Chapter 124: A Canary Must Look Way Better Than My Ugly Appearance

Chapter 124: A Canary Must Be Far Fairer Than This Ugly Visage of Mine

After donning the same robe, Qi Yuan, bolstered by Xiao Jia, stood nearly a hundred zhang tall.

A giant a thousand meters high meant nothing to Sovereigns; they could suppress it with a raised hand.

Yet somehow, when they met the bloodthirsty crimson eyes of the giant in blood-red armor,

a sudden fear crept into their hearts.

Blue Charm Sovereign forcibly extinguished that fear and sneered at Qi Yuan: “We have artifacts forged by the Great Sovereign, uniting offense and defense. You… even with that pack of Sovereigns behind you, cannot stop us!

In the future North-South conflict, the South will surely lose, and you will all die without a doubt!”

Blue Charm Sovereign was already preparing to flee.

The other Sovereigns present shared the same thought.

After all, over a hundred early-stage Sovereigns were simply too horrifying.

Qi Yuan held a broken sword, like a colossal death god from the underworld.

His cold, merciless eyes swept over the twenty-plus Sovereigns.

His voice grew even more eerie; the Dao was heartless, and he muttered neurotically: “Many cannot see the future, yet they have already seen it.”

The massive broken sword, utterly bewitching, exuded a blood-red aura.

Qi Yuan raised the sword and swung it once.

Heart Demon Summoning of the Void Realm Lord.

With that swing, he roared:

“This is your future!”

Endless blood rain poured from the blade, like a torrential downpour, falling upon the bodies of the twenty-seven Sovereigns.

Yang Hun Sovereign and Ning Tao, however, were unaffected.

Greed, pride, gluttony, lust… these emotions, mingled in the blood rain, plucked at the Sovereigns’ heartstrings.

The Sovereigns on the field were first dazed, then terrified.

“You… what is this?” Blue Charm Sovereign’s face was full of horror.

The artifacts forged by the Great Sovereign made them one in offense and defense; even the Great Sovereign’s innate divine ability could not breach their defense.

Yet that single sword strike had landed on their bodies.

Now Blue Charm Sovereign’s face twisted in agony; he had just finished speaking.

A terrifying thing happened.

Behold, a gruesome tumor suddenly bulged from his back, tearing his robe apart.

The horrific tumor swelled continuously, growing to the size of a millstone.

Suddenly, as if pierced by a fingernail, the tumor burst, spraying yellow fluid, and a fiend with a ferocious face broke free.

That fiend’s eyes were filled only with greed and the desire to feed.

It clung to Blue Charm Sovereign’s shoulder, gnawing relentlessly at the tumor.

Such a scene did not happen only to Blue Charm Sovereign.

The other Sovereigns suffered the same.

Fiends burst forth from their bodies, like parasites dwelling within, devouring their hosts.

Some Sovereigns bared their teeth and writhed like beasts on the ground.

Others tore at themselves, trying to peel off their own skin, as if that would bring relief.

The scene was bizarre, horrifying, and utterly gruesome!

“Demon, you are a demon!”

A mid-stage Sovereign, still barely able to speak, stared at Qi Yuan’s terrifying figure, his eyes filled with confusion and fear.

“Spare me… I’ll be your dog!” another Sovereign gasped with difficulty.

The towering blood-red giant gazed at the maddened Sovereigns on the field.

He said calmly: “This is the fate of those who oppose me.”

The hundred Sovereigns behind him were all aghast; upon hearing Qi Yuan’s words, their hearts tightened further.

What lay before them completely defied their understanding.

They only saw that the Blood Lord, whom they revered and found unfathomable, had transformed into a blood-red giant.

He drew his sword against the twenty-plus Sovereigns; with one swing, the blood rain fell.

A terrifying thing happened: the Sovereigns’ heart demons were fully awakened. These immensely powerful Sovereigns, under the fiends’ devouring, were as helpless as infants.

Such a divine innate ability effortlessly slew over twenty Sovereigns, who had no power to resist.

How could this scene not fill them with terror and awe?

Was the Blood Lord truly born divine?

Or was he a celestial demon god?

The crowd swallowed hard and fell silent.

Among them, Yang Hun Sovereign trembled.

Since becoming a Sovereign, this was the first time he had felt such a sensation.

A chill ran down his spine, and his face was filled with ecstasy.

He stepped forward and bellowed: “The Blood Lord is mighty, ruling the world!”

Now, where was his dignity as a Sovereign? He was like the most fawning lackey.

Qi Yuan did not look at Yang Hun Sovereign; instead, his gaze fell upon the twenty-plus Sovereigns.

At that moment, those Sovereigns were perishing in agony.

