Chapter 156: The Yin God is Too Strong, I Have to Swallow Stars!

Chapter 156: The Yin Spirit Is Too Strong, I Must Devour Stars!

Three days later.

Qi Yuan looked at the dazzling array of spells in his storage pouch, beaming with joy.

"Indeed, having subordinates feels good."

"If only the techniques from Flowing Wind Realm were useful to me."

"With so many spells, it should be enough for me to advance to the Divine Infant chapter and push to the middle stage of Golden Core, right?" Qi Yuan mused.

The deduction of the Golden Core Great Dao chapter was, for Qi Yuan, a bottomless pit.

After all, how many planets and stars are there in the universe?

Qi Yuan did not know.

To devour them all would indeed be a massive consumption.

"But the previously deduced Golden Core Great Dao chapter should be enough for the Sun True Fire on my Golden Core to swallow a few planets, right?" Qi Yuan looked inward at his dantian, where a projection of a Golden Core burned with fierce flames.

A day on earth, a hundred years in the sky.

It seemed that before long, he could swallow some planets for fun.

Qi Yuan stopped pondering and immersed himself fully in the spells he had obtained.

...

In the Great Shang Kingdom, the Divine Light Sect.

Elder Xuanchong of the Divine Medicine Peak had a grim expression, and Lord Kumu's face was not much better.

Before them stood a young man in a white robe.

"Lord Kumu, we are of the same clan; how could I deceive you?

And Elder Xuanchong, the three of us are from the same lineage; we should prioritize the interests of the Wood Clan!" The young man in white was named Mu Kong.

Back when Hong Lian slaughtered the Wood Clan, he was not in the clan and barely escaped with his life.

Lord Kumu looked at Mu Kong, anger flaring in his eyes: "The interests of the Wood Clan? It's merely your own interests!"

Mu Kong smiled faintly at this and said, "With your talent, Lord Kumu, when will you ever reach the Zifu realm?

My master, the Supreme Elder of the Red Sword Sect, is a Zifu cultivator.

If you, Lord Kumu, offer the *Wood Element Treasure Code*, and Great Shang serves the Red Sword Sect, once my master's injuries heal, he can avenge the Wood Clan!"

He spoke with grand righteousness and lofty airs.

Lord Kumu's face darkened.

The Red Sword Sect had coveted Great Shang for a long time.

Back then, the old emperor of Great Shang had the shadow of the Red Sword Sect behind him.

Now that the old emperor's support had failed, they sent Mu Kong as a negotiator?

"Lord Kumu, give me an answer within three days; otherwise... when my master arrives here, he won't be so reasonable." Mu Kong was arrogant and dismissive. "Today, well, I'll stay... at Seven Colors Peak.

I hear the peak master of Seven Colors Peak is peerlessly beautiful; I wonder if I have the fortune to see her?"

Lord Kumu's face was iron: "The peak master of Seven Colors Peak is in seclusion and sees no outsiders."

He did not know that the summit of Seven Colors Peak had long been empty.

"What a pity," Mu Kong said regretfully.

His strength was weak, merely at the Yuan Dan stage, so naturally he dared not offend Ruan Yixi.

But... when his master arrived, the outcome would be different.

"Lord Kumu, Elder Xuanchong, think it over carefully; put the greater good first.

If my master does not receive my message in three days, he will personally visit the Divine Light Sect."

After speaking, Mu Kong smiled and walked toward Seven Colors Peak.

Lord Kumu and Elder Xuanchong stood in the hall, their expressions especially grim.

"Too arrogant!" Lord Kumu wished he could kill Mu Kong with a single palm strike.

But wary of the Red Sword Sect's Supreme Elder, he ultimately could not act.

Otherwise, it would drag the Divine Light Sect into a crisis of annihilation.

"Is the feng shui here bad?" the taciturn Elder Xuanchong spoke.

He had been at the Divine Light Sect for several hundred years, always cultivating quietly, never meddling in major sect affairs.

But in the past century, he had found that this small Divine Infant sect had many problems.

Within the sect, he alone had discovered over a hundred spies.

There were also some strange disciples, stewards, and elders.

He had originally thought those people joined the Divine Light Sect with special purposes.

But... well, they were perfectly normal, never causing trouble.

The problematic individuals formed a sect without problems.

First the Hundred Nations Blood War, now the threat of the Red Sword Sect—Elder Xuanchong truly felt the feng shui here was off.

Lord Kumu was weary.

He came from a great clan, endured endless hardships to reach this point, and his expression was resolute: "Fate has its limits, but man... has none."

He did not believe in fate; he believed everything must be fought for.

"Stop with the nonsense—will you hand over the *Wood Element Treasure Code* or not?" Elder Xuanchong shot Lord Kumu a glare.

Lord Kumu sighed: "Alas, the Eastern Lands Genius Battle should have begun. I wonder how Fulu and Qi Yuan are faring."

