Chapter 559: I, Qi Yuan, Wield a Few Pieces of Human Initiated Light, No Objections, Right?

Chapter 559: I, Qi Yuan, Shall Wield a Few Pieces of Human-Ignited Light—Any Objections?

The majestic palace was cleaned, and the three left, panting.

Along the way, all three kept their heads down, not daring to speak a word or glance around recklessly.

Outside the great hall, Ancestral Gods occasionally passed by; each time they saw them, the three would stop to the side to make way.

After about half an hour, the three finally returned to their cramped dwelling.

The Imperial Star had gathered too many powerful beings.

Housing prices in the Imperial Star’s capital were exorbitantly high.

Though the old man was a Heaven-grade Weapon Master, his house was barely a hundred square meters.

If he were in the Green Mountain Realm of the Chaotic Star Domain, he could have claimed kingship and patriarch status.

The old man took out his treasured wine and carefully filled their cups, a look of enjoyment on his face.

“One pot of Moon Brew is worth a mountain; in other domains, this pot could trade for a large stronghold, no problem.”

“Not as good as the Immortal Brew the Ancestral Gods drink—I hear a single drop can intoxicate a Divine-level expert for a hundred days,” said Long Qi.

He and Xiao Qi were both war orphans, picked up by the old man.

The old man shot Long Qi a displeased glare. “Are you the only one who can talk?”

Just then, Xiao Qi stared at the Moon Brew, his gaze vacant. “What is wine?”

“There you go, having another episode.” The old man looked at Xiao Qi, helpless inside.

But he and Long Qi were long accustomed to Xiao Qi’s state.

Long Qi continued, “I hear that in the next few days, the seeds to wield Human-Ignited Light will be chosen. I wonder who will be selected.”

“Human-Ignited Light…” Hearing this, the old man’s gaze grew complex.

So-called Human-Ignited Light was truly forged with blood.

Beneath the light, all was crimson blood.

“What is Human-Ignited Light?” Xiao Qi asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

The old man spoke as if to himself: “When the Black Heaven descends and the world falls into darkness, only Human-Ignited Light can ignite the darkness and illuminate the path ahead.”

This was nearly the consensus of all cultivators in the Tai Star Domain.

It seemed that as long as Human-Ignited Light was forged, the Black Heaven would be dispelled and light welcomed.

Of course, what they did not know was that even with such a luminous treasure, the Black Heaven remained hard to drive away.

But for the living… one must have hope, a goal, no?

“I want a piece of Human-Ignited Light,” Xiao Qi murmured then.

The old man chuckled. “You sure dare to think big.”

Long Qi also laughed. “If you really wield Human-Ignited Light, maybe you can get Dad some Immortal Brew.”

Xiao Qi nodded seriously. “Immortal Brew.”

The old man, his hair white, looked troubled. “What Immortal Brew? Peace and safety are enough. Even if either of you has the chance to wield Human-Ignited Light, I hope you won’t. The front lines… are no place for humans.”

Both Long Qi and Xiao Qi’s parents had died on the front lines. The old man only wished for them to live safely, to spend their lives in the cracks.

…

Imperial Star, Imperial City.

Four dazzling beams of light hung high in the sky.

The light was so bright and scorching that it was impossible to look directly, and naturally, one could not see what lay within.

Yuan Piaomiao’s majestic voice rang out at that moment: “Within half a day, whoever is closest to the Human-Ignited Light shall wield it for this expedition!”

In the Imperial City, countless figures, great and small, looked up—some straining their eyes wide, others squinting—at the magnificent, brilliant light.

“This is Human-Ignited Light… so beautiful!”

“With Human-Ignited Light, even Black Heaven and Black Earth may not be our match!”

“Right, Black Heaven and Black Earth are stronger than us, but if they dare invade, we’ll bite off a chunk of their flesh!”

The crowd seethed with fervor.

The days had been too dark and oppressive; now, for once, they could hold their heads high.

The old man squinted, trying hard to see the Human-Ignited Light. He murmured, “Inside… there’s a drop of my mother’s blood.”

