Sage Monarch

by Stayrr

Yang Qi was the son of the patriarch of a wealthy family from a small town. Believing himself to be in love, he stole a pill for his lover, only to have the girl betray him, by taking the pill and leaving him behind. Caught, his dantian was crippled and left to die under the lightning. This lightning helped him to recover his lost martial arts and also helped him gain a new, divi

4. 97

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Chapter 97: Energy Formation Drill

Yang Qi looked down at the hand-written letter from his father. Heart pounding, he murmured, "My mother's nickname is Greensura?"

Most shocking of all was the last line that mentioned being the ruler of the entire Rich-Lush Continent. A host of feelings rose up in Yang Qi's heart. Only an extraordinary person could possibly rule the entire Rich-Lush Continent. Right now, that ruler was the emperor of the Sage Ancestor Dynasty.

Although the dynasty was on the decline, there was still an emperor who had occupied the throne for more than a thousand years already. Although he rarely made public appearances, and left most affairs of state to the imperial princes to handle, the dynasty was still widely respected and feared.

The emperor's cultivation base was mysterious and unfathomable, although, it was known that it had already been a thousand years since he became a Legendary.

Considering how much time had passed since then, it was impossible to say his current level. Perhaps he had gone beyond the Legendary level, and had surpassed the mortal and entered the saintly. For all anyone knew, he was in the Great Sage level or even higher.

Considering how much Yang Qi had progressed in cultivation, he already knew that after the Lifeseizing level was the Legendary level. Although he wasn't sure how many sub-levels were in that level, he did know that progressing through them was incredibly difficult.

Beyond Legendaries were the Great Sages, invincible individuals who were essentially saints, and were powerful beyond imagination. In the distant past, when the Demonfolk ran rampant, some of their most powerful experts reached the Great Sage level and left the world to roam space-time.

As for what lay beyond it, Yang Qi wasn't sure.

In any case, if someone wanted to become the ruler of the entire Rich-Lush Continent, they would definitely have to wipe out the Sage Ancestor Dynasty and execute its emperor.

And that meant that such an individual would definitely need to be as strong as one of those Great Sages from the distant past.

'Who exactly is my mother? She must be very important if the prerequisite to see her is to be the ruler of this entire continent. How did she end up involved with father? In terms of status, the two of them are about as different as heaven and earth! Well, once my cultivation base is high enough, I'll go to the Hanging Mountain and ask her myself.' Filled with more questions than answers, Yang Qi waved his hand, causing the letter to burst into flames.

Because of the important secrets it contained, Yang Zhan had specifically directed him to dispose of it after reading it.

Calming himself, Yang Qi looked out at the beautiful scenery which surrounded his temple, as well as the abundant spirit energy. In the middle of the temple was the energy formation of the dao of monarchs, which he found to be particularly intriguing.

It was a formation created out of pure energy, designed to temper the physical body, strengthen the cultivation base, improve the meridians, and build up the energy of the dao of monarchs.

Remaining in the formation for long periods of time could even affect one's personality and thoughts, causing one to think like a monarch. It could make one's thoughts more clear, one's vision more expansive, and could help a person to become a better leader.

Thus were the marvelous abilities of an energy formation of the dao of monarchs.

Unfortunately, ordinary Lifeseizers would be incapable of putting such a formation together. Besides, they required massive amounts of resources and true energy to construct.

Despite two months of intensive study, Yang Qi only had a vague understanding of how they were made.

He had attended many classes regarding spell formations, and thus knew much more about them than he had in the past. For example, he knew that many energy arts could be used in conjunction with spell formations. That included the Four Seasons Swordplay, which he could now use in a way that was ten times as powerful as the art normally was.

In the two months since he had become an elite student, Yang Qi had progressed rapidly.

He knew ten times as much as he had in the past, perhaps even a hundred.

And of course, his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was growing even more refined. In fact, he was fairly certain that he would soon have enough life force quintessence built up to achieve Secondary Lifeseizing.

When working on his cultivation in the energy formation of the dao of monarchs, he could sense subterranean spirit lodes. When it came to the so-called spirit energy of heaven and earth, heaven had the free-flowing spirit energy, and the earth had spirit lodes. Usually, locations with spirit lodes were the best place to practice cultivation, build mansion grottos, and circulate energy.

And of course, the Demi-Immortal Institute in general was built in the best location possible. It was located in the very middle of the Rich-Lush Continent, on top of an enormous spirit lode. And it was that very energy that Yang Qi could sense below him.

On a few occasions, he had attempted to tap into it, but it was too powerful, and eventually, he was forced to give up.

After all, that was why the College of Elite Students had energy formations of the dao of monarchs to begin with. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to bring his four friends in to use the formation. If he did, and it were found out, he would be severely punished.

Therefore, he was doing his research into spell formations in the hope of setting up small-scale versions for them on the outside. If they had energy formations of the dao of monarchs, they would definitely advance much more rapidly, and would soon be able to reach the Lifeseizing level themselves.

'The true essence of the dao of monarchs, encapsulated eternally in a spell formation.'

After studying the spell formation for a bit longer, he suddenly produced a handful of white demon cores from his thumb-ring. Crushing them, he took the resulting white energy flow and sent it swirling into a very specific pattern.

He did not seal the energy, but let it continue to flow. At its current level, it was almost like the power of a dozen Lifeseizers all working together, causing powerful winds to scream through Yang Qi's temple.

Wham! Bam!

Just like that, a small version of an energy formation of the dao of monarchs took shape, the result of Yang Qi's two months of research into spell formations.

Spell formations could be used at any time. In fact, some spell formation masters could create spell formation cycles that could be placed into the internal organs, muscles, and bones, to make themselves far stronger than ordinary.

Furthermore, demon cores were often used in formation deployment.

The cores he had just used came from demonlings in the Master of Energy level, which he had acquired from the treasure stores of the vampire brigands.

Almost immediately, the small spell formation began to absorb the local energy of the dao of monarchs.

Besides, Yang Qi could sense that it was also drawing upon the vital energy from the subterranean energy lodes.

'Most Lifeseizers cannot control the vital energy in the subterranean spirit lodes. In fact, their true energy would be completely destroyed by it. But with my Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, I have unique control over the ground beneath my feet. Now, I can actually connect to the subterranean spirit lodes. This technique makes me like the lord of earth!'

As he drew upon the quintessence of his energy arts, true energy gathered above his head in the shape of a godmammoth, whose trunk then slammed into the ground and immediately connected to the spirit lode beneath. If other top experts in the institute could see what was happening, they would be completely shocked. As for the spirit energy that flowed up, it was almost pure white, indicating how incredibly strong it was.

"The lord of the earth!"

The words actually echoed out from the true energy godmammoth itself.

The lord of hell would naturally be the lord of the earth.

The pure-white subterranean spirit energy flowed into the energy formation of the dao of monarchs, causing the smaller formation Yang Qi had created to grow larger, until it actually contained the entire true energy godmammoth.

'For now, I can store the formation in my thumb-ring.'

The dimension inside his thumb-ring was definitely big enough to contain the formation, and once inside, it wouldn't dissipate. In contrast, if he left it in his room and didn't watch over it constantly, it would gradually fade away. And making another one would be quite troublesome.

Even inside the ring, it still continued to absorb the subterranean vital energy and convert it into the energy of the dao of monarchs.

'If I leave it in there for too long, it might develop a spirit of its own. I'd better get it to Li He and the others as soon as possible.'

Deactivating the larger spell formation in his room, he blurred into motion, heading out of the College of Elite Students and toward the Outer Campus.

Meanwhile, in another location in the College of Elite Students, someone watched as Yang Qi left.

The observer was none other than Gu Fenxian, who Yang Qi recently humiliated.

He was with several other elite students, all of them members of the Crown Prince Society. Considering the shifty glints in their eyes, it seemed they were hatching some scheme or another.

"We've been secretly watching Yang Qi for almost two months now, Gu Fenxian," one of the students said. "Have you seen anything suspicious? I have this feeling that he's actually a lot stronger than he's letting on. He's definitely talented, so it wouldn't be a bad thing to accept him into our Crown Prince Society. However, considering how many invitations he's turned down from us over the past months, it seems he's the ambitious type who doesn't want to acknowledge allegiance to anyone. If he's going to cause problems for us in the future, the best thing would be to get rid of him now. The Crown Prince himself has taken a liking to Yun Hailan, and she hates Yang Qi to death. Why don't we just finish things now?"

"Get rid of him?" Gu Fenxian growled. "I doubt we could assassinate him. He's an elite student now, and the higher-ups in the institute are no fools. They would definitely suspect us right away. And the punishment for killing fellow students is severe. Even if the Crown Prince interfered, I'd bet they'd still cripple our martial arts. And that would be a fate worse than death."

"Well, there's no rush," another student said. Eyes flickering with sinister light, he continued, "We'll figure out something eventually. Students die all the time. There's no way the institute investigates all of the deaths in detail, right? Why don't we get someone else to do the dirty work? For example, the inter-institute martial arts competition is coming up. What if we got a student from one of the other institutes to do it for us?!"

"Good point. The Crown Prince Society has been in operation for years, and we have agents in all the other institutes. We should be able to arrange something like that easily…."

And thus, their discussion continued….

1. In Chinese, the word for "hell" contains two characters, and the first is the character for "earth".

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Chapter 98: Summoned by an Energy Crane

As soon as Yang Qi was out in the open, he could sense that numerous hostile gazes had locked onto him. 'Must be the Crown Prince Society. They're the only ones who have a beef with me.'

Furthermore, one of the gazes seemed to burn with fire that could immolate immortals.

Clearly, Gu Fenxian was not willing to let matters drop, and wanted revenge.

He came from an aristocratic clan, and was inherently petty and arrogant. His clan had once possessed an imperial-class energy art, and had produced many Legendaries. In fact, the founder of the clan had been a Great Sage. Because of that, Gu Fenxian had always felt superior, and was used to people acquiescing to him in all situations.

How could he not seek vengeance for the defeat he had suffered at the Academy of Sage Studies?

Yang Qi had no doubts in his mind that he would, and thus, was fully on guard.

For the entire two months that he had been an elite student, he had been waiting for the Crown Prince Society to do something against him, and it was for that reason that he hadn't left the Demi-Immortal Institute. Instead, he focused on study and on spell formations. That way, when the time came to clash with the Crown Prince Society, he would be ready to show them how strong he truly was.

Now that he was in the College of Elite Students, he would eventually be able to reveal the true level of his energy arts and cultivation base.

It was a long-standing tradition in the institute to leave elite students alone. They were expected to harbor secrets, and not even the professors and elders in the institute were allowed to investigate such matters.

In fact, the longer one remained an elite student, the more secrets they were expected to keep.

Yang Qi was currently expecting to wait four or five years and do his best to stabilize his position. At that point, he wouldn't need to hold back as much.

'Hmph! If you didn't have the Crown Prince Society to back you up, Yun Hailan, I would have already given you what you deserve. One of these days, my Sage Monarch Society will surpass the Crown Prince Society. Then you'll see that all the power you've worked to accumulate is nothing more than a joke! And no matter how much you beg and plead, I won't give you any second chances. No hope!'

As Yang Qi made his way to the Outer Campus, he kept his senses focused on whether or not he was being followed.

Given the level of his energy arts and cultivation base, he could tell if hostile gazes were locked onto him. Even if the people watching him remained in hiding, he would still detect their gazes.

After all, Gu Fenxian and his friends were no match for him in terms of energy arts. They were all Lifeseizers, but Yang Qi was dozens of times more powerful than them. Therefore, it was only natural that he would be able to detect them watching him.

However, Gu Fenxian was under the impression that Yang Qi had no idea about being surveilled. Little did he know that, not only was Yang Qi aware of his actions, he could also sense exactly where Gu Fenxian was, and also could hear what he was saying.

After confirming that he had lost them, Yang Qi entered the room where Li He and the others were working on their cultivation.

During the two months which had passed, all four of them had made significant progress.

They had all sorts of relevant resources stacked up around the room, such as spirit medicines, pill furnaces, and the like. These weren't things provided by the institute, but rather, treasured items given them by their clans.

All four of them had taken time to return to their clans for assessment by their clan seniors. Considering their progress, their clans now had deep hope that they would reach the Lifeseizing level.

Unless the leadership in their clans were complete fools, they would definitely do everything they could to support such rising stars.

Of course, Yang Qi realized that news of him reaching the Lifeseizing level and becoming an elite student had been spread to his friends' clans, and that they had sent expressions of goodwill to his father.

In fact, in his letter, his father had asked him to offer thanks to Li He and the others.

As of this point, they were all mutually benefiting from their various relationships.

That was one reason why Yang Qi had worked so hard to research energy formations of the dao of monarchs. If his friends could advance a bit further in their cultivation, it would make their alliance even stronger. If their group consisted of five elite students, then they might not be able to rival the Crown Prince Society, the Gentlemen's Society, or the Divine Ability Society, but at least those societies would hesitate before causing trouble for them.

As soon as he entered the room, his friends' eyes went wide at the obvious progress he had made.

"How has your cultivation gone in the past two months, Yang Qi?" Li He said.

"I finished creating an energy formation of the dao of monarchs. It's right here in my Heart of the Sea thumb-ring. Let's set it up here, and the four of you can try it out. Let's see how similar it is to the ones in the College of Elite Students. Afterwards, I'm hoping you can help me get it to Yanhaven so that my father and brothers can use it, and possibly some of the young talented ones in the clan."

With that, Yang Qi waved his finger, pulling the spell formation out into the room.

Pure white spirit energy flowed through the air, looking almost like milk. Instantly, the spirit energy began to pour into his four friends.

Within that energy was the energy of the dao of monarchs, which purified their minds and hearts.

"It's really an energy formation of the dao of monarchs!" Liang Dong exclaimed. "How did you make it, Yang Qi? Lots of students have tried to do this, but none of them ever succeeded. You need pure subterranean spirit energy to do so, and that stuff is wild and powerful. Not even Quaternary Lifeseizers would be able to extract it. But you did?"

The only explanation Yang Qi offered was a mysterious smile. Because of the way the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth let him control matters of the earth, he could do things that many top masters could not.

"That's not important," he said. "Come on, start with your cultivation. I'll help out. Who knows, we might even be able to get Liang Dong into the Lifeseizing level right now."

"Let's do it!" They all sat down cross-legged and got to work.

Yang Qi sat in the middle, his hands flowing through the air as he sent streams of true energy into the milky-white spirit energy. Drawing out the true essence of the dao of monarchs, he turned the spirit energy into what looked like snakes that began to pour into his friends' body.

Instantly, their bodies began to transform, all the way down to their bones. Their blood began to turn as white as the spiritual energy itself, and the power of their Cosmic Sunflare Sword began to build.

By this point, the four of them had abandoned the use of true energy to practice cultivation, and instead focused purely on the Cosmic Sunflare Sword. As such, whenever they used their sword energy, it pulsed with the sensation of the cosmos, and the heat of a flaring sun.

Cultivating this sword technique was very taxing on the body. Sword energy was inherently sharp, and would damage the meridians upon passing through them.

But now, with the help of Yang Qi's energy formation of the dao of monarchs, and the milky white spirit energy that was coursing through their blood, their bodies were being remolded. Now, the sword energy of the Cosmic Sunflare Sword could move through them much more smoothly and quickly.

In its ultimate form, sword energy could rage to the heights of the sky, destroy vital energy, and use ability to seize life from the heavens.

As for Yang Qi, he had used raw power to vanquish the vital energy and seize life.

But ability was different from raw power. Ability was about sharpness and accuracy, and the skill to slice apart anything and everything. Raw power was just the ability to crush or destroy.

Ability was like an assassin, and raw power was like an emperor.

In the modern world, few people used raw power to try to seize life. After all, raw power was something that belonged to the devils of the distant past, and the legion of gods in heaven. It was almost profane for humans to attempt to use it.

Therefore, few people would ever do what Yang Qi did. Generally speaking, ability was the orthodox method among humans.

The entire group of four was completely focused on their cultivation. Although they didn't compare much at all to the other powerful organizations in the Demi-Immortal Institute, one day, they would be able to unleash their true power.

Before, the four of them would never have even been able to dream of using an energy formation of the dao of monarchs, and thus, would never have reached the Lifeseizing level.

Yang Qi was definitely a major outlier. He had overcome many dangerous situations, killed Chu Tiange, completed his Hellfire Crucible, and built up significant reserves before heading out onto the ocean to reach the Lifeseizing level.

For others, things could never go so smoothly.

For example, Yun Hailan only succeeded because she had attracted the attention of the legendary Crown Prince, who had bestowed her with Life Force Springwater.

WHOOSH!

Even as they worked on their cultivation, they all sensed something odd. Sure enough, it was possible to see a radiant light hovering outside of the window, which looked like a paper crane made of pure energy.

It was exquisite, and very lifelike, and seemed to be honed in on Yang Qi's aura.

At the same time, Yang Qi could sense Yang Susu's aura on it.

'Aunt Susu is out of seclusion? She's using that energy crane to let me know?' He waved his hand, causing the window to open, and simultaneously sent out a manifestation of Humanoid True Energy to take control of the spell formation. Then, he leapt up and flew out the window.

Instantly, the energy crane flew some distance away, then turned and looked at him, as if waiting for him to follow.

Without any hesitation, he flew after the creature, passing through numerous buildings toward the depths of the institute.

Hundreds of kilometers inside the Demi-Immortal Institute, there were no temples and pagodas. Instead, there were mountains, wreathed with mist and covered with flowers and vegetation.

The mountains stretched out in all directions, too many of them to count, almost like the scales on a dragon.

This was a very significant part of the institute, the Heaven Lode Mountains. According to the legends, this had once been a so-called dragon lode in the Rich-Lush Continent. In primeval times it had been very mysterious, and also, very famous. Later, it came to be occupied by the Demi-Immortal Institute.

The highest level members lived here, including conclave students and holy neophytes.

"Is this where Aunt Susu has been working on her cultivation? It seems her master must be a very important person." Yang Qi flew through the mountains, not daring to stray off the path led by the crane. Obviously, it was a dangerous location, filled with deadly spell formations and other things that could kill him instantly.

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Chapter 99: Sun Moon Institute

The chirping and twittering of birds drifted about in the mountainous forests.

Beautiful flowers abounded, like brightly brocaded cloth. It all looked like a profoundly beautiful painting.

The colorful birds flitted about, and butterflies fluttered here and there. Some of the butterflies were enormous, and Yang Qi even spotted one that was the size of a human. As it flew through the air, pollen swirled off its wings, making it look almost unreal.

"That butterfly is a demon-spirit, a type of devilling with a Master of Energy cultivation base!"

The butterfly noticed Yang Qi, and flapped its wings, sending a stream of true energy toward him. However, as soon as it sensed his Lifeseizer aura, it retracted the energy, turned, and drifted away in the opposite direction.

Yang Qi smiled faintly. After all, these mountains were part of the Demi-Immortal Institute, and the devillings here wouldn't randomly go around hurting people. Most of them were raised as pets by the experts who lived here.

Eventually, he found himself following the energy crane up a path lined with countless flowers.

Considering how complex the twists and turns were, Yang Qi got the feeling it was a spell formation, and that if he wasn't following the crane, he would have been snared by it.

They were making their way toward the top of one particular mountain in the Heaven Lode Mountains, one that was completely covered with bright flowers.

From the look of it, those flowers would remain in bloom all year, no matter the weather. After all, this mountain was covered by a warm flow of energy from top to bottom. With it in place, the mountain would remain as warm as spring throughout the year.

As for the dirt, it was made up of millions of years' worth of fallen flower petals, and thus, was both fragrant and inherently medicinal in quality.

Yang Qi took in the sights as he proceeded along, marveling at how impressive it was. Whoever had made this mountain clearly had energy arts that surpassed his in every way.

'Don't tell me this is really where Aunt Susu has been practicing cultivation. Did her master make this mountain? That energy crane definitely had Aunt Susu's aura on it.'

He followed the crane for more than two hours as it led him higher and higher up the mountain, until the mists were so thick that sometimes it was difficult to see anything beyond ten paces.

Yang Qi actually had no idea where he was, and didn't dare to fly up into the air to try to find out; he knew that he had to stick close to the crane.

All of a sudden, his eyes lit up as they emerged from the mists into bright sunshine. At this point, Yang Qi could tell that he was about halfway up the mountain, at an enormous stone platform.

It was almost like a public square, large enough to fit hundreds of thousands of people. At the far end was a mansion grotto, almost like a palace. However, it wasn't constructed on the surface of the mountain, but rather, carved directly into it.

The ground of the platform was sparkling and translucent, like porcelain, its surface filled with innumerable complex floral designs. With a single glance, it was obvious that it had been crafted with powerful energy arts.

Yang Qi couldn't help but wonder what level of power it would take to create a palace like this out of a mountain.

There were quite a few people present, although they weren't students from the Demi-Immortal Institute. The first thing that jumped out to Yang Qi was that their garments were embroidered with shining moons and blazing suns, as well as writing in an ancient script. Surprisingly, these were students from another of the ancient institutes in the Rich-Lush Continent, the Sun Moon Institute.

Furthermore, all of them were male.

Apparently, they had come to pay a formal visit. Even more noteworthy, they were all dignified and imposing, without a single one of them being a weakling. These were all elite students.

There were four institutes of learning in the Rich-Lush Continent: the Demi-Immortal Institute, True Dragon Institute, Sun Moon Institute and Sea God Institute.

Yan Gufeng's daughter, Yan Feixia, was a student at the True Dragon Institute. Gu Che, who Yang Qi had killed, was from the Sea God Institute. But he had never met anyone from the Sun Moon Institute.

Some of the students caught sight of him walking up the path, and one of them shouted, "Stop right there!"

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Two of them burst into motion, flying over to block Yang Qi's path.

"Who are you?" one of them said coldly. "This is Manyflowers Peak! Our Elder Brother is here on business, so don't take a single step forward. Trespassing is not permitted!"

Yang Qi was not amused at all. This was Demi-Immortal Institute territory, and yet students from the Sun Moon Institute were trying to order him around? After looking the two students over, he frowned and said, "This is the Demi-Immortal Institute, and you're from another institute. You've got a lot of guts to go around blocking my path."

"How impudent!" the second student growled. "What's your name, criminal!? Tell me immediately so I can report you to the Demi-Immortal Institute elders. They'll definitely punish you. Our Elder Brother is here to propose to Holy Daughter Manyflowers' apprentice, Yang Susu! This could affect relations between our institutes at the highest level! How dare an insignificant runt like you cause a commotion at a time like this?"

Yang Qi's heart thumped, and a grim expression overtook his face. "Propose? As in marriage?" Although he wasn't sure why, rage was already burning inside of him. "Some punk from the Sun Moon Institute wants to propose to my Aunt Susu? What surprises me most is that he thinks he's worthy to do so!"

His words were so biting that the students from the Sun Moon Institute initially couldn't believe what they were hearing, and didn't know how to respond.

"What? What did you just say?"

"What gall!" another of the students shouted in fury. "Prepare to die!"

Suddenly, a fireball appeared in his hand, pulsing with destructive power that could put an end to anything and everything. And as the fireball rotated, it slowly began to morph into the shape of a saber.

However, Yang Qi didn't care what shape it took. Waving his finger, he sent a stream of sword energy out from the Cosmic Sunflare Sword, which he could now use openly.

However, this was no ordinary Cosmic Sunflare Sword. He had combined the technique with the Four Seasons Swordplay, and had added in elements based on his own enlightenment. The result, refined with his Hellfire Crucible, was a type of sword technique that no one could possibly recognize.

Essentially, it was a consummate discipline created by Yang Qi himself.

This sword technique contained the burning true energy of the Cosmic Sunflare Sword, as well as the numerous variations of spring, summer, autumn, and winter that came with the Four Seasons Swordplay. Life sprouted, lightning crash, frost spread, and snow filled the sky.

Swish!

The other student's energy arts were quickly vanquished, and he was sent flying more than a thousand paces backward. There, he landed hard onto his back, having lost all face.

"Dammit!"

"I can't believe he used such a vicious move!"

"What sword technique was that? How could it be so profound?"

"He actually attacked us? Surround him and kill him! He's an elite student here! This is open provocation! How dare he insult the dignity of the Sun Moon Institute?"

Instantly, several of the Sun Moon Institute students flew over and surrounded Yang Qi. Others flew over to help up their comrade who had just been defeated, sending true energy into him to heal his wounds.

Of the seven students facing Yang Qi, all were Lifeseizers, elite students of the Sun Moon Institute. As they stood in formation around him, swords bared, they seemed on the verge of unleashing a deadly attack.

Yang Qi stood there looking coldly at them; considering that he was in the Demi-Immortal Institute, he wasn't afraid at all. Even if deadly fighting did break out, he clearly occupied the moral high ground.

When the other students saw the killing intent flickering in his eyes, they suddenly got the sensation they were facing some primeval beast.

At this point, a melodious voice rang out from within the palace. "Stay your hand! What do you people think you're doing?"

Then, Yang Susu herself appeared.

The power radiating off of her was clear; Yang Qi could tell that she had advanced significantly since their previous meeting. Her true energy seemed three or four times stronger, and her life force seemed to have transformed into something completely different than before.

Clearly, she had used the Sage Devil Painting to reach Secondary Lifeseizing.

When she saw Yang Qi, her eyes flickered with delight, and she said, "Qi'er? What's going on? Why are you arguing with the Sun Moon Institute students? I heard that you reached the Lifeseizing level two months ago and became an elite student. Unfortunately, I couldn't emerge from seclusion, and had no way to congratulate you. I just came out of meditation two days ago, and sent that energy crane to notify you."

"Aunt Susu, what's going on with these Sun Moon Institute students? They said an Elder Brother of theirs came to propose to you? And then they dared to block my path? This is the Demi-Immortal Institute, not the Sun Moon Institute. For them to treat an elite student like myself this way is an insult to our institute! Besides, who is this Elder Brother they're talking about? Mind if I say hello to him? Is he superhuman or something? How dare he look down on the Demi-Immortal Institute so blatantly!"

"Qi'er…." Yang Susu could never have guessed that Yang Qi would say things like this, and leave the Sun Moon Institute students with no room to back down. Looking at Yang Qi, she was about to speak when, all of a sudden, a voice thundered out from the palace.

"Susu, is this the genius nephew you talked about? If he keeps acting this domineering, he's going to get himself killed. I can't believe he picked a fight with our institute! How dare a puny elite student cause friction between our two institutes. Well, since he wants to say hello, then I'll just drag him inside!"

WHIZZZ!

All of a sudden, a flow of energy erupted out, becoming a huge hand that began to drop toward Yang Qi.

1. At this point the author makes a play on word that comes across silly in English in my opinion, so I'm going to leave it out of the main text. He says, "His energy arts combined with his fury to create green smoke. It was 'spouting smoke through the seven orifices' (an idiom that means 'to seethe with anger'). It was as burning hot as the sun." The point is that he's really, really angry.

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Chapter 100: Wrecking the Proposal

Someone important was making a move!

The booming voice combined with the massive hand made Yang Qi felt like he was suffocating.

At play was an energy art that surpassed the level of any Lifeseizer he had ever encountered.

This person had clearly achieved multiple lifeseizings, and was on a similar level as the elders at the Academy of Sage Studies.

It was no wonder this person was so arrogant.

Despite that, Yang Qi didn't show an ounce of fear. Laughing coldly, he said, "Go in and say hello? You think you qualify to be honored like that? Who are you trying to impress, anyway? My ass? If you want to propose to my Aunt Susu, you have to get past me first. If you can't, then kindly screw the hell off."

With that, Yang Qi stamped his foot onto the ground.

RUMBLE!

Countless streams of true energy erupted from his foot, which merged together above him into an enormous, ever-growing sphere.

"How utterly useless," the voice said, booming even louder than before. Suddenly, an enormous pagoda of true energy appeared in the palm of the True Energy Megahand. It was nine stories tall, and pulsed with an aura that seemed capable of crushing any and all demon-devils.

Yang Susu recognized the technique immediately. "That's the Profound Yellow Pagoda from the Great Emperor Energy Art! Longxuan Ye, if you dare to harm my nephew, then you and I are going to have a serious problem!"

"Don't worry, Susu. I just need to teach this over-arrogant nephew of yours a bit of a lesson. If he goes around with his nose stuck in the air like this, he's going to lose his life eventually." However, the true energy at play didn't change at all, and in fact, the pagoda grew larger and larger, making it seems as though a great emperor were descending, causing the entire square to tremble and shake.

"Aunt Susu, this guy sure talks big. I'm afraid I have no choice but to destroy this supposed Profound Yellow Pagoda." Yang Qi simply stood there looking like some sort of god as his sphere of true energy exploded, becoming millions upon millions of streams of sword energy that shot toward the pagoda.

"Eee?" the voice said, clearly shocked. "Not bad. Your sword technique has reached the point of perfection. Unfortunately, it's still not enough to overcome me. This pagoda is powered by a great emperor!"

RUMBLE!

The massive pagoda descended, smashing into Yang Qi's sword energy, causing it to shatter into countless fragments.

With every moment that passed, the pagoda grew larger and larger. It was now several meters tall, seemed just on the verge of completely crushing Yang Qi

Furthermore, it was now just barely possible to see what appeared to be some sort of god within it, formed from true energy, like a great emperor from the distant past, ready to guide the pagoda in crushing a host of wretch-devils. Boundless, majestic power caused a heavenly thrumming sound to fill the area.

Anyone could tell that this was a completely invincible attack.

After all, this was the legendary Great Emperor Energy Art, which was imperial-class. The Profound Yellow Pagoda was an aspect of the technique just like the Infernal Deity Spear was an aspect of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

A sound like a massive, booming bell filled the square as Yang Qi looked up at the pagoda. Even the wind had been completely stilled.

There was no way that Yang Qi could evade this blow.

"Don't worry about your nephew, Yang Susu. I won't kill him. I'll lock him in the Profound Yellow Pagoda for three days and three nights. Once he acknowledges how powerful I am, I'll take him back to the Sun Moon Institute to offer a formal apology. After that, I'll let him go. Very well, come back inside so we can continue to discuss the marriage proposal."

Even as he spoke, the pagoda descended completely onto Yang Qi.

However, that was when something completely unexpected happened.

From within the yellow pagoda of true energy, Yang Qi's voice emerged. "You're Longxuan Ye, right? You think you're going to imprison me for three days and three nights? Are you shitting me? Be destroyed!"

KABOOOOM!

Cracks spread out over the surface of the Profound Yellow Pagoda, and then Yang Qi burst out from inside, surging with so much power that no one could possibly do anything against him.

He had completely destroyed the pagoda!

The chaotic energy that was unleashing raged like tornadoes, slamming into some of the off-guard Sun Moon Institute students, provoking agonized shrieks as their skin was flayed from their bodies.

They were powerful Lifeseizers, but the conflict between Yang Qi and Longxuan Ye was beyond shocking. Furthermore, just when they had assumed everything was over, a massive shock wave roiled out, completely destroying their defensive true energy.

"What?" an angry voice growled. "You destroyed my pagoda?" At that point, a yellow blur of light shot out from the palace.

At long last, Longxuan Ye was appearing in person.

He wore garments as yellow as the moon, embroidered with five-clawed dragons, making him look like the picture of an imperial prince.

Not only did he thrum with extraordinary power, he actually looked like a great emperor from the heavens.