Sovereigns terrifying enough to destroy a city died in torment.

Qi Yuan’s experience bar was also growing wildly.

He could not help but sigh.

A Sovereign was indeed a Sovereign.

The surging experience was far more satisfying than that of those land-myth fiends.

After a dozen breaths, the Sovereigns on the field had completely fallen.

The hellish scene vanished, and Qi Yuan’s level settled at 148.

In later stages of cultivation, the gaps between minor realms grew larger, requiring endless time to grind.

He was only two levels away from mid-stage Sovereign.

But Qi Yuan needed none of that; he only needed to kill, kill, kill, and his experience would grow.

Of course, this is merely a matter of rank.

Mastery of the innate divine ability, from the end of time to the subtlest detail, requires one’s own effort.

Qi Yuan grinned, sweeping his gaze over everyone present: “Do you understand now, how a person should be killed?”

The previous battles had been hesitant and drawn out, dragging on endlessly.

For half a day, not a single fart had been squeezed out.

Where was there such clean efficiency as Qi Yuan’s, a single sword strike to slay?

“We understand.” The Supremes behind him quickly replied.

Wang Gai was also among the crowd, his heart filled with terror.

Yang Hun Supreme, his face wreathed in a fawning smile, said with utmost flattery: “Compared to the Blood Lord slaying twenty-seven Supremes with a single sword, our Supreme duels are as laughable as children’s brawls.”

Qi Yuan accepted the praise, his gaze finally settling on the solitary Ning Tao, a playful smile curling on his lips: “Aren’t you leaving?”

Ning Tao’s hand clenched tightly around the chain. She looked at the blood-red figure, the trace of terror in her eyes fading: “If you, sir, do not speak, how dare I leave?”

“If you had left just now, I probably couldn’t have stopped you,” Qi Yuan said calmly.

Ning Tao’s strength was even a notch above the Purple Daoist’s.

Of course, if Qi Yuan truly wanted to stop her, he could.

But there was no need to pay such a heavy price.

Toward this NPC, Ning Tao, his emotions were rather complex.

Ning Tao looked at Qi Yuan, her hand still gripping the chain tightly. Her expression was somewhat unnatural, as if suppressing something—perhaps fear, perhaps something else.

“You, sir, have slain these great Supremes and saved my life. This humble woman has no way to repay you…”

Qi Yuan interrupted Ning Tao, asking slowly: “Do you know the Blood Palace?”

Ning Tao shook her head in confusion.

“Do you know the Blood Lord?”

Ning Tao shook her head again.

“Do you know the Canary? She is a very proud, very vain girl. I have been searching for her,” Qi Yuan said, looking at Ning Tao, a trace of tenderness flickering in his blood-red eyes.

[Ning Tao, Level 197, Palace Lord of the Heavenly Heart Palace, one of the Cursed Thirteen Northern Demons.]

Ning Tao shook her head: “I do not know. She… must be someone very important to you, right?”

“Mm, I have been searching for her,” Qi Yuan said. “I saved your life by chance. You don’t need to repay me. If you ever meet her in the future, tell her that I am waiting for her in No Return City.”

Qi Yuan’s gaze was deep.

Ning Tao looked at Qi Yuan and replied: “A great kindness need not be thanked in words. I will help you, sir, keep an eye out for her!”

After a long pause, she suddenly asked: “Sir, have we met somewhere before? Why do I always feel a sense of familiarity?”

“Perhaps in a dream,” Qi Yuan laughed.

After his laughter faded, he swept his gaze over all the Supremes present.

“What happened today, swear a heart demon oath—do not leak it. Understood?”

The other Supremes, upon hearing this, immediately swore the heart demon oath without hesitation.

Ning Tao did the same.

“The oath is sworn. You may go,” Qi Yuan said generously to Ning Tao.

Originally, Qi Yuan had thought of the “humiliation” he suffered in the underground palace, when he was nearly forced to call her “Mother.”

He had also considered forcing this great Supreme, Ning Tao, to call him “Father” before letting her go.

But in the end, he thought it too perverse, unbefitting his image as the cold, domineering Blood Lord.

Ning Tao glanced at Qi Yuan, her hand still gripping the chain tightly. Her form turned into a streak of light and vanished.

After who knows how long, Ning Tao landed in the vast desert. She looked at the flesh and blood within the chain behind her and murmured to herself: “Husband, the Canary must be a very lovely woman.”

As she spoke, she pressed her hand to her left cheek.

“She must be far more beautiful than this ugly face of mine.”

She cast one last deep look behind her, her gaze no longer lingering, and turned into a streak of light, disappearing.

…

Three years later.

In Great Sorrow City, Yun He finally arrived slowly.