His mother had also been a weapon smith. When he was very young, she left him to forge the luminous treasure.

Of the weapon smiths who forged such treasures, if they succeeded, not one in ten thousand survived; if they failed, perhaps one in ten thousand might live.

Long Qi also strained to look at the Human-Ignited Light, even as tears involuntarily streamed from his eyes, he kept looking.

Xiao Qi did the same, except his eyes did not water.

“Human-Ignited Light… what kind of rule is it again?”

His thoughts churned.

Every night when he slept, he dreamed.

In his dreams, he was either a grain of sand, a drop of water, or a majestic general.

“Too hard, too hard.” Xiao Qi had a thousand whys in his heart.

Just then, over a hundred Ancestral Gods shot into the sky, flying toward the Human-Ignited Light.

All who dared to participate in this contest were those who had reached the pinnacle and limit of the first realm of Ancestral God, possibly on the verge of breaking through at any moment.

Over a hundred figures charged toward the Human-Ignited Light.

The scorching light repelled all who approached.

“My fate is mine, not Heaven’s—break for me!” A woman with phoenix eyes shouted, her robes stained with blood, as she pressed forward.

Many Ancestral Gods each employed their own tricks, drawing closer to the Human-Ignited Light.

Yet, no matter how hard they tried, they were still far from the core.

Moreover, every so often, someone could not hold on and fell from the sky.

If they could not even approach, how could they wield it?

Tianzu Fengliu watched this scene, his gaze wistful. “The closest now is Huang Limei, but… she is still a hundred zhang from the core.”

After arriving in the Divine Wood Universe, he had taken Tianzu as his surname and his original name as his given name, to commemorate the destroyed Tianzu clan.

To wield Human-Ignited Light, one had to enter the core region.

Now, even the closest was still a hundred zhang from the core.

Even if someone managed to wield it like this, it would be barely adequate, unable to unleash the true power of Human-Ignited Light.

Sheng Nu’s eyes also showed worry. “The time given us to grow is too short.”

Had a few tens of thousands more millennia been granted, perhaps things would not have unfolded this away.

Yuan’s gaze remained placid as he scrutinized the Ancestral Gods still struggling to hold their ground, drawing ever closer to the Radiance of Human Evolution; his thoughts were a complex, tangled skein.

"This clash may not necessarily escalate into a grand war; a preliminary trial of strength might not be such a bad thing after all."

Yuan was offering words of solace to steady the morale of the host.

"Indeed, the thread left behind by the Dao Lord of Shattering Light has not yet vanished. We still have ample time to prepare," the irascible, heavily bearded man remarked.

This impending conflict might not even ignite a full-scale conflagration; it could very well turn out to be nothing more than a minor skirmish.

It was highly unlikely to engulf the entirety of the Sacred Wood Universe.

Yet, at that very precise moment, the haze of confusion suddenly dissolved from the eyes of a young man named Xiao Qi amidst the throng of the Imperial City, replaced by a glimmer of brilliant clarity.

"This Radiance of Human Evolution... I, too, would like to hold it in my grasp."

"Hey, Xiao Qi, what do you think you're doing?" Long Qi stammered, utterly dazed.

Even the old man stood frozen in disbelief as Xiao Qi suddenly soared into the heavens, hurtling directly toward the locus of the Radiance of Human Evolution.

Did he not know that flight was strictly forbidden over the Imperial Star without explicit dispensation?

Furthermore, the airspace-locking formation ahead should have been more than sufficient to bring him to a halt.

To their profound astonishment, however, Xiao Qi’s figure advanced as though navigating an entirely uninhabited realm.

The restrictive array, formidable enough to bind an Ancestral God, failed to impede his progress in the slightest.

"What is he doing?"

"Who is he?"

In that fleeting instant, countless gazes converged upon Xiao Qi, filled with bewilderment, astonishment, and suspicion—an array of conflicting emotions.

Huang Limei also caught sight of the figure approaching from behind, her mind slipping into utter consternation.

For she had never laid eyes on this Xiao Qi before.