Completely ignoring Longxuan Ye, Yang Susu looked with delight at Yang Qi and said, "Qi'er? When did you get so strong?"

She knew that Longxuan Ye was well-known in the Sun Moon Institute for being extremely powerful. He was already at Tertiary Lifeseizing, and with his Great Emperor Energy Art, could easily kill other Lifeseizers of a similar level as himself. Considering that Yang Qi had just completely vanquished the Profound Yellow Pagoda, didn't that indicate that he was at the same level as a Tertiary Lifeseizer?

'Heavens, what good fortune did Qi'er encounter?'

Of course, Yang Susu had been aware that, even as a Master of Energy, Yang Qi had been able to tangle with Lifeseizers. But this was even more shocking than that. After all, the gap between Primary and Secondary Lifeseizers was massive, much less Tertiary.

"Not bad," Longxuan Ye said, looking up at Yang Qi. "Not bad at all. I've never met a Primary Lifeseizer who can vanquish my Great Emperor Energy Art. That said, I'm tired of your showboating. I only used thirty percent of my true energy just now."

"You think it would have made a difference if you used a hundred percent?" Yang Qi said coldly. "If you've got what it takes, why don't we have a real competition?"

"Don't do anything rash, Qi'er," Yang Susu said.

"We can have a competition!" Longxuan Ye said, his expression tinged with killing intent. "As long as you don't regret the outcome! However, not today. When the time comes for conflict between our two institutes, then you'd better not back down from the fight! Come on, everyone. Let's go!"

With that, he flicked his sleeve and left with the other Sun Moon Institute students.

Having completely failed to deal with Yang Qi, he had lost so much face that he had no other choice but to leave. Furthermore, there was no way he could actually kill Yang Qi while on the grounds of the Demi-Immortal Institute.

After Longxuan Ye and the other students were gone, Yang Susu breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that all about, Aunt Susu?" Yang Qi asked.

She shrugged. "I met Longxuan Ye once when I was out hunting demonlings. We joined forces for a while at the time, and afterward, he wouldn't stop pestering me. Recently, he came to ask my master for my hand in marriage. Thankfully, I was in secluded meditation at the time, and didn't have time to see him. But he stuck around all the way until now. Thankfully, you showed up and saved me a lot of hassle."

"Next time I run into a guy like that, I'll kill him," Yang Qi growled. "By the way, did you finish with the Sage Devil Painting? Did you reach Secondary Lifeseizing?"

"I did, after gaining enlightenment of sages and devils! In fact, I'm just on the verge of Tertiary. Once I reach Tertiary Lifeseizing, then according to the rules of the institute, I can apply to be a conclave student. Actually, that Longxuan Ye just recently reached Tertiary Lifeseizing, which is why he came to propose marriage. Qi'er, you're simply terrifying! How could you possibly be strong enough to defeat someone like him?"

"If I go all out, then I could definitely defeat a Tertiary Lifeseizer. But please keep that a secret, Aunt Susu. It wouldn't be good if word got out."

"Of course. Eventually, when you're strong enough, you'll be able to use your energy arts publicly. By the way, you really need to find a master that you can rely on. That will make your position much more stable. My master is Holy Daughter Manyflowers, a grand elder in the institute. She should be coming out of secluded meditation very soon. Once she is, I'll ask for her to introduce you to some potential masters. Considering your amazing energy arts and cultivation base, I'd imagine that countless elders would be willing to accept you."

"Oh?" The idea of having a powerful expert as a master was quite intriguing, and would definitely bode well for the future.

At this point, Yang Susu led him into Manyflowers Palace, of which she was the current sole occupant. There was no one else on the entire mountain other than her and the various devillings.

Being a grand elder, Holy Daughter Manyflowers had a similar rank as War-Soldier and his brethren. Years ago, Yang Qi had been furious that someone had taken his Aunt Susu away from him. Later, his anger had cooled, and he had begun to grow curious to see what that person was like.

As it turned out, she valued silence, which was why she spent her time on a lonely mountain.

In fact, if she hadn't been in seclusion, she would personally have driven away Longxuan Ye and the other students.

And the reason Longxuan Ye was so quick to make an escape was that he feared what might happen if she appeared.

1. Longxuan Ye: Long means "dragon". Xuan means "profound, black" and a bunch of other things. It's really common in xianxia novels because of how cool and mysterious it sounds. Ye means "leaf".

2. The number of claws of a dragon is important, and there were even laws in ancient China regarding who was allowed to wear garments with claws of a certain number. .

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Chapter 101: Holy Daughter Manyflowers

Atop Manyflowers Peak, two streams of sword energy slashed back and forth.

One was like a dragon, surrounded by the mysterious transformations of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The four seasons. Occasionally, the sword energy would fall like rain, other times it would become like snowflakes, and other times it would crackle like lightning and thunder.

The other stream of energy was like the blossoming of countless flowers. There were peonies, hibiscuses, roses, lilies, orchids, and more…. The swirl of innumerable flower petals was filled with a profoundly threatening true energy.

The first stream of sword energy belonged to Yang Qi, and the second, his aunt, Yang Susu.

He was using the combined Cosmic Sunflare Sword and Four Seasons Swordplay, both of them royal-class energy arts refined and transformed by his Hellfire Crucible.

Of course, top experts would still be able to identify the various elements making it up.

But right now, he wasn't worried about that. After all, given his current level, he could actually purchase the Four Seasons Swordplay from the institute if he wanted to.

Of course, he hadn't, but considering it was freely available, and he was an elite student, no one would be suspicious about him using it.

Furthermore, the institute allowed elite students to harbor personal secrets.

Bam!

The streams of sword energy collided, then separated. Shocked, Yang Susu said, "Qi'er, your energy arts really are incredible. You're only in Primary Lifeseizing, but you can dominate Secondary Lifeseizers, and even hold your own against Tertiary."

"This is nothing, Aunt Susu. When the time is right, I'll show you how truly powerful I am." Right now, the two of them were alone on Manyflowers Peak, and had no need to fear prying eyes.

"Considering your talents, I think that even some Legendaries might be interested in taking you as an apprentice. Once my master is out of meditation, I'll ask her to help in that regard. Oh, right. I heard the Yang Clan took over Yanhaven. How are things going there?"

"Father has already established a nation, with himself as the king. Right now, he's trying to decide what to call the nation. Oh, Aunt Susu, considering how long you've been at the Demi-Immortal Institute, do you know anything about the Hanging Mountain?"

Yang Susu's expression flickered. "The Hanging Mountain? What exactly do you want to know? It's a forbidden location."

In the hopes of learning more about where the place actually was, Yang Qi had attended quite a few classes on astronomy and geography. Unfortunately, he hadn't heard a single mention of it, and he wasn't sure who to go ask about it.

After a moment of thought, he looked at Yang Susu with a very serious expression and said, "You know about my mother, right?"

"Your mother?" She thought for a moment. "Back when we used to play as youngsters, I don't remember seeing her even once. I'm pretty sure she left as soon as you were born. I was too young at that time to be privy to such matters. Then I came here to the Demi-Immortal Institute, and didn't have much to do with family affairs. Why? Don't tell me your mother has something to do with the Hanging Mountain?"

"She does. Father told me that she has a very impressive background. Apparently, she's a holy daughter there."

"What? A holy daughter from the Hanging Mountain? How is that even possible? You know what kind of place the Hanging Mountain is, right? It's a holy land to the Demonfolk, a place with numerous Great Sages. And do you know what their holy daughters are? They're the best of the best among the Demonfolk! Compared to that place, the Yang Clan is less significant than a bunch of ants. If your mother is a holy daughter there, why would she possibly have been in a relationship with your father? That would be like someone from heaven getting together with someone from the earth. The disparity is just too immense."

"I know," Yang Qi replied, a bitter smile on his face. "That's why I want to get more information. Even if I have to go to the Hanging Mountain itself to find out the truth, I will. Apparently, my mother told my father that they would reunite when he became the ruler of the entire continent."

"The ruler of the entire Rich-Lush Continent? Yeah right. Do you know how many powerful forces there are here? There are the four institutes, the Sage Ancestor Dynasty, numerous other powerful sects and organizations, the Seafolk, demon-devils of all sorts…. And they're all interested in gaining dominance. In fact, there isn't even a true ruler of the continent. The Sage Ancestor Dynasty claims the position of emperor, but it's really in name only. None of the four institutes really have to answer to anyone."

"What about the Hanging Mountain, though?" Yang Qi said. As far as he was concerned that was the most important topic at hand. "What kind of place is it?"

"The Hanging Mountain is… transcendent. It's not a location anywhere on our continent; it exists in another part of space-time. The Rich-Lush Continent is of only minimal importance to them. That said, the Rich-Lush Continent does have the demon kings of the seventy-two grottos, who are subordinates of the Hanging Mountain. Each and every demon king is already a Legendary…. And that's only one tiny fraction of the forces at the command of the Hanging Mountain. They also have a presence in other continents. Well, since you already know about the Hanging Mountain, I'll tell you everything I know about it. You see, in the most ancient times, our Rich-Lush Continent wasn't a continent at all. It was called Rich Prefecture, and was only one part of the massive Yore-Wilds Continent. It all stretches back to the God-Devil Apocalypse, which destroyed lands near and far. During the destruction, the Rich-Lush Continent broke away from the Yore-Wilds Continent, making a new continent of its own. Of course, it wasn't the only one. It was also during that great war of primeval times, when space-time was in chaos, that the Hanging Mountain created a new world. So, does that give you an idea of how incredible it is?"

"So, that's how it is," Yang Qi muttered, nodding. He looked up into the sky, and thought about how his mother was there out there somewhere, far, far away.

It all seemed like a fairy tale, in which his mother, an immortal, somehow got involved with a mortal, his father. Now more than ever, he yearned to reunite with her.

As far as he was concerned, the Hanging Mountain was essentially heaven.

Right now, he was only in the Lifeseizing level, but as he continued to practice cultivation, he would add more and more lifespan to his longevity. As such, he wasn't in a hurry.

During the brief lull in the conversation, the sound of a tolling bell suddenly rang out from the cloud-wreathed top of the mountain. Then, a wave of true energy rolled out to cover the mountain, causing countless demonlings to look up in delight. Massive butterflies flew up into the air, almost as if to welcome the arrival of an important figure.

"Master is out of seclusion," Yang Susu said. Dragging Yang Qi with her, she dropped to her knees to kowtow.

Yang Qi surreptitiously sent out a stream of true energy to observe what was happening, and saw an enormous energy projection of a woman in the clouds above.

She was dozens of meters tall, almost like a god from heaven. However, moments later, the projection vanished without a trace.

Then, an energy field shot down toward the palace, whereupon a young woman appeared, clad in a many-flowered garment. She was actually very young, seemingly only fifteen or sixteen years old. However, there was awe-inspiring dignity to her that, coupled with the powerful energy field that surrounded her, was sufficient to instantly scatter Yang Qi's true energy.

'So strong!' he thought. 'I'm definitely not a match for her. Even if I used all of my true energy at once, I couldn't hold my own against her. What level is she? Nonary Lifeseizing?'

At this point, Yang Susu leaned over and whispered, "My master is a Nonary Lifeseizer, and she gained enlightenment of that level twenty years ago. Of all the grand elders in the institute, she's the most likely to become a Legendary. And believe it or not, she's not very old. She became famous when she was forty, so she's not like the other old fogeys in the institute who are hundreds of years old."

Looking at Yang Qi, Holy Daughter Manyflowers frowned and said, "Susu, why is there a man here on Manyflowers Peak?"

A stream of true energy suddenly swept over Yang Qi, making him feel almost like he was naked, completely incapable of harboring any secrets. Thankfully, he had already mastered his God-Devil Seal, making it impossible for Holy Daughter Manyflowers to perceive his true marvelous qualities.

Rising to her feet, Yang Susu smiled and said, "Master, this is my nephew from the Yang Clan. He's a real genius! He reached the Lifeseizing level at only nineteen years of age. He's already an elite student here at the Demi-Immortal Institute, and I was hoping you could introduce him to a good master."

Clearly, Yang Susu had a very warm, close relationship with her master.

"Oh? A Lifeseizer at only nineteen?!" Visibly taken aback, she looked Yang Qi up and down. "Not many elite students are only nineteen. You know, there's an unwritten rule in the Rich-Lush Continent that anyone who becomes a Lifeseizer before twenty is a genius. Seems we have a genius on our hands here!"

Similarly rising to his feet, Yang Qi respectfully said, "Please, you're being too generous, Grand Elder. I wouldn't dare accept praise like that."

Even though he was an elite student, there were still protocols in the way he should address Holy Daughter Manyflowers.

"Master, that Longxuan Ye from the Sun Moon Institute came again. He just broke through to Tertiary Lifeseizing, and wanted to ask for my hand in marriage. Thankfully, Qi'er drove him off. Could you possibly get in touch with the Sun Moon Institute about it? I really want him to stop harassing me."

"How impudent!" Holy Daughter Manyflowers said, her expression turning grim. "That Longxuan Ye is impossibly dense! No apprentice of mine is going to get married! I require devotion to energy arts, not distraction because of love! Wait, what did you just say? Your nephew drove away a Tertiary Lifeseizer? How is that even possible?" Looking over at Yang Qi, she said, "Your name is Yang Qi, right? As an elite student, you're already worthy of the attention of an elder like me. But how did you possibly defeat Longxuan Ye, a Tertiary Lifeseizer, when you yourself are only in the Primary Lifeseizing level?"

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Chapter 102: Minorcosm World

Upon seeing that Yang Qi was hesitating, Yang Susu said, "Qi'er, you can trust my master. If you need to say something, just say it. Besides, whatever good fortune you came across can't be that amazing. You might have reached the Lifeseizing level at nineteen, but my master did even better than that. She did it at age fifteen. She was at Nonary Lifeseizing at twenty-four, and now, she's working on the dao of the Legendary level."

Yang Qi was shocked to hear Holy Daughter Manyflowers' background. Obviously, she was favored by the heavens. A Lifeseizer at fifteen? How was such progress even possible? It was hard for him to even wrap his mind around. After all, in the countryside Yanhaven, something like that was literally impossible.

As for reaching Nonary Lifeseizing by twenty-four, that was even more unimaginable.

She was obviously far more powerful than he was. Of course, that didn't mean that he was willing to tell the truth about his godly-class energy art. If word got out about that, people in the Demi-Immortal Institute would likely faint from shock.

Besides, if he had been born with that technique, then he probably would have reached the Lifeseizing level as an infant. And how could Holy Daughter Manyflowers possibly compare to that?

"Grand Elder, the truth is that I was struck by lightning. It strengthened my meridians and expanded my sea of energy. My true energy is far more vigorous than an ordinary person in the same level as me, and my fleshly body is about ten times as powerful. It was for those reasons that I was able to smash Longxuan Ye." At this point, he relaxed his God-Devil Seal a bit to reveal some of the faint golden color of his blood.

"Oh really? Struck by lightning? And you got that strong?" With that, she sent some true energy into Yang Qi, and immediately noticed the golden blood, his abnormally large meridians, and his sea of energy, which was roughly ten times as expansive as it should be. "Well, it seems you're telling the truth. Although, a lot of people get struck by lightning, but don't benefit in this way. There must be more to the story. Having some lightning elements to your energy arts will help, but not to the extent you've shown."

Despite her suspicions, the God-Devil Seal ensured that she wasn't able to see anything that Yang Qi didn't want her to.

"During the lightning strike, I noticed a beam of light enter me that I'm fairly certain was Humanoid True Energy."

Truth be told, the golden imp in his forehead only seemed to become active when it wanted to, and he still had no idea what exactly it was. Revealing a bit of the truth to Holy Daughter Manyflowers would be worth it if she could shed some light on the subject.

"Some Humanoid True Energy entered your body?" Holy Daughter Manyflowers was visibly shocked. "Ah, now I understand. Some powerful expert must have been going through an energy arts tribulation, and during the process, was killed by a lightning strike. In the last moments, he managed to save some of his life force quintessence, which was absorbed by that lightning. When it went on to strike you, the quintessence was passed on to you. Things like this don't happen often, but aren't unheard-of. The Lifeseizing level, Legendary level, and even the Great Sage level all involve tribulations. If you don't pass them successfully, your souls will disperse, and your life force quintessence will scatter. If another person can acquire that life force, then they can advance by leaps and bounds. It seems you really got lucky!"

At long last, Yang Qi understood what had happened.

Apparently, the lightning mammoth that had come to rest inside of him was pure life force quintessence. As for the golden imp, it was likely a fragment of the soul of some powerful expert, which had contained parts of a cultivation technique.

However, that didn't answer the question of what type of person had been cultivating the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to begin with.

After all, Yang Qi had never even heard whispers of godly-class energy arts existing in the Rich-Lush Continent.

In fact, not even heavenly-class arts were seen, and even saintly-class arts were little more than the thing of stories. For all intents and purposes, imperial-class energy arts were the most heaven-shaking, earth-shattering things in existence.

For example, Gu Fenxian's Five Volumes of Immortal Immolation were called imperial-class, but were actually incomplete. At best, they could probably count as royal-class.

"Not bad at all," Holy Daughter Manyflowers said. "Not only did you encounter some good fortune, but you're also naturally talented. However, the next thing you have to worry about is the Lifeseizing level, in which you will be treading a thin line between life and death. As I'm sure you know, the Lifeseizing level features enormous tribulations. Sometimes the vital energy of heaven and earth takes the shape of terrifying monsters who try to wrest control of your body, causing you to turn into a depraved, murderous monster yourself.

"It will all come down to your hard work, wisdom, temperament and perseverance. If you break through all of the obstacles, you'll eventually reach the Legendary level."

By this point, Yang Qi could tell that he had earned Holy Daughter Manyflowers' approval. "I understand, Grand Elder. I definitely won't slack off in my cultivation."

By now, he could actually release the full level of his strength, and as long as he didn't actually reveal the true form of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, no one would suspect that he had a godly-class energy art.

Most likely, not even the founders of the Demi-Immortal Institute had ever seen such an art.

"Very well. Considering that Susu has asked me to find a master for you, and that you're talented enough for some of the old-timers to take an interest, I'll take you to see some of them. As for whether or not they end up taking you in, that will depend on you."

With that, she waved her hand, causing millions upon millions of flower petals from throughout the mountain to swirl together into the shape of an enormous lotus throne. Yang Qi and Yang Susu joined Holy Daughter Manyflowers on the throne, which then began to fly through the mountains.

Yang Qi couldn't help but nod in admiration at how perfectly she controlled her energy arts.

In fact, he couldn't even sense any energy fluctuations from it, as though it existed in perfect harmony with nature, its true energy one with heaven and earth. Even the flower petals seemed to thrum with intelligence, and move of their own accord.

As the lotus throne sped through the clouds and mountains, Yang Qi looked over the edge at the scenery. There were simply too many mountain peaks to count, some of them sharp, jagged, and sinister looking. Others were covered with massive trees, and looked ancient to the extreme. Others featured flowing streams and waterfalls, making them look very elegant. Some rose so high they seemed to connect with the sky itself.

According to the rules of the institute, it was only after performing five lifeseizings that one could take up residence in the Heaven Lode Mountains. This was where most conclave students practiced their cultivation.

"This mountainous area is actually just the periphery of the Demi-Immortal Institute," Holy Daughter Manyflowers explained. "Deep in the Heaven Lode Mountains, there is a unique dimension set up by the founders, a place called the Minorcosm World. It is the true core of the institute. Only people in the Legendary level can go there, for example, my own master. Susu, you've been here for ten years, and yet, I've never had a chance to take you there. Well, keep your eyes open. This could be of great benefit to your cultivation."

Eventually, Holy Daughter Manyflowers waved her hands, causing the mist and clouds up ahead to part. Then, the lotus throne flew higher and higher until it rose over a crest of mountains, revealing a sea of clouds.

The mere sight of it caused Yang Qi's eyes to widen.

There, in the middle of all the clouds, was a massive stone gate. It was fully three thousand meters tall, and dozens of kilometers wide, and stood completely alone among the sea of clouds.

Compared to that gate, Yang Qi felt like he was an ant, or even smaller, like a grain of sand.

"This door leads to the Minorcosm World. Come on, let's go." Holy Daughter Manyflowers didn't seem impressed at all by the gate as she led them onto the sea of clouds. "This stone gate is called the Mysterygate of Heaven and Earth, an incomparably powerful magical item that controls the destiny of the Demi-Immortal Institute, and also contains a unique world inside…."

The gate was closed tight, giving Yang Qi a perfect view of the complex designs that covered its surface. Although he couldn't tell what it was constructed of, it was obviously some sort of divine stone that pulsed with the power of heaven and earth.

The designs were so profound that Yang Qi could tell they contained mysteries within mysteries.

Furthermore, the clouds beneath his feet thrummed with a powerful energy that would be too much for a Master of Energy to fly over safely. Only Lifeseizers could possibly do so, and even that, with much difficulty.

The slightest misstep would obviously lead to one's bones being crushed to dust.

Because of the effects of the ancient stone gate, whatever dangerous powers in the sea of clouds were negated, and they were transformed into a solid form, almost like white jade.

Each step they took across the clouds caused muffled rumbling to echo out.

From what Yang Qi could tell, there was no way his sword energy could possibly penetrate those clouds.

Never before in his life had he seen something like this.

Guarding the gate was a legion of giants, each of them dozens of meters tall, with razor-sharp weapons in hand. All of them had Lifeseizing cultivation bases, and were clearly the most elite troops of the Demi-Immortal Institute.

At the very bottom of the enormous stone gate was a little door that was also tightly sealed. Obviously, that was the most commonly used entrance. The entire gate itself would only be opened on extremely important occasions.

When the leader of the giants caught sight of them, he stepped forward with a slight smile on his face. Then, he dropped to one knee, showing just how much his position in the institute differed from Holy Daughter Manyflowers.

"Well, if it isn't Holy Daughter Manyflowers. What brings you here today? Visiting friends in the Minorcosm World? You're nearly in the Legendary level, aren't you? Fairly soon, you'll be able to come here at will to practice cultivation."

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Chapter 103: Enemies Mee

"Very well, open the door," Holy Daughter Manyflowers said with the wave of her hand.

"Yes, ma'am!" Not daring to defy her orders, the giant pulled out a huge silver key which he inserted into the small door.

However, it was in that very moment that a bright beam of light appeared off in the distance. After landing on the sea of clouds, a blur of motion could be seen heading toward them, and an old man became visible, broad-shouldered as a bear and as tough-looking as a lion, with flowing white hair. In that respect, he almost looked like Yang Xingshi. However, his aura was so far beyond Yang Xingshi's that they could hardly compare to each other.

Clearly, this man had performed multiple lifeseizings.

At the very least, he was someone who Yang Qi couldn't possibly contend with.

However, Yang Qi hardly noticed the old man. Instead, his gaze was drawn to the individual following him, a spectacularly beautiful young woman wearing blue garments.

Yun Hailan.

As fate would have it, the two rivals were facing off again.

It was just like the old saying, it is always on a narrow, cramped road that enemies meet.

That was exactly what Yang Qi was thinking as he laid eyes on her.

She noticed him at the same time, and when their eyes met, the proverbial sparks were already flying.

When Holy Daughter Manyflowers saw the old man, her expression flickered, and she said, "Grand Elder Godhawk, why might you be bringing this student to the Minorcosm World?"

Grand Elder Godhawk stopped and looked over at her. "She's spectacularly talented, that's why. I was entrusted with the task of bringing her here for the old ones to inspect. Hopefully one of them will take her as an apprentice. You've made significant progress in your cultivation, Holy Daughter Manyflowers. When will you be breaking through to the Legendary level? I'm very curious about that."

Considering the sharp tone both of them were using, it was obvious there was some friction between them.

Snorting coldly, Holy Daughter Manyflowers said, "I'll reach the Legendary level before you, Grand Elder Godhawk. You've been stuck in Nonary Lifeseizing for a hundred years already. I doubt you'll achieve that next breakthrough at all in this life."

Grand Elder Godhawk burst out laughing. "Unfortunately, you have that all wrong, Holy Daughter Manyflowers. I've secured aid from the Crown Prince himself. He gave me a bottle gourd of life force springwater which has stirred my waning life force. In two days, I'll reverse my aging and re-form my physical body. As of now, there's no question at all whether or not I'll reach the Legendary level. As it turns out, you're the slow one. Why don't you just wait until you're old and doddering like I am now? Then maybe you'll succeed."

"Life force springwater?!" Holy Daughter Manyflowers said, shocked. "I can't believe the Crown Prince gave you something so valuable! What did you agree to do for him?"

"Convince one of the old-timers to take this girl as an apprentice. I'm friends with them from years ago, you know. Besides, now that I'm a dharmic guard in the Crown Prince Society, it's only natural that the Crown Prince would help me out a bit."

"So," Holy Daughter Manyflowers said disdainfully, "a grand elder has stooped to the level of licking the Crown Prince Society's dirty boots? Students join the Crown Prince Society, for their own personal interest. We elders aren't supposed to participate in those sorts of things."

"People do what they have to to get ahead in the world," Grand Elder Godhawk replied, "and in the Demi-Immortal Institute too. The Crown Prince is a celestial genius, and favored by the heavens. He'll only continue to bask in greater and greater glory. Before long, our institute's current chancellor will rise to a higher level, and when that happens, the Crown Prince will definitely succeed him. What's so wrong with helping him out?"

Holy Daughter Manyflowers chuckled sarcastically. "Quite the show-off the Crown Prince is. Thinks he's going to become the next chancellor, just like that?"

"Enough jibber-jabber," Grand Elder Godhawk said, flicking his sleeve. "I have appointments to keep."

At this point, Yun Hailan took a step forward and said, "Come over here, Yang Qi. I have something I want to say to you in private."

With that, she walked off to the side.

Heart thumping, Yang Qi looked over at Yang Susu, who nodded. Gritting his teeth, he walked over until he was about nine meters away from Yun Hailan. "It's always on a narrow, cramped road that enemies meet. Isn't that right, Yun Hailan? We met at the Academy of Sage Studies, and yet again in the heart of the Demi-Immortal Institute, right in front of the Minorcosm World. Whatever it is you want to say, spit it out."

"It's always on a narrow, cramped road that enemies meet?" Yun Hailan brushed her hair behind her ear. She had a musky smell that resembled orchids, something that would drive most men mad, and only seemed to grow more and more mysterious as time went by. Perhaps it was because of the blood of the sea god in her veins, but she only seemed to get more beautiful and more divine. Perhaps that was how she attracted the attention of the fabled Crown Prince.

"As you know, Yang Qi," she said quietly, "I've earned the favor of the Crown Prince, and he's completely focused on helping me advance my cultivation. The Crown Prince Society is the top society in existence. It holds sway, not just over the institute, but over the Rich-Lush Continent as a whole. It doesn't matter what sort of good fortune you came across, to the Crown Prince, you're still like the mantis trying to stop a war chariot."

"Yeah? So what? You think that because you're sucking up to someone powerful that I'm afraid of you? If you really believe that after what you did to me I'll give up on trying to get revenge, well… you couldn't be more wrong."

"I'm telling you this for your own good, Yang Qi," she replied airily. "I've already cut you some slack, you know. Both you and Yanhaven. Let me tell you, I know everything there is to know about your old home. Your father plans to establish his own nation, except, it's a farce; it'll never happen."

How could Yang Qi not pick up on the threat in her words? "I dare you to do something to my clan! Believe me, if you do, I'll kill you!"

"Kill me? You think that you and your paltry energy arts are enough to take me on? Oh. You beat Gu Fenxian, so you think you can beat me, is that right? Listen well, Yang Qi. My energy arts and cultivation base are beyond your comprehension." She seemed both utterly arrogant, and supremely self-confident. "I don't care if your aunt is a Secondary Lifeseizer. Not even she's a match for me. If I felt like it, I could nip things in the bud right now and kill both of you."

"Go ahead and try!" Yang Qi said calmly. Although he was completely furious, he managed to hide it and keep a cool head. After everything he had been through, he had mastered that ability quite well. "I know you've worked yourself up in the world, Yun Hailan. But in the end, the only things that matter are personal power and strength. Schemes and plans will only get you so far."

"Well said," she replied in an icy voice. "Personal strength and power are the only way to get ahead. And that's why I used you like the chump you are. That's all you are, a measly, useless patsy. And now that you aren't useful to me anymore, I'm done with you." Having said her piece, her voice warmed up again as she continued, "Come on, Yang Qi. You shouldn't take all of this so seriously. It was just a Latent Dragon Pill after all, right? I can make it up to you many times over in the future. All you have to do is join me. Become one of my subordinates. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? Not only would the Crown Prince Society leave you alone, but your father would be safe and sound in Yanhaven. Or at the very least, your clan won't be wiped off the map."

"Threatening me will only make me despise you more, Yun Hailan," he said, his voice as sharp as a blade. "You should feel lucky I was such a fool back when we first met. You want me dead and my clan exterminated? Alright. Let's see you try."

At this point, Yun Hailan's voice turned hard again. "Since you insist on being pig-headed, don't blame me for what happens. Are you hoping that gang of scoundrels you've put together can help you? What are their names again? Oh right. Li He. Liang Dong. Hua Yinhu. He Jili. You think their clans can protect you? That's a joke if I've ever heard one. Even the lowliest member of the Crown Prince Society has better clan backing than those four. For example, Gu Fenxian. The Gu Clan has the blood of an ancient Great Sage, and when they stomp their feet, the entire Rich-Lush Continent trembles. If they go on the warpath, those small fries you call your friends will be crushed like porcelain. The only reason they haven't already is because I told them not to. I wanted to give you a chance to come to your senses and acknowledge allegiance to me. But since you're set on being obstinate, don't blame me for changing my mind."

"You touch one of my brothers, and I'll kill your whole clan," Yang Qi said, his voice trembling with killing intent. "If you even insult them, I'll cut you down!"

"You have a choice to make. Live. Or die. Acknowledge allegiance to me. Or watch everyone you know be exterminated. Ah, Yang Qi. You really have no idea what I'm capable of. Holy Daughter Manyflowers brought you here to get a master, right? Well, unless you acknowledge allegiance, I'll make sure you never get a master."

Yang Qi spat in contempt. "What, do you run the Demi-Immortal Institute or something? You're with the trashy Crown Prince Society so you think you can just do whatever you want? There's nothing in the entire world that works as simply as that."

"Frog in a well," Yun Hailan said. With that, she turned to Grand Elder Godhawk. "Grand Elder, let's go in."

"Very well." Laughing loudly, Grand Elder Godhawk blurred into motion and headed into the door.

Holy Daughter Manyflowers snorted coldly and followed.

As for Yang Qi, he was sure based on the conversation that Yun Hailan was preparing to truly bare her teeth. Not only would he need to be careful going forward, so would all of his friends.

'I need to think of a way to kill her, just like I killed Chu Tiange. Otherwise, I'll never be able to get a good night's rest.'

Whizz!

Mind buzzing with deadly thoughts, he entered the Minorcosm World. However, as soon as he was inside, his mind went completely still.

The first thing he saw was blinding light, which gradually dissolved into a scene of shimmering beams of brightness falling from above. There wasn't even a speck of darkness in this place. Everything was filled with light bright enough to shock one to the core.

'What is that light? Can it…. help temper the mind and heart?'

Based on what he could tell, the light was ten or even a hundred times more effective than an energy formation of the dao of monarchs.