His long robe, embroidered with white cranes, was stained with blood, and his aura was unstable. In these past few years, he had been rushing toward No Return City.

But on the road, he encountered the Demon Crocodile, the first general under the Sovereign.

When the two met, naturally their eyes burned with hatred.

A fierce battle erupted, and they fought for years, neither gaining the upper hand, both bearing injuries, before finally parting.

Now, Yun He’s face was pale as paper, and his aura was still somewhat unsteady.

He sat in the palace, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Where is my junior sister?” he asked.

At that moment, a Supreme of Great Sorrow City stepped forward, his face respectful.

“Reporting to Great Supreme Yun He, your junior sister, Huang Mengling, left Great Sorrow City five years ago to handle urgent matters.” This Supreme’s strength was not great, merely at the early stage of Supreme.

“And the Guardian of Great Sorrow City?” Yun He asked again.

“There were some matters in No Return City, so the Guardian Lord went there,” the Supreme replied respectfully.

A flicker of complexity passed through Yun He’s eyes, and he continued: “How is No Return City now?”

That Supreme hesitated for a moment, then finally said: “I have been in seclusion and am not well-informed about No Return City’s affairs. It is probably still the same as a few years ago, with a few Supremes.”

Yun He’s expression remained unchanged, and he finally said slowly: “You may leave.”

The Supreme bowed his head and left the palace.

In the empty palace, only Yun He remained.

A trace of worry flickered in his eyes: “Something is… strange.”

“If I remember correctly, the Guardian of Great Sorrow City is Supreme Mi Luo, and his father is Great Supreme Mi Kong!”

After arriving in Great Sorrow City, he gradually sensed something amiss.

He vaguely detected several terrifying auras lurking within Great Sorrow City.

All of them were Great Supremes!

These Great Supremes were hidden in Great Sorrow City but did not come to see him.

This was highly suspicious.

“Could it be… that the news from No Return City is all false, and this is a trap set for me?” Yun He’s expression turned especially grim.

If this were true, it would mean that the Great Sovereign Mikong had surely betrayed the Southern Lands and joined the Northern Lands.

The situation in the Southern Lands would become even more dire.

After all, of the one hundred and eight thousand cities, more than half had already fallen.

Fewer than one in ten remained.

The betrayal of a Great Sovereign was enough to shake the entire balance.

And once he was surrounded and slain, and his master, the White Emperor, had his arm cut away, the Southern Lands would be in even greater peril.

“I must… leave this place,” Yunhe thought. He sensed a great danger lurking here and needed to flee at once.

But how to leave was another great problem.

After all, if they were plotting against him, he would surely find it hard to escape.

His face was filled with worry.

Meanwhile, deep within the City of Great Sorrow, several Great Sovereigns were murmuring among themselves.

“The Great Sovereign Yunhe has come here—what of our plan?”

“Hmph, carry on as before. If he tries to disrupt our plan, he will remain in the City of Great Sorrow forever!”

“Just one Great Sovereign—he cannot change the grand scheme!”

…

At that moment, in the City of No Return, Qi Yuan lounged lazily in a grand armchair, the broken sword in his outstretched hand ceaselessly reaping the demonic spawn on the conveyor belt.

By the standards of the Drifting Wind Realm, he had now stepped into the mid-stage of the Sovereign realm.

“It’s good to have many underlings,” Qi Yuan could not help but sigh.

Now, the number of Sovereigns within the Blood Palace had nearly reached two thousand.

Every day, a great many Sovereigns went out to capture vast numbers of demonic spawn for Qi Yuan to slay.

Qi Yuan’s experience points soared at an astonishing rate.

“What a pity—though my level rises, my comprehension of the Origin… is somewhat slow.”

For a Sovereign in this realm to step into the mid-stage, they needed to elevate their understanding of their Origin Divine Ability.

Qi Yuan only needed to level up.

But… his Origin Divine Ability could not be upgraded by gaining experience; he had to comprehend it himself.

Fortunately, with countless sources of sin piling up, Qi Yuan’s first Origin Divine Ability—

the Heart Demon Summoning of the Void Realm Master—had reached a terrifying level.

The quantity… was too vast.

He could never use it all, never exhaust it.

This divine ability had also reached the Subtlety level.

However, the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra had made no progress, still stuck at the Momentary level.

“It seems my talent is far too poor. Without this game, I would be nothing but a small shrimp in the Canglan Realm—I probably couldn’t even get through the gates of the Divine Radiance Sect.”

Qi Yuan was deeply disappointed.

He often tried to comprehend the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra.

But every time the next day came, he would forget all the progress he had made the day before.

How could he possibly comprehend it like this?

“Too hard, too hard—this game is far too difficult to play!” Qi Yuan lamented.

