Chapter 160: Becoming a Father at a Young Age, Having Quite a Lot of Children

Chapter 160: Young Fatherhood, with a Slightly Excessive Number of Children

The Phoenix Laurel Kingdom was weak, possessing only three cities.

These three cities were also the blood-soaked bastions defended by the ten generals of Phoenix Laurel.

Now, seven of the ten great generals had fallen, leaving only three.

The stalwart general, his hair fully white, gazed ahead with eyes full of vicissitudes.

"General Qi, how goes it?" A somewhat youthful voice rang out as the queen, in the bloom of her eighteenth year, dressed simply, approached with measured steps.

"The Mara army outnumbers us several times over—it is difficult!" General Qi said, his expression grave.

Having fewer defenders than attackers was not the main issue.

But the enemy was the Mara race.

Every Mara was a powerful warrior, comparable to a First Realm cultivator.

Since the great upheaval of heaven and earth and the flourishing of martial arts, the Wangyue Continent had produced many experts.

Yet compared to the Mara race, the gap was still too vast.

The entire Phoenix Laurel Kingdom had only a few Third Realm cultivators, and Luo Xi, a Fourth Realm returnee from the Moon Dynasty.

According to the classification of the Canglan Realm, the Third Realm was the Yuan Dan.

Among the soldiers, the probability of being a martial artist was only one in ten.

"I wonder if Luo Xi has brought back reinforcements," the young queen said, her expression desolate.

General Qi heard this and remained silent.

The terms Luo Xi offered were hardly enough to move people from another world.

Besides, were the people from that other world any better?

They were merely a weaker version of the Mara race.

The young queen's face hardened with resolve: "Even without reinforcements, I will defend the kingdom to the death!"

"I am willing to die for Phoenix Laurel, willing to die for Wangyue!" General Qi said in a deep voice.

The war before them was not merely a war to destroy a kingdom, but a war to destroy a world.

The people of the Wangyue Continent had become a coveted prize in the mouths of foreign races.

Only by fighting with all their might could there be a glimmer of hope.

Just then, an ethereal voice came through.

"I do not need you to die for me."

A group of five people landed on the city wall out of thin air.

General Qi's heart tightened, and his hand pressed on the sword hilt at his waist.

However, when he saw Luo Xi, his vigilance lessened somewhat, but his hand still rested on the hilt.

"Your Majesty, these are allies from the Canglan Realm," Luo Xi quickly introduced.

Upon hearing this, the queen's youthful face broke into a characteristic smile: "Greetings to you all."

Qi Yuan glanced at the queen.

For some reason, he thought of Jinli.

Jinli back then must have been about this age.

"Hmm, is this all the Mara race amounts to?" Qi Yuan looked beyond the city walls, where endless rows of military camps stretched out, appearing especially grand.

General Qi was puzzled—what did he mean by 'is this all'?

"May I ask when the sect forces behind you, Senior, will arrive? We are willing to be the vanguard to slay these beasts!" General Qi responded.

The young queen also looked expectantly at Qi Yuan, who seemed far too young.

"I am in a hurry. After killing the Mara here, I still have to go to the other six kingdoms."

A look of confusion flashed in General Qi's eyes.

The young queen also turned to Luo Xi, wanting to understand what was happening.

At that moment, Qi Yuan's gaze pierced through dozens of li, and he saw the Mara race—hideous, monstrous beings.

They were three meters tall, their skin a mix of pitch black and blue, their backs densely covered with scales.

In their open mouths, green liquid clung to their teeth.

What drew the most attention was the crimson blood mark on their foreheads, like a burning flame.

A blood-red sword appeared in Qi Yuan's hand.

Qi Yuan's eyes seemed to traverse the river of time.

In a heavy snowfall, he had led the Moon Maiden to annihilate the Hundred Cities Alliance.

The mysterious Black Robe Guards were like dead dogs under his sword.

Now, the Mara race had invaded his Wangyue Continent.

As the Heavenly Dao of this realm, Qi Yuan naturally would not be lenient.

Qi Yuan's hand wiped across the sword's blade, as if brushing away the blood-colored dust.

Everyone present looked at the sword in Qi Yuan's hand, their eyes involuntarily showing fear and shock.

It was as if they saw a demon god who had slaughtered thousands!

The killing intent emanating from this foreigner moved heaven and earth.

Could such a god of slaughter truly be the savior of Phoenix Laurel?

However, as his hand wiped away the blood color from the blade, a brilliant light of ten thousand zhang rose.

All the people of Phoenix Laurel, seeing that white radiance, inexplicably felt warmth and a sense of closeness in their hearts.

It was as if they saw their emperor, their god!