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Chapter 104: Patriarchs Wind and Cloud

The ground beneath their feet was as smooth as glass, and seemed to be filled with a marvelous true energy. In fact, as they walked along it, it chimed as surely as gold or jade.

"Susu, the Divinity-Piercing Immortal Light here in the Minorcosm World can pierce into your nascent divinity and drive impure thoughts or desires out. When practicing cultivation here, you can do so without any fear of developing inner devils, a year of cultivation here is worth a hundred outside."

With that, Holy Daughter Manyflowers extended her hand into a flow of nine-colored energy that was rife with a feeling of immortals.

"The Minorcosm World also has something called Nine-Yang Immortal Energy, which comes from an alternate dimension, and is composed of nine types of pure yang vital energy. It can significantly bolster your true energy, improve your flesh and blood, and cleanse your sea of energy. Cultivating with it over a long period of time can be extremely beneficial."

Clearly, the nine-colored energy flow swirling through Holy Daughter Manyflowers' fingers was the very Nine-Yang Immortal Energy she was talking about.

Yang Qi looked around at the abundance of energy flows, and then took in a deep breath to absorb some of the Nine-Yang Immortal Energy. It flowed through him, reaching his sea of energy, except, nothing happened.

"What's going on?" he murmured, confused.

Glancing coolly at Yang Qi, Holy Daughter Manyflowers said, "Nine-Yang Immortal Energy is nothing to be taken lightly. Our Demi-Immortal Institute sends top professors into numerous alternate dimensions to harvest it. After all, it's a type of vital energy that doesn't even exist in our current heaven and earth. And only Legendaries can actually absorb it and make it part of their own true energy. Part of the reason for that is it requires a basic understanding of space-time to do so. If anyone could use it, then would it be special to begin with? Besides, students aren't usually allowed in here to begin with."

"Not allowed in?" Yang Qi murmured. Oh so carefully, he loosened his Devil-God Seal, allowing a tiny version of his Hellfire Crucible to appear in his sea of energy.

Considering he couldn't absorb the Nine-Yang Immortal Energy into his true energy, it was already about to vanish from his sea of energy. However, by drawing on some of the power of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he quickly shoved it into his crucible.

It was almost as if the immortal energy could sense the danger it was in, and tried to shove its way out, blasting back and forth against the inside of the Hellfire Crucible.

'It's so strong! But my Hellfire Crucible is the lord of the netherworld. It uses the power of a legion of gods to melt and refine all sorts of divine beings!'

Without further hesitation, he unleashed more of the power of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, focusing it all on the Hellfire Crucible.

Closing his eyes, he looked into the Hellfire Crucible, and saw the image of a god. Unexpectedly, it had an elephantine head, the body of a human, and massive limbs. It was clad in a suit of armor, and was so powerful that it was actually holding a mountain above its shoulders, a mountain of gods so large that it seemed to fill the heavens.

This was a godmammoth.

In the ancient myths, a godmammoth was responsible for shouldering the mountain of the legion of gods. Not only did that godmammoth give the gods the glory of being able to oversee the heavens, but it crushed countless devils beneath its feet. Essentially, it supported the heavens and crushed the earth.

Now that Yang Qi was in the Lifeseizing level, his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth had reached a new level, and within the Hellfire Crucible existed a godmammoth with an elephantine head and a human body.

The godmammoth opened its mouth and breathed in, sucking in the Nine-Yang Immortal Energy. A moment later, it exhaled through its trunk, producing a blast of lava-like true flame, laced with hissing Nine-Yang Immortal Energy.

The remaining Nine-Yang Immortal Energy couldn't withstand the heat, and broke apart, creating nine small dragons that began to fly back and forth in the Hellfire Crucible.

Each of those dragons was an energy flow of a different color.

Nine colors. Nine dragons.

Red. Green. Cyan. Blue. Purple. White. Black. Orange. Gold. The nine dragons swirled within his true energy, seemingly on the verge of merging into it, and thus, his body.

Crick! Crack!

A resonance sprang up with the thirtieth particle inside of him, which seemed just on the verge of absorbing the nine dragons.

The fact that the nine dragons formed a resonance with one of the particles indicated that it was possible for him to transform Nine-Yang Immortal Energy into life force quintessence.

As of now, he had twenty-nine particles awake within him, which put him at somewhat of a bottleneck. If he woke up thirty particles, he would break through into Secondary Lifeseizing.

Each of the nine lifeseizings required different levels of power, a fact which was even more pronounced with Yang Qi. Normally speaking, cultivating a godly-class energy art like his was incredibly difficult.

In recent days, he had been working very hard at his cultivation. Sadly, even with the energy formation of the dao of monarchs, he had made almost no progress.

And yet, here in the Minorcosm World, he could absorb and use Nine-Yang Immortal Energy, an energy flow from an alternate dimension which ran contrary to the essences and magical laws of the world in which he lived. Normally speaking, it would be impossible to use it for cultivation before becoming a Legendary.

And yet, with his godly-class energy art, Yang Qi could refine it into nine colored dragons that burst with life force quintessence. It was a matter that no one could have ever predicted.

'This is incredible! Who could ever have thought that I would be able to use this energy from the Minorcosm World? If I could cultivate here long term, I would be virtually invincible. Secondary and even Tertiary Lifeseizing would be just around the corner….' Heart pounding with excitement, he sent the nine colored dragons directly into the thirtieth particle, which stirred even more vigorously.

The powerful Nine-Yang Immortal Energy blasted right into the bottleneck, although it didn't break through it.

As that happened, Yang Qi looked out of the corner of his eye at Holy Daughter Manyflowers and Yang Susu.

However, neither of them seemed to be paying attention to him.

Therefore, he secretly continued to pull Nine-Yang Immortal Energy into his Hellfire Crucible, which went much more smoothly each time he did it. Furthermore, refining it into nine dragons was easier.

More and more of the dragons appeared in the Hellfire Crucible with every moment that passed.

Instead of sending them into the particles in his body, though, he decided to save them up to use all at once. With enough power, he could definitely break through to Secondary Lifeseizing.

A few dozen breaths' worth of time passed, after which he had over a hundred tiny dragons in the Hellfire Crucible. By this point, the godmammoth could refine the Nine-Yang Immortal Energy with complete ease.

All of a sudden, Yang Qi realized that dragons were actually very much like mammoths, causing an expression to pop into his mind. The power of dracomammoths!

'Work harder!' he shouted inwardly. 'The more of this energy I absorb, the more life force quintessence I'll have to work with. And then, when the time finally comes to go all out, it will be even more effective. I doubt even Yun Hailan could fathom that the Minorcosm World would be so beneficial to me. Holding back in this moment will prevent any of the top experts from figuring out what I'm doing. After I'm able to leave, I can easily reach Secondary Lifeseizing. And if I'm in here long enough, I can definitely get enough to reach Tertiary Lifeseizing, and possibly even Quaternary. How strong will I be then?'

At the moment, his main focus was trying to absorb as much of the energy as he possibly could.

"I'm going to take you to see two old-timers, Yang Qi," Holy Daughter Manyflowers said. "Collectively, they're called the Patriarchs Wind and Cloud. They're both Legendaries, and have a very high rank in the Demi-Immortal Institute. For a while now, it's been public knowledge that they're looking for an apprentice to pass on their legacy to. I have the feeling that codger Godhawk is taking Yun Hailan to see them. So, you'd better not lose face for me. Make sure you become their apprentice."

"Yes ma'am," Yang Qi replied. Although he was immersed in the process of absorbing the Nine-Yang Immortal Energy, he was still paying attention to everything around him.

'Who exactly are these Patriarchs Wind and Cloud?' he thought. 'Legendaries, huh? Well, I'm intrigued. I've never seen Legendaries before.'

"Up ahead is their Wind and Cloud Pagoda," Holy Daughter Manyflowers said. "Remember, be respectful."

In front of them was an enormous pagoda made from wood. It had nine levels, and was surrounded by a network of mountains, rivers, and the like. It was very beautiful.

At the highest level of the pagoda were two middle-aged men playing Go. One of them wore white robes that drifted around him like clouds. The other wore gray garments that fluttered like the wind. Strangely, their auras were impossible to sense, making them seem almost like two ordinary people who knew nothing about energy arts.

'These are Legendaries?' Yang Qi wondered.

Standing right next to the two middle-aged men were Yun Hailan and Grand Elder Godhawk.

As Yang Qi arrived with Holy Daughter Manyflowers and Yang Susu, Yun Hailan looked down at them and smiled sarcastically.

Looking up, Holy Daughter Manyflowers said, "Holy Daughter Manyflowers is here to offer formal greetings, Patriarchs Wind and Cloud."

"So, it's Holy Daughter Manyflowers," said the man in white, his gaze shooting out toward the group below.

Those were eyes that could see all secrets; thankfully, Yang Qi already had his God-Devil Seal activated.

The gaze swept over him, then left, whereupon the white-robed patriarch said, "If you're here to try to get us to accept an apprentice, just save your breath. We Patriarchs Wind and Cloud have already accepted a fine new apprentice, and don't need a second."

Yun Hailan's eyes glittered as she looked down at Yang Qi, the derision in them growing stronger by the moment.

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Chapter 105: Ramifications of Accepting an Apprentice

"What?" Holy Daughter Manyflowers said with a frown. "Patriarchs Wind and Cloud, are you sure you don't want to think about the matter a bit longer?"

Grand Elder Godhawk burst out laughing in response. "That brat you brought along with you is no genius, Holy Daughter Manyflowers. Did you really think that Patriarchs Wind and Clouds would take him seriously? What a joke!" Considering that Grand Elder Godhawk had never gotten along with Holy Daughter Manyflowers, it was no surprise that he took advantage of the moment to ridicule her.

"You!" Holy Daughter Manyflowers shot back, her eyes afire. "Godhawk, you old codger, is it really true that a dignified grand elder like yourself has turned into a Crown Prince Society brownnoser?"

"That's enough," said the gray-robed Patriarch Wind. "There will be no quarreling here in Wind and Cloud Pagoda. I don't want our game of Go disturbed, understand? Holy Daughter Manyflowers, that brat of yours is clearly a far cry from being Yun Hailan's equal. The two of us can see that as clear as day."

"Exactly!" Grand Elder Godhawk added with a mocking smile. "I guess you're only capable of finding middle-of-the-road people, Holy Daughter Manyflowers. For example, your apprentice Yang Susu, who hasn't even passed Secondary Lifeseizing after ten years. If she was an actual genius, she would have achieved seven or eight lifeseizings already."

"My apprentice is no way deficient!" Holy Daughter Manyflowers said coldly. "Maybe you think this Yun Hailan is some sort of genius, but she can't compare to even a hair on my apprentice's head!"

SMACK!

Shooting to his feet, Patriarch Wind threw his game piece onto the board, scattering the other pieces. "Dammit! I said not to disturb our game, didn't I? I had a great strategy prepared, only to have it ruined by you brats!"

Silence reigned. Grand Elder Godhawk and Holy Daughter Manyflowers were both visibly taken aback by the fury of Patriarch Wind.

"Master, there's no need for you to be so angry," Yun Hailan said. "Grand Elder Manyflowers simply meant that you have poor judgment. She thinks that the apprentice you personally selected isn't as good as her own apprentice. Actually, I'm a bit curious to see if she's right. Is your apprentice better? Or is hers? I failed to bring gifts to offer upon becoming your apprentice, so allow me to earn some face for you. What do you say?"

"Very well, my apprentice. Do as you wish."

Patriarch Wind sat down, looking a bit calmer than before.

'This Yun Hailan really knows how to stir things up,' Yang Qi thought, a cold smile slowly spreading out on his face. Unfortunately, with so many other top experts here, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to speak up. Obviously, Patriarchs Wind and Cloud were both catering to Yun Hailan for the sake of the enigmatic Crown Prince. If it weren't for that, there was no way she could have earned their favor and been accepted as an apprentice so quickly.

In all likelihood, the Crown Prince had contacted Patriarchs Wind and Cloud ahead of time to arrange things. That would also explain why Yun Hailan had been so confident before entering the Minorcosm.

"Master, why not allow Grand Elder Holy Daughter Manyflowers' apprentice Yang Susu and I to exchange a few fighting tips? Then we can truly assess the level of her cultivation base. Unless I'm mistaken, Yang Susu is already a Secondary Lifeseizer. I, on the other hand, only just reached the Lifeseizing level. Primary and Secondary Lifeseizers are so different you can hardly even discuss them at the same time. Even still, I'm very interested to see if her energy arts are better, or mine." Up to this point, she had spoken in a very cool tone, but all of a sudden, her wording turned sharp. "Yang Susu, I hereby challenge you to a duel, right here in Wind and Cloud Pagoda. Do you accept? Or not?"

"Fine! I accept." Yang Susu chuckled coldly. "You used despicable methods to deceive my Qi'er, which resulted in his martial arts being crippled. I think today is the perfect opportunity to teach you a little lesson. In the future, you should avoid using plots and schemes to try to win glory."

At this point, Yang Qi's eyes flickered and he said, "Aunt Susu, why don't you let me accept the challenge for you? I'd prefer to solve my issues on my own."

Yang Qi was getting a very strange feeling from Yun Hailan, and was certain that she had some powerful hidden assets that were giving her the confidence to handle Yang Susu. He couldn't quite tell the level of her cultivation base, but he knew that she was far too adept at keeping secrets, and hiding her strength. Although he didn't want to reveal the full extent of his power right now, he also didn't want to see Yang Susu in danger.

"Stand down, Susu," Holy Daughter Manyflowers said.

"Yes, Master."

"The Inter-Institutional Martial Arts Competition is just around the corner. Defeat her in a fair contest there, in front of all eyes. That's the way to earn praise."

Unexpectedly, Holy Daughter Manyflowers was actually preventing her apprentice from accepting the duel.

Apparently, Yun Hailan hadn't anticipated that Holy Daughter Manyflowers would reject the offer to duel, and wasn't willing to let the matter drop. "If you're strong enough, what's there to be afraid of? I'm ready to compete whenever and wherever."

"She's right, Holy Daughter Manyflowers," Patriarch Wind said coldly. "You just said your apprentice is stronger than my new apprentice. You brought this whole thing up, and now you're backing down?"

Patriarch Cloud let out a loud, impolite snort. "You, a little girl who isn't even a Legendary, brings two babies still wet behind the ears to disturb affairs at Wind and Cloud Pagoda? She even ruined our game of Go. Just leave, Holy Daughter Manyflowers. Come back when you're a Legendary."

"You have your apprentice, Patriarchs Wind and Cloud. But it won't be long before the martial arts competition comes, and I'll show just how bad your judgment is. And this young man who I was going to recommend to you will definitely surpass that apprentice of yours." Holy Daughter Manyflowers' words seemed to be filled with gunpowder. "Legendary? I'll definitely break through soon. And when that happens, I'll challenge the both of you, and we'll see who has a better understanding of magical law."

"Oh? Big talk, Holy Daughter Manyflowers. Not even a Legendary, and yet still you dare to call our sense of judgment into question? Are you conceited, or just arrogant? Compete with us? Do you know how many years we've been Legendaries?"

"It doesn't matter. Just wait until the competition. Everything will be made clear then." Turning to Yang Susu and Yang Qi, she said, "Let's go. We're leaving this Minorcosm World, but it won't be long before I'm back. Permanently."

Flicking her sleeve, she left Wind and Cloud Pagoda, followed by Yang Qi and Yang Susu.

Yun Hailan watched her go, her eyes flickering with disappointment.

"See? See!?" Grand Elder Godhawk said, clearly trying to add fuel to the fire. "Patriarchs, that Holy Daughter Manyflowers is wildly arrogant, wouldn't you say? I can't believe she dared to treat you with such disrespect. She definitely deserves a harsh punishment."

"She's simply too haughty," Patriarch Wind said. "However, she did reach Nonary Lifeseizing before forty, and is already about to break through to the Legendary Level. She's definitely talented. That attitude of hers came from the fact that we stripped her of a bit of face by not accepting that young man as a disciple." He chuckled coldly. "If we were out of the institute, we would teach her a bit of a lesson. But since we're in the Minorcosm World, we'll just let it slide. If we did something here, and the other old-timers noticed, they would accuse us of bullying.

"Very well, Yun Hailan. Now that you're our apprentice, we'll do everything we can to help you progress. And when the time comes for the Inter-Institutional Martial Arts Competition, you can drag Yang Susu down from her little pedestal. Maybe you can even teach Holy Daughter Manyflowers a lesson. Understand?"

"Actually," Patriarch Cloud added, "this Holy Daughter Manyflowers is quite shrewd. It seems to me she could tell that you used life force springwater on your dragonpearl to transform it into the nascent divinity of a divine dragon. With that, you have the power to dry up rivers and drain seas. She wasn't actually convinced her own apprentice could handle you, and thus backed down."

"Patriarchs, the two of you are profoundly insightful," Yun Hailan said, her eyes glittering.

"Well, enough of that nonsense. The time has come to pass on one of our energy arts to you, and then bolster your cultivation base. In two hours, you can leave. According to the institute's rules, you can come to the Minorcosm World every seven days for two hours. Only Legendaries can stay in for longer than that. Anyone else will be forcibly ejected by the magical laws here. After you leave, could you please tell the Crown Prince we already attended to the matter we promised to handle? And we hope that he will follow through with what he agreed to do."

"Of course," Yun Hailan said, smiling. "The Crown Prince is currently in another area of space-time working on his cultivation. Apparently, he's collected the remains of an ancient god-devil for the purpose of creating a magical item. I'm sure that he'll live up to his end of the agreement as soon as he returns."

"By the way, what was that young man's name?" Grand Elder Godhawk said. "You seem wary of him. His cultivation base appears to be fairly advanced, although not as much as yours."

"His name is Yang Qi," Yun Hailan said coldly. "When I first met him, he was nothing more than a fool. However, he got lucky and stumbled across some good fortune. I can handle him alone. There's no need for you to trouble yourself, Grand Elder, or you, Masters."

"Of course," Patriarch Wind said. "Considering our status, it wouldn't be appropriate to do anything to someone of the younger generation. You young ones can handle such matters on your own. Now, sit there cross-legged."

As soon as they were away from Wind and Cloud Pagoda, Yang Susu said, "Master, why did you prevent me from having a match with Yun Hailan?"

"Yun Hailan has incredible power brewing in her. Something wild, from times of yore. It's almost as if a primeval divine dragon has been resurrected inside of her. I'm afraid she's acquired the legacy of a divine dragon, as well as either a dragonpearl or a dragon egg. If that's the case, then you're no match for her. Considering how conniving she is, and how strong, you need to be careful of her in the future."

Continuing to absorb Nine-Yang Immortal Energy as they went along, Yang Qi said, "Aunt Susu, I'm going to kill that Yun Hailan one day. Don't worry. And as far as getting a master is concerned, it's not a big deal. Masters can be a crutch, and I'd prefer to do things on my own."

By this point, he had so many colorful dragons in his Hellfire Crucible that it was almost completely full.

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Chapter 106: Secondary Lifeseizing

Although he had failed to find a master, the Nine-Yang Immortal Energy that Yang Qi had acquired in the Minorcosm World was far more valuable.

On the one hand, he was trying to absorb as much of it as he could. On the other hand, he was thinking about a way to get back into the Minorcosm World as soon as possible.

At the moment, the only way to get in would be to be taken by Holy Daughter Manyflowers.

That said, the amount that he currently had stored up in his Hellfire Crucible was more than enough for the time being. By this point, thousands of colorful dragons were swirling about there. In fact, he was fairly certain that he would be able to generate enough life force quintessence to reach Secondary Lifeseizing and perhaps even push past that. The first thing he would do upon leaving the Minorcosm World was find a quiet, secluded place to achieve his breakthrough.

He definitely couldn't let anyone find out about it, not even Yang Susu or Holy Daughter Manyflowers.

As for how powerful he would be in Secondary Lifeseizing, not even he was sure. All he did know was that it was a level that could shake heaven and earth, and leave both ghosts and gods perplexed.

All Holy Daughter Manyflowers knew was that he had benefited from the life force quintessence of some powerful expert who had failed to pass a tribulation. Never could she imagine that he had the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, a godly-class energy art.

If she found out, it was impossible to say what might happen.

"Okay, Susu," Holy Daughter Manyflowers said, her voice trembling with determination, "the time has come for you to cultivate a top-notch energy art alongside me. You must surpass Yun Hailan, and win some face for me in the big competition. And you need to make sure Patriarchs Wind and Cloud lose as much face as possible!"

'Master really is set on reaching the Legendary level right away,' Yang Susu thought, shaken. She had never seen Holy Daughter Manyflowers acting so seriously before.

"As for you, Yang Qi, when you have the time, come to Manyflowers Peak so that I can help you with your cultivation base. At the moment, you're definitely not strong enough to deal with Yun Hailan. She already has the aura of an ancient divine dragon. Combine that with Patriarchs Wind and Cloud helping to improve her cultivation base, and I'm afraid that over the next few days, she'll only continue to get stronger and stronger."

Yang Qi nodded. "Many thanks, Grand Elder."

With that, the three of them left the Minorcosm World.

Upon returning to Manyflowers Peak, both Holy Daughter Manyflowers and Yang Susu prepared to go into seclusion.

The time had come for farewells.

"Be careful, Qi'er!" Yang Susu said, clearly concerned for his safety. "Yun Hailan has really made a name for herself. She's working with the Crown Prince Society, and now she has the support of Patriarchs Wind and Cloud, two Legendaries. She's in her element now, and will only become more difficult to deal with as time goes by."

Yang Qi nodded. "I know what you mean. However, her arrogance will only last for so long."

He was well aware that Yun Hailan was making a name for herself, and seemingly overcoming all obstacles. Considering she was getting help from the Crown Prince, it wouldn't be long before the upper echelons of leadership in the Demi-Immortal Institute would also throw their support behind her. Then she would be even more capable of stirring up trouble.

Yang Qi was definitely not the simpleton he had been in the past. 'Considering the Crown Prince built up an organization like the Crown Prince Society, there's no way he's an idiot. He wouldn't be so childish as to be taken in by Yun Hailan's good looks. There must be other secrets to her.'

After leaving Manyflowers Peak, mist sprang up around the mountain, locking it down tight, and making it impossible for him to go back.

Clearly, Yang Susu and her master were now officially in secluded meditation.

The trip to the Minorcosm had had a profound effect on the two of them. Now, they were both determined to achieve another breakthrough.

With that, Yang Qi left the Heaven Lode Mountains. His trip to the Minorcosm World had really opened his eyes. Now he realized how much of a countryside hick he had been in the past. Back then, he didn't even realize that places like the Minorcosm World existed, an alternate dimension floating in a sea of clouds.

Gaining understanding about such things would definitely be a big help to his cultivation.

'I need to get away from the Demi-Immortal Institute and find some remote location to reach Secondary Lifeseizing!' He sped along a few hundred kilometers until the Demi-Immortal Institute was far behind him. At that point, he shot up into the clouds and unfurled his Fiend-Devil Wings. As he did, black energy swirled around him, turning the clouds as dark as night.

Now that he didn't need to worry about prying eyes, he shot higher up into the air.

Eventually, he was above the sea of clouds, and the higher he got, the more powerful the heavenly winds grew. Soon, he was hundreds of thousands of meters in the air, and the vortexes of air grew larger and larger. Normally speaking, vortexes like this would rip people to shreds.

And in fact, if Yang Qi hadn't used his true energy to protect himself, that is exactly what would have happened to him.

Even a mountain made of metal would have been destroyed.

WHIZZZ!

He sped through the heavenly winds, pushing himself as hard as he could, hoping to push past his limits and break through to Secondary Lifeseizing. The energy flows up here were created by nature itself, and the heavenly wind was something that no eyes could pierce.

Even most Lifeseizers couldn't go much past the sea of clouds without expending significant effort, and wasting a lot of true energy. And if heavenly wind touched them, forcing frigid cold into their meridians, their true energy flow would be hindered, and they would freeze up and fall to their death.

It was a truly dangerous activity.

And yet, Yang Qi only continued to fly higher and higher. Frigid energy poured into him, hoping to freeze his meridians solid; ice even began to build up on his skin.

But Yang Qi cultivated the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, which meant that he could send the true flame of hell through his body. As powerful as magma, it easily destroyed the frigid energy from the heavenly winds.

'Now I understand why the ancients had a different version of the expression it's lonely at the top. They would say one can't win against the cold when in high places. It really is freezing up here, but I need to challenge myself. Yun Hailan has a powerful expert helping her, and has it easy wherever she goes. But I want to push the limits. I want to be a true man!'

He was really feeling very heroic in this moment.

In fact, he was so high that he had left the light and was out in the darkness. Wild energy streams surrounded him, almost like tempests from hell. Vortexes were everywhere, the smallest of them hundreds of kilometers across, the largest, hundreds of thousands. The levels of power were so intense that he was being flung about like a rag doll.

By this point, his Fiend-Devil Wings had shrunk down to only a few meters across, and were shedding sparks as they were eaten away by the winds.

However, he remained unruffled.

Eventually managing to stabilize himself, he looked inside of himself and began to release the thousands of dragons.

One after another, they began to pour into the next particle.

WHIZZZ!

Thirty-one particles. Thirty-two. Thirty-three. One by one they opened up like blooming flowers, filling Yang Qi with the power of more ancient megamammoths. It was like a herd of the beasts that returned from primeval times, the rulers of the ancient beasts.

An aura like the wild lands of yore began to pulsate off him.

One by one, the particles awoke and bolstered his true energy.

Two hours later, the little dragons had all been converted into life force quintessence, and then used to add to the true energy of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

No one alive would ever accept the fact that a Lifeseizer had remained within the heavenly winds for that long.

Not even the old-timers back in the Demi-Immortal Institute would have believed it. That was what happened when Yang Qi unleashed the true potential which he normally kept hidden.

If Patriarchs Wind and Cloud could see Yang Qi right now, they would definitely wish they could take back the words they had most recently spoken.

Ten explosive booms echoed out as forty true energy manifestations of megamammoths appeared behind Yang Qi. The megamammoths trumpeted, causing a massive energy to explode out in all directions.

Shockingly, Yang Qi had awoken ten particles all at the same time. The Nine-Yang Immortal Energy had pushed him from thirty all the way to forty, which went to show how powerful that fabled energy was.

Not even Holy Daughter Manyflowers could absorb that type of energy, but Yang Qi could, and could use it to incredible effect.

'Return to me!'

The forty megamammoths instantly sank back down into Yang Qi.

Yang Qi was experiencing a major transformation, as dramatic as a cicada shedding its carapace, or a python its skin. Glittering droplets of metallic blood oozed out of his pores, making it look like he had golden skin.

This was one of the marvelous things that happened during Secondary Lifeseizing. Inner-Outer Transposition.

RUMBLE!

As the process went on, Yang Qi's true energy grew more powerful, until it seemed to incite opposition from the vital energy of heaven and earth. Soon, rumbling sounds like that of thunder began to fill the air.

Crish. Crash…. A massive bolt of lightning smashed into Yang Qi, causing his own true energy to destabilize.

'So, this is the tribulation of the Lifeseizing level?' Yang Qi could sense that the vital energy of heaven and earth was definitely resisting him. 'Well, lightning is already an integral part of me and my true energy. A bit of puny lightning isn't going to hurt me. In fact, it might help me temper my body. Bring it on!'

Opening his meridians, he allowed the lightning to course through him, tempering his true energy as it did.

Most people feared lightning more than scorpions, but with Yang Qi, it was the exact opposite.

'Secondary Lifeseizing!'

Vortexes and tornadoes spun around him, but could do nothing to prevent the spirit energy of heaven and earth from pouring into his body and becoming life force quintessence.

He was changing on the most fundamental of levels.

It was now the critical moment of Secondary Lifeseizing; if he succeeded, he would make a major advancement.

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Chapter 107: Physical Transformation

Yang Qi was facing the most critical moment of his Secondary Lifeseizing tribulation.

The storm around him was building in intensity, sending massive lightning bolts at him which he simply absorbed into his true energy. Toward the end, the lightning took the form of swords, sabers, hammers, and all sorts of other weapons which bore down on him with reckless abandon.

As for Yang Qi, the constant influx of lightning energy was almost intoxicating.

Slowly but surely, symbols of lightning began to form around him, the images of gods and devils, of angels and ghosts.

In the middle of those angels and devil-ghosts was a god of heaven with an elephantine head and a human body, which seemed capable of propping up all the heavens as it crushed hell beneath its feet. This was the invincible might of the godmammoth.

Yang Qi's true energy was now so boundless that it was like an ocean capable of fighting back against heaven and earth. The tribulation that had come with Secondary Lifeseizing wasn't a problem for him at all, and in fact, benefited his true energy, and made him even stronger than before.

The golden layer on his skin slowly retreated, leaving behind a powerful aura, as well as sparkling and translucent skin. It seemed flawless in every aspect, almost as if it were carved from the purest crystal.

As of now, the blood inside him wasn't dark gold anymore. Instead, it was like platinum. And instead of having a hellish aura, he now seemed like he came from the holy legion of gods in heaven.

WHOOSH!

His widespread wings were no longer pitch black. Instead, they pulsed with a holy aura, and were now laced with streaks of white.

His Fiend-Devil Wings were progressing toward becoming Angel Wings.

The Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was not an inherently evil energy art. It was a mythical technique that had existed for so long that it had become tainted with bits of evil.

However, as progress was made within the technique, those evil aspects would be cleansed and expelled by holiness.

The most obvious evidence of that change was how the Fiend-Devil Wings were becoming Angel Wings. Furthermore, the Infernal Deity Spear would also change color, and would become pure and holy, like a sage, infused with energy of the dao of monarchs.

'Infernal Deity Spear!'

The flick of his hand summoned the spear, which was not dark golden anymore. It was also laced with platinum. Now, anyone who looked at the spear wouldn't think of it as the result of some evil technique, but rather, something orthodox and righteous.

Of course, it would take more time to truly expel the evil, or at least, purify and absorb it.

Only a small portion had been cleansed at this point. When his Fiend-Devil Wings truly became Angel Wings, they would be scintillating platinum. And to do that, he would need to seize life multiple times, and reach the Legendary level.

'Physical transformation, and subjugation of evil. Use the power of hell to bolster heaven!' Yang Qi's mind was filled with the mental dharma of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, and his meridians were growing even more powerful.

Countless bolts of lightning entered him, along with boundless vital energy of heaven and earth.

The wind screamed high in the air where he was, a massive storm of vital energy that he forcibly grabbed and shoved into his meridians.

His meridians were now twice as large as they had been, and also twice as tough. And his sea of energy really was like a massive sea, overflowing with turbulent true energy.

Although the vital energy this high in the sky couldn't compare to Nine-Yang Immortal Energy, it was still useful, and incredibly abundant.

As it poured into his meridians and went to his sea of energy, it became a mist, which was crushed into a liquid that then became a solid substance.

Then, that solid substance was crushed into tiny, nearly invisible bits, which then were absorbed into the existing particles within him.

With that vital energy, the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was once again awakening.

BOOM!

The forty-first particle within him sent the true energy of a megamammoth pouring through him.

'Awaken! The power of a megamammoth can prop up the heavens! And its legs can crush the countless hosts of devils in hell. I have accepted your legacy! I am supreme in all creation!'

Yang Qi felt as though he could dry up rivers and drain seas, or pluck stars and snatch moons.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam! Bam!! BAM!!!

Eight booms resonated as more megamammoths woke up. In the blink of an eye, he went to a total of forty-nine awakened particles. He was right on the verge of reaching fifty.

