Within the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm.
Po Lang looked at the five Foundation Establishment cultivators before him, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"All of you banded together, and this is all the strength you can muster?"
Just moments ago, he had crossed paths with several cultivators from the Divine Light Sect, Floating Mountain, and other sects, and had struck without hesitation.
Five late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting as one were enough to make even an ordinary Origin Core expert think twice.
Yet Po Lang had repelled all five with ease, using only the Resplendent Sword.
Blood trickled from the corner of Kang Fulu's mouth, his eyes filled with profound wariness. "As expected of the Palace of Light!"
Lei Wen and Miao Li had also suffered non-trivial injuries.
The sword cultivators of Floating Mountain were widely celebrated for peerless offense, yet compared to Po Lang's Resplendent Sword, they seemed utterly outmatched.
"White-haired freak, didn't you talk big back in the grand hall, telling me to remember you?" Po Lang stood with his flowing-light longsword in hand, his entire body glowing brilliantly as if draped in sunlight. "Where's that junior brother of yours? Where is he hiding?
"Did he only have the guts to provoke me in the hall, only to dig a hole and bury his head like a quail the moment he entered the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm?"
Miao Li gritted her teeth, glaring coldly at Po Lang.
A faint smile touched Po Lang's lips. "It seems he really was terrified.
"Since he doesn't dare show himself, I'll kill you all first!"
Kang Fulu gave his horsetail whisk a sweep. "I am the son-in-law of the Divine Light Sect Master and the closed-door disciple of the Five Lights Peak Master. Do you truly believe you can kill me?"
The white hair atop his head began undergoing subtle changes, faintly shifting toward black.
Suddenly, a flicker of solemnity entered Po Lang's eyes. "Hmph. Consider yourselves lucky."
In a flash of streaming light, Po Lang vanished from sight.
Miao Li was thoroughly baffled. "What happened? Why did he leave so abruptly?"
Lei Wen glanced at Kang Fulu, profound wariness showing in his eyes.
Just then, Kang Fulu turned around, surprise spreading across his face. "Martial Uncle Li Xiao, Martial Uncle Pang Long, why are you here?"
In the distance, several large masses of white light were flying swiftly toward them.
Within a dozen breaths, several dozen Divine Light Sect cultivators landed on the scene.
At their head was a middle-aged man with a greenish complexion—Li Xiao.
Seeing Kang Fulu, the weight lifted from Li Xiao's chest.
"You're still alive. Good."
"Martial Uncle, how did you enter the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm? Did something go wrong?" Kang Fulu asked hastily.
A sudden entry by their martial uncles could only mean something catastrophic had occurred outside.
Li Xiao relayed the events from the outside world without omission.
Upon hearing the truth, everyone's expressions turned grim.
"The Old Emperor faked his death and colluded in secret with the Red Sword Sect?" A sudden realization struck Kang Fulu, and everything fell into place. "So the one who slaughtered the Fifth Prince and the others wasn't the Second Prince—it was the Old Emperor all along!"
Saying this, Kang Fulu quickly led Li Xiao and the others to inspect the corpses slain by the Regret Dragon Hand.
One look, and Li Xiao's face turned dark as stagnant water.
Beside him, the low-profile Pang Long spoke up. "I smell the aura of a Divine Infant."
"What? The Old Emperor reached Divine Infant?" Kang Fulu's expression shifted continuously.
A Divine Infant lurking within the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm was a terrifying prospect beyond imagination.
"Since you're all still alive, that's what matters. Leave the realm with us at once," Li Xiao judged swiftly.
Just then, Pang Long spoke again. "Where is Qi Yuan?"
Qi Yuan was nowhere among the crowd.
"Junior Brother Qi Yuan probably went looking for the Old Emperor's accomplices. It's my fault—I underestimated the dangers of the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm." Back when Qi Yuan had named the Soul Thought Flower, Kang Fulu had realized the blossom was exceedingly precious.
When Qi Yuan departed, Kang Fulu had not pressed him for a reason, but he had guessed that his junior brother intended to track down the Second Prince's confederates to harvest more Soul Thought Flowers.
Since his junior brother had taken an interest in the precious flowers, Kang Fulu naturally had no desire to spoil his pursuit as a senior brother, so he had said nothing.
"What? He went after the Old Emperor's accomplices?" Li Xiao grew anxious.
"Martial Uncle Li Xiao, please escort the others out of the realm," Kang Fulu said with solemn righteousness. "As the Sect Master's son-in-law and the closed-door disciple of the Five Lights Peak Master, I must bring my junior brother back!"
Li Xiao pondered for a moment before saying, "Pang Long, take the rest back. I will search for Qi Yuan with Kang Fulu."
***
Deep within the Land of Sunken Coffins.
A terrifying aura surged from the purple-robed old man.