The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra was simply not a divine ability meant for human learning.

Was Subtlety already this difficult?

What about Inscription?

If he were to inscribe the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra onto his own flesh and soul, Qi Yuan seriously doubted whether he would end up a fool.

“Big brother, big brother! The Sovereign Miluo from the City of Great Sorrow has come to pay his respects!” Chen Huan rushed into the underground palace, speaking urgently to Qi Yuan.

“Can’t you see I’m busy tightening screws? Not seeing him,” Qi Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

What Sovereign Miluo—he simply couldn’t be bothered.

“Big brother, Sovereign Miluo’s father is the Great Sovereign Mikong—a Great Sovereign!” Chen Huan emphasized the title.

Hearing this, a faint smile curled at the corner of Qi Yuan’s mouth. “Finally, a high-level NPC appears?”

The sudden appearance of a high-level NPC could be a good thing, or a bad one.

Either way, to Qi Yuan, it didn’t matter.

It was just a game.

“I’ll see him,” Qi Yuan changed his mind. He would meet this Sovereign Miluo and see what he was really up to.

And also see if he… would become his enemy.

If so, that would be wonderful.

After about a few dozen breaths, the sound of footsteps came tapping.

The underground palace was somewhat dim, the flames of candles flickering.

A man in a green robe entered, his face carrying the unique arrogance of one born into a great clan.

Sovereign Miluo stepped forward, saw the blood-red robe in the underground palace, and his eyes showed reverence: “Miluo pays homage to the Blood Lord.”

Qi Yuan still stared at the adorable demonic spawn, not looking at Sovereign Miluo, and said, “Speak quickly—I’m busy.”

Sovereign Miluo, treated so coldly, showed no displeasure on his face. Instead, he said, “The reason Miluo has come is to inform the Blood Lord of a tremendous opportunity.”

“Oh?” Qi Yuan grew interested and finally sized up Sovereign Miluo. “If it’s not tremendous, I won’t be satisfied.”

At this point, Qi Yuan was only interested in big things.

He had always been thinking of refining something enormous into his own golden core.

Only then could he, with his golden core body, defy the Palace of Radiant Light.

“The Blood Lord is born divine, having created over a thousand Sovereigns—a feat that truly shakes the world.

My father, the Great Sovereign Mikong, is also one of the few titans in the Southern Lands.

He has long admired the Blood Lord, but unfortunately, he is stationed at Dragon Snow City and cannot come to the City of No Return,” Sovereign Miluo spoke smoothly.

“Get to the point,” Qi Yuan said, growing impatient.

“My father has gathered several like-minded comrades, and they are willing to honor the Blood Lord as their master, to jointly revere the Blood Lord as the Lord of All Under Heaven!” Sovereign Miluo’s face lit up with excitement as he spoke. “The Blood Lord can help others break through to the Sovereign realm—he should be the master of the world.

What White Emperor, what Exalted One—none are worthy to be compared with the Blood Lord.”

Hearing this, Qi Yuan almost laughed.

Playing a game, was he about to be draped in a yellow robe by an NPC?

Then they heard Miluo Zunzhu continue, "Though the Blood Palace is powerful, it lacks mid-stage Zunzhus and Great Zunzhus.

My father, Great Zunzhu Mikong, is willing to lead the Great Zunzhus and pledge allegiance to the Blood Lord, serving under his command."

Miluo Zunzhu's demeanor was extremely reverent.

"Anything else?" Qi Yuan asked.

"I have a younger sister, just three hundred years old, young and beautiful.

My sister has always admired the Blood Lord, and my father intends to send her to the Blood Palace for you to take as a consort."

Qi Yuan's expression turned amused upon hearing this.

This NPC knows how to play the game—he even offers his sister.

But he still said, "For now, I have no desire to become some so-called ruler of the world, nor am I interested in what you've said.

As for your sister, I haven't even laid eyes on her."

His words were filled with refusal.

Hearing this, Miluo Zunzhu's eyes showed a look of disappointment.

It was as if he had missed out on the merit of supporting a dragon's rise.

However, Miluo Zunzhu continued, "In half a month, the Blood Lord will be preaching the Dao. Might I have the chance to observe the Dao in Wugui City?"

Qi Yuan glanced at him and said indifferently, "Granted. You may leave."

"Thank you, Blood Lord." Miluo Zunzhu did not linger and left directly.

In the vast palace, only Qi Yuan and the demonic creature on the conveyor belt remained.

He muttered to himself, "We're all foxes of a thousand years—why play the ghost story?"

He looked at the demonic creature, a smile in his eyes, and spoke two completely unrelated sentences: "The pig is fattened; its wings have hardened."

(End of this chapter)