With the power of so many ancient megamammoths coursing through him, Yang Qi didn't feel like himself. He felt like a god in embryonic form.

His meridians continued to change, growing larger and tougher. When he closed his eyes and looked inside, he saw that his meridians were now platinum, holy to the extreme, within which flowed platinum true energy, energy that seemed to be on the verge of merging with his blood.

According to legend, in the highest levels of cultivation, the practitioner would become one with energy. The practitioner would be energy, and the energy would be the practitioner. That person would then be able to transform at any time, becoming an embodiment of pure energy. It was essentially a state of undying.

Of course, not even Legendaries could do that.

And yet, Yang Qi could tell that he was gradually heading in that direction. If people such as Patriarchs Wind and Cloud back in the Demi-Immortal Institute could see what was happening to him, they would be shocked to death.

He was truly transforming on all levels.

With that, he burst out laughing. At the same time, the violent energy flows around him were swept away, leaving him hovering in the air like a god or devil.

"Trident!" he said. Suddenly, the rippling blue door leading into his thumb-ring opened, and the divine weapon therein flew out. That trident was the weapon that had long since been on the verge of becoming a spirit weapon.

What were spirit weapons? They were weapons that developed their own spirit. They were essentially daemons with powerful energy arts. Most weapons never became daemons. But once they did, and once they developed their own spirit, they could not easily be vanquished by even the most powerful energy artists.

A spirit weapon was essentially like an expert in the Lifeseizing level.

As for the trident, it had been forged with cold, ten-thousand-year-old iron from the bottom of the ocean, bolstered by seasoul crystals and the quintessence-blood and souls of countless sea demonlings. It was named Trident of the Sea God, and had been infused with medicinal pills for decades, all for the purpose of turning it into a spirit weapon.

Yang Qi had learned of the matters pertaining to the trident after attending classes in the institute.

During his time at the Demi-Immortal Institute, he had not only transformed from an ignorant youth into something of a man of learning, he had also learned a bit about equipment forging.

"The dao of equipment forging involves manipulating the soul of steel. Clear the meridians, cast the spirit. Alright, trident. Now that I'm a Secondary Lifeseizer, I'll help you form your soul and become a spirit weapon!"

WHIZZZ!

The Infernal Deity Spear suddenly flew out into the open.

As true energy poured from the spear into the trident, numerous cracking sounds rang out, as though something inside the trident was opening up.

In the end, a huge boom rang out, and the trident began to shine with dazzling light, and pulse with the vital energy of heaven and earth.

It was also possible to see, in the very depths of the trident, something like a blue soul.

The trident rose into the air, emanating true energy fluctuations that were equivalent to a Primary Lifeseizer.

"Not a bad weapon. Of course, considering I have my Infernal Deity Spear, I have no need of such a thing. I'll give it to one of my brothers. If Yun Hailan makes a move against them or one of their clans, they will need all the help they can get."

Although his Fiend-Devil Wings were not Angel Wings, they were laced with platinum, and were now even more powerful than before.

He flapped the wings, not only propelling himself downward, but also sending out a blast of heat.

The friction between that heat and the storm around him caused flames to erupt everywhere, making him look like a phoenix speeding down from the sky.

That fire moved so fast that the sound of its passage didn't arrive until the fire was more than fifty kilometers away, a truly terrifying level of speed.

In fact, it was speed the likes of which meant Yang Qi could kill some Lifeseizers by simply running into them, and not even unleashing an attack.

Now that he was fully in Secondary Lifeseizing, he was so powerful that if he ran into Longxuan Ye again, he could kill him without a second thought.

In fact, he could easily hold his own against Quaternary or even Quinary Lifeseizers.

WHOOSH!

By this point, he was back among the sea of clouds, and before long, landed on the ground. It was summer; the air was hot and parched, and the lands were dry, cracked, and covered with dust.

Smiling, he circulated his true energy, then turned into a blur that headed back to the Demi-Immortal Institute, leaving behind only a curl of smoke.

By the time he arrived, it was night. He didn't go to the College of Elite Students, but instead, to the location where Li He and the others were in secluded meditation.

He had left behind some Humanoid True Energy to help them operate the energy formation of the dao of monarchs, but had no idea how their cultivation had progressed since he left.

As it turned out, the one who benefited the most was Liang Dong, who was rapidly approaching the Lifeseizing level.

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Chapter 108: Preventative Measures

Yang Qi's energy formation of the dao of monarchs had been constantly active this entire time.

Whizz!

Liang Dong's aura was rapidly transforming, making him like the fish that wished to leap through the dragon gate and become a dragon itself.

"Lifeseizing level! Vital energy conversion, scorching heat immolates the body, shed the flesh and exchange the bones!" Liang Dong let loose a long howl as the true energy surged through his meridians, and the vital energy of heaven and earth coursed into him.

Shockingly, flames erupted from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, the manifestation of a tribulation of true flame energy arts. As it turned out, his energy arts were so intensely hot that he lost control of them upon entering the Lifeseizing level, and was bursting into flame himself.

The truth was that because of all the help from Yang Qi, Liang Dong's true energy had long since reached the point of being able to enter the Lifeseizing level. However, he had been hesitating because of his flame-type energy arts; he knew that if he forced a breakthrough, he might burn out and become nothing more than ash.

Every year there were people in the Demi-Immortal Institute who burst into flames and died when trying to reach the Lifeseizing level.

But then, massive amounts of water vapor erupted from Yang Qi's trident, subjugating the flames. Water was the ultimate core of the Sea God Institute's energy arts, just as scorching heat was the ultimate core of the Cosmic Sunflare Sword.

In the blink of an eye, fire and water juxtaposed, and the true flame that had engulfed Liang Dong transformed into a sweet dew of quintessence vitality.

His power levels rose, and deep in his sea of energy, a massive sword began to take shape, causing intense rumbling sounds to fill him.

At long last, Liang Dong had reached the Lifeseizing level.

And his version of the Cosmic Sunflare Sword technique vastly surpassed that of Chu Tiange's.

After all, Chu Tiange's version had never even come close to reaching its full potential. But Liang Dong had used the power of a sun gem. Furthermore, with the help provided by the spirit weapon that was the trident, his battle prowess was now at a shocking level.

Another hour passed, and Liang Dong reined in his true energy, his eyes sparkling. As of this moment, he didn't care at all what it had taken to reach this point.

He was now a Lifeseizer!

"Congratulations!" Li He said, his voice filled with admiration and not the slightest bit of jealousy. "Another of us brothers has reached the Lifeseizing level…."

Shaking his head to clear it, Liang Dong said, "I got there a bit sooner than the rest of you, that's all. Now I understand the situation. We're cultivating the Cosmic Sunflare Sword, the intense heat of which makes the ascension to the Lifeseizing level incredibly dangerous. If you force the breakthrough without some soft and feminine treasure to help out, there's a ninety-nine percent chance you'll burn yourself to death."

"That's right," Yang Qi said. "With that kind of treasure, you can all succeed. It won't be long now before you're all Lifeseizers. Although we won't necessarily be the most domineering force in the institute, we can at least be strong enough to keep each other safe." It was only after participating in Liang Dong's breakthrough that Yang Qi realized the dangerous flaw in the Cosmic Sunflare Sword.

Apparently, Liang Dong could now sense that there was something unusual about Yang Qi. "Brother, your aura is so beyond me that I can't even assess it."

"Oh, I just reached Secondary Lifeseizing," Yang Qi explained.

"Secondary Lifeseizing?! Already? It's only been a couple months since you first reached the Lifeseizing level. If word spread, people would pass out from shock." Li He, He Jili and Hua Yinhu were so astonished that their eyes nearly popped out of their skulls.

Yang Qi chuckled. "Well, you guys have known for a long time how strong I really am, right? Remember how shocked you were when I killed Chu Tiange?" At this point, his expression turned serious. "Right now, you need to get as strong as you can, as quickly as you can. Don't delay in becoming Lifeseizers! I'll try to find soft and feminine treasures for all of you within the month, and then I'll personally help you with the breakthrough. We'll all become elite students!"

"What happened, Brother? What's the rush?" His friends could tell that something was amiss, leading them to feel somewhat nervous.

"Yun Hailan is now the apprentice of Patriarchs Wind and Cloud, and as you know she's allied with the Crown Prince Society. In order to try to clip my wings, she's threatened to do something to your clans, and to mine…." Not wanting to hide anything from his brothers, he told them everything that had played out with Holy Daughter Manyflowers, the Minorcosm, and Patriarchs Wind and Cloud.

After hearing the whole story, all of his friends sat there in mute shock.

A long moment passed, whereupon Liang Dong took a deep breath and said, "Minorcosm World? Patriarchs Wind and Cloud? They're Legendaries…. That's way, way beyond our level. We can't possibly deal with people like that. If they wanted to kill us, it would be as easy as stepping on an ant."

"Not necessarily!" Yang Qi said, his eyes glittering. "Anybody who wants to try to kill me will have to pay the price in blood. And if anyone tries to hurt my friends, I'll kill them even if I die in the process." Because of his cultivation of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, he was starting to pick up some of the boundlessly domineering characteristics of the technique.

"Hold on a second…." Li He said. "If I remember correctly, Patriarchs Wind and Cloud are old professors. They won't do anything to students like us. But the fact that the Crown Prince Society has it out for us is really a bit scary. All members of that society have impressive backgrounds, and it wouldn't be impossible for their clans to do something to ours. Our top priority should be to get stronger. We're all Masters of Energy, and are members of the younger generation. If we become Lifeseizers, and elite students, then everything would be different. At that point, people would definitely think twice before doing something to us. That said, to a colossal monster of an organization like the Crown Prince Society, we would still be nobodies."

"All of this is because of the grudge between me and Yun Hailan," Yang Qi said. "I'm sorry for having dragged you into it, Brothers."

"Brother, you absolutely, positively must not think that way. We're brothers for life. We live together and die together, we share honor and disgrace alike. There's no need to say anything beyond that. We'll overcome these difficulties together, and that's that. On the upside, the martial arts competition is coming up. If we perform well, the institute will take us more seriously, and it will be harder for our enemies to make a move against us."

"Fine, the matter's settled!" Yang Qi said. "Now we need to figure out where to get something to neutralize the Cosmic Sunflare Sword. What kind of water-type treasure can deal with the fire of that technique? Whatever it is, I'll get it so that you can all reach the Lifeseizing level."

"I know!" Liang Dong said. "I know the perfect treasure to deal with the Cosmic Sunflare Sword!"

"What is it?"

"You've heard of the demon kings of the seventy-two grottos, right? Well, one of those grottos is the Black Floodwyrm Grotto, which is led by King Black Floodwyrm himself. The Cosmic Sunflare Sword technique is a consummate discipline from our institute that focuses on intensely hot true energy. The perfect item to counteract that heat would be black floodwyrm demon cores from the Black Sea. The black floodwyrms from there are particularly fierce and violent. Whenever they come ashore, they cause devastation wherever they go. However, at nighttime, they absorb moonlight and store it in their demon core, where they refine and purify it. If you used that refined moonlight with the Cosmic Sunflare Sword, then it would be the perfect combination of sun and moon. Unfortunately, King Black Floodwyrm is indeed one of the demon kings of the seventy-two grottos, and his grotto ranks higher than the Blood Demon Grotto. If anyone from the orthodox institutions enter his territory, the black floodwyrms kill them on sight. It's a very dangerous place. Even worse, our Cosmic Sunflare Sword technique came from both Chu Tiange's animadestiny sword manifestation, as well as that sun gem. It would take demon cores from Lifeseizing level black floodwyrm to neutralize its heat. That would make the hunt even more dangerous."

"He's right," Liang Dong said. "Black floodwyrm demon cores are the perfect counterpoint to fire-type techniques. Lots of top experts in the Demi-Immortal Institute use them. However, not many people actually go to the Black Sea to hunt them."

"The demon kings of the seventy-two grottos?" Yang Qi's heart suddenly started pounding. "I've heard of them. They're subsidiaries of the Hanging Mountain, aren't they?"

"Yeah! That's exactly right."

"In that case, I need to take a trip to the Black Sea. There's no time to lose. I'll leave now. Give me a map!"

1. As a reminder, 'floodwyrm' is often translated as flood dragon. However, in this story, they are not actually dragons, which will be explained later. Thus, I'm leaving out 'dragon'.

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Chapter 109: Black Floodwyrm Grotto

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!

A figure blurred across the lands at top speed.

It was Yang Qi, flying over roads, rivers, mountains, forests, lakes, and other terrain features. He passed along like a specter, moving so quickly that no one could even see him, his energy arts at such a high level that he was like a god-immortal.

He wanted to reach the Black Sea as quickly as possible, all in the hopes of getting Hua Yinhu, He Jili, and Li He into the Lifeseizing level immediately. His plan was to hunt for black floodwyrms that were in the Lifeseizing level, and harvest their demon cores. And of course, he was operating alone.

At the same time, Liang Dong would go apply to be an elite student, which would also significantly increase the sway of their group as a whole.

Furthermore, the fact that the Black Floodwyrm Grotto was run by one of the seventy-two demon kings subordinate to the Hanging Mountain had Yang Qi's heart pounding with anticipation. Hopefully, this trip would also net him some clues about that mystical mountain, and how to get there.

The subject of his mother, and by extent the Hanging Mountain, occupied his thoughts day and night, and he couldn't stop thinking about traveling there.

Even his desire to get revenge on Yun Hailan counted for almost nothing compared to that.

This trip to the Black Floodwyrm Grotto would not only help him in his fight with Yun Hailan, but it could also get him information about his mother. How could he possibly pass up an opportunity like that?

He knew that it would be a very dangerous place, but wasn't very worried. He was a Secondary Lifeseizer who could kill Quaternary Lifeseizers, and maybe even Quinary. And by engaging in brutal fights, he would likely become even stronger. The time had come for tempering.

Besides, perhaps if he consumed some of the demon cores, he could even reach Tertiary Lifeseizing.

At that point, even the brownnoser Yun Hailan would have a hard time catching up to him.

Why wouldn't he want to kill three birds with one stone?

His actual approach to the Black Floodwyrm Grotto was made, not by flying through the air, but rather, on foot. Trying to follow the twists and turns in the road to the Black Sea from up above would be too difficult.

He kept to the ground, and constantly referenced his detailed map of the Rich-Lush Continent. The map revealed all the various locations of profound danger, and also the forbidden regions. It was a map produced by the Demi-Immortal Institute itself, and was far beyond ordinary maps available in the Rich-Lush Continent.

Just by studying the map, it was possible to learn a lot about the continent. In fact, Yang Qi was thinking of sending a copy of the map back to Yanhaven. A better understanding of geography would definitely help his father when it came time to move troops.

"A desert," Yang Qi murmured, looking at the seemingly endless sand dunes which stretched out in front of him. This desolate desert was tens upon tens of thousands of kilometers wide, and filled with dunes and sand mountains. All sorts of cactuses could be seen, some, mighty trees that stretched for dozens of meters up into the sky, others, spherical and roughly the size of an ordinary house.

Yang Qi scanned the area up ahead with true energy, and could sense a bit of demon energy from demonlings. There were snakes, scorpions, centipedes, poisonous insects, and even foxes and wolves, all of them demonlings who were adapted to desert life.

However, he had no interests in the little demonlings, and didn't want to waste time. Without any hesitation, he headed into the scorching desert, following the map toward his target destination.

Surprisingly, the Black Sea was not located out on the open ocean, but rather, in the middle of a desert.

According to the stories, it was fed by numerous subterranean rivers and channels of spirit energy, making it a holy land for the demon-devils and demonlings that lived in the surrounding desert.

As for the desert, it was called the Northern Frontier Desert, and was known as a boundless danger zone devoid of any human population. It contained only demonlings, and countless bizarre terrain features.

About five hundred kilometers into the desert, a tornado-filled sandstorm suddenly sprang up, so powerful that the blasts of sand caused sparks to fly off of Yang Qi's defensive true energy.

Even though the grains of sand were tiny, when they were propelled by the wind en masse, they could pierce even steel. Luckily, Yang Qi's defensive arts and equipment were far beyond that level, and weren't damaged at all.

It was now obvious why people didn't live here. Even some of the toughest demonlings would burrow deep into the sand when the tornadoes came, sometimes going as far as the subterranean rivers.

WHOOSH!

Yang Qi waved his hand, sending out a blast of true energy that completely destroyed a massive tornado that was in his path.

Having sent his true energy so far ahead of him, he realized that there was a source of water up ahead.

"The Black Sea," he murmured, and then began to follow that sensation of water.

He flew along for hundreds upon hundreds of kilometers until eventually the sandstorms died down, and a sea became visible up ahead.

It was pitch black, even the waves, and covered in mists that made it impossible to see very far along its surface. It was so large that Yang Qi couldn't see the ends of it.

For a huge sea to be located in the middle of a vast desert went to show how spectacular the works of nature could be.

'This is the location of the Black Floodwyrm Grotto. The demon kings of the seventy-two grottos in the Rich-Lush Continent are all subordinate to the Hanging Mountain. I hope that I can unearth some more secrets here, maybe information about where exactly my mother is. I know her nickname is Greensura, but what is her real name…?'

As he stood there on the shore of the sea, he kept his true energy reined in, making him seem like nothing more than an ordinary person.

As the water lapped against the shore, he knelt down and scooped some up in his hand. Immediately, he could sense a frigid energy that seemed to be thousands of years old.

Unexpectedly, this water was freezing, and yet hadn't turned to ice.

Furthermore, the darkness of the water made it seem like ink; clearly, this sea was different from ordinary seas.

'This water has frigid yin energy of a black, baleful nature.' Yang Qi was gradually becoming more knowledgeable in the ways of the world, and recognized this as a variation of the more common type of subterranean baleful energy.

Black, baleful yin energy could be extremely harmful to humans, but for some water-type demonlings with frigid yin aspects, it was profoundly beneficial.

Obviously, lurking in the depths of this sea were demonlings of incredible power and ferocity.

Yang Qi looked out thoughtfully at the Black Sea, the water slowly draining through his fingertips. The most important thing to do right now was find the actual location of the Black Floodwyrm Grotto.

According to what his friends had told him, he knew that King Black Floodwyrm of Black Floodwyrm Grotto was an actual black floodwyrm. However, one of the Great Sages from the Hanging Mountain had magically transformed him, changing his floodwyrm body into that of a human. He was a powerful Legendary, and someone that Yang Qi currently couldn't hope to match up with.

King Black Floodwyrm was vicious to the extreme, and the yearly raids he led resulted in countless lost lives among humans. Even the top experts in the institutes weren't sure what to do about him.

Although there were Legendaries in the institutes, King Black Floodwyrm was backed by the Hanging Mountain, an organization so massive that ordinary people didn't even know how large it actually was.

If Yang Qi caught the attention of someone like him, he would have a hard time making it out alive.

After all, he had no techniques of invisibility.

Such arts did exist though. For example, there was the Shape-Altering Art and the Form-Concealing Technique. Such abilities used one's true energy to create a field of distortion around oneself that essentially made one invisible. There were even some that could perfectly hide one's true energy.

But Yang Qi had only been in the institute for a short time, and had never had the free time to study such things.

Thankfully, the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth innately enabled him to conceal his aura.

Waving his hand, he summoned his suit of armor.

The Infernal Deity Plate Armor appeared, and this time, it was even sturdier than before. In fact, it was so strong that he could swim through lava for three days and three nights without being hurt.

Thus equipped, he leapt into the water, diving down to begin his hunt for black floodwyrms. He was like a deadly assassin, his aura concealed, his black Infernal Deity Plate Armor the perfect color to match the Black Sea around him.

As he swam along, he sent out his true energy, filling an area dozens of kilometers around him and enabling him to see everything as clear as day.

There were many creatures around him: strange fish with vicious fangs who absorbed the black, baleful yin energy around them and used it to fuel their powerful water-type energy arts. Down here, the weak were prey to the strong, and not a single creature was docile in any way.

Yang Qi saw a pitch-black, nine-meter-long fish battling with a water snake. Water surged around them, until the black fish spat out a mouthful of sword light, killing the snake, which it then swallowed whole. Then it sent out energy fluctuations that caused the surrounding demonling fish to tremble in fear.

That fish was as powerful as someone in the eighth phase, similar to the white ape Yang Qi had fought in his early days in the Blackcorpse Mountains.

Of course, creatures of that level were of no interest to him now. He needed black floodwyrms who were in the Lifeseizing level.

With three such demon cores, he would have accomplished his mission, and would be able to leave whenever he wanted.

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Chapter 110: Encountering a Black Floodwyrm

'This Black Sea is really deep.'

On the sea floor, it was common to see vents spewing black liquid, which was none other than the water from the subterranean rivers that fed the sea. The armored Yang Qi sank deeper and deeper into the black waters, encountering more demonlings as he did.

At one point he saw a five-colored sea snake with a Master of Energy cultivation base. It had created a mansion grotto for itself in the reefs below the surface of the water, and was currently lounging there absorbing the baleful energy around it. There were numerous demonlings in the area that it had obviously subjugated and forced to serve it.

The sea snake was as wide as a water bucket, and dozens of meters long. It had clearly guided the growth of the reef around it, ensuring that it was a perfect defensive structure within which to practice cultivation.

In fact, the reef was so large that it was almost like a city, similar to the kinds built on the surface by humans.

Demonfolk were innately intelligent, and were born with legacy techniques from ancient Great Sages of the Demonfolk. Obviously, their cultivation went very different than humans'.

In fact, Yang Qi even noticed that the snake was intelligent enough to have directed some demonlings to grow black, magical mushrooms in the fertile waters of the sea, and also ginseng and other medicinal plants that could be used to make energy convergence pills. Some demonlings were intelligent enough to concoct pills to use in their cultivation, much the same way humans did.

The truth was that the Demonfolk in primeval times had many paths of cultivation, and in the beginning, humans had simply imitated them.

As for this sea snake, the projected image of a human rested on its head, formed from true energy, his skin five-colored just as the snake's.

It was Humanoid True Energy, and in the position where a human's heart would have been, it had a five-colored demon core, the size of a fist. It was hard to say how many years of cultivation it would take to develop a demon core that size.

The snake immediately sensed the fluctuations indicating Yang Qi's presence, and looked over in his direction.

"Who's there?"

Without waiting for a response, the snake suddenly shot through the water at incredible speed, heading directly toward Yang Qi as if to consume him.

A Master of Energy who was in this situation would likely have been taken out by this demonling before even being able to react.

However, Yang Qi waved his hand, sending out streams of sword energy into the water, creating a massive sword net that surrounded the sea snake.

"Spare me, oh Greater Demon! I beg of you!"

The sea snake didn't fight back at all; it could tell immediately that it was dealing with a Lifeseizer. Of course, it didn't speak with words. However, the fluctuations which rolled out of it would be understandable to anyone with a high enough cultivation base.

Actually, even people in the eighth phase were already capable of fusing with their own soul to a certain level. With a little effort, and enough time, they could understand just about any spoken language.

And that power only got greater in the Master of Energy level.

Therefore, it wasn't even necessary to mention Lifeseizers. They could easily use their true energy to communicate with others on the soul level, without even using spoken words.

"Spare you? Tell me where the Black Floodwyrm Grotto is! And where can I find black floodwyrms in the Lifeseizing level?"

Considering that Yang Qi was completely unfamiliar with the Black Sea, he didn't want to waste time blindly searching. It would be much more efficient to find some locals to get information from.

"You're looking for Black Floodwyrm Grotto, oh Greater Demon?" The five-colored snake shivered inwardly. "It's far, far away in the east of the Black Sea. There's a deep gully there where they've built a massive city. That's where all the top black floodwyrm experts are."

"Oh really?" With that, Yang Qi tightened the net, slicing the snake to pieces, causing blood to swirl out and fill the area.

The demonlings in the Black Sea were vicious to the core, and frequently came out of the sea itself to hunt and eat humans. Therefore, there was no way Yang Qi would let one in the Master of Energy level go free.

Reaching out, he took the fist-sized demon core, looked at it, and then crushed it with his true energy.

Moments later, his Hellfire Crucible appeared above his head. He placed the demon core inside, and the bubbling lava immediately began to melt it. Only ten breaths of time later, it was a stream of true energy that flowed through his meridians to his sea of energy, and then into one of the particles inside him.

By this point, his Hellfire Crucible was strong enough that it could melt demon cores almost immediately, and convert them to life force quintessence.

It was something most people would find unimaginable.

There weren't even any imperial- or saintly-class energy arts that could do such a thing.

Whack. Whack. Whack! Whack!! WHACK!!!

The wave of his hand sent a burst of energy toward the other demonlings in the area, causing them to explode, and dragging all of their demon cores into his Hellfire Crucible.

Clearing this part of the sea floor had netted him over a hundred cores. Yang Qi let out a long sigh. This was definitely much better than sitting around meditating to further his cultivation, although it wasn't quite as amazing as using Nine-Yang Immortal Energy.

Unfortunately, he currently had no valid reason to go to the Minorcosm World. Even someone like Holy Daughter Manyflowers could only remain there for a short time without violating sect rules.

To him, it seemed like a huge waste that Yun Hailan was allowed inside. Although, she couldn't absorb Nine-Yang Immortal Energy, so perhaps it didn't matter.

Yang Qi could tell that it wouldn't even take a month of working with Nine-Yang Immortal Energy for him to blow past Tertiary Lifeseizing and possibly go all the way to Quinary.

Unfortunately, it was currently nothing more than a fantasy.

'Ah, whatever. Since I can't get into the Minorcosm World, I'll just hunt demonlings here in the Black Sea. Demon cores are better than nothing. Hopefully I can find some that are in the Lifeseizing level, which will at least be closer to the effectiveness of Nine-Yang Immortal Energy.' With that, he headed toward the eastern part of the Black Sea.

In that direction, the cities grew more numerous, as did the demonlings.

A few hundred kilometers in, he ran into a pack of sea spiders in the middle of hunting some other demonlings. They were as large as horses, and were all in the Master of Energy level.

As soon as they saw him, they lunged toward him, sending out silk-like streams of true energy in the form of a net that cut off all avenues of escape.

"Welcome!" Yang Qi said. Suddenly, the Infernal Deity Spear appeared, sending out streams of lava-like true flame that destroyed all of the silk strands.

CRACK!

The spear stabbed through one of the sea spiders, and the intensely hot true energy caused it to explode. As for its demon core, he pulled it into the Heart of the Sea.

SWOOOOSH!

He shot forward, easily dispatching the rest of the nine sea spiders, and then harvesting their demon cores.

As he proceeded along, he was like a god of death ridding the world of devils and demons. He cut down every demonling in his path. Sea lions, walruses, sea centipedes, sea scorpions, sea wolves. Not a single sea demonling could stand up to the Infernal Deity Spear.

Two hours later, he had killed over a hundred demonlings in the Master of Energy level, and had their demon cores in his thumb-ring.

After finding a rather remote valley, he sat down cross-legged and pulled out the cores. After melting them in his Hellfire Crucible to remove the demon energy, he sent the resulting life force quintessence into his body.

By this point, he could tell that the forty-ninth particle within him was starting to stir.

However, he wouldn't be able to wake it in this fashion. After all, Yang Susu had used the Sage Devil Painting to reach Secondary Lifeseizing, and that had contained ten thousand demon cores in the Master of Energy level, and one that was from a Lifeseizer. He would need a massive amount of force to breakthrough. Using a few hundred Master of Energy demon cores would be like throwing a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood.

That said, this experience was giving him a much better practical understanding of the Hellfire Crucible.

Rising to his feet, he once again shot through the depths of the sea, a god of death, a bodhisattva of killing.

Eventually, he ran into a nest of black snakes in a valley. Almost instantly, vortexes sprang up around the entrance of their nest, sending out shocking energy fluctuations.

Then, from within the depths of the valley, a black floodwyrm appeared.

It had long horns, vicious claws, and scales that glittered in a way that vastly surpassed any snakes.

He had finally found one. Unfortunately, it was not at the Lifeseizing level, although it was close, making it worth dozens of Master of Energy demonlings.

Demonlings were different from people, and generally had much stronger true energy.

'I'm finally getting close to Black Floodwyrm Grotto.'

After spotting the black floodwyrm, he looked into the depths of the valley, and realized that further in, there were even more powerful auras to be sensed. And he could just barely make out what appeared to be an underwater city.

It was the palace of the black floodwyrms.

The Black Floodwyrm Grotto, home to one of the seventy-two demon kings.

1. Trivia point: in Chinese, walruses are "sea elephants"

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Chapter 111: Exceptional Strike

The black floodwyrm shot forth, and Yang Qi didn't waste time speaking.

He blurred into motion, and before the black floodwyrm could react, its body shattered into countless pieces. Before any of the blood could even flow out, a huge burst of true energy shoved it down into the sea floor, burying it.

Everything was over, just like that. It was almost as if the mighty black floodwyrm hadn't even appeared to begin with.

At the same time, a perfectly spherical demon core appeared in Yang Qi's hand. It was mighty, but not particularly sturdy. In contrast, it was very soft and pliable, almost like an internal organ of some sort. However, it pulsed with profoundly vigorous life force, almost as if there were an infant inside of it, about to be born.

Supposedly, when some daemons reach a high level of cultivation, they could break out of the cycle of reincarnation, and create an infant inside of their demon core. Eventually, they could then abandon their daemon body and become a perfect human.

This black floodwyrm had not quite reached that level, but its core did thump with life force, almost like a heartbeat, indicating that it was very close to forming that infant.

'Lunar Corona, Cosmic Sunflare.'

It was with no warning whatsoever that Yang Qi unleashed the sword energy of the Cosmic Sunflare Sword technique, causing the water around him to bubble and boil.

The flaming sword energy hit the demon core, and the opposing forces of water and fire caused a taiji symbol to appear, as a perfect balance between the sun and moon was unleashed.

Black floodwyrms loved to consume moonlight, which was, of course, the quintessence of the moon above. In contrast, the Cosmic Sunflare Sword ate up the vital energy of the burning sun, providing the perfect complement.

Yang Qi threw the core into his Hellfire Crucible, and it instantly began to melt.

Eyes flickering, he looked off into the distance.

'Is this place a black floodwyrm nest or something? That's definitely the Black Floodwyrm Grotto over there. Supposedly, it's even higher ranked than the Blood Demon Grotto. It's definitely a very dangerous place, that's for sure.'

For most experts, even Lifeseizers, it would be a big waste of true energy to try to stay hidden in the depths of the icy Black Sea. Obviously, humans couldn't breathe underwater; they would need to use true energy to move about. Because of that limitation, most Masters of Energy would only be able to stay underwater for a short time.

Lifeseizers could last for longer, but of course, if they ended up fighting with demonlings, would have to waste true energy even more. Occasionally, Lifeseizers would enter the Black Sea to help rid the world of devils and demons. But in most instances, they wouldn't even be able to get close to the Black Floodwyrm Grotto. They would end up getting involved in fighting the various demonlings on the way, run out of true energy, and then be forced to flee. Either that, or be killed.

But Yang Qi was a terrifying exception to the norm. He wasn't even close to running low on true energy. After all, he could consume the demon cores of the creatures he killed. As such, his true energy was surging, and he was actually in a better position than someone of the Seafolk would be here.

With his pitch black Infernal Deity Plate Armor, Yang Qi was like a devil-ghost from hell.

