Chapter 794: Powerful Enemies in the Dream and... Divine General Feipeng!

Man was never meant to be the master of this world.

High above the nine heavens, the gods, with their cold and distant eyes looking down upon the mortal realm, were the true rulers.

Legend had it that each one of them was a supreme being, possessing power and mystical arts far beyond mortal comprehension. They were said to dwell eternally within the void above, untouchable and immortal.

Whether the legends held true or not, it was indisputable that they represented the absolute pinnacle of life forms, outmatching mortals in every conceivable facet.

"Do not test my patience, mortal!" a cold, feminine voice rang out, seeming to cascade down from the highest reaches of the heavens. The thick, dense spiritual essence filling the great hall began to churn into a terrifying gale, fueled by the rising fury of that sublime existence.

The voice was clear, yet its source remained unseen, as though she sat enthroned upon the layered clouds of the nine heavens, gazing down from an angle of absolute superiority.

"I observed that you possessed the talent of a heavenly being, and so I deigned to offer you guidance. Do not presume that because you reign supreme in the mortal world for a brief moment, you may become arrogant and lawless. Your greatest tricks are, in the eyes of my kind, nothing more than trivial arts to be wielded with a casual flick of the wrist." As she spoke, a beam of celestial light shot down from the heights. Within that blinding radiance, a figure materialized out of the void, shifting from illusion to solid form.

The piercing light made it nearly impossible to open one's eyes. A terrifying power that completely transcended the mundane world swept through the entire hall in an instant.

More horrifying still was the pervasive pressure that felt entirely superior to all creation. In an instant, it made one feel as though they were trapped at the bottom of a vast, deep ocean. The crushing weight surged from all directions, creating the chilling illusion that one would be ground into dust in the very next heartbeat.

"Listen well, you mortals. I am Perfected Lord Bi Xiao, the Supervisor of the Heavenly Sea of Myriad Immortals."

"The sun rises and the moon sets; the four seasons turn. The order of the world operates according to its own laws and tolerates no disruption."

"Your actions in the mortal realm have already violated a grand taboo! If you remain unrepentant, you will only bring about your own destruction!" The voice, as biting as the absolute frost and as majestic as the celestial thunder above the nine heavens, continued, "To think you would dare speak wildly of expanding your establishment to the domain of the immortals and gods. Truly fatuous!"

"We can't expand there?" Owner Fang looked genuinely puzzled. "Then what do you guys usually do all day? Do you have any entertainment activities at all?"

"Insolent!" A furious rebuke echoed. With a wave of a purple sleeve, a stroke of purple tribulation thunder split the air. The lightning bolt was not thick; rather, it was as slender as a strand of hair. Yet, somehow, the moment this purple lightning struck down, Fang Qi felt the shadow of death envelop him from every direction.

He even realized that if he were to rely solely on his own strength to withstand it, and if his opponent had no intention of holding back, this single strike would completely obliterate both his body and soul!

In the blink of an eye, Fang Qi crossed his arms above his head, and a pair of fierce, scaly armor instantly manifested over his forearms!

Boom!

The thunder bolted down upon Fang Qi’s arms. Even with the incredibly formidable physique of a demon, he felt a sudden numbness wash through his entire body. He stumbled back several paces, nearly crashing to the ground.

At the same exact time, a flash of red data streams flickered across Fang Qi's eyes: Synchronization concluded!

The sudden consumption of energy in that single moment had directly forced the synchronization to end!

"So strong!" Facing this being who completely transcended the mortal realm, Fang Qi felt a monumental threat for the very first time in his life.

Within that brilliant radiance, though her features were somewhat obscured, one could still discern that her face bore nothing but indifference and detachment. It was as if accomplishing such a feat was merely a matter of course. "Fiendish and unorthodox methods! If this were your own innate power, this Lord might guard against it slightly. But now, with a single strike, I have reverted you to your original form."

"How laughable. Do you now realize how ignorant you were when you spoke before? The little tricks you use against mortals are, to me, nothing more than displaying slight skills before a master! This Lord has absolutely no interest in those petty ploys in your shop!"

"Mortals have their path, and gods have theirs. The unceasing plundering and warfare of mortals have caused the heavens to wither and the earth to be destroyed, plunging all living things into misery. Consequently, the Courts of the Divine Heavens decreed the Restriction of Martial Arts, stipulating that mortal Qi cultivators are only permitted to cultivate Qi, and ordered the destruction of all techniques intended for slaughter and combat. Only then did the world welcome many years of peace and clarity."

"This Lord will give you one final choice. Relinquish all your shops and state their origins clearly. Afterward, accompany this Lord to the Sea of Myriad Immortals to cultivate for three thousand years. This Lord shall handle the aftermath."

