Chapter 268.2: Qi Yuan Died?
A crimson streak of light shot across the sky, its momentum vast and astonishing. It was Qi Yuan, traveling from Phoenix Heaven to Secluded Heaven. These days, he had not stopped moving, crossing domain after domain. He received a steady stream of news along the way.
Wujun reported that the Yuan God Sharing Society was progressing smoothly. The Seeking Dao Palace had already begun collecting cultivation techniques and storing them in jade slips. Many Venerables and Great Venerables were also willing to help the Blood-Clothed Sword God.
In three hundred years, they would travel together to Central Heaven to face the Great Calamity.
Qi Yuan sighed, then sighed again. "There are still a lot of good people in this world. How unfortunate..."
According to Wujun, the palace master had already sent messages to the Yin Spirits of Secluded Heaven, informing them of the Blood-Clothed Sword God’s impending arrival. They would welcome him if they chose to. However, even after arriving for quite some time and making a spectacle of himself, not a single Yin Spirit had come to greet him.
Still, Qi Yuan could only groan. "It seems the Yin Spirits of Secluded Heaven are all men. Otherwise, they would’ve been captivated by my charm and come sweeping the ground to welcome me."
A few moments later, someone finally came out, signaling Qi Yuan to descend using a Yin Spirit artifact. It was a man who stood on a hillside, clad in black robes. His aura suggested Violet Palace.
Qi Yuan stared curiously at the black-robed man. "Which Yin Spirit sent you to greet me? Why didn't he come himself?"
The Violet Palace cultivator lowered his head respectfully. "Blood-Clothed Sword God, I hailed from the Divine Flower Society. I never expected that I would have the fortune to meet you, Senior!"
Having heard many stories about the Blood-Clothed Sword God, he admired him greatly. After all, with the Great Calamity approaching, almost all Yin Spirits had chosen to hide. Very few were as bold and free-spirited as Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're my fan?"
See? His charm was still very strong, even male fans existed.
"If I remember correctly, the Divine Flower Society’s headquarters is in Secluded Heaven." Anger flashed in Qi Yuan's eyes. "Where is the president? He muted me last time! I still haven’t settled the score!"
Qi Yuan was not the type to let people silence him and simply endure it. Now, they could meet face-to-face and settle things.
"The president..." The Violet Palace cultivator appeared angry. "He has already defected to the Dark Sun."
"Him? To the Dark Sun? No wonder he muted me, so he's a traitor to the Canglan World! Where is their headquarters? I'll destroy it right now!"
"He is currently at their headquarters in Wind Thunder Valley."
Qi Yuan became delighted. "Oh? That makes things simple! How considerate of him! I just have to destroy Wind Thunder Valley to wipe out both enemies."
Truly, fate favored him! His enemies had gathered in one place!
"Blood-Clothed Sword God, you must be careful. Dark Sun likely has Mythic experts!" the cultivator warned seriously.
Dark Sun was powerful. Not only did they have Step Six cultivators, but also Mythics.
Qi Yuan replied casually, "It'll be fine. I am here because I am confident."
So what if they had Mythic experts? Even some of his slumbering Nascent Souls could display Mythic-tier combat power.
The Violet Palace cultivator then said slowly, "Senior, I actually come from Central Heaven."
Qi Yuan was startled. "You are a cityfolk?"
Central Heaven was the true heart of the Canglan World and the site of the Great Calamity.
The cultivator explained, "In truth, the resistance against the Great Calamity has never stopped. Nearly all Mythic experts have gathered in Central Heaven, forming an organization called Canglan. I am one of its members, sent to Secluded Heaven to monitor the Divine Flower Society and Dark Sun. Senior killed the Four Generals of the Lei Clan and has extraordinary strength. Why don’t you spare Dark Sun for now and head to Central Heaven? The Mythic experts may be able to help Senior break through to the Mythic realm."
Though he spoke in a tactful manner, his words carried several layers of implications. Fearing that Qi Yuan would lose to Dark Sun, he used Mythic advancement to persuade him to head to Central Heaven.
Qi Yuan said matter-of-factly, "Thank you for your kindness, but my strength is still too low, and the Mythic realm is too far away. I’ll consider going to Central Heaven after destroying Dark Sun."
In truth, he was only a True Lord. Though he was among the top figures in the Great Shang, his cultivation was not considered exceptional in Canglan.
The Violet Palace cultivator sighed. The Canglan organization had actually been out of contact with him for a long time. Everything he had said just now came from his own goodwill.
Nevertheless, seeing he could not persuade Qi Yuan, he let the matter go. "I hope to see you destroy Dark Sun and restore light to the Canglan World."
"Since you're here, do you have a map of Wind Thunder Valley?"
The cultivator handed over a map. "Senior, please be careful."
Thus, Qi Yuan set off alone toward Wind Thunder Valley.
***
About two hours later, Qi Yuan stopped before a dense forest. Similar to the mortal kingdoms of Great Shang, spiritual energy was thin. As a result, there were no cultivation sects for thousands of miles, only a few mortal nations. Even ordinary cultivators of Secluded Heaven could never have imagined that the most terrifying force in the domain resided within this forest.
Qi Yuan stood quietly in the forest. "Damn Wind Thunder Valley. To enter it, I actually have to wait four days!"
After all, Wind Thunder Valley was inside a secret realm. According to the Violet Palace cultivator, there were only two ways to enter. The first way was for someone inside to open the entrance.
When Qi Yuan first arrived, he had already shouted insults for several minutes, but the valley remained closed.
Inside, the president naturally knew Qi Yuan had arrived. However, he had just obtained control of the puppets and wasn't yet proficient. He was not in a hurry to let the Blood-Clothed Sword God enter. Although Qi Yuan’s name had not appeared on the Mythic Stele, what if he truly possessed Mythic-tier power?
Thus, Qi Yuan had to use the second method: force his way in. To do so, he had to play chess on a stone board for four days. The entrance would open after the aforementioned days regardless of victory or defeat.
Qi Yuan sat at the stone bench with his eyes closed. In his mind, he was analyzing and integrating the cultivation techniques he had obtained, improving the Qi Yuan Scripture. Occasionally he would place a chess piece on the board. Clad in a blood-red robe, his calm posture while playing chess made him appear refined and scholarly.
Several woodcutters gathering firewood on the mountain watched him curiously from afar, but dared not approach the strange man.
After an unknown amount of time, hundreds of pieces had already been placed on the board.
Suddenly, Qi Yuan opened his eyes. "Qi Yuan died?"
The character he formed from the Primordial Seed had died! He was rendered speechless. How he wished he could enter the game immediately to see what had happened!
"This game starts by killing me first. How am I supposed to play?"
***
At this moment, in the unknown world, a brand-new cemetery had been built. Qi Yuan wasn’t cremated, but buried instead. On his tombstone was something like a QR code, allowing one to see the story of his life by scanning it.
In front of the tombstone, there was only a single bouquet of flowers, making it look especially lonely.