As for his Infernal Deity Spear, the platinum magical symbols that glittered on its surface made it seem like it was a glorious blessing from the legion of gods.

Furthermore, the helmet of the Infernal Deity Plate Armor had true energy eyes that made it possible for Yang Qi to see everything with utter clarity. He could even see the meridians inside his enemies, and the true energy flowing through them.

And he could also see all of the underwater terrain features. There were gullies, mountains, and further into the immense valley, a sprawling plain. And right in the middle of that plain was a collection of temples, crystalline palaces, and the like, which was the Black Floodwyrm Grotto itself.

He could sense countless auras within the mountains, and the way they caused his hackles to rise led him to the conclusion that if he charged blindly ahead, he would be killed.

'What I need to do now is perfect the dao of the quick strike. There are definitely black floodwyrms practicing cultivation in caves. If I catch a few by surprise, and kill them quietly, I shouldn't attract any attention.' After a short moment of planning, he headed down into one of the gullies, and then in the direction of the palace complex up ahead.

Eventually, he caught sight of a black floodwyrm in the depths of the gully laying there completely motionless. However, its true energy was focused on its head, in humanoid form, holding a rotating pearl in its hands.

That pearl was much larger than the demon core Yang Qi had taken from the black floodwyrm earlier, and was clearly of much higher quality. Shockingly, this floodwyrm was in the Lifeseizing level! And it was completely focused on its cultivation.

'Good… very good.' Yang Qi's heart immediately started pounding. After all, Lifeseizing demon cores were exactly what he needed to make sure that Li He, Hua Yinhu, and He Jili achieved their breakthroughs.

'Killing a Lifeseizer will be different. I know that I can win, but there's no guarantee it won't manage to send out a cry for help. If that happens, and experts from the Black Floodwyrm Grotto come, I'll be in big trouble!' He wanted to make his move, but was still hesitating.

If he attacked, he needed to accomplish the kill quickly and cleanly.

Even the weakest Lifeseizer who was facing a deadly attack would call upon all of their power to reach a peak state of defense. And at the very least, they would use their power to send out a cry for help.

To kill a Lifeseizer so quickly that they didn't know what hit them was very, very difficult.

If he were back on land, Yang Qi would have been more confident, but right now, he was in the depths of the Black Sea, and knew that any fluctuations which rolled out through the water could easily attract the attention of nearby experts.

From what he could tell, his best bet would be to strike like lightning, then wait to see if anyone noticed. If they did, he would attempt to flee as quickly as possible.

What he was doing right now would be exactly the same as if some deadly monster snuck into the Demi-Immortal Institute and tried to assassinate an elite student. It was easy to imagine how things would turn out if the deed were noticed.

'Ah, whatever. I'm here, so I might as well prepare a killing blow. If it doesn't work the first time, I'll follow up with another attack.'

Dropping down, he concealed himself in one of the many reefs on the seafloor.

His mind filled with thoughts of the dao of the quick strike, he focused on his sea of energy, and the power of forty-nine ancient megamammoths that rested there, waiting to be unleashed….

This was something new to him; the desire to do battle inside of him was growing so strong that his killing intent threatened to leak out into the open. Keeping a tight grip on it, he continued to build up power.

Beneath his suit of true energy armor, he was sweating profusely.

He absolutely had to pull this off like an assassination.

To make matters worse, black floodwyrms had abundant life force, perhaps ten times more than humans. That would make it even more difficult to kill them quickly. This assassination attempt of Yang Qi's was nothing short of heaven-defying. After all, if he succeeded here, then who in the world could be his match?

'The boundless dao of the quick strike is about killing in one blow. Put complete focus into the attack, do something rarely seen, strike with utter mercilessness…. This is the perfect opportunity to temper my willpower and determination.'

As of this moment, his heart was pounding, and a thousand thoughts were running through his mind.

'Maybe this isn't a good idea after all. If my strike misses, and the experts from the Black Floodwyrm Grotto show up, I probably wouldn't be able to escape them. It wasn't easy to get to the level I'm currently at. And I still have plenty of time to cultivate the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. As the saying goes, a wise man foresees the danger and avoids it.

'That's right, if I ended up getting killed, what would father do? And what about the clan? And my brothers?' Yang Qi almost felt like there were two voices inside of him arguing about what to do.

With each second that passed by, it seemed backing down might be the best thing to do.

After all, he didn't need to put himself in danger to further his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. He could just kill lower-level demonlings and use their cores to advance his cultivation base.

At that point, he very nearly abandoned his idea of attempting a quick strike on this floodwyrm. The crystalline palace complex up ahead just seemed too dangerous. And he knew that, however dangerous it seemed now, the true danger could erupt like a volcano at any moment.

'No!' he said to himself, forcing away the thoughts of giving up. 'Ever since my life changed, my cultivation base has advanced steadily, without any major setbacks. I need some difficulty. I need some training. I'm going to go into that cave and kill that floodwyrm. I'll either succeed, or die trying! Only by pushing myself harder can I rest at ease in my heart. Attack! No giving up! Otherwise, how could I hope to prop up heaven and earth as the successor of the godmammoths, and crush the devilish gods beneath my feet! If I backed down, my heart would be faulty, and how could I possibly continue with cultivation? I'm not weak. I know in my heart that I'm a powerful expert! Only by walking the path between life and death can I free myself from the shackles of doubt!'

In that moment, he made his decision.

Self-confidence blossomed inside of him as his own will fused with the raging spirit of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. All of a sudden, he felt something like a wave of approval from the golden imp in his forehead. It was as if the technique was personally approving of his soul.

As of this moment, his willpower was stronger than ever. Never before had he thrummed with such a powerful desire to fight.

Maintaining complete and utter silence, he shot forward with his spear.

There was no sound. There were no energy fluctuations. He blurred into motion, piercing through the water almost as if he existed in a different world.

He moved so quickly that it defied any and all description.

And then, his spear stabbed into the black floodwyrm.

In the blink of an eye, the Humanoid True Energy atop the floodwyrm's head vanished. It died before it knew what hit it!

Yang Qi had succeeded!

1. In Chinese, the 'dao of the quick strike' could also be translated as the 'dao of assassination'. However, the term is used later in ways that would make 'dao of assassination' the incorrect interpretation, as far as I'm concerned.

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Chapter 112: More Assassinations

An exceptionally quick strike. An exceptional assassination.

All it took was one spear strike from Yang Qi to end the life of the black floodwyrm. It was as if the Infernal Deity Spear had truly awoken an infernal deity who was the sovereign of death, to take away the souls of the living.

Yang Qi looked down at the enormous corpse, and felt confidence and pride rising up in his heart.

As he had been preparing for the blow, conflict had erupted within him, essentially, an inner devil. Had he shrunk back, it would definitely have caused problems for his progress later on.

How could a coward possibly control the hard and unyielding Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth? It took bravery and ferocity to suppress hells, and only someone with the heart of an invincible expert could possibly frighten and control devil-gods. Even the slightest step backward could turn one into a coward.

But Yang Qi was no coward. He had successfully passed a major milestone in his cultivation.

And he had reaped quite a reward.

After building up his power, he unleashed an exceptionally quick strike, pushing his life force to the pinnacle, and also developing deep confidence.

His aura was transforming on a fundamental level; apparently, the true energy of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth had acknowledged allegiance to him, and approved of him.

In the past, his true energy had been unyielding, and able to explode out at any time. That also made it difficult to control. But now things were different. For example, he could now use the Four Seasons Swordplay in either a hard or a soft fashion.

He was now like finely tempered steel.

'Not a bad demon core. Unfortunately, this is only a floodwyrm, not a dragon. I wonder how strong dragons are?' He looked down at the demon core, which looked like a translucent moon, shimmering with soft light, illuminating the dark waters around him.

Everything around him was very quiet, without the slightest energy fluctuation.

At the moment that the black floodwyrm had died, he had pulled the heterogeneous true energy and life force of the massive beast into his Hellfire Crucible, which immediately began to bubble.

Sitting down cross-legged, he proceeded to take the heterogeneous true energy and convert it into the quintessence he needed.

Normally speaking, the death of a black floodwyrm would have led to an explosion of true energy that would send fluctuations out for quite a distance.

But with his Hellfire Crucible, he was able to absorb it instantly.

The true energy became like a black dragon which swirled through his meridians, circulating three times before it collapsed and was absorbed.

All of a sudden, Yang Qi felt like his blood had something akin to the power of dragons in it, something that was also fused into his muscles and bones. It was like the power to soar to the highest heavens, or sink to the bottom of the deepest seas.

He could even absorb what air existed in the water through his skin.

As of this point, he didn't need to use true energy to survive and breathe underwater. He was almost like one of the Seafolk.

Thus was the benefit of a human absorbing the true energy of a black floodwyrm.

After some more time passed, Yang Qi rose to his feet, feeling very energetic. Not only was he completely recovered, but his true energy and cultivation base were at a new peak.

The strike from moments ago was really one of the most ultimate strikes he had ever unleashed.

'I don't care how strong you are, Yun Hailan. This strike of mine will cut you down before you can react. You just wait.' In fact, he was confident that very few elite students in the Demi-Immortal Institute could defend against it.

Right now, he was only a Secondary Lifeseizer, and yet, if he struck quickly enough, could definitely kill or injure even a Senary Lifeseizer who had achieved six lifeseizings.

'I need to find more black floodwyrms!'

With that, he became a dark shadow that was one with the waters of the Black Sea. Prowling through the various mountains and gullies, he was like a world-class assassin. All he had to do was build up his energy, then unleash it in that stunning strike, and he could end the life of any enemy.

An hour later, he was getting very close to the crystalline palace. At one point, in one particularly deep gully, he came across two enormous floodwyrms that were both in the Lifeseizing level.

Killing one such floodwyrm unnoticed could be done, but he couldn't quite manage two with complete confidence. It was simply impossible, and therefore, he passed them up.

Slowly but surely, he proceeded along, killing anything that he came across.

Thanks to his recent enlightenment, he could now use both soft and hard aspects of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, making it even easier for him to escape notice. Similarly, his Infernal Deity Plate Armor could be softened, allowing him to slip through the water completely undetected.

Before long, he found another rather old black floodwyrm working on cultivation in an underwater river. Apparently, it was at a critical juncture, and was just about to reach Secondary Lifeseizing.

Shockingly, the black floodwyrm was covered by multiple layers of yin-fire.

It was practicing yin-fire body refinement to improve its true energy, and then make its breakthrough to Secondary Lifeseizing.

'Heaven is really helping me!'

Yang Qi slipped into the river and began to build up his energy to unleash a devastating attack.

There was little suspense in it all.

The black floodwyrm collapsed immediately when hit, and even as its true energy exploded out, it was sucked in by the Hellfire Crucible.

Another moon-like demon core floated into Yang Qi's palm.

It was a level of energy that far surpassed anything he had acquired from the other black floodwyrms up to this point, and he almost couldn't take it.

However, he had been prepared for that, and immediately set to work wresting control and fusing it into his body and blood.

Soon, the heterogeneous true energy was filling him with more power and energy than ever. He could actually see how, within his platinum blood, there were images that resembled dragons.

'So, every time I kill one of these black floodwyrms and absorb its demon core, I get some of its heterogeneous true energy. It's actually quite beneficial. I guess since I can't cultivate in the Minorcosm World right now, I'll just advance by ridding the world of devils and demons.'

Sending some true energy sweeping out, he collected the floodwyrm's tendons, skin, bones, and horns into his thumb-ring. Such materials could be used to create armor and weapons, which meant that he could turn them in to the institute in return for a healthy sum of merit points.

Obviously, he wouldn't just abandon them.

'It's too bad my brothers back at the institute can't benefit from these demon cores the way I can. Maybe I should turn them in for merit points to purchase the help of a Legendary for them.'

These black floodwyrms were essentially treasures embodied for the Lifeseizing level.

And with his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, Yang Qi could essentially take all of those treasures at will. Blurring into motion again, he continued on his way.

His aura was so close to that of the Black Sea's at this point, that no creatures present would notice him any more than people on the land would notice a faint breeze.

With two Lifeseizing black floodwyrms having fallen under his hand, Yang Qi was now stronger and more deadly than ever.

WHIZZZ!

Another black floodwyrm was killed before it knew what was happening.

Snap!

An old black floodwyrm in one of the underwater rivers was killed, and vanished before even a drop of its blood could seep out. Yang Qi's true energy seemed completely inexhaustible.

He now had complete control over his true energy, and could make it freezing cold or burning hot at will. Being able to turn mountains into lava was something that ordinary Lifeseizers weren't capable of.

One by one, he slaughtered Lifeseizing black floodwyrms, all without being noticed.

He was like a god of death in the dark waters, the king of hell out to collect what was his. Only after killing five powerful black floodwyrms in a row did he need to stop for a moment to catch his breath.

Even he was somewhat taken aback at how completely heaven-defying this trip was turning out to be. After all, what would happen if a deadly monster snuck into the Demi-Immortal Institute and killed five elite students like this? Top experts would definitely be dispatched to track that monster to the ends of the earth to kill it.

If King Black Floodwyrm ever found out he was the one responsible, wouldn't the same happen to him?

All of a sudden, he experienced a sense of impending disaster.

'What if I somehow shift the blame to Yun Hailan? After all, she has the blood of the Sea God in her. She could get around just as easily as me here. That would be perfect!' Having made up his mind, he looked over at the crystalline Black Floodwyrm Grotto, which was nearer than ever. If only he could go there and uncover some secrets about the Hanging Mountain.

However, considering that there was a Legendary level demon king there, it would be too dangerous.

Even as he tried to decide what to do, explosive ripples surged through the water around him.

'What a commotion,' he thought. 'Has someone else entered the Black Sea to kill demon-devils?'

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Chapter 113: The Devils in Chaos

Yang Qi had killed five black floodwyrms that were in the Lifeseizing level, acquiring five demon cores. That was definitely enough to help his three brothers reach the Lifeseizing level.

As for the two extra, he tossed them into his Hellfire Crucible.

Ignoring the energy fluctuations he had just noticed, he focused on absorbing the power of the cores.

Each of them was roughly the size of a human head, and glowed with the light of the moon, plus an image that looked like a black floodwyrm consuming the moon. The power in those cores was enough to level a small city.

But right now, the quintessence within the cores was converted by the Hellfire Crucible, and turned into power for Yang Qi, fusing into his Cosmic Sunflare Sword technique and the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. As it did, the fiftieth particle within him woke up, giving him access to the power of fifty ancient megamammoths. And that meant that he could now enter Tertiary Lifeseizing.

However, after absorbing the two black floodwyrm demon cores, he realized that he was in a bottleneck, which meant that he still needed some more time. Stilling his cultivation base, he rose to his feet, and looked up toward the surface, which was the source of the fluctuations he had detected.

The fluctuations even woke up some of the powerful entities that lurked in the various sea gullies.

Yang Qi watched as more than a hundred black floodwyrms in the Lifeseizing level emerged from the depths of the underwater rivers, unleashing demon energy that flowed toward the source of the fluctuations.

At the same time, the enormous, crystalline palace in the center of the plane, the Black Floodwyrm Grotto, began to pulse with light. Apparently, some huge spell formation was being activated.

'What a pity!' Yang Qi thought, shaking his head at the scene. 'I just can't proceed any further.' It would be madness for him to try to enter the Black Floodwyrm Grotto now. 'I wonder what expert has arrived. Is someone really going to try to attack the Black Floodwyrm Grotto? Is this person really not afraid of King Black Floodwyrm? I should sneak away and get back to the surface to see what's going on. In the water, the black floodwyrms have the advantage, but up above, it'll be the other way around.'

Taking advantage of the chaos, he slipped away and then headed up toward the surface.

As soon as he burst out of the water, he unfurled his wings and then flew higher up into the sky. Looking out at the water, he saw massive waves surging back and forth. Various energy arts which were being unleashed caused massive pillars of water to shoot hundreds of meters up into the air before raining back down.

Apparently, some huge fight between two major experts was playing out under the water.

Right now, he wasn't afraid at all. Now that he was out of the Black Sea, all it would take would be the flap of his Fiend-Devil Wings to escape any enemy who tried to attack him.

He could essentially come and go as he pleased.

Suddenly, a huge bubble of water formed, then exploded, revealing a young man in blue clothing, holding a long spear in his hand. It was not an energy weapon, but rather corporeal, and surged with spirit energy that indicated it was actually a spirit weapon.

It was far more powerful than the trident Yang Qi had finished forging, and the blue-garbed young man was even more powerful than his weapon. Suddenly, his true energy surged out to create a blue suit of armor, as well as a pair of spectacular wings.

Furthermore, the pulsing true energy fluctuations which rolled off of him made it seem like he was capable of controlling all water flows under heaven.

Whether it was clouds or rain, or even the mist in the Black Sea, this young man could manipulate them all.

His aura surpassed that of even the Tertiary Lifeseizer Longxuan Ye that Yang Qi had encountered on Manyflowers Peak. From the look of it, he had already performed five lifeseizings.

No wonder he was confident enough to enter the Black Sea and take on the black floodwyrms.

'I wonder where this guy is from. He uses water-type energy arts, that's for sure.' Even as Yang Qi examined him, the blue-garbed young man turned to face nine black floodwyrms.

Leading them was one floodwyrm whose armor-like scales glistened with bright light. It had five claws, and swirling horns that made it almost look like a black dragon. Standing atop its head was a boy in a black tunic and trousers, holding a dual-crescent-bladed halberd.

That boy was not a manifestation of Humanoid True Energy, but rather, a nascent divinity created by the black floodwyrm's soul, making him much more powerful.

'This black floodwyrm leader is incredible!' In fact, Yang Qi could tell that he was no weaker than the young man in blue.

"You really think you can just waltz into the Black Floodwyrm Grotto, punk?" the floodwyrm said. "Do you know how powerful the demon kings of the seventy-two grottos are? You cultivate Tsunami of the Sea King, right? That's a consummate technique from the Sea God Institute, which makes you like a king of the sea. Unfortunately for you, I'm one of the top cultivation geniuses from the Black Floodwyrm Grotto. I'm going to capture you, extract your soul, and then rip all your techniques out of it."

"Dream on, you freakish hellion!" The blue-garbed young man spun and then shot off into the distance.

As for the nine black floodwyrms, they immediately gave chase.

Before long, they were nearing the edge of the sea, where the sandy desert once again began.

Yang Qi then watched as the entire group entered the desert.

The entire time, he kept focused on the depths of the Black Sea, curious to see whether or not the Legendary King Black Floodwyrm would appear. However, he never sensed any Legendary aura.

He had met Legendaries before, namely, Patriarchs Wind and Cloud, and could thus identify such auras. And if he had sensed anything like that, he would have fled at top speed. However, for whatever reason, King Floodwyrm never appeared. Perhaps he was away, or perhaps he was focused on cultivation and was ignoring the activities of the younger generation.

The Black Sea was located right in the middle of the Northern Frontier Desert, and was surrounded by endless dunes, mountains of sand, and violent storms.

At a certain point, the blue-robed young man landed on one of the dunes.

Moments later, the black floodwyrms arrived, black mist swirling around them. As for the incarnation of the leader, he looked coldly at the young man and said, "You think that you can weaken us by luring us out into the desert? Don't forget that you also cultivate water-type energy arts. You'll be limited here just as we are."

"So what? I've achieved multiple lifeseizings. Out here, I can unleash the full potential of my power. Who exactly are you? Tell me your name so I can report it to my superiors after I kill you."

"Jiao Wufeng," the leader said coldly. "What about you?"

"I'm Jun Tianchou, conclave student from the Sea God Institute." Although this Jun Tianchou spoke in very domineering fashion, he was actually so good-looking that he bordered on pretty.

Jiao Wufeng let loose a long laugh. "So, seems I'm going to be performing a big service for the exalted King Black Floodwyrm. He'd love to offer a conclave student to the emissary from the Hanging Mountain. And I'll earn a hefty reward."

Eyes flickering, Jun Tianchou said, "An emissary from the Hanging Mountain is in the Black Floodwyrm Grotto? There, right now, with King Floodwyrm? How come I didn't sense any such aura?"

Jiao Wufeng chuckled. "Trying to squeeze some information out of me? Well, I guess it won't hurt. You're dead anyway. The exalted Black King Floodwyrm most certainly is entertaining the emissary from the Hanging Mountain. They're in the depths of the subterranean rivers, inspecting the Dragonizing Grand Spell Formation. You know, I'd bet money that you're here on a mission for the Sea God Institute, trying to find information about the emissary. Sadly for you, the only thing you'll find is an early grave."

"Well then, Jiao Wufeng. You're one of the top experts among the Demonfolk, right? Go ahead and make your move."

Instead, Jiao Wufeng snorted coldly and turned to look out into the desert sands. "You've been following us for a while, punk. Are you a friend of this Jun Tianchou? There's no need to skulk around out there. I noticed you quite a while ago."

A bit surprised, Yang Qi stepped out into the open. Considering he was only a Secondary Lifeseizer, he didn't seem like much at all compared to the Quinary Lifeseizers Jun Tianchou and Jiao Wufeng.

Of course, he was also intentionally masking his true level of strength.

Eyes flashing, Jun Tianchou said, "Brother, I can tell from your garments that you're from the Demi-Immortal Institute. Why don't you come fight by my side? I'll watch your back. We're both from prestigious, orthodox institutes, so we can't let each other get hurt by these hellions."

Yang Qi was actually a bit surprised at the kindness he sensed in Jun Tianchou's words. Thanks to his dealings with people like Yun Hailan and Gu Che, he actually had a relatively poor impression of students from the Sea God Institute, and hadn't expected this Jun Tianchou to immediately offer to protect him.

As a Quinary Lifeseizer, he truly did qualify to protect someone in Secondary Lifeseizing.

Already, Yang Qi liked this Jun Tianchou.

"Brother Jun, you're right. I'm from the Demi-Immortal Institute, and I came here to slaughter hellions from the Black Floodwyrm Grotto." Blurring into motion, he flew over and stood at Jun Tianchou's side.

"Excellent energy arts!" Jun Tianchou said, nodding in admiration. "You stay behind me. These beasts are nothing to take lightly. The nine of them have a spell formation prepared called the Nine Dragons Fatal Strike Array. Even I would be in big trouble if I got stuck in it. Seems you're in Secondary Lifeseizing, right? Be careful. If something goes wrong, you won't be able to escape. Even in the desert, these nine will be able to catch up with you if you fled."

1. Jiao Wufeng: The "Jiao" is actually the word for floodwyrm/flood dragon. Wu means "no" and Feng means "wind".

2. Jun Tianchou: Jun is a surname, although not a very common one. It also means "gentleman, ruler". Tian means "heaven, sky" and Chou means "hatred, animosity, enmity, enemy, foe".

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Chapter 114: Killing a Quinary Lifeseizer

Jiao Wufeng burst out laughing. "A puny Secondary Lifeseizer? What are you going to do? Well, you two are students from the Demi-Immortal and Sea God Institutes, with access to the best techniques possible. You know what? I want those techniques."

At this point, one of the black floodwyrms said, "Don't waste your breath on these two little punks, Boss Wufeng. Let's just attack with our Nine Dragons Fatal Strike Array. There's no way they can escape that."

"You're right. Set up the formation."

RUMMMBLE!

Jiao Wufeng looked down as the other eight black floodwyrms opened their mouths and spat out blasts of true energy, which converged into the shape of numerous flags, all of them embroidered with images of dancing devils.

The true energy flags slammed down into the sand, locking down a roughly five-square-kilometer area. All areas of escape were thus completely sealed off.

"Watch out, Brother!" Jun Tianchou said. "The Nine Dragons Fatal Strike Array is virtually impenetrable."

However, even as the words left his mouth, Yang Qi took action.

SWISH!

Energy began to swirl around him, distorting the air, until he simply vanished.

Shocked, Jun Tianchou murmured, "What's going on?"

A moment later, he caught sight of a spear that seemed to belong to a ghost-god from the netherworld, stabbing directly into Jiao Wufeng.

Jiao Wufeng had been surrounded by a defensive energy field that was seemingly as impregnable as iron. But this attack of Yang Qi was like the epitome of death, and crushed through his defenses as easily as a hammer crushing an ice cube.

Whoosh!

The energy field collapsed, and at the same time, the image of an entity with an elephantine head and a human body appeared, its trunk capable of absorbing even the stars in the sky.

With a single inhalation, that entity absorbed all of the energy which had just been shattered.

Yang Qi had just killed five black floodwyrms in the Lifeseizing level, all with a single shot.

And from the way he attacked now, it was clear that he was very familiar with that method. It didn't matter that Jiao Wufeng was a Quinary Lifeseizer. That spear strike was something he could never have dreamed existed. And how could he ever have guessed that a mere Secondary Lifeseizer could attack with such force that his defensive energy field would be destroyed instantly?

It was the type of strike that could cause ghost-gods from hell to weep, and could cast judgement on disgraced gods from heaven.

The moment the defensive energy field was destroyed, the Infernal Deity Spear stabbed into the black floodwyrm at Jiao Wufeng's feet, causing it to explode into a cloud of blood and gore.

Then the spear angled up, heading directly toward the nascent divinity that was Jiao Wufeng himself.

That nascent divinity was the embryonic form of Jiao Wufeng's future humanoid form, and it also contained his demon core. Accompanied by an agonized shriek, that huge, moon-like demon core burst out into the open, where it then began to speed off in the hopes of making an escape.

Silvery light spread out in all directions, making it seem very much like an actual moon, and turning the entire world around them pure silver.

This demon core was far, far larger than any of the others Yang Qi had collected so far.

In comparison, those other demon cores were like clumps of dirt, and this one was like an enormous jewel.

This was a Quinary Lifeseizing level demon core!

The fact that Yang Qi could slaughter a Quinary Lifeseizer in a single shot would leave many powerful experts in the world completely stunned.

"Dammit! I can't believe you're so strong, you bastard! You tricked me!" It was the voice of Jiao Wufeng. Unexpectedly, he actually wasn't dead.

Yang Qi's attack had been so devastatingly powerful that it was impossible to defend against. It was the type that could instantly eradicate any black floodwyrms who were Primary or Secondary Lifeseizers.

But Jiao Wufeng was too powerful to be killed by a single blow. It could only seriously injure him. He was the type of expert who could survive even after being chopped to pieces. His true energy could always form back into a humanoid shape and flee. He could even abandon his fleshly body if he wanted to, and go possess another.

BAM!

Shockingly, the force released by the destruction of the nascent divinity sent out such powerful reverberations that the Infernal Deity Spear was shaken.

Then, the nascent divinity and the demon core fused into the shattered remnants of the black floodwyrm body, which began to restore itself.

Jiao Wufeng's true form was that enormous black floodwyrm; he just liked to maintain human form whenever it was convenient. This was actually a weakness among many high-level Demonfolk. Demonfolk experts believed that maintaining human form would earn them respect.

And in fact, the individuals who were most respected among the Demonfolk were humans.

Unfortunately, Jiao Wufeng's nascent divinity had been damaged, and his black floodwyrm body almost completely destroyed. Right now, he had no other choice than to practice cultivation to heal himself before he could think about fighting back.

"Brother Jun, let's go!" Yang Qi said, "If we wipe out Jiao Wufeng, then the other hellions will be easy to take out!" Armor rippled out to cover his body, and his Fiend-Devil Wings sprouted behind him. The Infernal Deity Spear formed again in his hand, only this time, bigger and longer.

Now, it seemed mighty enough to pierce moons.

Furthermore, a tiny black hole sprang into being on the spearhead, which sucked in all light in the area.

Yet again, another massive attack surged forth, backed by the spectacular power of a megamammoth.

One spear strike. Only one, single spear strike.

Jiao Wufeng struck out with his floodwyrm claw, unleashing a variety of martial disciplines unique to demonlings. However, no amount of complex variations could evade Yang Qi's spear.

Another agonized shriek rang out as the spear stabbed through his claw. Then Jiao Wufeng said, "Time to go for broke! Devilish Floodwyrm Breaks Gods! Slaughter Immortals and Kill Devils! Nine Cleavings of the Dragon King!"

Massive amounts of energy erupted from this terrifying, devilish floodwyrm, a Quinary Lifeseizer. He even burned his own life force to unleash a technique created by whatever black dragon was his immortal ancestor: The Nine Cleavings of the Dragon King.

"First Cleaving: Sever Rivers! Second Cleaving: Part Seas! Third Cleaving: Carve Mountains! Fourth Cleaving: Shatter Stars! Fifth Cleaving: Collapse Voids! Sixth Cleaving: Eradicate Immortals! Seventh Cleaving: Pulverize Heaven and Earth! Eighth Cleaving: Fracture the Universe! Ninth Cleaving: Create a Great Dao!"

In the shortest of moments, Jiao Wufeng suddenly transformed into nine projections, which then swirled together to create a massive axe of true energy. The axe then reared back and slashed toward the incoming Yang Qi, seemingly carrying with it the force to destroy anything and everything.

"Die!" Yang Qi bellowed, fully aware of the power of the axe, and yet not the slightest bit afraid.

'Tertiary Lifeseizing! Upgrade to invincibility!' He knew that this was Jiao Wufeng's final move. Therefore, he went all out, and held absolutely nothing back. Instantly, the vital energy of heaven and earth in the area erupted into motion. Countless tiny vortexes sprang up, which quickly took recognizable forms. There were devil-ghosts, wild beasts, flames, lightning bolts, giant-spirits, and more. It was as if the gates of hell had been opened allowing all types of demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters out, as well as other tribulations such as fire and flame.

Instantly, the entire area was filled with all-destructive power.

By going all out, Yang Qi had pushed himself to the level of Tertiary Lifeseizing.

And of course, heaven and earth would fight back. Thus, countless tribulations of vital energy formed to fight him.

Of course, such tribulations also affected Jiao Wufeng.

Because of the eruption of all the vital energy, the enormous axe formed by his Nine Cleavings of the Dragon King was shattered into bits.

As for his enormous floodwyrm body, it began to collapse.

It all happened in the shortest of moments.

'How could this be happening? What a devastating attack! How could a Secondary Lifeseizer do something like this? Is he even human?' Jun Tianchou had been so bowled over by what was happening that he only now began to recover his composure.

Just when he was about to remind Yang Qi to be careful of the Nine Cleavings of the Dragon King, he saw Tertiary Lifeseizing Tribulation suddenly spring up around him.

'I need to get rid of those other eight floodwyrms!' Jun Tianchou was a conclave student of the Sea God Institute, which meant that he ranked higher than an elite student. His cultivation base was one of profound mystery, and when he took to action, it caused waves of energy to roll out that formed into the image of a sea king.

It was hard to say exactly what type of entity it was, but as soon as it appeared, Jun Tianchou burst into action.

A Primary Lifeseizer black floodwyrm exploded instantly. After all, Jun Tianchou was a Quinary Lifeseizer, so opponents like this were far, far beneath him.

At that point, Jun Tianchou slashed out with his harpoon, killing another of the black floodwyrms.

They had no chance to form their Nine Dragons Fatal Strike Array. As soon as their leader was injured by Yang Qi, they were as united as a plate of shifting sand.

ROAR!

Despite the countless vital energy tribulations, Yang Qi wasn't weakening at all. Instead, he was growing fiercer. Platinum light surrounded him, filled with holiness, making him seem like a host of gods from numerous heavens, come to offer blessings of all sorts.

Wherever that platinum light shone, the vital energy tribulations vanished.