A vast voice resounded, like that of a deity.

"I have a sword; when the dust clears, light is born.

Slay the Mara, and ten thousand green mountains bloom."

The blood-red sword broke free from Qi Yuan's hand and flew straight into the sky.

Endless light burst from the sword, and a fierce sword aura charged directly into the camp of the Mara race.

"Enemy attack!" A hurried cry just came from within the camp.

The endless light and sword aura then engulfed them.

Almost all of the Mara race had no reaction at all before being dissolved by the sword light.

A full eight thousand Mara warriors, including no small number of Divine Infant cultivators, turned to ashes under this single sword strike.

In just three breaths.

Endless flashes of sword light, the demon lair razed to the ground!

Before the crowd could even be stunned, from the once-scorched and ravaged earth, one blood-red flower after another burst through the soil.

The former battlefield, in an instant, transformed into a sea of blossoms.

A riot of flowers, clustered together, stood in stark contrast to the scene before.

Qi Yuan’s eyes held a smile: “Since you dared to come to my home, stay and be flower fertilizer!”

Great Sage Dazhi gave a thumbs-up: “You truly understand the art of waste utilization.”

Beside him, Jiang Ya stared at Qi Yuan, long without words.

As for General Qi and the young queen, their eyes widened, their bodies trembling slightly.

This kind of power… what realm was it?

The legendary Fifth Realm?

Luo Xi, meanwhile, kept his gaze fixed on Qi Yuan’s sword, a storm rising in his heart: “Your sword technique… seems familiar!”

Indeed, in that one strike of Qi Yuan’s, he saw traces of the High Priest’s sword art.

“Is that so?” Qi Yuan glanced at Luo Xi, endless thoughts flashing through his mind. “Let’s go, to the next kingdom.”

With a sweep of his sleeve, Qi Yuan did not linger, departing with Jiang Ya, Great Sage Dazhi, Xu Tongchen, and the others, vanishing in an instant.

Leaving behind only a bewildered young queen and General Qi.

“Just like that, he left?” the young queen wondered.

This man had come swiftly and departed just as abruptly.

Everything felt like a dream.

A spark in stone, a self in a dream.

Were it not for the riotous sea of flowers before the city, she might have thought it all an illusion.

“Royal Preceptor Luo Xi, what price did you pay to invite this senior?” General Qi asked, his face full of worry.

The young queen’s heart tightened as well.

How could such a foreign powerhouse cooperate with them?

“No… no price.”

Luo Xi’s words left everyone present stunned.

No price?

They all knew that those cultivators of the Canglan Realm valued profit above all.

Once, a kingdom had begged those Nascent Soul cultivators for help, not only ceding several cities but also sending several princesses and princes as servants.

Was that young man truly so… magnanimous?

“He said, the Wangyue Continent is his home.”

“When unwelcome guests come to his home, he naturally sees them off himself!”

The crowd was dumbfounded.

A strange light flickered in the young queen’s eyes: “Could it be that this senior is from our Wangyue Continent?”

General Qi was also shaken.

Could such a thing be true?

Luo Xi’s eyes were deep: “His sword just now, I felt I had seen it before.

Who… is he?”

…

A streak of light flew across the sky.

Everyone was silent, as if stunned by Qi Yuan’s earlier sword strike.

Jiang Ya looked at Qi Yuan and couldn’t help but say, “Can I make a suggestion?”

Qi Yuan was taken aback: “Go ahead.”

This was a wealthy woman; he had to stay on her good side.

“Before we leave, couldn’t you have them offer up their cultivation techniques?” Jiang Ya had come along largely to collect the techniques of this realm.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt a pang of regret, deeply sorry.

For every technique Jiang Ya missed, he missed five!

“You should have reminded me earlier,” Qi Yuan said, glancing deeply toward Feng Gui, but it was already out of sight.

Go back? He wouldn’t.

He would continue slaughtering the demon clan.

He had discovered that killing demon clansmen also shortened the time needed to reclaim mastery over this realm’s Heavenly Dao.

So, kill, kill, kill—let rivers of blood flow!

Strive to reclaim the Heavenly Dao of this realm before the demon clan’s Yin Gods discovered him.

Then, he would have far more confidence.

…

Five days passed in a flash. Qi Yuan led his group, nonstop, slaughtering everywhere.

In the lands of the seven kingdoms, nearly a hundred thousand demon clansmen were all slain by Qi Yuan’s single sword.

This time, he did not leave in haste. Instead, upon arrival, he had the local monarch begin collecting cultivation manuals.

After finishing off the demon clansmen, he would stay a few hours, waiting for the manuals to be roughly gathered, then move on to another kingdom to continue the slaughter.