By all rights, she should have recognized every powerhouse of repute upon the Imperial Star.

Yet in the very next heartbeat, a spectacle that shook her to her core unfolded before her eyes: that anonymous man actually swept right past the remaining Ancestral Gods.

In the breath that followed, his position surpassed her own.

"How can this be!" Intense shock reverberated through Huang Limei's heart.

As a peak powerhouse of the First Realm of Ancestral Gods, she understood better than anyone the sheer, agonizing exertion required just to stand where she currently stood.

And yet, that man had overtaken her effortlessly?

Who exactly was he? "He surpassed Huang Limei?"

"To think there was still such a powerhouse concealed within the Imperial Star!"

"Who in the world is he?"

"Can he actually reach the central core?"

The entire populace was struck with awe, watching the man with eyes that harbored a budding sense of anticipation.

The old man's eyes widened in sheer disbelief, his countenance a mask of shock.

Long Qi, on the other hand, clenched his fists tightly, his face awash with uncontrollable excitement and pleasant surprise.

Could it really be Xiao Qi?

High up in the firmament, the irascible, heavily bearded man stared with bulging eyes: "He..."

He began to harbor a suspicion regarding the man's true identity.

Yuan shook his head, staying his hand to prevent him from intervening: "We need only wait in peace."

Shangguan Qingteng and Shangguan Qingmiao stood amidst the crowd, tracking that silhouette with convoluted emotions swirling in their minds.

"Why does he... look somewhat familiar?"

"Is it truly him?"

In the next breath, the central core, situated hundreds of feet away, was bridged in an instant.

This time, every single Ancestral God was genuinely shaken to the core.

This signified that the man had already attained the preliminary qualification to wield the Radiance of Human Evolution.

Yet, what occurred in the very next instant struck everyone with absolute stupefaction.

The young man simply waved his hand toward the four resplendent artifacts of the Radiance of Human Evolution suspended beneath the vault of heaven.

At that exact moment, those four artifacts actually came hurtling toward him.

"How is this possible!"

"The Radiance of Human Evolution... how could it fall into his hands so easily?"

"How on earth did he accomplish that?"

Everyone held their breath, utterly unable to credit the reality before their eyes.

That was the Radiance of Human Evolution, not some trivial, commonplace object, yet the man had summoned it into his grasp with a mere wave of his hand.

What could this possibly portend?

As the four artifacts of the Radiance of Human Evolution settled into his possession, the lingering vacancy in Xiao Qi's eyes vanished entirely.

It was as though he had suddenly understood something, as though ancient memories had rushed back to him.

Holding the four artifacts aloft, his figure loomed straight and majestic, yet underscored by a faint trace of languid nonchalance.

"I, Qi Yuan... shall take charge of a few pieces of the Radiance of Human Evolution... No one object, I presume?"

His voice reverberated in all directions at that moment. The denizens of the Imperial Star were momentarily plunged into confusion, which then rapidly transformed into a torrent of ecstatic joy.

"He is... the World Master!"

"World Master Qi Yuan?"

"The World Master... the World Master of our Sacred Wood Universe!"

In that very instant, the eyes of countless onlookers grew misty with tears.

Several centuries ago, when news regarding World Master Qi Yuan first arrived, many had refused to believe it at the start.

But as the Boundless Star Sector was reclaimed, as the Radiance Society retreated from the Sacred Wood, and as Yuan vindicated Qi Yuan's name,

everyone finally came to realize that the Sacred Wood Universe had indeed given rise to a World Master.

Their very own World Master!

Yet over these past several hundred years, the World Master had completely vanished without a trace; many had sought him out, but none had ever found him.

They had drifted from hope to despair.

Now, the World Master had manifested once more, taking command of the four artifacts of the Radiance of Human Evolution—how could they not be ecstatic, how could they not be deeply moved?

"Yuan... pays respects to the Lord World Master!"

The undisputed foremost figure of the Sacred Wood Universe in days gone by lowered his noble head at this very moment.