As for his Infernal Deity Spear, it grew larger and more powerful, until it was a holy object. Then, with a single strike, he stabbed Jiao Wufeng through.

Aaaiiiieee!

Blood sprayed out everywhere as Jiao Wufeng turned to flee. He knew that this was an enemy he couldn't defeat, and that if he didn't escape, he would end up being buried here.

But now, Yang Qi was a Tertiary Lifeseizer, faster and even more powerful than he had been moments before. Jiao Wufeng entered the sea of clouds, vanishing from sight as surely as if he had traveled to an alternate dimension.

And yet, only a moment later, Yang Qi appeared in front of him, a three-hundred-meter-long spear held in his hand. With a single thrust, he speared Jiao Wufeng, sending him downward to be impaled in the ground.

"This…." Jun Tianchou was completely and utterly flabbergasted.

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Chapter 115: Another Brother

In this bitter fight to the end, Yang Qi stabbed Jiao Wufeng through, killing him before he even slammed into the ground.

The spear pierced into his mouth and came out of his floodwyrm tail, turning him into a meat kabob.

It would be difficult for most people to conceive how a Quinary Lifeseizer could possibly be killed by someone in the Tertiary Lifeseizing level. And yet, there was no denying the bloody scene which had played out.

As for the surviving black floodwyrms, they were astonished to the core.

Now that their leader had been crushed right in front of them, they knew that they were hopelessly outmatched. And thus, Jun Tianchou, conclave student from the Sea God Institute, cut them down one by one.

His harpoon moved like the wind, stabbing through the floodwyrms with ease. Within mere moments, they fell from the sky, massive amounts of true energy erupting out of them.

With the wave of his hand, Jun Tianchou summoned a blue jade bottle gourd, which began to suck in all of the true energy. Actually, that bottle gourd looked very similar to the Heart of the Sea thumb-ring.

Meanwhile, Yang Qi dropped down, his Infernal Deity Spear having sucked all of Jiao Wufeng's true energy into his Hellfire Crucible to be refined.

Normally speaking, he wouldn't be able to do anything with that true energy, and it would have dissipated. But now, he was a Tertiary Lifeseizer.

Because of that, his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth had undergone massive changes. For example, the lava in his Hellfire Crucible had become a different color. It was now platinum, with holy flames dancing on its surface, which was none other than sagefire.

There were still many mysterious aspects to the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth that Yang Qi wasn't familiar with. However, as his cultivation base grew, such things would be revealed, and would provide him with immense benefit.

That was one of the unequaled elements of the godly-class energy art.

If godly-class energy arts were the same as ordinary energy arts, then why were they techniques that were usually cultivated by gods?

Common people and gods were simply not on the same level. One existed in the highest heavens, the other wallowed on the face of the earth.

Yang Qi extended his hand, causing silvery light to radiate out from Jiao Wufeng's demon core. It almost looked like a real moon, and it contained a massive life force aura that seemed like it was just on the verge of breaking out to form a living being.

Demon cores from demonlings in the Quinary Lifeseizing level were considered precious treasures in the Demi-Immortal Institute, and were only accessible to conclave students.

For the moment, he couldn't refine it. He could only use his Hellfire Crucible to slowly chip away at it, and gradually extract its life force quintessence.

Even still, now that he was a Tertiary Lifeseizer, every move he made thrummed with power, making him seem so invincibly domineering that even Jun Tianchou couldn't help but admire him.

"Brother, you're nothing less than a peerless talent! Since when did a person like you rise up in the Demi-Immortal Institute?"

"Ah, who cares about the Demi-Immortal Institute and the Sea God Institute? We're all individuals, right? It was a pleasure to work with you to cut down these hellions, Brother. There's nothing more gratifying than punishing evildoers. And what's more important than making good friends? By joining forces to rid the world of devils and demons, we can bring out the best in each other. You know, since we've already started calling each other Brother, why not make it official and become sworn siblings?" Yang Qi was in a wonderful mood, not only because of reaching Tertiary Lifeseizing, but also because of how good of a person Jun Tianchou seemed to be.

Otherwise, why else would he have offered to protect him so quickly earlier?

"Become sworn siblings?" Jun Tianchou's eyes glittered. Seemingly infected by Yang Qi's mood, and also impressed by what he had just seen, he replied, "Great idea. We obviously hit it off right from the start. Let's do it right here. We can offer the corpses of the floodwyrms to heaven as a sacrifice to seal our oath."

"That sounds perfect."

Yang Qi was of the opinion that making new friends was always a good thing. Waving his hand, he sent out three streams of sword energy down into the ground to act in the stead of incense sticks.

Jun Tianchou smiled, using his energy arts to pile the black floodwyrms up onto a nearby dune to act as their sacrificial offering.

With that, the two of them dropped to their knees.

"I, Yang Qi…"

"I, Jun Tianchou…"

With that, they joined their voices together. "… hereby offer this sacrifice to heaven to become sworn siblings. Henceforth, we shall share honor and disgrace, and join forces to fight any enemy. If either of us betrays the other, may we be put to death at the edge of a sword."

With that, they kowtowed eight times. Afterward, they rose to their feet, looked at each other, and burst out in contented laughter.

It was all a bit unbelievable.

The two of them hardly knew each other, but had fought side by side, and thus decided to take each other as sworn siblings. In any case, they were both so advanced in cultivation that it wasn't a big deal to take on a new sworn sibling if that person was a kindred spirit.

Yang Qi couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. After taking down Jiao Wufeng, he had been caught up in the moment, and casually suggested to Jun Tianchou that they become sworn siblings. Who would have thought that he would agree? Now he had a brother in the Sea God Institute.

Inwardly, Jun Tianchou let out a soft sigh. After all, he was a conclave student from the Sea God Institute, a mighty individual whom scores of other students called Elder Brother. Even students from other institutes would show him the utmost respect. However, he was a shrewd individual; based on what had just played out, he was sure that Yang Qi was a spectacular genius. It didn't matter that he was from another institute; he had limitless potential, and if he kept on his current path, would likely end up in the higher echelons of the Demi-Immortal Institute. Having a sworn brother like that would be of great benefit down the line.

Normally speaking, a person with such potential would have been wary of strangers, but instead, had directly suggested they become brothers. That indicated that either he wasn't interested in gaining power in his institute, or, he was the type of person who did whatever he wanted, regardless of what others thought.

Either way, his personality appealed to Jun Tianchou.

"Brother, I'm a conclave student in the Sea God Institute. Considering my high position, if people from the Demi-Immortal Institute found out that you and I are now sworn brothers, well, it could be dangerous for you."

Yang Qi chuckled. "That doesn't matter. I'm just at the Demi-Immortal Institute temporarily, working on my cultivation. I'm not interested in pursuing power. Institutes are temporary. Brothers are for life. So, Brother, what do you plan to do with these black floodwyrms?"

"Well, they're treasures, so I'll take them away with me." His eyes hardened. "You know, the corpse of Jiao Wufeng is full of things that can make great ingredients for magical treasures. If I handed his corpse in to the Sea God Institute, the reward would be a hefty sum of merit points. Listen, Brother, I have an idea. Although I killed the black floodwyrms, and you killed Jiao Wufeng, you obviously don't have a hoarding item. On the other hand, I have this Heart of the Sea bottle gourd which can contain all the corpses. So how about I take the corpses, and you take the demon cores. What do you say?"

Yang Qi nodded. "Great idea. I'm in your debt now, Brother. I was hoping to get some demon cores just like these to help some of my brothers back home to cultivate the Cosmic Sunflare Sword technique. If you're sure, then I'll take them." Inside, he was thinking that this new brother of his really was a good person. After all, even though the corpses were valuable, the demon cores were definitely more precious. And yet, he made it sound like it was the opposite, to make the matter more acceptable in terms of face.

"Alright then. You take these eight demon cores." Jun Tianchou waved his hand and tossed them over. Each and every one was from a Lifeseizing level floodwyrm. "The Cosmic Sunflare Sword and black floodwyrm demon cores complement each other like fire and water. Your friends will definitely reach a much higher level."

Yang Qi put the demon cores away, then watched as Jun Tianchou sucked the corpses into his blue bottle gourd.

From what he could tell, the bottle gourd could definitely hold a lot more than his thumb-ring.

"I guess it's a good thing King Floodwyrm is entertaining the emissary from the Hanging Mountain in the depths of the sea. If he had been there in Black Floodwyrm Grotto, things might have turned out very different." With that, Jun Tianchou looked off into the distance. "We shouldn't stick around here for much longer. Let's go."

With that, they flew into the air. After flying along for about two hours, they landed onto a rather beautiful mountain that jutted up from the desert sands.

"By the way, Brother," Yang Qi said, "have you heard any rumors in the Sea God Institute about a girl named Yun Hailan?"

"Yun Hailan? Hm. One of us Seafolk who has the blood of a sea god in her?" His eyes flickered. "Didn't she end up studying at the Demi-Immortal Institute?"

"That's right. She's made quite the name for herself already. She's in the Lifeseizing level, and even more noteworthy, has earned the favor of the leader of the Crown Prince Society. She also took Patriarchs Wind and Cloud as masters."

"Earned the favor of the Crown Prince?" Jun Tianchou's expression flickered. Apparently, he knew who the Crown Prince was.

Yang Qi could sense that Jun Tianchou didn't seem to have very positive feelings about the Crown Prince. "Wait. Are you telling me that even conclave disciples in the Sea God Institute have to worry about the Crown Prince?"

"When it comes to the four institutes in the Rich-Lush Continent, geniuses abound. However, when it comes to the Crown Prince from the Demi-Immortal Institute, he's a star among stars. No one in the younger generation can even come close to being his match. That said, Brother, I'd say you have even greater potential than me. If you end up finding the right good fortune, you might end up as a rival of the Crown Prince."

"Who is this guy anyway?" Yang Qi asked. "I haven't been in the Demi-Immortal Institute for very long, so I don't know much about him."

"I heard that he's a god from heaven descended into the mortal world. He's not even human. He's literally heavenly. Furthermore, people say that his mother had a dream of a falling star, which was when she came to be pregnant. Even stranger, his mother was a virgin."

"What? She dreamed of a falling star and got pregnant?" Yang Qi couldn't have been more shocked. "According to the stories of the distant past, that's how many Great Sages were born."

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Chapter 116: A God from Heaven Descended into the Mortal World

In the distant past, there were many Great Sages who were fatherless. In some stories, the mothers became pregnant after dreaming of god-spirits in heaven, or by treading in the footsteps of giants. Others became pregnant after dreaming of falling stars.

Such stories were accepted history, and the children that had been born to those mothers were all spectacular geniuses who were favored by heaven and earth. Their rise in cultivation never stopped, and they eventually became Great Sages.

Each and every one was a god from heaven descended into the mortal world.

Now, it was said that the Crown Prince was born to a mother who had dreamed of falling stars, and that it was the touch of spirit energy that led to her giving birth to a son. In other words, it seemed the Crown Prince was also a god from heaven descended into the mortal world.

That was no minor identity.

And clearly, he was destined to reach the Great Sage level.

'No wonder the Demi-Immortal Institute cares so much about him,' Yang Qi thought. 'I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to see him in person one day. I may be a Tertiary Lifeseizer who can kill Quinary Lifeseizers, but the Crown Prince is a Legendary. That's far beyond my current level.'

"By the way, Brother, what's the deal with that emissary from the Hanging Mountain?"

"The Hanging Mountain holds sway over large numbers of Demonfolk who live in the Rich-Lush Continent. It looks like they're getting ready for some sort of operation here. There have been some dramatic developments recently, and I suspect there is some ancient secret at play. That's why the ancient Demonfolk sent an ambassador from their alternate dimension, to hatch plans with the demon kings of the seventy-two grottos and the devil lords of the thirty-six caves. In fact, that's why I came out here, in the hopes of getting some information about what they're planning.

"The Hanging Mountain is a force to be reckoned with, and is the natural enemy of orthodox groups like our four institutes. It's very likely that war will break out with them eventually. Brother, you never know when that might happen, so you need to focus hard on getting stronger and improving your cultivation base. Alright, I have some important matters to attend to, so I think the time has come to part. I look forward to seeing your performance in the upcoming Inter-Institutional Martial Arts Competition."

"Alright, I'll take my leave. I need to get these demon cores back to the Demi-Immortal Institute as quickly as possible, and help my other brothers to reach the Lifeseizing level." With that, Yang Qi clasped hands respectfully.

Jun Tianchou returned the gesture. "Take care, Brother. I hope we have more chances in the future to stand shoulder to shoulder and rid the world of devils and demons. Oh, one more thing. Here's a spirit talisman I personally created. It's called Four Corners of the Earth. If you're ever in trouble, inscribe it with a message and then rip the paper; I'll be notified, and come to your aid as quickly as I can. I forged it with my own heart-blood, so no matter how far away I am, I'll remain connected to it on a spiritual level." With that, Jun Tianchou handed a sea-blue paper talisman to Yang Qi. Then, he flew up into the sea of clouds like a divine dragon, where he vanished.

The profundity of his energy arts was simply shocking.

Yang Qi put away the Four Corners of the Earth talisman and then flew into the air to head back to the Demi-Immortal Institute.

Up in the sea of clouds, Jun Tianchou stopped for a moment and looked back at Yang Qi speeding off into the distance. Eyes flickering with complex thoughts, he murmured, 'Who would have thought that I, Jun Tianchou, would take on a sworn sibling like him. Yang Qi…. He's only a Tertiary Lifeseizer, but he managed to kill Jiao Wufeng, a Quinary Lifeseizer…. Another genius is rising up in the Demi-Immortal Institute. However, he doesn't care about power and position. He just wants to enjoy life. One of these days, I have the feeling he's going to do some amazing things.'

Sighing, he turned and vanished in a blur.

The next day….

Back in the Demi-Immortal Institute,

Yang Qi, Hua Yinhu, He Jili, Liang Dong, and Li He were all together again.

Liang Dong was wearing the garments of an elite student; he was now truly one of the top figures in the sect.

Everyone was shocked to see Yang Qi back so quickly, and when they saw the black floodwyrm demon cores he had, they were overjoyed.

In total, he had acquired fourteen such demon cores, five from the floodwyrms he had hunted down and killed, and nine from the other group. Of course, one core was more than enough for Hua Yinhu, He Jili, and Li He. They couldn't even use more of them if they wanted. They just needed enough to keep the Cosmic Sunflare Sword in check, to correct the imbalance of yin and yang.

Yang Qi put the others into his Hellfire Crucible to convert into life force quintessence, including the one from Jiao Wufeng.

He was now in Tertiary Lifeseizing, and it was getting harder and harder to make progress. Relying on the vital energy he could build up just wasn't sufficient. To reach Quaternary Lifeseizing, he would have to consume many, many more demon cores, or possibly spirit medicines.

After helping his three brothers achieve their breakthroughs, he would go into secluded meditation for a time to absorb all of the demon cores.

It was almost impossible for him to comprehend how much life force existed in the demon core of a Quinary black floodwyrm. The benefits of fully absorbing it would be tremendous.

"Alright, are you guys ready?" he asked, anticipation visible on his face as he looked at Li He, Hua Yinhu, and He Jili.

"Ready," Hua Yinhu said. "We've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time." He looked down at the black floodwyrm demon core in his hands, and the dazzling light which radiated off of it.

"Good." Yang Qi reached out and flicked his fingers three times in quick succession, causing the three demon cores to explode, sending watery-like light spreading out in all directions.

"Alright, activate your Cosmic Sunflare Sword techniques. I'll help you subdue the heterogeneous true energy."

Immediately, the three of them unleashed scorching hot sword energy.

Their goal was to use the complementary aspects of fire and water, but that was a difficult thing to pull off. Thankfully, they had Yang Qi there to help them.

Soon, their animadestiny sword manifestations had absorbed the silvery moonlight, and their auras were calming down.

Immense levels of life force erupted from their sword manifestations, filling their bodies. The three of them were experiencing dramatic transformations as animadestiny true energy raged through them.

Vital energy swirled into powerful vortexes. However, it wasn't enough.

"Use these energy convergence pills!" Liang Dong said. Waving his hand, he opened one of the boxes he had prepared, sending out thousands upon thousands of energy convergence pills, as well as certain mid-grade spirit medicines designed to replenish vital energy.

As the pills exploded, they became streams of vital energy pouring into the three friends.

Massive amounts of vital energy were needed to break into the Lifeseizing level, and considering that the three of them were making their attempts all at once, that meant that even more was required than usual. Thankfully, they had prepared well in advance.

Yang Qi wasn't sitting on his laurels.

Three huge arms sprang out behind him, which reached out to pour true energy into his friends. At his current level, the true energy he was wasting counted for almost nothing.

Bam! Bang! Boom!

Three sounds like explosions could be heard as all three of his friends broke through to the Lifeseizing level, causing heaven-shaking, earth-toppling transformations to their meridians, and causing their seas of energy to grow much larger. Their blood became more concentrated, and their skin also began to transform.

Yang Qi looked them over, then sent out more true energy, making slight adjustments here and there to help them overcome certain difficult stages of the transformation.

Before long, the three opened their eyes and reined in their auras. As of this moment, they had finally reached that oft-dreamt-of level, Lifeseizing.

"Alright," Liang Dong said, clapping his hands together. "Now we're all Lifeseizers. Who would dare to look down on us now? Hua Yinhu, He Jili, Li He, why don't you let the elders in your clan know. I'd love to see the expressions on their faces when they find out."

"Yeah, exactly…." Li He said blankly, looking down at his hands, hardly able to believe what he had accomplished. "I've been dreaming my whole life about reaching the Lifeseizing level. If it wasn't for you, Brother Yang Qi, I wouldn't have succeeded even with another fifty years of cultivation. Only half a year ago, I was in the eighth phase."

"Congratulations, my Brothers," Yang Qi said. "We did it together. Why don't the three of you go to the Academy of Sage Studies to get your promotions? It'll be quite the scene for all three of you to go at once. Now, anybody who has it out for you will know that they can't afford to provoke you. As for me, I need to go into secluded meditation to fully absorb the items I acquired from the black floodwyrms."

"Alright, we'll head off to take care of our things," Li He said. "You're the backbone of our band of brothers, so the stronger you are, the stronger we are. First things first, we get our promotions to elite students. Then we notify our clans. When the Sage Ancestor Dynasty finds out that we've become elite students, they'll definitely give rewards to our clans. With the protection of the dynasty, other clans wouldn't dare to cause problems for our clans."

With that, the four of them left to the Academy of Sage Studies.

As for Yang Qi, he headed back to his lakeside temple in the College of Elite Students.

After inspecting himself internally, he ran through his techniques and made various adjustments. He had defeated his inner devils, gained enlightenment of the dao of the quick strike, and produced further transformations in his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth.

"Hey, guys, see that? Yang Qi's four friends just left."

In another corner of the Demi-Immortal Institute, several inner campus students were spying on the group. Of course, they were members of the Crown Prince Society.

"They've been holed up for the past two days working on cultivation. Hmph! I can't believe they think they can break through to the Lifeseizing level just like that. Since when did it become that easy? Back when Liang Dong broke into Lifeseizing, it caused a big stir. Elder Brother Gu Fenxian originally wanted us to cause trouble for the Liang Clan, but now that the Sage Ancestor Dynasty has formally rewarded them, it won't be so easy."

"Elder Brother Gu Fenxian is following the orders of Elder Sister Yun Hailan. She's in the good graces of the Crown Prince himself, and even took Patriarchs Wind and Cloud as masters. Let's just keep doing what we're told. If we can make her happy, it will only result in good for us."

"She's so far above us that it won't be easy to gain her favor. However, her cousin Song Haishan is a different story. Considering his status, the female students are all throwing themselves at him. And he was defeated by Yang Qi in the past, so he hates his guts. If he could defeat Yang Qi, then he would be very, very pleased."

"Come on, we need to follow them. He made a point of emphasizing that we should let him know of any developments."

"I heard that Yun Hailan got help for Song Haishan, from the leaders of the Crown Prince Society. He was in seclusion for two months, and just came out last week as a Lifeseizer."

"That's right, he became an elite student only three days ago."

"Hey, look. Are those four heading to the Academy of Sage Studies? Don't tell me…?"

All of a sudden, the group of students from the Crown Prince Society felt very uneasy.

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Chapter 117: The Fury of Song Haishan

The students from the Crown Prince Society were completely shocked.

It was plain as day that Li He, Hua Yinhu, He Jili, and Liang Dong were all heading toward the Academy of Sage Studies. Of course, Liang Dong was already an elite student, so he had no particular reason to return there. And the other three were only inner campus students, so why would they be going there?

There was only one explanation, as unlikely as it seemed, and that was that all of them had reached the Lifeseizing level, and were about to become elite students.

"Q-q-quick… follow them. We have to find out what's going on." After only a moment of hesitation, the entire group raced after them.

The scene of the four students heading toward the Academy of Sage Studies, followed by a scrambling group from the Crown Prince Society, immediately attracted a lot of attention.

When they arrived, Elder War-Soldier looked at them in surprise. "What? All three of you reached the Lifeseizing level? Present your techniques for inspection."

Whoosh!

A blast of air rushed through the Academy of Sage Studies as a burning mass of sun-like sword energy rose up.

Shocked, Elder War-Soldier said, "What a pure version of the Cosmic Sunflare Sword technique! The only way to do that would be to use a sun gem combined with moonlight from black floodwyrm demon cores; the complementary aspects of fire and water combined! With sword energy like that to wield in a fight, the three of you will be the best of the best among Lifeseizers. Your future prospects are going to be incredible."

"You guessed correctly, Elder. With the help of our clans, we got a sun gem and some moonlight from black floodwyrm demon cores. That enabled us to cultivate the Cosmic Sunflare Sword to the next level, and break through to Lifeseizing."

"Good. Great!"

The other elders in the Academy of Sage Studies all let out exclamations of praise.

"Your meridians are much stronger than those of average elite students!" Elder War-Soldier continued. "And your seas of energy are far larger. All of you could be considered long-time, hardworking students here at the Demi-Immortal Institute. As of this moment, we elders of the Academy of Sage Studies confirm that you are in the Lifeseizing level, and may be promoted to the level of elite students. Men! Bring out the elite student garments, as well as the identity medallions. And arrange for personal residences in the College of Elite Students."

The events which were playing out were a complete shock to the members of the Crown Prince Society.

The student who was in charge of the eavesdropping group was a ninth phase inner campus student. After a long, long moment passed, he managed to regain his composure and say, "Let's leave. We have to tell our superiors about what's happened. This is big."

"Let's go…."

All of the students flew off.

Soon, word began to spread about the three new Lifeseizers.

"They're all fast friends of Yang Qi, and now they all achieved breakthroughs at the same time! They've definitely got potential. Whatever society manages to recruit them will instantly be a lot stronger. Elite students are very important to the institute."

"That's right. Now that they're all elite students, they're a force to be reckoned with. Although they can't exactly do anything they want, they're definitely the type of people that no one will dare to offend now."

"I have to go tell the higher-ups in my Five Lightnings Society. We need to recruit Yang Qi and his friends as quickly as possible, and especially Yang Qi. Seems he's a real genius."

"Yun Hailan from the Crown Prince Society has a grudge with him, right? I wonder what that's all about."

"That's old news. I heard that she betrayed him a while back."

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Yun Hailan is a hotshot in the institute nowadays. She gained the Crown Prince's approval, and even became the apprentice of Patriarchs Wind and Cloud. If you talk about her, and people from the Crown Prince Society overhear, you're going to be in deep trouble."

"Come on, let's get out of here…."

Whispering amongst themselves, the students slowly left.

Meanwhile, behind the buildings that made up the Demi-Immortal Institute, in the Heaven Lode Mountains, a group of elite students had gathered on a certain mountain peak to discuss matters.

One of them was the very same Gu Fenxian that Yang Qi had defeated some time ago. Also present was Song Haishan, who was clad in a spectacular suit of leather armor that made him look like a heroic warrior. However, his expression was grim, and his eyes flickered with burning hatred, making him seem more like a hungry wolf lurking on the side of the road.

There were other top experts present, both Secondary and Tertiary Lifeseizers. There was even a Quaternary Lifeseizer.

Song Haishan was now a Lifeseizer as well, and from his energy fluctuations, it seemed that he cultivated some unusual, rare technique.

The leader of the group was a young man named Jiang Fan.

He was obviously the highest-ranking person present, with a Quaternary Lifeseizing cultivation base.

That said, the mountain peak they currently occupied didn't belong to him, but rather, to some other member of their society who had already reached Quinary Lifeseizing, and become a conclave student. However, he was out of the institute on business, and had left his mountain available for members of the society to use.

Normally speaking, a group of students like this could not come to the Heaven Lode Mountains without a conclave student to lead them. But being members of the Crown Prince Society, things were different for them.

Snorting coldly, Jiang Fan said, "Where did Chu Tiange get off to? It's been months, and he's still not back. As a member of the Crown Prince Society, he's supposed to help with important activities. Does he want to get expelled or something?"

"Elder Brother Jiang," Gu Fenxian replied, "I heard that Chu Tiange joined some students from the Gentlemen's Society on a mission into the Fiendcorpse Mountains. Ever since then, no one has seen him. The students from the Gentlemen's Society all returned, just not him. I'd say there's a high likelihood he's actually dead."

"If he's dead, good," one of the Secondary Lifeseizers said. "He was an arrogant prick anyway. I can't believe he teamed up with people from another society. But if he's really dead, the members of the Gentlemen's Society are going to be investigated by the institute."

"Look," Song Haishan said, "If Chu Tiange isn't back in time for the Inter-Institutional Martial Arts Competition, then it means something bad happened to him, and the institute will look into it. For now, it doesn't matter. Let's talk about that disaster Yang Qi."

"Yang Qi is a Lifeseizer already," Jiang Fan said, "with a very profound cultivation base. Not even Junior Brother Gu Fenxian was a match for him. If he refuses to join us, and even goes so far as to oppose us, we might as well crush him right now. Hailan has the support of the Crown Prince, so for all intents and purposes, her desires should be treated like his. First, we'll try to get him to acknowledge allegiance. If he refuses, then he 'disappears'."

Gu Fenxian didn't seem very happy about Jiang Fan's analysis. Snorting coldly, he said, "I was just careless that day, Elder Brother Jiang. If I had used my Painting of Immortal Immolation, he would definitely be dead now."

"Come on, Elder Brother Gu," one of the other experts said. "This Yang Qi isn't that easy of an opponent to deal with. Besides, he has the backing of Yang Susu and Holy Daughter Manyflowers. Both of them could be real problems."

"Who cares about those two?" Song Haishan said. "My cousin took the Patriarchs Wind and Cloud as masters. With the patriarchs and the Crown Prince on our side, if Holy Daughter Manyflowers and Yang Susu try to make a move against us, they're dead." He was obviously trying to sound tough; his defeat at the hands of Yang Qi had been a big humiliation, and he dreamed constantly about getting revenge.

When everything began between the two of them, Yang Qi had been little more than an ant. Now, he was becoming famous, and had a higher position in the Demi-Immortal Institute than Song Haishan himself. Considering all that, how could he possibly just sit around doing nothing?

"Fine," Gu Fenxian said, his voice echoing with hatred, "if you don't want to go after Yang Qi right now, why don't we do something about those little accomplices of his? What are their names? Li He? Hua Yinhu…? Kill them all! Or at least cripple them. Better yet, we strike at their clans, and thus force them to acknowledge allegiance to us. One at a time, we can take out everyone Yang Qi cares about."

At this point, the group on the mountain peak heard a voice from down below. "This is bad. Real bad…."

Jiang Fan waved his hand, causing a stream of true energy to descend to the foot of the mountain, wrap around a group of Crown Prince Society students, and pull them to the peak.

"Bad news, Elder Brother Jiang," said one of the crestfallen students who had been watching Yang Qi's friends.

"What happened?" Jiang Fan asked his expression flickering. "Spit it out!"

"We just watched with our own eyes as Hua Yinhu, He Jili, and Li He all went to the Academy of Sage Studies. The grand elders there commended them and promoted them to the elite student level. They're all in the Lifeseizing level! The Academy of Sage Studies already sent an official message to the Sage Ancestor Dynasty requesting that they reward their clans…."

"What?" Song Haishan blurted, shooting to his feet. Stepping forward, he grabbed the student who had just spoken. "Stop jabbering, I can barely understand what you're saying!"

The student he had grabbed looked back, anger flashing in his eyes. Actually, most students in the Crown Prince Society felt that Song Haishan was simply taking advantage of his cousin's status. As far as they were concerned, he really was trash.

Of course, none of them would dare to say that out loud.

PLOP!

Song Haishan tossed the student to the side. Expression the picture of vicious fury, he said, "Dammit! Damn these friends of Yang Qi. How could they have become elite students? I risked my life to do the same! I cultivated day and night in the Devil-Suppression Tower, where I constantly fought devil-ghosts to temper myself! I'm gonna kill you, Yang Qi!"

"Calm down, Song Haishan," Jiang Fan said. "Things have changed, so forget about the previous plan. They're elite students now, and will receive rewards from the Sage Ancestor Dynasty. If we did something to them now, it would be like slapping the ruling dynasty in the face. The institute would never let something like that happen."

"So what? We just let it all drop?" Song Haishan's eyes were completely bloodshot. "Yang Qi must die! That's what my cousin wants. We have to think of a way to deal with him."

"Well, that's simple. Since we can't do anything to his friends, we'll just have to take him out directly!" Jiang Fan chuckled coldly. "Before, Hua Yinhu and those others were just freshman students. It was only after they met Yang Qi that they suddenly became Lifeseizers in only a half a year or so. That's definitely the work of Yang Qi. He has secrets, that's for sure. Alright, I'll handle it myself tomorrow. I'll go to the College of Elite Students to call him out, and then we'll see what tricks he has up his sleeves."

1. Jiang is a common surname that also means "river". Fan means "sail, canvas".

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Chapter 118: Crush Him in Person

"Alright, fine," Song Haishan said, calming down a bit. "Elder Brother Jiang Fan, even if you're the one to crush Yang Qi and not me, it will still sate my anger." He knew exactly what kind of person Jiang Fan was, an enigmatic Quaternary Lifeseizer, someone who was actually on the very verge of becoming a Quinary Lifeseizer.

If a person like that wanted to do something to Yang Qi, then even if Yang Qi were stronger than he already was, he would still end up getting crushed.

The mere thought that he was going to experience a humiliation caused Song Haishan's heart to pound with glee.

"Considering my status," Jiang Fan said. "I would normally never deign to do anything to Yang Qi personally. But since he's helped all his friends become Lifeseizers, then it's obvious he's harboring some spectacular secret. There's no way that people could reach the Lifeseizing level so quickly under ordinary circumstances. If I can extract whatever secret he has, and then use it for the benefit of the Crown Prince Society, that would be ideal.

"Alright, everyone. Let's continue our previous session of cultivation. We also need to discuss whatever cultivation problems and enlightenment you all have encountered recently. Tomorrow, we'll call Yang Qi out and get some answers to our questions."

"Yes sir, Elder Brother Jiang," Gu Fenxian said. "We could all use some cultivation tips from you. Hopefully I can achieve a breakthrough and personally vent my anger on Yang Qi."

Jiang Fan closed his eyes. "I said, get back to cultivation."

Yang Qi sat cross-legged in his lake-side temple in the College of Elite Students, holding nothing back as he circulated his true energy.