Elder Xuanchong's eyes also held a trace of regret: "It's a pity we gave Qi Yuan too little time; otherwise... if he had condensed his Golden Core, he might have had a chance to break into the top hundred of the Eastern Lands Genius List and bring back the Purple Gold Gourd.

With the Purple Gold Gourd, our Wood Clan would have a sliver of hope to rise again."

Lord Kumu said bitterly, "Hong Lian is still alive; how can we rise?"

Not to mention Hong Lian, they couldn't even deal with that old, injured Zifu cultivator from the Red Sword Sect.

The two were bitter, sighing deeply.

After an unknown time, suddenly an urgent voice came: "It's bad, Sect Leader!"

A steward rushed in, panic in his eyes.

Elder Xuanchong couldn't help but hold his forehead—truly, the feng shui was bad.

"What happened?" Lord Kumu asked, maintaining a demeanor as unshaken as a mountain collapsing.

"Mu Kong... is dead... died halfway up Seven Colors Peak!" the steward reported.

The face of Elder Withered Wood drastically changed.

“Flee!”

With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he flew toward Seven-Colored Peak alongside Elder Xuanchong.

When they landed halfway up Seven-Colored Peak, Elder Withered Wood saw the familiar towering ancient tree.

Once, he had secretly rendezvoused here with the Great Shang Empress, now the Dowager Empress Mu You.

But now, Mu Kong’s corpse lay in two halves, as if cleaved at the waist by a single sword stroke.

Jiang Lingsu stood nearby, clad in an orange-yellow long dress, looking like a bee.

“What happened?” Elder Withered Wood asked.

Jiang Lingsu, lost in thought, spoke: “This disciple was cultivating in her room when she suddenly felt a surging sword intent and looked outside.

Then she saw a blade of grass cut this man in two at the waist.”

As she spoke, she swept her gaze across the ground.

The earth was covered in grass; she did not know which blade had slain him.

“A blade of grass kills a Yuan Dan cultivator?” Elder Withered Wood frowned. “Where is your master?”

He guessed it must have been Ruan Yixi’s doing.

“Master… has left Seven-Colored Peak.

This was told to me by the senior brother.” Jiang Lingsu replied.

Hearing this, Elder Withered Wood looked at the corpse on the ground, his eyes growing more troubled.

Now, Mu Kong was dead.

The *Wood Element Treasure Canon* could certainly not be handed over, and the enmity with the Red Sword Sect was fully sealed.

“Activate the sect’s grand formation immediately!” Elder Withered Wood commanded.

The Red Sword Sect’s Supreme Elder had long been gravely wounded; no one knew how much of his strength remained.

But still, he was at the Violet Mansion realm.

He hoped… that Divine Radiance Sect could survive this calamity.

At that moment, Jiang Lingsu said, “Sect Leader, the senior brother said that in two days, some of his subordinates will arrive at Divine Radiance Sect, bringing a gift for the Sect Leader.”

“Subordinates?” The Sect Leader of Divine Radiance Sect was bewildered.

And a gift.

“Is he not participating in the Eastern Lands Prodigy War?” Elder Withered Wood asked.

“I do not know.” Jiang Lingsu shook her head; she was not clear on these matters.

Even if the senior brother did not participate, it meant little to her.

Elder Withered Wood said nothing more.

After all, this was a trivial matter.

The threat of the Red Sword Sect was the true great affair.

……

Cuiyun Prefecture, Cloud Center City.

Qi Yuan had now moved to Cloud Center Court.

“Alliance Leader!” The master of Cloud Center Court bowed his head, his expression reverent, calling softly outside the great hall.

“Enter.” Qi Yuan opened his eyes, the vicissitudes of time flashing through them.

The master of Cloud Center Court entered with a stooped old man, both wearing respectful expressions.

“Alliance Leader, these are the newly collected techniques.” The master of Cloud Center Court again presented a storage pouch.

Inside, it was densely packed with technique jade slips.

Qi Yuan glanced at them, feeling quite pleased.

This was far faster than killing old men for techniques.

No wonder everyone loved being capitalists, loved exploitation.

“Well done. Keep up the good work.” Qi Yuan casually praised.

The master of Cloud Center Court continued, “Recently, some hidden forces seem to be investigating… the Alliance Leader’s identity—for instance, probing all members of the Hundred Kingdoms Divine Flower Society.”

Qi Yuan’s gaze sharpened at this.

Someone was digging into his alternate identity?

This was too much!

Did he have no privacy left?

Even his alt accounts were being exposed—this was a violation of his right to privacy.

“Who is it?” Qi Yuan asked.

“Probably people from the Heaven and Earth Cave,” said the master of Cloud Center Court.