Suddenly, a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
He cast a furious backward glance, his eyes nearly tearing at the corners.
Liquid spiritual energy flowed across a crystal coffin, wrapping around it alongside countless vines that bound it tight.
Just moments ago, an inexplicable pull had been drawing the crystal coffin outward.
Yet that mysterious force had suddenly collapsed, deflating entirely.
"Who was it?!"
The purple-robed old man flew into a rage. He had spent days attempting this without success.
He knew that the method given to him by that grand cultivator was essentially futile.
Futile or not, he had still been trying—yet the borrowed power from the strongholds had vanished without warning, stripping away his final chance.
With nowhere to vent his fury, he laid the entire blame upon whatever had caused the strongholds to fall.
Seeing that he could no longer extract the crystal coffin, he had no choice but to leave the area, fuming with wrath.
Meanwhile, Qi Yuan stood outside the conquered stronghold, tilting his head back with a relaxed smile in his eyes.
"The big fellow really does love me after all, going out of his way to send me an unconventional Divine Infant. Is he giving me a chance to test my strength?"
Of course, Qi Yuan knew that the big fellow's love was paper-thin.
Given the chance, he would surely kick Qi Yuan right out of the wooden hut.
Cleaver in hand, Qi Yuan stood on the grassy field as the wind whipped his sleeves into a loud rustle.
Across the firmament, the purple-robed figure rapidly approached, coming to a halt barely a li away from Qi Yuan.
"It's actually you, Qi Yuan?!" The purple-robed elder's face filled with disbelief.
He caught the thick scent of blood in the air.
Which meant all three hundred death warriors had been slaughtered!
It defied all comprehension.
Why would Qi Yuan be here?
Even as Ruan Yixi's son, this shouldn't have been possible.
Could it be that Ruan Yixi's cultivation was...
A twinge of dread rose in the old man's heart.
Yet the moment he recalled that this was the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm, which barred anyone over a hundred years old from entering, his confidence returned.
Right now, he was a Divine Infant!
"You killed them all?" Feeling in full control of the situation, the purple-robed elder looked down at Qi Yuan with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Yeah. They're all under my feet," Qi Yuan said softly.
"You aren't afraid of me?" Anxious doubts lingered in the elder's mind, but knowing he was already near death and possessed the might of a Divine Infant, those worries vanished completely. "Can you tell this old man how you managed to kill every last one of them?"
"Because I... am a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!" Qi Yuan declared with utter confidence.
"Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment?!" The elder's eyes stirred with shock, which swiftly devolved into boundless despair.
He believed Qi Yuan's words.
Otherwise, there was no explaining how three hundred death warriors could have all perished here.
He didn't know how strong a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment truly was, but even Foundation Establishment geniuses on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll could cross realms to slay Origin Cores.
For a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, cutting down Origin Cores should hardly be difficult.
"Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment... Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment..." the old man mumbled, a look of grim resignation settling on his face. "It seems all my calculations were for nothing."
A Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment meant that behind Ruan Yixi—or rather, behind Qi Yuan—stood a terrifying existence of at least the Yin God realm.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to capture Heaven Vein Qi.
With a supreme figure of the Yin God realm watching over him, all his schemes were nothing more than empty illusions.
Yet a sinister ferocity quickly crept back into his gaze. "Taking a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment to the grave alongside my Great Shang isn't a bad trade!"
Qi Yuan looked on calmly. "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?
"First, I'm not going to the grave with you.
"Second, Great Shang isn't going to collapse, so why would anyone need to be buried with it? Only you are dying. Did you really think you represent Great Shang? You've spent so long being emperor that you're completely brainwashed by feudal ideology."
At this point, how could the obsessed Old Emperor care for reason?
The mighty magic power belonging to a Divine Infant erupted in that instant.
"Great Shang belongs to me!"
With this furious roar, magic power more than a dozen times greater than an Origin Core's surged toward Qi Yuan.
The purple-robed elder unleashed his most powerful divine ability—the Regret Dragon Hand!
The greatest difference between a Divine Infant cultivator and lower-realm cultivators was the ability to channel divine abilities through their Divine Infant.
A divine ability was an advanced evolution of a magic art.
A single divine ability from a Divine Infant monster could wipe out the ordinary population of an entire small county in the blink of an eye.
Above Qi Yuan's head, an enormous dragon claw coalesced, radiating an aura far beyond the Origin Core realm.
The claw was razor-sharp and vicious, easily capable of crushing an Origin Core cultivator's physical body and detonating their Golden Core.
Qi Yuan also felt an intense sense of threat.
*As expected. Because my Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment didn't beat that big fellow, it doesn't count as the absolute strongest Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.*
*Even an old Divine Infant monster can threaten me!*
Without another thought, Qi Yuan charged straight forward to meet the blow.
The power of his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment seemed partially restricted.
