crouched down slowly and gathered all the Soul Thought Flowers.
He glanced at the bodies on the ground, feeling they clashed with the scenery.
He stamped his foot on the ground.
Immediately, the ground caved in, dropping all the corpses into a massive pit.
He stamped again, and the ground smoothed over once more.
If anyone came here, they certainly wouldn't realize that nearly three hundred formidable cultivators were buried beneath their feet.
Cleaver in hand, Qi Yuan yelled out toward the area, "I've wiped out your strongholds! Aren't you coming out yet?"
He had already vaguely sensed a powerful cultivator nearby, seemingly plotting something.
Since they were enemies, he couldn't let them succeed.
Chapter 88