Hovering above him in the air was his Hellfire Crucible, which was now the color of platinum, holy and glorious. Platinum sagefire burned inside of it, a flame capable of melting anything and everything.

Originally, the flames had been like intensely hot lava. But it had changed, transforming from devil energy into something pure and holy. This was not fire from hell, but rather sagefire, something magnificent and pure.

Furthermore, Yang Qi's own blood had also transformed, becoming the color of platinum.

'Hellfire Crucible, melt these demon cores!'

The demon core of the Quinary Lifeseizer Jiao Wufeng currently floated in the crucible, slowly being eaten away. Yang Qi had already refined the other cores, turning them into life force quintessence that he fed into the next particle within him.

At the moment, he already had the power of more than fifty ancient megamammoths at his disposal.

Awakening the fifty-first had pushed him to Tertiary Lifeseizing. He had been baptized by the vital energy of heaven and earth, causing even more particles to awaken. Then he had killed Jiao Wufeng, and taken both his true energy and his demon core.

As of this moment, when he closed his eyes, he could see fifty-five particles awake inside his sea of energy. His rise to Tertiary Lifeseizing had involved five entire particles waking up.

'Fifty-five megamammoths. That's not enough to dry up rivers and drain seas, but it's enough to topple a low-lying mountain.' He truly did feel like he was strong enough to rip up a mountain by the roots. 'Megamammoths can rip up mountains! Refine this demon core!'

Waving his hands, he sent numerous streams of true energy into his Hellfire Crucible, causing it to vibrate so intensely that the air around him rippled and distorted.

Even some of the metal accoutrements on his clothing began to melt.

'Flame restraint….' He reined in his energy, focusing the heat in the depths of the crucible, causing the demon core to burn, but causing the rest of the air in the room to begin to cool.

Now that he had conquered his inner devils, gained enlightenment of the dao of the quick strike, and fused the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth with his soul, it was almost as if he could do anything he set out to accomplish. He could pierce all hardness, and infiltrate all softness. He really was at one with the vital energy of heaven and earth.

Crunch!

As the demon core burned, tiny text markings became visible on its surface, although Yang Qi couldn't quite make them out clearly.

He knew that the text was the cultivation technique that Jiao Wufeng had practiced, which was branded onto his soul. However, it was now damaged, making it impossible for Yang Qi to unlock its secrets.

Of course, he didn't really care about some random technique of the Demonfolk anyway.

'I originally thought it would take about ten days to refine the core, maybe even half a month. But it turned out to go much more quickly. I guess defeating my inner devil and mastering that quick strike really did help a lot. In the end, cultivation is really about besting oneself.'

Thrusting out both of his hands, he shattered the demon core into a powder that glowed as brightly as the moon. Instantly, the powder began to burn in his platinum sagefire.

One after another, various particles within him trembled and began to awaken.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop! Pop!!

The power of a demon core from a Quinary Lifeseizer was so incredible that it caused five particles to wake up. He now had the power of sixty ancient megamammoths.

Putting away his Hellfire Crucible, he closed his eyes to see if he actually had enough power and enlightenment to dredge up more enlightenment regarding Tertiary Lifeseizing. Who knew, perhaps he might even be able to reach Quaternary Lifeseizing?

As he sat there, the sun set, and the moon rose.

He absorbed the vital energy of the energy formation of the dao of monarchs without cease, using it to expunge the impurities from within him.

A day went by, and he was still completely absorbed in the intoxication of seeking enlightenment of his cultivation level. He was learning about his own life, the vital energy of heaven and earth, and the mysteries of the void and the universe. He was so engrossed that he lost all track of the world around him.

It was a state of cultivation that could only be happened across, not sought out.

Some of it was because of the mysteries of his godly-class energy art, and some of it was because of the fact that he had defeated his inner devil and strengthened his spirit.

As of this moment, his spirit was connected to the vital energy of heaven and earth, making him at one with the world. Now, he felt like he could control the clouds and wind, perhaps even cause it to rain, all without any true energy at all. According to the rumors, authentic holy ones could control magic with a single word. As sovereigns of heaven and earth, their mere thoughts surpassed energy arts, and could command all sorts of natural forces.

Of course, he was still light years away from such a level.

All of a sudden, Yang Qi sensed powerful vital energy fluctuations outside of his castle.

Pulling in his energy and focusing his thoughts, he rose to his feet. Heading outside, he saw a group of people floating in the air outside of his temple. There were six of them, and among their number were Gu Fenxian and Song Haishan.

However, the leader was a young man with a profound cultivation base, wearing white clothing. He kept his hands clasped behind his back, and didn't seem to be carrying a weapon at all. However, the way he looked down his nose made him seem like a general who existed above everyone else on the earth.

"I'm Jiang Fan from the Crown Prince Society," he said by way of introduction. "You're Yang Qi, right? Come with me. I have something to discuss with you."

"Why should I go with you?" Yang Qi replied. "Whatever you have to say, why not just say it here?"

"Come on, Yang Qi, behave yourself," Gu Fenxian said grimly. "Give us some face and just come along. If you insist on being stubborn, then you can't blame me for exterminating those four brothers of yours."

Song Haishan didn't say anything, as if he were waiting for something to happen.

"What exactly do you people want?" Yang Qi said. It was obvious they were up to no good, but he was confident in himself, and wanted to see what shenanigans they would try to pull off.

"Oh nothing," Jiang Fan replied. "We just want to chat. But if you refuse, then fine, we'll leave. I just hope you aren't digging your own grave. Why lead your friends and your clan into ruin? I'd prefer to follow the rules of the institute and not do that to you."

"Fine," Yang Qi said with a nod. "If you agree not to cause any problem for my friends or my clan, then I'll come with you for a chat."

Jiang Fan turned and flew off, and Yang Qi followed close behind.

Before long, they were out of the institute, and in a sprawling plain a few thousand kilometers away. It was already midsummer, and the flowers were in full bloom. Combined with the endless green grass, it was a beautiful sight. There were even flowing rivers with occasional leaping fish in them.

Jiang Fan touched down onto the ground, and Yang Qi followed suit.

Meanwhile, the other members of the Crown Prince Society all landed, keeping Yang Qi surrounded.

"Well, what do you people want?" Yang Qi asked. "Didn't you want to chat? Don't tell me this is some sort of ambush?"

"Chat? Ha!" Song Haishan spat on the ground. "The only reason we came out of the Demi-Immortal Institute is so that the elders wouldn't get in the way. Making a move there would be difficult, but that's not the case out here. Now shut up and listen. You think you qualify to 'chat' with us, you country yokel!?"

"Enough," Jiang Fan said, waving his hand to stop Song Haishan from saying anything further. Looking at Yang Qi, he said, "Tell me what special technique or treasure you have. You got all four of your friends into the Lifeseizing level with almost no effort. They said it was with the help of their clans, and they might be able to trick everyone else into believing them, but not me. It's pretty impressive that you could push four people into breakthroughs like that. Hand over the treasure, or explain whatever method it is that you used. Then, you can join the Crown Prince Society. If you agree to work for us, we'll let you off the hook, and even ignore your friends. What do you say?"

"Elder Brother Jiang," Song Haishan said grimly, "my cousin wants this guy crippled at the very least."

"I'm the one in charge here," Jiang Fan said, clasping his hands behind his back. Eyes flashing at Yang Qi, he continued, "You're out of options here, so do as I say. If you don't, then I'll take you into custody and get the information out of you the hard way. And when that happens, trust me, you'll regret your decision. I'm giving you an out here. Why don't you take it?"

"Aren't you worried about breaking the rules of the institute?" Yang Qi said.

"Rules?" Jiang Fan chuckled. "Rules are made by people. And people are what make laws meaningful. In the Demi-Immortal Institute, the Crown Prince Society makes the rules. We are the law."

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Chapter 119: As Useless as Chickens or Dogs

"On your knees immediately, Yang Qi!" Song Haishan shouted. "And explain your secrets right this instant! Otherwise, you'll regret it. Today, you're going to wish you were dead. Our Crown Prince Society is the most powerful organization in the whole continent, not just the Demi-Immortal Institute! We even have agents in the other institutes. If you offend us, then even if you run to the ends of the earth, you'll still end up dead. With death on the line, you have no options."

"You're nothing more than a dog, Song Haishan," Yang Qi said, waving his fingers at him dismissively, "and yet you dare to rave like that in my face? I already beat you once, and you're still out for revenge. Well, that's never going to happen. Not in this life, anyway. Your cousin Yun Hailan tricked me once, but that was a one-time thing. So forget any thoughts of trying to do anything to me."

"What did you just say?" Song Haishan growled, his eyes bulging. Suddenly, he waved his hand, causing a blade to appear, which was none other than an energy weapon.

It was a long, blood-stained saber that appeared to be the manifestation of an energy art that combined both righteous and wicked aspects.

It also thrummed with a royal aura; it was definitely a royal-class energy art.

"Ghost-Slaughtering Saber Art!" Song Haishan said, grinning viciously. "On this day, Yang Qi, you will get a taste of the consummate energy art that I have so painstakingly cultivated over the past few months in the Devil-Suppression Tower. I spent days and nights with devil-ghosts until I mastered this energy art and stepped into Lifeseizing. Now, I'll sacrifice you to my blade and—"

"Slow down," Jiang Fan interrupted. "Listen, Yang Qi. Don't be so stubborn. I'm giving you a chance here. Join the Crown Prince Society and hand over your secrets to atone for your crimes. If you push things too far, then I won't be able to do anything to save you. Presumably you're aware of the kind of punishments we inflict on criminals like you. You'll end up begging to die, only to be refused. As long as I don't kill you, the Demi-Immortal Institute will turn a blind eye to it. Don't think the institute will save you. For thousands of years, it's been that way. As long as no one dies, they don't care. At the most, I might end up locked up for a few decades, that's all."

What Jiang Fan said was true; the rules of the institute would not help Yang Qi in his current situation.

And the Crown Prince Society exercised incredible authority there.

Any non-affiliated students who ended up in a conflict with the Crown Prince Society would find that their own life or death wasn't in their own hands.

Of course, Yang Qi knew all that, and yet, was still confident in his situation. Looking coldly at Jiang Fan, he said, "Your name is Jiang Fan, right? You've done well in your cultivation it seems. You've been studying in the Demi-Immortal Institute for quite a few years, so I'm sure you've had plenty of chances to study the writings of the wise and holy men of the past. From generation to generation, the learned men of our institute have taught us to rid the world of devils and demons, console the common people, and bring peace to the lands. And yet here you are bullying fellow students, and using your power and position to try to steal from others. Considering that, what makes you different from the typical freakish hellion?"

"Shut your mouth!" Jiang Fan shouted, his face turning scarlet. With that, he let out a howl of rage that caused the clouds above to churn and collapse. "Who the hell do you think you are? I can't believe you're trying to lecture me!" The killing intent that filled his voice was clear. "Gu Fenxian, grab him! I'm going to personally soulsearch him and make sure he knows the true meaning of the word pain! By the time I'm done, he'll be mentally defective!"

"Yes sir, Elder Brother Jiang!" Gu Fenxian strode forward, glaring menacingly at Yang Qi. "I'm not sure why you would go and say something like that. Crazy maybe? Or maybe you think someone's going to come help you. I guess you're still under the impression the rules of the institute will keep you safe. In that case, I won't waste my breath any further. Time for you to see my immortal-immolating energy arts, the Painting of Immortal Immolation!"

Suddenly, a painting made of true energy sprang into being behind him.

It was much larger than the last time it had appeared outside the Academy of Sage Studies, and caused everything in the area to tremble. The power to immolate immortals swirled out of the painting and surrounded Gu Fenxian.

"Just die, will you?!" he said, waving his hand. Instantly, the Painting of Immortal Immolation swept forth and wrapped up Yang Qi.

However, in the same moment that Gu Fenxian made his move, so did Yang Qi.

His finger swept out like a sword, slicing through the air, and sending a boundless stream of sword energy out.

It was sword energy like that belonging to the most consummate swordsman, a strike that could destroy even the most ancient mountains.

In the blink of an eye, the Painting of Immortal Immolation was completely ripped to shreds.

Before Gu Fenxian could react, his defensive true energy was shattered, and the sword energy entered his meridians. Instantly, he saw nothing but stars, and he began to cough up mouthful after mouthful of blood.

Next, an enormous arm of true energy appeared, the type that could pluck stars and snatch moons. Before he could react, it grabbed him by the neck and dragged him over to Yang Qi.

Before anyone could do a single thing, Gu Fenxian was captured by Yang Qi, so casually that it seemed to take no effort on his part.

As the true energy in the area died down, everyone looked over to see Gu Fenxian hanging in the air next to Yang Qi, as helpless as a baby chicken.

Behind Yang Qi were six enormous arms of true energy.

"You!" Gu Fenxian gurgled. He looked around at the arms of true energy, and then the humiliation in his heart grew so intense that he simply passed out.

However, even as he lost consciousness, Yang Qi sent some true energy into him, waking him back up. "Wake up, Gu Fenxian. Now that I've got you, you won't escape even if you tried to kill yourself. What do you think? You said you'd make me wish I were dead, but now, it looks like you'll be the one begging to die."

"Yang Qi…." Gu Fenxian growled. He almost felt like he was going crazy. "I'm a young lord of the Gu Clan, one of its top talents! How dare you humiliate me! You're making an enemy of my entire clan! Do you know what that means?"

Before Yang Qi could reply, Jiang Fan said, "Let Gu Fenxian go." The shock in his eyes was visible. "I seriously could never have guessed that you would be this strong. You actually beat Gu Fenxian with a single move. So that's why you've been acting so arrogant, huh. But do you really think that such paltry strength gives you the right to be arrogant to the Crown Prince Society as a whole? Fine. I guess I'll have to personally take you down a notch!"

As he spoke, his true energy began to roil, and a violent aura spread out from him.

As it did, the entire plain went completely silent, and a massive energy field spread out, with Jiang Fan being at the center.

"Back up, everyone! Elder Brother Jiang Fan is about to make a move. There's no way Yang Qi can fight back against this. Elder Brother Jiang Fan cultivates the Starry River Zodiac Cyclone Art! Once he unleashes it, the fluctuations will reach a distance of fifty kilometers! It will even break through mountains!"

"I can't believe this little punk forced Elder Brother Jiang Fan to personally make a move! You hardly ever see him in action!"

"Isn't Elder Brother Jiang Fan worried about hurting Gu Fenxian? I'd say there's a high likelihood Gu Fenxian won't get out of this unharmed."

"Nah. Elder Brother Jiang Fan knows his stuff. Besides, if Gu Fenxian gets killed, the blame will all be on Yang Qi."

"That's true. Yang Qi is going to need to keep Gu Fenxian safe. If he gets hurt or killed, the institute will definitely punish him."

Instantly, the other students from the Crown Prince Society began to back up.

Song Haishan joined them, all the while thinking, 'How did this animal Yang Qi get so strong? Not even my painstaking cultivation has pushed me to the point of being able to deal with him? He can't be left alive! Thankfully, Jiang Fan has made a move. If he can capture him, then I'll have my chance to kill him eventually.'

The hatred and killing intent in his heart had reached such a high level that he had to hold back from lunging forward and cutting Yang Qi down where he stood.

Jiang Fan looked like a devil-god hovering in midair. "Bring it on, Yang Qi! Let me see how strong this energy art of yours is, and—"

"You really talk a lot of crap," Yang Qi said, eyes flickering. Suddenly, he attacked, moving with such incredible speed that no one present could track him with their eyes.

He was like a ghost-god emerged from the netherworld, spear in hand.

One strike destroyed Jiang Fan's energy field, and then instantly absorbed all of the true energy.

And then, Yang Qi was in front of him.

Before Jiang Fan even realized what was happening, Yang Qi's palm smashed into his chest.

BOOOOM!

He was a powerful Quaternary Lifeseizer, the famous Elder Brother Jiang Fan. And yet a single palm strike sent him flying down to slam into the grass below.

Thump.

Yang Qi dropped out of the air and landed on top of him, stomping onto his face with his foot.

Jiang Fan was still too stunned to react, and was shoved down into the dirt, temporarily unable to even breathe.

"Like I said, you really talk a lot of crap, Jiang Fan. It bored me so much I decided to just shut you up. Well, you wanted to see how strong I am. What do you think?" Yang Qi reined in all of his true energy, making himself look like nothing more than an ordinary person with no energy arts. And yet, that only made him seem even more terrifying than before.

Gu Fenxian plopped onto the ground some distance away, trembling violently, hardly able to accept what he was seeing. The seemingly heavenly Elder Brother Jiang Fan had been defeated with a single move, and hadn't even been able to fight back. Not even his energy field had been able to stand up to Yang Qi. It was simply unbelievable.

"Impossible!" one of the other students shrieked.

They had all been preparing to watch Jiang Fan crush Yang Qi, only to see Yang Qi defeat him with a single move, and then stomp him down into the dirt below. It was a level of strength that they simply couldn't comprehend.

Only one move, and Jiang Fan was completely and utterly defeated. How strong was this Yang Qi?

As for Song Haishan, his thoughts were in such chaos that he felt numb.

'Not good! I have to get out of here!'

That was the only thing he could think of at the moment. However, just as he turned to leave, a blast of true energy smacked him to the ground, and then an arm of true energy pinned him down, leaving him in the same position as Jiang Fan and Gu Fenxian.

"Song Haishan, you're such a weakling that I could kill you a hundred times over with the mere flick of a finger." Pointing around at the other students, he said, "Nobody's allowed to leave. Anybody who tries will be buried here."

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Chapter 120: Blood Tribute

In the briefest of moments, everything turned around.

Moments ago, the domineering members of the Crown Prince Society had Yang Qi surrounded, and were preparing to attack with full force. But then, Gu Fenxian ended up being captured, Jiang Fan was stomped into the ground, and Song Haishan was crushed.

The Crown Prince Society's battle formation was completely routed.

As for those members who had been about to flee, when they heard Yang Qi's words, they froze in place, not daring to move. Even worse, Yang Qi unleashed a deadly manifestation of Humanoid True Energy, which instantly locked down onto all of their auras.

Instantly, they could tell that this Humanoid True Energy was something they couldn't possibly hope to fight against.

However, one of the students present was apparently unconvinced.

"I'm leaving, and nobody's gonna get in my way!" he said, flying up into the air. A moment later, the Humanoid True Energy appeared above him, smashed its hand down, and knocked him out of the sky, nearly killing him.

The man was a Tertiary Lifeseizer, and yet, he was slammed into the ground with seemingly no effort by the Humanoid True Energy.

Yang Qi had killed Jiao Wufeng, a powerful Quinary Lifeseizer, and had then absorbed his demon core and used it to gain access to the power of sixty ancient megamammoths. Not even the Quaternary Lifeseizer Jiang Fan was a match, let alone this weaker student.

"A bunch of useless dogs and chickens," Yang Qi growled. "You really want to keep pushing my buttons?" Looking around at the cowering students, Yang Qi suddenly realized that he had the entire situation completely under control.

This was power.

This was respect.

In the world he lived in, respect came only with enough power.

Nodding in satisfaction, he moved his foot off of Jiang Fan. Jiang Fan struggled to extricate himself from the soil, looking completely different than he had moments ago. As of now, he was bedraggled and covered with dirt, making him seem more like a beggar than a powerful Lifeseizer.

"What energy art was that?" he said, still hardly able to believe that he had been beaten. "My Starry River Zodiac Cyclone Art is widely known for having incredibly powerful true energy! Even a Quinary Lifeseizer shouldn't be able to defeat it so easily. Who exactly are you? A lowborn commoner like you shouldn't be so strong! You must have been parasitized by a hellion or a monster. I'm going to report this to the institute, and demand you be investigated!"

"Still struggling with delusions of grandeur?" Yang Qi said, once again planting his foot on Jiang Fan's chest. "Don't you understand the situation you're in?" Then he sent some true energy into Jiang Fan's meridians, causing him to scream from the pain, making him sound like a pig going to the slaughter. "Whether you believe it or not, I'll cripple your energy arts if I have to. Then your entire life of cultivation will have been a complete waste."

It was only at this point that an expression of fear overtook Jiang Fan's face. "Alright, I believe you. Let's talk this through. We're from the Crown Prince Society, aren't you afraid of the Crown Prince?"

"The Crown Prince? Me afraid of him? Isn't he the one looking to cause trouble for me? I don't have any grudge with your Crown Prince Society. You've brought this upon yourselves. Actually, I think I should probably be a bit more vicious!" Yang Qi looked down at Jiang Fan, his eyes glinting with sinister light.

"Okay!" Jiang Fan blurted. "I promise not to cause any more trouble for you! This is all our fault! Let's just pretend none of it ever happened."

"You can't let him off the hook, Elder Brother Jiang Fan!" Song Haishan suddenly shrieked. "I refuse to believe that he'll actually cripple your energy arts! Isn't he afraid that the institute will punish him? Hurting fellow disciples is a big crime!"

BAM!

Yang Qi waved his hand, sending a blast of energy to smack Song Haishan right across the side of the face, sending blood and teeth flying. "You don't have the right to participate in this conversation, Song Haishan. After I'm finished dealing with Jiang Fan, it'll be your turn. You think I wouldn't dare to cripple him? All of this was started by you people, and the institute will take that into consideration. For me, it's simply self-defense. Besides, the institute knows that I'm a genius with a high cultivation base. You really think they would just get rid of someone like that? As for the Crown Prince Society, all I have to do is join one of the other societies, and then you won't be able to do anything about me. Your Crown Prince isn't going to commit a heinous crime by murdering me in the middle of the institute, is he?"

Yang Qi waved his hand, sending out a stream of true energy.

C-C-CRACK!

Popping like that of fireworks echoed out inside of Jiang Fan as one of his meridians was destroyed.

Jiang Fan's eyes went slack as he realized that Yang Qi really was preparing to cripple his energy arts. And being a cripple like that would be worse than being dead.

Before that could happen, he suddenly shouted, "Fine, Yang Qi! What do I have to do to get you to let me go?"

Meridians could be healed by the use of spirit medicines and special healing techniques. But once one's sea of energy was destroyed, there would be no hope of recovery.

"Oh?" Yang Qi said, holding his energy in place. "You want me to let you go? That can be done."

"What do you want?" Jiang Fan said, his heart suddenly burning with hope. "We can swear oaths to abandon any thoughts of revenge. We can keep the events of today completely secret."

"I don't trust a word that comes out of your mouth," Yang Qi replied. "The only way to resolve this situation is for you to provide me with a blood tribute."

"Blood tribute?" Jiang Fan said, stunned.

"That's right. A blood tribute." Yang Qi's eyes glittered. "The choice is up to you. One option is to have your energy arts crippled by me. I'm not a kindhearted person, and considering how far things have gone here, it's only natural that I'd want to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots. Why wouldn't I just kill all of you to make sure there were no witnesses? Good thing for you I don't go around killing people left and right. However, I can't just let you go, right? You need to do something to earn my trust. You need to get your hands dirty."

"Just tell us what you want us to do, alright?" Jiang Fan said, his heart already beginning to sink.

"Kill Song Haishan!" Yang Qi shouted. "And Gu Fenxian too! All of you! Cut them down. Do it together, and do it quickly. That is the blood tribute I demand. Personally kill the two of them, and then I'll believe you won't spread word of what happened today. Then, all of you can leave."

"W-what?" Jiang Fan said, so astonished he could hardly speak. Never in his wildest imaginings could he have guessed that Yang Qi would be so vicious! He was proving true the old saying, all great men are ruthless. The blood tribute he required was that the other students personally kill Song Haishan and Gu Fenxian. If they did something like that, they would never be able to take it back.

At this point, a Secondary Lifeseizer named Huang Hong shouted, "Yang Qi, you cruel villain! I can't believe you would demand a blood tribute like that. If we killed Gu Fenxian and Song Haishan, we would be doomed! Not only would we be responsible for covering up the truth, you could threaten to reveal the secret at any time! There's no way we'll agree to something like that! I'll never agree to kill someone. If you've got what it takes, just go ahead and violate institute rules to cripple me! There's no way you'd dare to do it! If you've got the guts, then just—"

"What did you just say?" Yang Qi interrupted, his voice as cold as ice. "I dare you to repeat it!" Then he began to walk toward Huang Hong.

Huang Hong clearly wasn't willing to back down. Staring snidely at Yang Qi, he said, "Ah, come on, Yang Qi. That same act? I'm not buying it anymore. You're completely screwed here, and yet you're still struggling to escape? You think that talking tough will scare us? You think we'll really give in and give you your blood tribute? I'll tell you what, if you forced us to do something like that, neither the Crown Prince Society nor the institute itself would let you off the hook. Maybe you could escape somehow, but not your family, friends, and brothers. And what about your aunt, Yang Susu? She would be punished too. And thus, I refuse to believe that you'll do anything."

"That's exactly right!" Song Haishan shouted. "I also refuse to believe. Even if you had three heads, six arms, and eighty-one lives, there's no way you would dare to hurt us. Don't fall for his bluff, everyone. Just wait and see what he actually dares to do!"

"How heinous of you, Yang Qi!" Gu Fenxian said. The mere mention of the 'blood tribute' had caused flames of fury to dance in his eyes. "You actually want the other members of the Crown Prince Society to put us to death? I don't care how things turn out today, I can guarantee that my Gu Clan is going to wipe the Yang Clan off the map!"

Clearly, there was no way his hatred of Yang Qi could ever be eliminated.

"Well, are you going to do it Yang Qi? If you've got what it takes, then start with me!" Huang Hong laughed loudly. "I know you cultivate some sort of devil technique, and are hiding your true strength. But institute rules still apply here. If you do anything to us, your friends are going to get dragged into it. Think it through, man! We're giving you a chance right now to reveal your secrets, and—"

Snap!

Suddenly, a spear stabbed into his chest.

He looked down in shock, then looked back up the length of the spear to see Yang Qi holding it. Expression flickering with both incredulity and pain, he said, "Y-you… you killed me…?"

"You were working harder than anyone to piss me off. Who else would I kill?"

Yang Qi rotated the Infernal Deity Spear, causing a burst of true energy to surge into Huang Hong.

Suddenly, Huang Hong exploded into bits, and all of the true energy inside of him was sucked into the spear.

Huang Hong, Secondary Lifeseizer and elite student, was completely wiped out of existence by Yang Qi's Infernal Deity Spear.

He hadn't even been able to fight back.

Everyone looked on in mute shock. The only thing that remained of Huang Hong was an echoing scream of anguish, and even that faded away. Not a single shred of evidence was left behind to indicate that Huang Hong had ever existed.

As of this moment, everyone present realized how vicious and merciless Yang Qi could be.

As for Song Haishan and Gu Fenxian, moments ago they had been yelling angrily, but now, they simply looked on with ashen faces.

"Since you refused to give me a blood tribute, I decided to give one to you." Brandishing the Infernal Deity Spear, he said, "You think I'm worried about how this will play out? Sorry, but I'm not. When it comes to killing people, I don't hesitate. To me, nothing is taboo."

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Chapter 121: You Think I Won't?

With one vicious spear strike, Yang Qi slaughtered Huang Hong, leaving the other members of the Crown Prince Society completely flabbergasted. Not a single one of them had actually believed that Yang Qi would so wantonly kill one of them. His absolute lack of restraint was monstrous; clearly, he wasn't exaggerating when he said that nothing was taboo to him.

Who was this Huang Hong?

A Secondary Lifeseizer, best of the best among elite students. His death would definitely cause a stir in the institute. After all, not even rival societies would dare to actually kill someone like that, for fear of reprisal from the institute itself. And yet here Yang Qi had gone and committed an enormous crime, killing Huang Hong with a devastating spear strike. What type of ferocity did it take to pull off something like that?

As of this moment, no one present dared to harbor illusions that Yang Qi wouldn't follow through with his threats.

The truth was that Yang Qi was simply putting everything on the line. After all, he had already killed Chu Tiange. So he had little to lose from killing someone else to make a point.

If he didn't thoroughly terrify all of the Crown Prince Society students present, the consequences would be too horrible to contemplate. Considering he had basically no options, he decided he might as well go all in. In the past, he would never have done something like this. In fact, no ordinary person would.

But after his experience in the Black Floodwyrm Grotto, he had defeated his inner devil, gained enlightenment of the dao of the quick strike, and become much more resolute. He was slowly becoming more aggressive, and at the same time, ambitious and ruthless. When the time came to make a kill, he would do it without hesitation.

"Don't kill me…." Jiang Fan said, deeply shaken by having seen Huang Hong killed right in front of him. He held no doubts about Yang Qi; he had essentially given them a blood tribute, a message written in blood that said: if I can kill Huang Hong, I can kill you too.

The penalty for killing one person would be death. And it was the same penalty for killing many. Why would he not just kill everyone?

Everyone present realized this basic truth.

The other students began to drop to their knees. They knew they were beaten, and that a massive catastrophe loomed over their heads. And none of them were foolish enough to goad Yang Qi any further.

"I gave you your chance already, Jiang Fan. Do as you please." Yang Qi put away his Infernal Deity Spear and clasped his hands behind his back. "Your options are, one: give me my blood tribute, or two: die. Considering I just killed Huang Hong right in front of you, you're likely intelligent enough to realize that I can't just let you leave scot-free."

"Ah, whatever," Jiang Fan said, letting loose a long sigh. Crawling to his feet, and ignoring the dirt and mud that caked him, he decisively said, "Alright everyone. If you want to live, then we have no choice but to kill them."

The other students exchanged glances, then looked over at Song Haishan and Gu Fenxian.

So terrified his face was completely ashen, Song Haishan said, "Elder Brother Jiang Fan, you can't do this." Then he looked over at Yang Qi. "Are you really going through with this, Yang Qi? Aren't you afraid my cousin will come after you for revenge?"

"Yun Hailan? I'm going to kill her too, eventually. It's just too bad that she can't witness your horrific demise. Nor will you be able to see hers."

"You'll pay for this, Yang Qi!" Gu Fenxian shouted. "The institute will find out what you've done. And the same goes for you, Jiang Fan! Aren't you worried about what happens when the glorious Crown Prince finds out? He'll sever your tendons and skin you alive!"

Clearly, Gu Fenxian was not willing to back down, and in this respect, he made Song Haishan look like a true weakling.

After all, Gu Fenxian came from one of the great clans of the land.

Sadly for him, Yang Qi would not let him go simply because he was strong-willed. In fact, such strong-willed people were exactly the type who would never stop trying to get revenge. Whether it was for his clan or friends, Yang Qi couldn't let him live now. He wasn't that softhearted.

"Are you going to do it, Jiang Fan?" Yang Qi suddenly barked. "Are you going to kill them?"

Shivering, Jiang Fan looked at Song Haishan and Gu Fenxian, and said, "I'm sorry, Junior Brothers. The Crown Prince is powerful, but he's not here to save us right now. Distant water won't put out a fire close at hand. I'm powerless to save even myself, and you both saw what happened to Huang Hong. Not even his bones are left behind. If we don't kill the two of you, we'll all end up dead. We really have no choice but to sacrifice you for the greater good."

Heart pounding, he said, "Kill them!"

Shouting at the tops of their lungs, he and the other students attacked.

Sword light shone, and true energy surged. Song Haishan and Gu Fenxian let out agonized shrieks as they were surrounded and reduced to pools of blood and gore.

In the blink of an eye, they were dead.

As they died, Yang Qi could sense two streams of grievous rancor shooting toward him.

In response, he snorted coldly and activated the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, destroying the rancorous energy.