Yet the portion that was unleashed still stirred the surrounding air.
*Screeech!*
The Regret Dragon Hand collided violently with Qi Yuan's cleaver.
However, the surrounding environment suffered hardly any destruction.
Upon reaching the Divine Infant realm, one possessed total mastery over magic power; a strike would never waste excess energy tearing up the terrain.
Every shred of magic power was focused squarely on the enemy.
Cleaver and Regret Dragon Hand clashed on equal terms.
A look of shock crossed the purple-robed elder's face. "What kind of monster are you?!"
No matter how strong a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment was, it shouldn't be able to clash head-on with a Divine Infant!
Even if his Divine Infant was artificially bloated, it was still a genuine Divine Infant.
Two Divine Infant ancestors of his imperial clan had sacrificed their lifespans to impart their power, and a Purple Mansion grand cultivator had even bestowed an edict talisman to assist him.
And yet, his seemingly all-out divine ability had been blocked by this boy?
"As expected of an old Divine Infant monster!" Qi Yuan shouted. "A single Regret Dragon Hand actually burst my blood vessels!"
This was the very first time Qi Yuan had been injured since entering the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm.
He truly appreciated the might of a Divine Infant now.
The Old Emperor stared at Qi Yuan with suspicion. Why did it feel as though he hadn't harmed the boy at all?
What burst blood vessels? Why didn't he see any?
"My poor capillaries! You died so terribly!" Qi Yuan waved his hand, thrusting it before the Old Emperor as though presenting evidence of a heinous crime.
If he didn't complain soon, the capillaries would heal on their own.
"Vile thief, how dare you mock me!" The Old Emperor flew into a rage.
Memories of his suffocating, aggrieved life rushed forward.
As the sovereign of the realm, he had held no real authority whatsoever!
The Great Shang State was completely controlled by the three great sects.
He had swallowed insults and endured humiliation his entire life.
And now, he was being mocked by a mere Foundation Establishment brat.
His composure broke entirely.
Unable to hold back, he roared and charged straight at Qi Yuan!
Qi Yuan wasn't particularly surprised by the sight.
After repressing oneself for a lifetime, going mad right before death was only natural.
"I've already tested my general limits, so... you've fulfilled your purpose. Time to exit the stage."
Having gauged an old Divine Infant monster's strength in one clash, Qi Yuan didn't panic in the slightest.
He could kill this man with ease!
With that, Qi Yuan activated the little tune inside his jade slip once more.
The Shang Emperor heading to the Yellow Springs at the end of his road deserved a backing track.
Cleaver in hand, he lunged toward the Old Emperor.
"Behold my Resplendent Sword!"
From among his many secret arts, Qi Yuan chose the Resplendent Sword—which felt the most mediocre—to send the Old Emperor on his way.
A sacred Resplendent Sword, disguised by endless vitality blood and radiating boundless brilliance, was unleashed.
Cast through a cleaver, this sword strike landed squarely upon the Old Emperor's body.
*Bang!*
The Old Emperor plummeted from the sky, his aura withering away by the second.
From early Divine Infant to late Origin Core, then mid Origin Core, before finally coming to a halt at late Foundation Establishment.
His aged, decrepit face was shrouded in the pallor of death. Staring at Qi Yuan, his eyes burned with bitter grievance. "If I had a background like yours, why would I have fallen to this state?
"Why is this world so unjust?!
"You callow whelp, pampered on fine food and fine clothes, showered in wealth, protected by teachers, coasting smoothly through life—even a dandy like you can attain Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!
"By what right?! By what right?!"
He had endured endless humiliation and persevered through countless setbacks, only to meet this end.
He could not accept it.
Qi Yuan looked down at the Old Emperor and said calmly, "I know nothing of your past, and I won't judge you. I'm only here to send you to the Yellow Springs!"
The Old Emperor coughed violently, turbid blood spilling from the corners of his mouth. "You're also scheming for the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm, aren't you?
"Heh... I failed, but in another hour, that crystal coffin will be teleported away!
"If I couldn't have it, none of you will either!"
With that, the Old Emperor's neck tilted, and he drew his last breath, his face etched with bitter grievance.
The sovereign of a vast dynasty died silently in this barren place.
Standing beside the Old Emperor with cleaver in hand, Qi Yuan stared into space, lost in thought.
"What a shame. He didn't carry anything good on him either—not even an art to strengthen the divine soul."
Qi Yuan sighed despondently.
Wasting so much effort to slay this Old Emperor had yielded no spoils at all.
The only gain was learning the rough tier of his own combat strength.
"Old Demon Black Chicken is at late Divine Infant, right? That's still going to be a bit tricky!" Qi Yuan couldn't help but lament.
Old Demon Black Chicken remained like a massive boulder hanging over his head.
It was all that big fellow's fault for keeping his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment incomplete.