The Hundred Kingdoms bordered Cuiyun Prefecture; to probe information about them, one inevitably had to deal with the powers of Cuiyun Prefecture.

Now, Cuiyun Prefecture had a new ruler: the Blood-Robed Alliance.

“Venerable Ye Qiong?” Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up. “Did he threaten me? Did he say he wanted to destroy me?” The master of Cloud Center Court, somewhat frightened, said weakly, “No.”

“Really not?”

“Really not.” In this time, he had come to understand the Blood-Robed Sword God’s personality.

This man was truly insane!

And he loved killing.

Of course, his killings followed logic; he was not a mindless great demon.

“Even if he didn’t, he must have thought it!” Qi Yuan’s face turned serious, but then he abandoned the idea.

After all, that would be too unreasonable.

When he wrote his little essays, he also relied on evidence, never wronging a good man.

As for bad men, what did it matter if they were wronged?

“When I have time and meet this Venerable Ye Qiong, I’ll ask him myself if he wants to kill me,” Qi Yuan said.

Hearing this, the master of Cloud Center Court broke out in cold sweat.

You are too fierce!

If a Violet Mansion cultivator rashly went to ask a Yin Spirit Venerable if he wanted to kill him—

Even if that Yin Spirit Venerable had not thought of it before, he would likely harbor murderous intent now.

At this moment, the master of Cloud Center Court’s thoughts were extremely tangled.

It was hard to tell whether acknowledging such a powerhouse as their alliance leader was a blessing or a curse.

The looming dread was that before the great calamity even commenced, he might court his own ruin by provoking the nether-gods.

Stealing a glance at the elderly man beside him, he subtly signaled with his eyes.

"Alliance Leader, your servant takes his leave," the Master of the Cloud Courtyard announced.

With the Heaven-Earth Cave investigating the leader’s identity, he would naturally intervene to stifle their inquiries.

As for the leader’s true origins, they dared not delve too deeply themselves.

If nothing was amiss, all was well; he could remain the lord of Cuiyun Continent.

But they dreaded uncovering an unsettling truth.

If exposure brought ruin, and Cuiyun Continent was stripped of its nether-god heritage, what then would they do?

It felt precisely as though a cultivation clan had seen its founding ancestor extinguished by an enemy, only for that very foe to occupy the nest, masquerading as the patriarch.

Even if the clan elders discerned the deception, they would not dare utter a word, continuing to revere and flatter the impostor.

As the Master of the Cloud Courtyard departed, only Qi Yuan and the old man remained within the vastness of the grand hall.

"Sit," Qi Yuan said, casting a glance at the elder as a chair materialized behind him.

Toward the elderly, Qi Yuan had always maintained a posture of respect and particular consideration.

Even here in the Canglan Realm, the fine virtue of honoring the old and cherishing the young endured.

"My profound thanks to the Alliance Leader for bestowing a seat," the old man murmured, his heart hammering like a drum.

"I hear you have lived for nearly a hundred thousand years and have witnessed many a nether-god?" Qi Yuan remarked.

The elder before him belonged to the Earth-Turtle clan.

This demon cultivator was also the most ancient being currently residing in Cuiyun Continent.

Qi Yuan had summoned him for the explicit purpose of discerning just how formidable a nether-god truly was.

"I have seen them," the Earth-Turtle elder replied, his frame frail and withered, appearing as though a mere breath of wind might topple him.

Yet Qi Yuan knew this to be an illusion; the old man's defenses were likely sturdier than those of the First Palace Master of the Bright Palace.

"The nether-god realm... how strong is it?" Qi Yuan inquired.

The old man fell into a pensive silence, recalling the caution given to him by the Master of the Cloud Courtyard before his arrival.

It amounted to nothing more than painting the nether-gods as terrifyingly powerful.

In truth, even without such warnings, the elder already perceived them as utterly celestial.

"The realm of the nether-god is the domain of immortals and deities. I once beheld Venerable Wulong, the master of the Imperial Dragon Crown. He was a nether-god of the Second Step of Heaven-Treading."

"The Second Step of Heaven-Treading?"

"The nether-god realm is divided into seven minor stages, from the First Step to the Seventh Step of Heaven-Treading. The First through the Third Steps are collectively known as Venerables. The Fourth Step is designated as a Grand Venerable! And once all seven steps are walked to their end, one may be called... a solar-god!"

"Within the Purple Mansion, one must condense a divine aperture, transforming one's own magic power into divine spiritual energy to become a nether-god. The cultivation thereafter is a continuous expansion of these apertures. For every additional aperture formed, one's might increases roughly twofold. Forging twelve apertures marks the entry into the Second Step of Heaven-Treading. When thirty-six apertures are condensed, one achieves the Third Step."

"This doubling of yours," Qi Yuan asked, "is it a linear progression or an exponential growth?"

If it were exponential, the reality would be terrifying.