Indeed, killing the demon clan gave Qi Yuan the feeling of playing a game back in the Wangyue Continent.

With every demon he killed, he felt himself one step closer to becoming the Heavenly Dao of this realm again.

This sense of progress and the filling progress bar brought a feeling of accomplishment.

Standing in the palace of the last of the seven kingdoms, Qi Yuan, clad in a blood-red robe, looked eerily extraordinary.

Even Jiang Ya’s gaze toward Qi Yuan turned strange, as if she saw a great demon.

Xu Tongchen felt the same.

As for Great Sage Dazhi, he had asked on the road: “Senior, your blood aura is so terrifying—how many living beings have you slaughtered?”

Qi Yuan had replied at the time: “I don’t remember. Countless.”

This only confirmed Jiang Ya’s belief that the Blood-Robed Sword God was a true great demon.

Such a great demon, standing in one place, would naturally make cultivators tremble with fear, and mortals would be plagued by nightmares, fleeing from him.

Yet here, Jiang Ya saw a scene different from what she had imagined.

Those mortals, those nobles and royalty—their eyes toward Qi Yuan were filled with reverence and warmth.

After all, the Blood-Robed Sword God had saved them!

But the fear and trembling deep in their bones could not be hidden.

Yet Jiang Ya did not notice these people’s trembling at all.

These people looked at the Blood-Robed Sword God, drenched in blood, and saw not a demon but a hero.

“Senior, here are all the techniques, even our royal clan’s forbidden secret arts!” The King of Wei presented the manuals with a fawning expression.

In the great hall, the civil and military officials all gazed at Qi Yuan with adoration.

Jiang Ya even noticed some children secretly peeking through the curtains, looking at the Blood-Robed Sword God with admiration in their eyes.

Her heart was filled with doubt.

Were these people the problem, or was she?

Qi Yuan took the manuals and handed them to Jiang Ya.

Jiang Ya quickly put the manuals into her storage pouch.

Qi Yuan, holding a map, asked, “Are there many people of the Mara clan in the State of Chuang?”

The State of Chuang was nearly a thousand li from the Wei capital.

Qi Yuan had to pass through the State of Chuang to reach the Moon Dynasty.

“Many!” The King of Wei nodded, then softly warned, “Senior, in the State of Chuang, there are many cultivators from the Canglan Realm. Those cultivators are not as selfless as you, Senior. If you go to kill the Mara clansmen there, you might… offend them.”

The King of Wei’s warning was not without reason.

The State of Chuang had spent a great price to hire a group of Divine Infant cultivators to deal with the Mara clansmen.

But then Qi Yuan came, demanded no territory, only some techniques, and wiped out the Mara clansmen cleanly.

This would naturally offend the Divine Infant cultivators who had helped before, even making them hate Qi Yuan.

“It’s fine. I’m a reasonable man. I’ll definitely convince them with reason,” Qi Yuan said casually.

“Senior’s reason is the supreme, true reason. I fully agree,” Great Wisdom True Lord echoed.

Jiang Ya was speechless.

Was this called reason?

This was clearly called murder, called beheading!

She strongly suspected that Great Wisdom True Lord, having followed the Blood-Robed Sword God on this journey, would be influenced. His master, seeing him go astray, would probably be furious enough to emerge from seclusion.

At that moment, Qi Yuan looked at the assembled officials and said casually, “Farewell!”

The King of Wei’s tiger-like eyes instantly showed reluctance: “Senior… may you be safe!”

The nobles, even the imperial guards, all looked at Qi Yuan, some with tears in their eyes, others with infinite reluctance.

It was as if their own father was leaving—no, even more than a father!

The scene suddenly became… eerie, at least for Jiang Ya.

She felt goosebumps on her back.

She didn’t know why this was happening.

These people’s emotions… were too intense!

And… it didn’t seem like acting. Was it really necessary?

“Let’s go.” Qi Yuan didn’t look at those below; he left directly with Jiang Ya and the others.

In the palace, there was a chorus of weeping, even more spectacular than before.

Jiang Ya’s heart was full of doubt: “Senior… why are they like this toward you?”

She couldn’t help but ask.

It was too strange.

“Because I saved them,” Qi Yuan said matter-of-factly.

Jiang Ya didn’t believe it.

If a great demon saved her, she would be grateful, but more fearful.

Yet these people of the Wangyue Continent, with their fervent gazes, treated the Blood-Robed Sword God, that demon, as their father.

Seeing Jiang Ya’s disbelief, Qi Yuan’s expression turned wistful: “I never thought that at such a young age, not yet twenty, I would become a father… and have a little too many children.”