"Sheng Nu... pays respects to the Realm Lord!" Sheng Nu lowered her head, her demeanor reverent.

"Pays respects to the Realm Lord!"

All the Ancestral Gods bowed their heads, their eyes filled with awe and anticipation.

"Pays respects to the Realm Lord!"

The entire Imperial Star seemed to roar as one.

The sound rolled like tides, like waves, shaking the land for ten thousand miles.

The old man's gaze was complex, tinged with a sigh: "Little Qi... he is actually the Realm Lord."

Long Qi's face was wild with joy.

If Little Qi were some divine-level powerhouse, he might have felt a hint of jealousy.

But now... the Realm Lord—that was no longer jealousy; it was ecstasy.

At that moment, above the heavens, Qi Yuan held four pieces of Human-Enlightened Radiance, his gaze profound.

"This time... the Black Heaven and Black Earth invasion?" he asked casually.

"Reporting to the Realm Lord, yes!" Yuan stepped forward, devoid of the former arrogance of the strongest in the Divine Wood Universe.

As a being at the second layer of Ancestral God, he naturally knew the vast gap between himself and the Realm Lord.

Qi Yuan's eyes flickered: "All these years, I've been immersed in enlightenment and mortal transformation, neglecting to slay specters. Very well, give me the other three pieces of Human-Enlightened Radiance as well. This time, I'll go to the Void Sea to meet them."

At these words, the Ancestral Gods on the scene changed expressions, countless thoughts surging in their hearts.

After all, though Qi Yuan was the Realm Lord, he was also a creature of the Divine Wood Universe.

Otherwise, the will of the Divine Wood Universe would have long rejected him, not allowing him to stand here in peace.

But they had almost no contact with Qi Yuan.

His conduct, character, and such were only known through written records.

To entrust him, at their first meeting, with the seven Radiant Marvels forged from the flesh and blood of countless beings...

They... were somewhat distrustful.

What if... what if...

All the Ancestral Gods wore varied expressions, each harboring their own thoughts.

From their perspective, such doubt was only natural.

Human-Enlightened Radiance was no ordinary object; it concerned the very survival of the Divine Wood Universe.

Yuan's gaze shifted as he studied Qi Yuan, finally speaking: "Agreed."

"Yuan!" the hot-tempered bearded man shouted, wanting to stop him.

The others, seeing this, said nothing more.

Yuan's prestige shone brighter than the sun itself.

Since Yuan had consented, there was no need for them to veto.

Not to mention... if Qi Yuan were to act, could they even defend the seven pieces of Human-Enlightened Radiance?

"These are the remaining three Radiant Marvels." Yuan, clad in battered armor, handed the three Radiant Marvels to Qi Yuan.

Three marvels, radiating dazzling light, fell into Qi Yuan's hands.

Qi Yuan examined the seven Radiant Marvels, a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Gold, Wood, Fire, Earth, Thunder, Cloud, Rain..."

Within these seven Radiant Marvels, he perceived these seven attributes.

And these seven attributes exactly matched the eight wooden plaques given to him by the Blind Maiden.

"But... what about Water?"

If it were not a coincidence, was a Water Radiant Marvel still missing?

Qi Yuan thought to himself.

He turned his gaze to Sheng Nu, his expression calm: "Sister Sheng Nu, have you ever been to the Divine Wood Abyss in the Green Mountain Realm?"

Sheng Nu had once created the Divine Descent, so he addressed her with high emotional intelligence as "sister."

Of course, with even higher emotional intelligence, he would have called her "aunt" or "mother."

"Yes." Sheng Nu nodded. She had learned from the Shangguan brothers that Qi Yuan was very interested in this matter.

Qi Yuan said, "In the Divine Wood Abyss, I once met a Blind Maiden. She said she had seen you and gave you an artifact-forging method?"

"Blind Maiden?" Sheng Nu looked bewildered. "No, but... in the Divine Wood Abyss, while contemplating the void, I did gain something—I learned an artifact-forging method."

"Is that so?" Qi Yuan's gaze was complex.

(End of chapter)