The Earth-Turtle elder looked bewildered, failing to grasp Qi Yuan's meaning.

"To put it simply, how many one-aperture Venerables could an eleven-aperture Venerable defeat?" Qi Yuan rephrased.

"At least ten, perhaps dozens, or even a hundred. The later the aperture, the more potent the divine spiritual energy it contains. Venerable Wulong was of the Second Step, a nether-god who had opened thirteen apertures. Even the ultimate strike unleashed by the damaged Imperial Dragon Crown was comparable to a nether-god with six or seven apertures opened."

Qi Yuan then asked, "How many apertures has Venerable Yeqiong opened?"

The elder smiled helplessly. "Such profound secrets are beyond the knowledge of an insignificant one like me."

Hearing this, Qi Yuan gained a rough understanding of the nether-gods.

Evidently, the disparity within the nether-god realm itself was immense.

At that moment, the elder lowered his voice. "Some days ago, Senior engaged in a battle against the Bright Palace within the Void Realm, and the remnants of that clash fell upon Cuiyun Continent. This old soul went to observe it in person..."

Back then, Qi Yuan had summoned the projection of his Golden Core, obliterating everything.

Yet in truth, the Stellar Golden Core had still caused ripples within the Void Realm, leaving behind certain manifestations.

"Judging by the remnants of the battlefield, the clash that occurred was roughly at the level of the Second Step of Heaven-Treading." As he spoke, a look of sheer terror crept onto the elder's face.

Qi Yuan, however, was calculating internally.

A stellar projection summoned across universes amounted to merely the Second Step of Heaven-Treading?

On second thought, it was only natural.

After all, it spanned an entire universe and was a mere projection, not the actual entity of the Golden Core.

It seemed he was still too weak.

An underlying sense of urgency stirred within Qi Yuan's heart.

"What is the highest step among the nether-gods in the Canglan Realm? Is there a solar-god?" Qi Yuan questioned.

"This old soul does not know, but it is certain that the Eastern Lands possess no Grand Venerables, only Venerables."

"Understood." Qi Yuan nodded. It seemed that at his absolute strongest, Venerable Yeqiong would only be at the Third Step of Heaven-Treading.

The Earth-Turtle elder took his leave.

Once more, Qi Yuan was left solitary within the vast palace.

He looked down at the cultivation techniques inside his storage bag, a peculiar light in his eyes.

"The nether-gods are still very powerful. A pity... my Stellar Golden Core resides in another world."

"If Venerable Yeqiong truly is at the Third Step of Heaven-Treading, what should I do?"

According to the Earth Turtle, the Three Steps of Heaven-Treading require at least thirty-six divine apertures, and perfection demands eighty-one.

If the Venerable Ye Qiong had eighty-one divine apertures,

he would certainly lose if they met now.

"No, my Golden Core Great Path must be put on the agenda!"

Qi Yuan looked inward at his dantian and sensed that the Sun True Fire within had accumulated to a certain degree.

Only a dozen days had passed here, but in that universe, a thousand years had already elapsed.

"Sun True Fire... Devour!"

At this moment, Qi Yuan activated the Sun True Fire.

Within his dantian, it instantly became scorching hot.

At that time, in the vast universe,

flames on a star flickered.

A cold and beautiful girl in a black dress opened her eyes, a wisp of Sun True Fire burning in her palm.

She looked at the thirteen planets ahead, her fair face tinged with joy.

"Sun True Fire, go!"

With the girl's voice, golden flames surged violently above the star.

The star's volume in that instant swelled tenfold, a hundredfold.

In the Canglan Realm, the small sun in the sky grew even brighter, flashing suddenly.

All ordinary people, and even cultivators, couldn't help but glance at that small sun, revealing expressions of doubt and confusion.

In the vast universe, the Sun True Fire rose.

In all directions of the cosmos, thick flames burned.

The mythical flame devoured everything, constantly opening its great wave-like fiery mouth toward the vast universe.

The thirteen giant planets—celestial bodies that mortals could never measure in a lifetime—were as tiny as dust beneath this Sun True Fire.

One, two, three... thirteen planets were devoured in succession by the Sun True Fire.

Whether solid planets, gas planets, or ice planets, on these cosmic bodies, the Sun True Fire ignited without reason.

A glimmer of joy flashed in Ning Tao's eyes: "A few more palaces."

At that moment, in the Canglan Realm, Qi Yuan couldn't help but let out the first burp since he began cultivation.

He looked inward at his dantian and saw the projection of a cluster of stars.

Calling it a cluster, it was actually just fourteen.

One star, thirteen planets, and a few small celestial bodies too negligible to count.

"Time to start collecting stamps!"

"Next target: devour a star!"

Qi Yuan sensed that there was still plenty of Sun True Fire left.

"If one star can't crush the Venerable Ye Qiong to death, what about two?"

(End of chapter)