He was the Heavenly Dao of this world.

Thus, the beings of the Wangyue Continent were, in a sense, indeed his children.

Jiang Ya was stunned.

Great Wisdom True Lord then said, “Based on my many years of experience, the factors of life inheritance number in the hundreds of millions.

Theoretically, if the conditions of a Dao couple are suitable, they can give birth to a hundred million children at once.

I’ve been researching this too.

If my Two-Dan Method cannot advance in the future, then I will let my thousands of descendants go forth.”

Hearing this, Qi Yuan admired Great Wisdom True Lord even more.

This wasn’t great wisdom; this was the Foolish Old Man—great wisdom seeming foolish!

“Great Wisdom True Lord truly knows a lot,” Qi Yuan couldn’t help praising.

Great Wisdom True Lord said softly, “Reason is hidden in life. As long as you have eyes to discover reason and learn to summarize.

For example, I discovered that if I abstain for half a day every day, then I have actually abstained for half my life.

So those lustful people aren’t truly lustful; instead, they’ve abstained for quite a long time.”

“The Great Dao is simple!” Qi Yuan couldn’t help praising again.

In fact, he had also discovered many truths.

For instance, in the mortal world, long-lived people are generally the elderly.

Jiang Ya didn’t want to speak.

At this moment, the doubt in her heart remained unresolved.

“Senior… is the Wangyue Continent really your home?” she asked, steering the conversation back.

Otherwise, the two would start preaching great principles again.

“Mm.” Qi Yuan nodded firmly, without concealment.

“Senior… are you perhaps from the Wangyue Continent?” Jiang Ya couldn’t help recalling their first meeting, when she sensed that the Blood-Robed Sword God’s innate divine abilities seemed incompatible with the Canglan Realm.

“Half, I suppose. I achieved… Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment here!” Qi Yuan looked up at the sky.

“Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment?” Jiang Ya was puzzled upon hearing this.

She stared at Qi Yuan a few times, trying to discern something, but unfortunately, she could find nothing.

…

The State of Chuang.

The young prince was carrying a basin of foot-washing water, his expression neither sad nor joyful.

The maiden beside him could not help but say, "Brother, why did you not heed Senior Zhang Yan's advice? Otherwise, you would not have suffered such humiliation."

Half a year ago, the Chuang Kingdom faced a crisis as the Mara army descended.

The Emperor of Chuang personally sought aid from the Divine Infant cultivators of the Canglan Realm.

In the end, they ceded five cities and selected nine princes and princesses to go as servants.

Among them, a Divine Infant cultivator named Zhang Yan took a liking to Zhao Ci and wished to take him as a disciple.

As a result, Zhao Ci refused, which angered Zhang Yan, and he suffered all kinds of humiliation.

"Sister, you know that the one I admire most is the Faceless Sword God.

I have already joined the Faceless Divine Sect and am a member of its congregation; I cannot change my allegiance to another!"

Five thousand years ago, the Faceless Divine Sect began to rise.

The Faceless Divine Sect worships the Faceless Sword God.

Legend has it that in ancient times, extraterrestrial demons invaded the Wangyue Continent.

At that time, the people of Wangyue Continent were living in misery.

Beneath the ancient Qi Chun tree hung the corpses of millions of Wangyue Continent subjects who had resisted the foreign demons.

The Faceless Sword God could not bear to see the common people suffer; alone with his sword, he fought three thousand extraterrestrial demons.

In the end, he perished together with the extraterrestrial demons.

Upon hearing this, the maiden's eyes grew desolate: "There is no second Faceless Sword God in the Wangyue Continent."

The tales of the Faceless Sword God were too ancient; the maiden did not even believe they were true.

But then, thinking of something, a hint of excitement lit her eyes: "Brother, do you know of that Blood-Robed Sword God who slaughtered the Mara race? Do you think... he could help our Chuang Kingdom overcome the crisis?"

Zhao Ci did not speak at this, only sighed softly.

Through Zhang Yan, he had already learned by indirect means the division of powers in the Eastern Lands of the Canglan Realm.

The three Venerables were the absolute pinnacle of power.

Their subordinates among the Fifth Realm cultivators numbered in the hundreds.

That Blood-Robed Sword God, according to their descriptions, was merely of the Fifth Realm.

Carrying the basin of foot-washing water, he knocked on the door and entered the room.

The Divine Infant cultivator named Zhang Yan glanced at Zhao Ci, a contemptuous smile in his eyes: "Do you people of Chuang truly believe that Blood-Robed Sword God can help you?"

Zhao Ci's heart skipped a beat, but he said nothing.

(End of chapter)