Otherwise, just as Iceberg Overlord Woman had said, a true Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment could make reality conform to spoken words.
Wouldn't killing an Old Demon Black Chicken be as effortless as butchering poultry?
About a hundred breaths later, a beam of light descended from the heavens.
Clad in white robes, Po Lang landed not far from Qi Yuan, a look of pleasant surprise on his face. "I sensed the aura of the Resplendent Sword from far away. So you belong to the Divine Flower Society after all."
The previously dispirited Qi Yuan's eyes instantly lit up. "White Moonlight, you're finally here."
Po Lang glanced at the corpse beside Qi Yuan, a mocking sneer tugging at his lips. "Having to resort to the Resplendent Sword just to kill a late Foundation Establishment cultivator... your strength is nothing special.
"Today, I'll show you what a true Resplendent Sword looks like!"
During Qi Yuan's clash with the Old Emperor, not a drop of magic power had leaked into the surroundings; the only battle scars here were remnants from Qi Yuan's earlier clearing of the stronghold.
Po Lang naturally had no idea that the corpse had belonged to a Divine Infant.
"Dying under my Resplendent Sword is your honor!"
As someone ranked within the top seven hundred of the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll, the version of the Resplendent Sword he cultivated was superior to Qi Yuan's.
Qi Yuan's eyes grew brighter as he looked at Po Lang. "Is that a higher-grade Resplendent Sword? It's mine now!"
"As expected, just as Lu Fei said, you have a screw loose.
"Did you take me for an idiot like Zhu Lianhua?" On his way here, Po Lang had encountered two members of the Demonic Desire Sect and casually executed them.
From Lu Fei, he had learned how to enter the Land of Sunken Coffins, along with several other matters.
For instance, that the lunatic Qi Yuan was right here in the Land of Sunken Coffins.
Po Lang naturally didn't realize that Lu Fei had been trying to divert disaster onto another before her death; even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
The arrogance and prejudice typical of a peerless genius made him completely dismissive of Great Shang's so-called talents.
*Resplendent Sword, activate!*
A sacred aura enveloped Po Lang's entire body.
"This sword of mine can slay an Origin Core!"
With those words, Po Lang struck.
He was going to show these backwater bumpkins what a true prodigy was.
A massive radiant blade fell from the sky, hurtling straight down toward Qi Yuan.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan shook his head. "Using the Resplendent Sword to kill an Origin Core is such a waste.
"To kill you, why would I need a blade or a sword? A flick of the finger will do."
Qi Yuan raised his hand, pressing his thumb against his middle finger.
*Snap!*
His middle finger flicked outward, colliding directly with the terrifying radiant blade.
*Crack!*
The mighty radiant blade capable of slaying an Origin Core shattered instantly.
The magic power gathered in that single flick continued forward, landing squarely on Po Lang's forehead.
*Pop!*
Po Lang's heart pulse snapped alongside the shattered sword. Disbelief flooded his face as a young man's soft whisper reached his ears.
"Under your feet lie over a hundred Origin Cores.
"The one I just killed with the Resplendent Sword was a Divine Infant.
"You're my white moonlight. I couldn't bear to kill you with a blade or a sword, so I could only gently give you... a forehead flick.
"Was I gentle enough today?
"Oops, too much force. The forehead flick popped my white moonlight to death."
Smiling, Qi Yuan strolled casually toward Po Lang.
Po Lang stared in sheer disbelief. He tried to speak, but no sound would come.
In his mind, he could only whisper a single word: *Lunatic.*
His aura vanished completely an instant later.
Qi Yuan bent down and began gathering his spoils.
"Not bad, not bad at all. Lots of spirit stones."
Killing those death warriors and the Old Emperor had yielded nothing except the Soul Thought Flowers.
Now, from his white moonlight, he finally had real loot coming in.
"A white moonlight truly is a white moonlight—so polite to me! Coming to see me and bringing so many gifts... how could I possibly refuse?"
Qi Yuan rifled through Po Lang's storage bag.
He discovered seven Jade-grade arts, two Mysterious-grade arts, and an advanced version of the Resplendent Sword.
"A massive windfall!" Qi Yuan felt coming to the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm had truly been the right choice.
If he could fully digest so many arts, his eyes would be able to extract even more information when examining cultivation techniques.
His *Qi Yuan Scripture* could also make further progress.
"Add in the Soul Thought Flowers, and this really counts as a double joy!"
The Soul Thought Flowers could bolster his divine soul, which would not only boost his combat strength but also increase his chances of entering the second game.
"Alright, the Heavenly Dragon Immortal Realm has been thoroughly cleared. Time to leave.
"Wait, no—I should go check out that crystal coffin the Old Emperor was scheming after.
"If it's covered in Soul Thought Flowers, wouldn't that make it three joys?"
Chapter 89