"Otherwise, this matter has already been reported to the Courts of the Divine Heavens. In the future, divine punishment will surely descend, and all who are tainted by this affair will find no escape from calamity!"

...

Meanwhile, at the new shop in the East Continent.

"Ancestor! Ancestor!" Several elders of the Carefree Cave-Heaven, along with the Daoist Master of the Command Medallion, Ling Xuzi, had just emerged from the shop, their faces filled with an heartfelt sense of awe. "Tell us... what was it truly like back in your era?"

"Our era?" The Carefree Ancestor pointed to the galaxy spanning above their heads and chuckled softly. "Do you see the myriad stars in this sky? The masters of that time were as numerous as these stars."

"It is said that before I attained the Dao, there were true immortals who relied entirely on their own cultivation to open the Heavenly Gates and ascend to the heavens in broad daylight."

With a tinge of nostalgia, he could not help but sigh with emotion. "That was a true golden age."

"Then with your cultivation, Ancestor..." Ling Xuzi inquired, "Even you could not reach that realm of daytime ascension?"

"Without achieving ascension, and without the celestial immortal essence to cleanse the body, one remains a pseudo-immortal. To put it bluntly, one is still merely at the peak of the Feathering Realm." The Carefree Ancestor let out a heavy sigh. "For reasons unknown, the outer heavens became occupied by vast swathes of void tribulation lightning. It is difficult for even true immortals to cross. Those who attempted to force their ascension, without exception, were turned to ashes."

"Otherwise..." The Carefree Ancestor’s heart grew heavy. "A mere Dao Seed would not drive the most brilliant geniuses of this generation to such madness."

"Then what about those existences now...?" Ling Xuzi could not help but feel a sudden trepidation in his heart. Since the Ancestor had found a way to deceive the heavens and extend his life until now, did those existences also...?

If that were truly the case, just the thought of it sent a shiver down his spine.

"They have likely gone into reincarnation." His eyes drifted toward a distant patch of the void. As he spoke up to this point, even the ancient, undisturbed face of the Carefree Ancestor showed a hint of complex emotion. "A lifetime spent pursuing the Dao, finally reaching the very threshold after so much hardship, only to end up with their bodies destroyed and their paths vanished. Tell me... is it not laughable?"

The Carefree Ancestor frowned slightly. Millennia had already passed, and his heart was gradually settling into a calm state. "Under the circumstances where the immortal path was sealed, yet... such a Dao Seed appeared out of nowhere. Is this truly a coincidence, or...?"

...

At the Jiulan City shop.

A group of knights from the Golden Gryphon Knight Regiment, having just finished watching a martial arts drama, felt an inexplicable surge of excitement in their hearts, mixed with a touch of confusion. "Wasn't it always said that these combat techniques were unorthodox and wicked paths...? How can they be this powerful?"

...

"What a fine Restriction of Martial Arts." At this moment, Fang Qi sneered coldly. "No wonder every single one of them is as fragile as glass. They possess a mountain of raw power, yet their ability to utilize it is extremely limited."

So it turns out they're just a bunch of scrubs... Owner Fang facepalmed.

"I was just wondering..." Fang Qi laughed despite himself. "Have those who did things similar to me in the past all been invited here to drink tea?"

"They are not worth our concern."

Owner Fang shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry, but I don't really have many hobbies. If you take away my only interest, then what point is there to this life?"

"Actually, back where I come from, there were similar prohibitions in ancient times." Fang Qi spoke as if merely stating a fact. "All for the sake of consolidating rule."

Perfected Lord Bi Xiao's expression turned frigid. "No matter which god stands behind you, your actions are a direct provocation to the order established by the immortals and gods of the heavens! If you remain obstinate and continue down this erroneous path, the entire world will become your enemy!"

"Are you sure about that?" Within her palm, a spark of glazed flame flickered before instantly enveloping Fang Qi, leaving absolutely no room for retreat between heaven and earth!

"I know everything about you. A common deity is not even worth a single strike of mine."

"Ah... looks like negotiations have failed." Owner Fang loosened up his shoulders and neck, speaking casually, "I say..."

"What?" Perfected Lord Bi Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I am not the one who is wrong. What is wrong is this world."

"Huh!??" Perfected Lord Bi Xiao’s face froze instantly. "What did you say?!"

"Summon!" At that moment, Fang Qi had already produced a strange stone from his palm. It was none other than the Materialization Stone rewarded by the system, capable of manifesting characters with a synchronization rate exceeding 10%.

In this split second, a blindingly brilliant beam of light erupted from the stone!

"Divine General—Fei Peng!"