As for Jiang Fan, he looked down at the blood and gore, then turned to face Yang Qi. "Are you going to let us go now? We killed them just like you asked. Now our hands are stained with the blood of fellow students. If the truth is revealed, the consequences will be horrific. We can't divulge any of today's secrets, to anyone."

Yang Qi nodded, finally confident that he could rest at ease. "You did well. Now all of our secrets are tied together. That said, the deaths of Huang Hong, Song Haishan, and Gu Fenxian is still a major issue. You'd better think of a way to cover it up. Otherwise, we'll all come under investigation."

"It's going to be somewhat troublesome, but we from the Crown Prince Society can handle it. It's only natural that we have certain methods for covering up things like this. Considering we're involved now, there's no way we'll take it lightly." Jiang Fan looked around at the rest of the group. "Alright, everyone. We're all in the same boat now. Understand?"

Everyone nodded and said, "We understand, Elder Brother Jiang Fan."

Considering these people managed to survive down to this point, it was obvious they were no fools. They understood the situation they were in, and knew that there was essentially only one course of action.

"Very well then," Yang Qi said with a smile. "We're all in this together now. Don't worry. I'll keep my end of the bargain." Suddenly, he stomped his foot, causing vital energy to spring out and fill everything for five kilometers. Then, his own true energy surged out, becoming a variety of shapes that shot forth and entered the bodies of everyone present.

"I'll even help you out a bit. The true energy I just gave you is extremely powerful. It will remain inside of you permanently until you need it, whereupon it will assume the same form as this spear of mine, which you can use to pierce anything in your path." The truth was that the true energy he had just imparted to them contained a bit of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. "You see, I'm actually much, much stronger than you can possibly imagine. Only two days ago, I went to Black Floodwyrm Grotto and killed the Quinary Lifeseizer Jiao Wufeng, as well as a few dozen other black floodwyrms in the Lifeseizing level. Although your Crown Prince is stronger than me now, it won't be long before I catch up."

Everyone was completely taken aback.

"I can even rip the ground apart," Yang Qi said, stomping his foot down. In response, the entire plain quaked violently, and massive crevices opened up.

Jiang Fan staggered so wildly that he almost fell to the ground before staring around at the crevices which had opened up. As far as he could tell, this was something that only conclave students should be able to do.

'That's the power of Septenary Lifeseizing!'

The mere stomp of Yang Qi's foot had leveled most of the area; it was a complete shock to everyone present.

"Alright, let's discuss how exactly you plan to cover everything up. By the way, in order to make sure all of this remains a secret, we'll need to keep in touch. If you feel that true energy inside of you stirring, you'll know that I want to get in touch with you, and that you should arrange to come secretly meet me. Understand?"

Everyone present shivered as they realized that, with Yang Qi having imbued them with true energy, they were completely under his control.

And there was nothing they could do about it.

In fact, for all intents and purposes, they were his agents in the Crown Prince Society now.

Sighing, Jiang Fan stepped forward and said, "Elder Brother Yang Qi, this is what we can do…."

With that, he explained his plan to cover over the deaths of Huang Hong, Song Haishan, and Gu Fenxian.

After discussing some of the details, Yang Qi nodded. Although these people were no match for him in terms of cultivation base, they were clearly masters at schemes and plots.

Eventually, it was evening, and the bright moon cast silver light over the sprawling plains. By this point, the plans were ironclad, so Yang Qi rose to his feet and sighed. "Well, I'll head back to the institute now. You'll return in ten days, with news that Huang Hong, Song Haishan, and Gu Fenxian were killed when you were ambushed by powerful demonoids. Meanwhile, the rest of you escaped with serious injuries."

"That's the best we can do," Jiang Fan said, also rising to his feet, mixed emotions playing out on his face.

Yang Qi spread his arms, and two wings of true energy spread out behind him. Then, a blast of sand and wind swept out as he vanished.

As soon as he was gone, the Crown Prince Society students tried to expel his true energy from within them. Unfortunately, it was stuck like glue, and couldn't be budged.

Before long, the moon hung high, and Jiang Fan smacked his hand on the ground, causing a cloud of dust to rise up. "That's some powerful true energy. There's simply no way to expel it."

"Elder Brother Jiang Fan," one of the crestfallen students said, "we're basically criminals now. What do we do? Don't tell me we're going to have to follow Yang Qi's orders for the rest of our life? I don't think I've ever met someone as vicious and merciless as him."

"There's nothing we can do now. We underestimated him. He's ambitious, ruthless, and just seems to grow stronger by the day. It won't be long before he's invincible to anyone under the Legendary level. And unless something drastic happens, he'll probably catch up to the Crown Prince within four or five years. For now, the only thing we can do is keep ourselves alive." Jiang Fan gritted his teeth from the frustration. "If it wasn't for that ignoramus Song Haishan, we wouldn't been in this predicament. Damn him and damn that Yun Hailan!"

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Chapter 122: Going Home

A potentially devastating storm had been averted by Yang Qi's ruthlessness.

Even he realized that in the world he lived in, sometimes the only way to stay alive was to be merciless. If your enemies noticed that you were weak, they would immediately take advantage of that, and you would end up dead.

Just as he had discussed with Jiang Fan and the others, they would return ten days later, and spread the story that they had stumbled onto a lair of fiend-devils, which resulted in Huang Hong, Song Haishan, and Gu Fenxian all being killed.

Yang Qi was confident that they wouldn't leave any loose ends, and wondered what unlucky group of demon-devils would end up paying the price.

At this point, it didn't matter as far as he was concerned. Considering he would be cultivating in the institute when the event played out, the matter shouldn't be connected to him in any way.

It was with the utmost stealth that he returned to the Demi-Immortal Institute. Back in his castle, he looked at the energy formation of the dao of monarchs and thought, 'I wonder how Yun Hailan will react when she comes out of seclusion to find that Song Haishan is dead. She'll probably suspect me right off the bat, the shrewd schemer. As far as she's concerned, losing Song Haishan just means losing another tool. She won't care. All she cares about is her own interests. She doesn't have an ounce of pity in her body.'

Yang Qi was very well aware of what type of person Yun Hailan was.

'Yun Hailan is getting stronger by the day. Although I've likely surpassed her by now, she has the backing of the Crown Prince. In other words, if I want to kill her, I'm going to have to deal with him. And my cultivation base isn't even close to being high enough to do that. I need to get much, much stronger. I need to seize life over and over again. I need one breakthrough after another. Only then will I be able to defeat the Crown Prince.'

Considering the dramatic events he had just participated in, it was hard to calm down at first.

But eventually, he managed to focus. 'Father should be ready to step into the Lifeseizing level. I need to find some time to head back and help him with his cultivation. The same with eldest brother and second brother. And I also need to come up with a specific plan of how to get stronger myself. It seems to me the only option I have at the moment is to kill demonlings and consume their demon cores with the help of my Hellfire Crucible.'

Opening up his Heart of the Sea thumb-ring, he allowed the pure subterranean spirit energy to enter it, and by extension, the energy formation of the dao of monarchs that he had created.

He had already decided to take the formation back home to his clan for them to use. His main goal was to make sure his father reached the Lifeseizing level.

Furthermore, he had also decided to enter the Blackcorpse Mountains to further his cultivation.

The tombs in the depths of those mountains contained numerous thousand-year-old corpse kings, and also a passage to an alternate dimension. And there were plenty of demonlings around, thus, demon cores to consume. Besides, clearing out some of the demonlings would ensure that the rustic lifestyle of the common people of Yanhaven could remain peaceful.

Now that he thought about it, it might be worth it to take a trip to Yundale-by-the-Sea.

Yun Hailan had already threatened his clan, right? Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. It only made sense for him to threaten her clan in return.

He worked on his cultivation for three days and three nights, simultaneously using the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to force as much subterranean vital energy into the Heart of the Sea ring as he could. He was now a Tertiary Lifeseizer, giving him much greater control of vital energy than before, to the point where he felt like he could use Mind Incarnation on the spell formation.

During his three days of meditation, his level of enlightenment of his energy arts grew more profound. He was now completely confident in being able to harness the power of Tertiary Lifeseizing.

Next step: Quaternary Lifeseizing.

Thanks to the demon core of Jiao Wufeng, his physical body was now so tough that it was almost unimaginable. Every drop of his blood was platinum in color, and the flames of his Hellfire Crucible were all magnificent sagefire.

By now, he didn't resemble a human at all, but rather, a god.

It took no effort at all to use his five most powerful states of true energy: the Infernal Deity Spear, Infernal Deity Plate Armor, Fiend-Devil Wings, Hellfire Crucible, and God-Devil Seal. Combined with Mind Incarnation, there was nothing that could get in his way.

Thanks to his newfound strength, Yang Qi was feeling more confident than ever.

He knew that when the time came for the big martial arts competition, he would definitely be able to dominate the opposition, and be the ultimate rising star.

One night, he slipped out to meet with his four brothers. Over the past several days, they had remained safe and secure in the College of Elite Students, waiting for him to return.

When they heard that he planned to go home, they were all very happy for him. Of course, all of them were also extremely pleased with their own situations. They now had very different statuses within their sects, and in fact, all four were in the running to succeed as the next clan lord.

Their clans had also been bestowed rewards from the Sage Ancestor Dynasty, ensuring that they were experiencing new golden ages.

"Brother," Li He said, "make sure you take care of matters back home, and ensure that all the matters pertaining to your clan are settled. Before long, the martial arts competition will be here, and there will be plenty of incredible rewards up for grabs. The senior members of the sect will be watching to see who rises to the top, and will likely take new apprentices. Hopefully all of us can put on a good showing. If we could gain the good graces of a Legendary, not even the Crown Prince would dare to make a move against us."

Yang Qi nodded. "Alright, Brothers, I'm leaving. I'll be back as soon as I can." With the flap of his wings, he flew into the clouds and vanished into the night.

When Yang Qi made his initial journey from Yanhaven to the Demi-Immortal Institute, it took more than a month. Since then, his cultivation base had climbed so high that it was now like the sky compared to the dirt.

His Fiend-Devil Wings could now propel him a hundred times faster than before.

He was like a shooting star speeding through the sea of clouds, moving five hundred kilometers in the shortest of times. Tertiary Lifeseizers were immensely powerful individuals, and in terms of true energy, he was actually more on the level of a Septenary Lifeseizer. The speed he was capable of was truly terrifying.

In the beginning, the friction caused by his true energy against the wind caused him to be surrounded by thunderous rumblings, and even flames.

But now, he could fly completely soundlessly, little more than a black streak moving through the air. It was almost like he was traveling in an alternate dimension.

His energy was completely focused inwardly, without a scrap leaking out in waste.

Eventually, he dropped down from the sea of clouds to fly through a mountain range. However, his mere passage caused the mountains to crumble.

'What power!'

Not even he had been aware that his Fiend-Devil Wings could do such a thing.

And yet, he was used to the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth defying imagination. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like at its highest level. Of one thing he was fairly certain: once his Fiend-Devil Wings truly became Angel Wings, he would be able to pierce the void and travel among alternate dimensions.

Unfortunately, he wasn't at that level yet.

Besides, when it came to the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, there were things that surpassed the Angel Wings. He just needed to wait until he was strong enough to find out what they were.

He flew for about half the night, until the sun began to rise. Eventually, he slowed down a bit, until he saw Yanhaven up ahead.

It was a bustling place; although the sky wasn't yet bright, the city gates were already open, with people, horses, and carts streaming in and out of them. Whether it was visiting merchants and businessmen, or the locals, people here were clearly very hardworking.

It was also possible to see that heavy construction was going on outside of the city limits. Earth was being moved, and stones carved out of quarries.

As for the heart of the city, the city magistrate's mansion, it was alive with bright light, as though great tasks were underway. There were plenty of guards and maids, and everyone went about their work in very orderly fashion. It really did look like a small royal dynasty.

Yang Qi landed, sending out a blast of swirling wind into the main square of the city magistrate's mansion.

Instantly, numerous guards burst into motion, knocking bows and drawing blades, ready to start fighting at any moment.

Yang Qi actually caught sight of several familiar faces, various sons of the Yang Clan.

Looking at one of the guards racing toward him, Yang Qi said, "Yang Yong, come over here. It's me! I'm back!"

"What? Prince? It's the prince!" Shocked, the man dropped to his knees to kowtow. "Everybody, stay your hand! The prince is back!"

Yang Yong was one of the elite young ones of the clan that he had promoted long ago. Back then, he had been a bit bitter at how things were going, but eventually had become an important person, and was actually fiercely loyal to Yang Qi.

"What? It's Young Lord Qi?" Many of the guards were stunned. By now, Yang Qi was something of a fabled individual, almost a myth. Last summer, he turned everything upside down. He roused the Yang Clan, exterminated the Chen Clan, entered the Demi-Immortal Institute, became an elite student, rose to the Lifeseizing level, and received rewards by the dictate of an imperial edict from the Sage Ancestor Dynasty. He had even made friends with four powerful clans from Capital City, who had sent experts to help drive out the Yan Clan, and win Yanhaven for the Yang Clan.

It was all somewhat miraculous.

He was essentially the backbone of the entire clan, and also its leader in spirit.

All of the guards dropped to their knees.

At that point, a powerful whistling sound erupted from the royal palace in the heart of the mansion, as Yang Zhan flew out. Face filled with excitement, he said, "Qi'er! You're back!"

"Greetings, my dear Father!" he replied, rushing forward to meet his father.

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Chapter 123: Yang Zhan, Lifeseizer

"You're finally back, Qi'er!"

The sight of his son caused all sorts of feelings to well up in Yang Zhan's heart. Yang Qi was famous now, and was making his way in the world, bringing honor to the clan ancestors, and even earning rewards from the Sage Ancestor Dynasty.

The Yang Clan was now the number one clan amongst all the cities for thousands of kilometers in all directions.

And all of the aristocratic clans had bent the knee, and had provided military forces to serve the Yang Clan. As of now, the clan was the ruler of the entire area, and Yang Zhan was the king.

The only thing that was lacking was a proper name for the nation that Yanhaven had become.

"Third Brother!"

Even as Yang Qi was offering formal greetings to his father, Yang Yunchong and Yang Hualong rushed out.

"Eldest Brother. Second Brother." Laughing happily, he hurried forward and embraced his brothers.

Waving his hand at the nearby soldiers, Yang Zhan said, "Cancel the night curfew; we'll have three days of feasting to welcome my son home. Arrange for fireworks, and distribute medicinal pills to the mortals young and old. And summon the civil and military officials to the royal palace for a banquet."

"You really don't need to go to all that trouble, Father." Yang Qi couldn't help but feel that it was going a bit overboard to have official banquets, and a virtual festival for the commoners.

"It's no trouble," Yang Yunchong said. "Third Brother, you might not be aware, but although all the clans of Yanhaven have officially capitulated, there are still people plotting against us. Some are even working with outside sects to foment rebellion. In fact, we've received intelligence reports that people from the House of Shadowblight and the House of Spring and Autumn have been seen on the borders, presumably preparing to make a move on the city. Father is hoping to use your return to scare the clans into submission, and increase our prestige and reputation. In fact, it might be a good idea to demonstrate your energy arts at the banquet. That would probably be particularly effective."

"Ah, so that's how it is," Yang Qi said. Clearly, his family had thought these matters through.

"Your assistance is much appreciated, Qi'er," Yang Zhan said. Leading them all toward the royal palace, he issued a few more orders to a nearby guard, a man who happened to be in the eighth phase. "Summon the chief elders. Tell them we're going to have an important meeting."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guard replied.

"Father, your energy arts have peaked, and I suspect you're having some difficulty reaching the Lifeseizing level. Thankfully, you've absolutely mastered the Four Seasons Swordplay, as have I. Why don't I help you reach Lifeseizing? As a Lifeseizer, you shouldn't have any problem keeping Yanhaven under control."

They continued to discuss the matter as they made their way through the palace.

Yang Qi could see that everything was strictly organized. There were guards and maids everywhere, and he even caught sight of some court eunuchs. The palace complex was enormous, and filled with countless winding corridors. There were overhanging eaves, and imposing columns and crossbeams, everything carved with dragons and phoenixes, giving the place a profoundly royal feeling.

Of course, it had all been left behind by the previous city magistrate, Yan Gufeng, who had also been a profoundly ambitious individual. He had hoped to establish a dynasty that would last for a thousand years, so he had naturally turned his palace into a place fit for royals. Sadly, he never managed to take full control of the city, and had eventually been driven away. Even his treasures stores had been seized, including the impressive collection of medicinal pills therein.

The court eunuchs were also left behind by him.

As he looked around at the situation in the mansion, Yang Qi took time to assess his father and brothers' cultivation bases.

Yang Zhan was at the peak of the Master of Energy level; the power of his airmastery plant had been fully assimilated. He seemed like he could float into the air like an immortal, all with the simple wave of a hand. Both of his brothers were Masters of Energy as well, and with their Four Seasons Swordplay, were far beyond any ordinary Master of Energy.

However, it would take longer before they could hope to reach the Lifeseizing level. They would need some fabled item such as life force springwater to achieve their breakthrough.

Soon, Yang Clan elders of various rankings had assembled, along with the clan lords of the subsidiary branches. Yang Xingshi was there, as was Dowager Yan.

They were still the highest-ranking chief elders, and yet, the first thing they did was offer respectful salutations to Yang Zhan.

"My respects, Your Majesty," they both said. The meeting hall was large enough to fit thousands, so the several hundred clan members had plenty of room to situate themselves. As everyone offered deep bows of respect to Yang Zhan, they cast glances at Yang Qi.

"Rise and find your seats," Yang Zhan said, sounding every bit a king.

After everyone was seated, he continued, "Today is a wonderful day, as my son Yang Qi has returned from the Demi-Immortal Institute. Qi'er, have you brought any gifts for the clan?"

"Yes, father," he replied coolly, fully aware that this particular clan forum was being held in order to intimidate everyone present. "During the course of my studies at the Demi-Immortal Institute, I've reached the Lifeseizing level. I've also learned much of spell formations. In fact, I can set up a spell formation here to help members of the clan progress much more quickly in their cultivation. Ladies and gentlemen, please hold back any questions or comments until I've provided a bit of a demonstration."

At this point, the rippling blue light of his thumb-ring could be seen as a huge spell formation appeared right in front of Yang Zhan's throne.

Everyone could sense the rippling power of the energy formation of the dao of monarchs. As for Yang Zhan, he leaned forward, an intoxicated expression on his face as his true energy surged within him.

"Father," Yang Qi said loudly, "go through your energy arts forms. Pull your true energy back into your sea of energy. I'm going to help you break through to the Lifeseizing level right here and now!"

Without any hesitation, Yang Zhan called upon his Four Seasons Swordplay. The energy of spring, summer, autumn, and winter surged in the area, and yet, was held in place by the formation.

Everyone watched as the energy shifted back and forth between spring rain, summer lightning, autumn frost, and winter snow.

Maintaining complete focus, Yang Qi called upon the sword energy of the Four Seasons Swordplay that existed in his own sea of energy, and sent it into the formation. The energy quickly entered Yang Zhan's meridians, causing true energy to forcibly push his life force substructure to a higher level. After all, Yang Qi's cultivation base was already in Tertiary Lifeseizing, and his true energy was as strong as a Septenary Lifeseizer. With his help, Yang Zhan was shaving dozens of years off of his cultivation, perhaps even as much as a hundred.

In some ways, a single strand of Yang Qi's sword energy was more than some people could accumulate in a lifetime of cultivation.

Yang Zhan now seemed like a deadly, unsheathed sword! At the same time, his life force quintessence was being bolstered by the energy formation of the dao of monarchs.

Before long, his energy reserves reached their limit, and then blew past them.

Sword energy shot upward, breaking through the ceiling.

However, Yang Qi reacted quickly, splaying his fingers as he summoned an energy field that restrained the sword energy and forced it back into Yang Zhan.

Yang Zhan's life force substructure was transforming dramatically, and the flow of vital energy streaming into him caused everyone in the hall to stagger in place.

Yang Qi sucked the spell formation back into his thumb-ring, revealing Yang Zhan standing there, eyes closed.

"Congratulations on reaching the Lifeseizing level, Father," Yang Qi said. "The Yang Clan is now assured of standing strong for a thousand years."

'I almost can't believe I'm a Lifeseizer!' Yang Zhan looked down at his hands, which glowed with bright light. 'Such power! I'm so far removed from before that it defies description! No wonder a Master of Energy could never beat a Lifeseizer in a fight. One is like a tiny mouse, the other is like a mighty eagle.'

All members of the clan were shocked, and immediately broke out into discussion.

"He really reached Lifeseizing!?"

"That aura is incredible."

"The clan lord broke through? And it was Yang Qi who helped him? How strong does that make Yang Qi…?"

As for Dowager Yan and Yang Xingshi, they looked on with barely-concealed envy. They too wished to reach the Lifeseizing level, and yet, were stuck at the peak of the Master of Energy level. Although they both had decades of longevity left, which meant that they could live far longer than ordinary people, the more time that crept by, the less likely it was that they would break through.

But now, they had hope.

Without any hesitation, they rose to their feet and walked over to Yang Qi.

He watched them, his gaze sharp and powerful.

Plop!

They dropped to their knees in front of him.

"Young Lord Qi," Yang Xingshi said, "we two chief elders have treated you poorly. Not even death could make up for our crimes, but still, we hope that you'll let bygones be bygones. Sir, would you possibly be inclined to allow us to cultivate using this energy formation of the dao of monarchs? We will swear to follow the clan lord with complete loyalty, and completely abandon any duplicitous thoughts."

Yang Qi looked them over. "I came back to set up this energy formation here in the clan, to extract subterranean spirit energy for use in cultivation. Hopefully, it can become the core of our clan's cultivation. In fact, anyone who performs meritorious service can use it. Rise, you two. As long as you cooperate with my father, and perform heroic contributions, then you will be rewarded."

Yang Qi knew that these two most powerful of the chief elders had always harbored misgivings. Generally speaking, it would be more beneficial to allow the young prodigies in the clan to use the formation to become Masters of Energy.

After all, not even members of the Outer or Inner Campus back at the institute had access to formations like this.

And if Yang Xingshi and Dowager Yan broke through to the Lifeseizing level, it could theoretically be opening a can of worms. However, as long as they were truly loyal, then it was worth considering.

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Chapter 124: Official Banque

The sun shone bright in the sky, and Yanhaven buzzed with activity.

Local officials went up and down the streets, knocking on doors to deliver colorful lanterns, beautiful decorations, and fireworks to the common people. All households received gifts of medicinal pills.

Many visitors to the city still didn't know what was going on.

In one particular restaurant was a group of people who were clearly wandering heroes of the martial world, feasting to their hearts' content. When they noticed all the activity in the city, one of them said, "Hey shopkeep. What's going on here in Yanhaven? It's not New Year or any other festival. What's the buzz all about?"

"Ah, you must not have heard." the shopkeeper replied. "The Yang Clan's Third Young Master has returned from the Demi-Immortal Institute. He's a god-like Lifeseizer, an elite student who has received rewards from the Sage Ancestor Dynasty! It's only natural that the Yang Clan would want the whole city decorated with lanterns and colored banners. In fact, there's going to be a banquet this evening for all of the big clans— er, no, for all the government officials."

It was still a big change to have the clans be called government officials, and the shopkeeper had to correct his wording in mid-sentence.

One of the wandering jianghu heroes, a man with a thick beard, looked at the shopkeeper with flashing eyes and said, "With a Third Young Master like that, the Yang Clan is obviously a top-level power!"

This hero's energy arts were profound; although he carried no weapon, he had thick, gnarled fingers, and a barbaric air that made it obvious he could rip wild beasts to pieces.

"That's exactly right," another of the wandering heroes said, a burly, middle-aged man. "Out here in the countryside, Lifeseizers are gods. But things are different back home. That said, elite students from the Demi-Immortal Institute are not to be looked down upon. Our House of Spring and Autumn can't even compare to them."

This man carried no weapon either, only a scroll tucked into his belt, making him look something like a scholar. The laws of Yanhaven were very strict; anyone who wanted to carry a weapon had to register their name with the authorities to be able to enter the city.

Such rules had many of the heroes of the jianghu a bit frustrated.

Most jianghu wanderers were in the fourth phase of the Energy Arts level, or perhaps the fifth, and did odd jobs for a living. Obviously, people like that couldn't defy the Yang Clan's armed forces. After all, the army was populated by top masters.

"Calm down," said another of the jianghu wanderers, a young man. "We're not here to fight Yang Qi, just get information. Those disciples who went missing were last seen in Yanhaven, and it seems likely they fell victim to the Yang Clan. Now that Yang Qi has returned, it's the perfect opportunity for Lord Lie to come and question him personally. It would be courting death for the measly Yang Clan to hurt someone from the House of Spring and Autumn. And as for the Demi-Immortal Institute, well, you know the old saying: distant water won't put out a fire close at hand."

The people in this group were disciples from the House of Spring and Autumn. They were actually all Masters of Energy who had simply disguised themselves as jianghu wanderers.

Rising to his feet, one of the group said, "Very well. Send a message to notify Lord Lie that the Yang Clan is having a formal banquet tonight, and that Yang Qi will be in attendance."

Moments later, a sparrowhawk shot up into the air and flew off into the distance, a tiny message attached to its right leg.

Meanwhile, some distance away from the city was a forested region that was as still as death. Countless birds and animals could be seen littering the ground, their bodies pitch black from whatever poison it was that had killed them.

Deep within that forest was an area of swirling mist in which even the plants and vegetation were dead.

Not even the vipers could handle the poison, and had burrowed deep into the ground to escape it. Unfortunately, not even that could save them. The poisonous mist seeped into the earth, killing everything, and transforming the area into a rotten swamp.

Unexpectedly, there were people within that misty area.

They were expert fighters who wore black clothing, and who were clearly unafraid of the deadly energy around them. In fact, they were the source of it.

"Did you hear that?" one of the men said. "Yang Qi is back from the Demi-Immortal Institute. Now is the perfect opportunity to make a move. The only reason we didn't dare to do anything to the Yang Clan was that he was holed up in the Demi-Immortal Institute. If we wiped out his clan when he was away, he would definitely find a way to exact revenge."

"Our House of Shadowblight lost too many men here in Yanhaven," another of the men said, "killed by the Yang Clan. A puny city magistrate dared to contend with us? What a joke. Let's wipe them out completely. If we don't, the dignity of our house will be forever stained."

"But as a student of the Demi-Immortal Institute, if we kill Yang Qi, won't there be repercussions? What do we do about that?"

"Hmph! It's not like the Demi-Immortal Institute holds sway over the entire continent, right? Our House of Shadowblight originally comes from the Western Continent. The Demi-Immortal Institute only holds sway in the Rich-Lush Continent. Besides, we're like shadows. We strike in the dark, and then vanish without a trace. They won't even know where to find us to get revenge."

"In that case, let's just wipe out the entire Yang Clan."

"That's not a bad idea. Although, our orders were to kill Yang Qi in front of all the other clans of Yanhaven. If we strike fear into their hearts, and show them that we don't even care about students from the Demi-Immortal Institute, then they'll definitely acknowledge allegiance to us. We want to control Yanhaven, not leave it an empty shell."

"Our leader has really thought things through. Well, doing everything in one shot will be sure to stamp out the source of trouble. Alright, I'll send a message to the leader informing him of the situation. Tonight, the Yang Clan gets exterminated. It's a night of rejoicing for them, but as the saying goes, great joy begets sorrow! Soon, the game will begin."

Plots were afoot now that Yang Qi had returned home.

In the numerous clans that had been forced to serve as vassals, a variety of attitudes could be found. However, not a single clan could refuse to attend the banquet.

Hours ticked by as evening approached. Soon, lanterns were being lit city-wide, and fireworks were going off.

All the commoners in the city felt prosperous and content.

Meanwhile, a stream of carts and carriages were making their way to the royal palace, the various powerful and noble clans coming to attend the banquet, and see this 'god' of the Yang Clan, Yang Qi.

Many of the energy artists present had never even seen a Lifeseizer before.

The main square of the palace was jammed with tables, all of them laden with food and wine. Music filled the air, and dances were being performed. Yang Zhan looked out at all of his government officials, and sighed in satisfaction.

It was still fresh in the minds of everyone present how the Yang Clan had recently been in a very difficult predicament.

But now, they were a force to be reckoned with. Although they still didn't count for much when compared to the Rich-Lush Continent as a whole, they did rule over hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of land. And likely, that arrangement would continue for generations to come.

Yang Qi sat next to Yang Zhan as the various clans came to offer greetings. A deep and sophisticated expression could be seen on his face; he was nothing like the 'clan-wrecker' he had been in the past.

In barely a year, the clan-wrecker had become a god.

'So this is Yang Qi. His aura is incredible! So profound. It's like his every move and action corresponds to the heavenly dao.' Even the chief elders of the various clans were shocked.

When everyone was present and seated, Yang Zhan stood and addressed the crowd in a booming voice. "Ladies and gentleman, my son is back from the Demi-Immortal Institute, and in the hopes that all of you can share in my joy and satisfaction, I'm throwing this banquet. Please, eat and drink to your heart's content."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" the ministers all responded in unison.

By now, the chief elders of the Yang Clan truly felt respect and reverence for Yang Qi. As for all the younger clan members, they were even more passionate in their support for him.

However, it was right in this moment of jubilant exultation that an ear-piercing string of laughter swept through the royal palace.

Shocked, everyone looked around to see what was happening.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh…!

Suddenly, several shadowy figures descended from above, almost like meteorites. When they slammed into the ground in the middle of the banquet, an energy field shot out, destroying numerous banquet tables, and forcing countless guests to leap backward to safety.

The entire banquet was immediately thrown into chaos.

"An ambush!" one of the Yang Clan guards shouted, rushing forward.

"You bunch of chickens and dogs. How dare a country bumpkin declare himself king here! You throwing an imitation royal banquet is like a bunch of monkeys dressing up as people. Completely unacceptable."

There were seven people present, led by a man in golden clothing that looked almost like raging flames. From the disdainful look in his eyes, he was like a mighty imperial minister come to the countryside, where he encountered a bunch of peasants.

"Stay your hand," Yang Qi barked. Immediately, the Yang Clan guards stopped moving. With that, he rose to his feet and stepped forward.

Smiling coldly, he said, "Who are you people? This is a day of celebration for the Yang Clan. What gives you the right to come uninvited and ruin the festivities?"

"You're Yang Qi?" the young man said imperiously. "Newly promoted elite student from the Demi-Immortal Institute? Even if you are, I don't care. I'm Lord Lie from the House of Spring and Autumn. I've come to Yanhaven to investigate the disappearance of some fellow disciples. They were last seen here, and after some investigation, I've come to the conclusion that the Yang Clan was involved. It's on the authority of the elders of the House of Spring and Autumn that I have come today to condemn the Yang Clan for their misdeeds, and arrest the perpetrators. Thankfully, you're here today, so please, come with me."

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Chapter 125: Spring and Autumn; Shadowbligh

These people were from the House of Spring and Autumn.

Yang Qi clearly remembered that day back when he had wiped out the Chen Clan, and some disciples from the House of Spring and Autumn showed up and arrogantly demanded that he hand over the Chiliocosm Mirror. They had even gone so far as to talk of the Yang Clan becoming their servants.

In his rage, he had killed some of them, and crippled the others.

As for the crippled ones, they had been kept prisoner in the Yang Clan ever since.

It had been a well-kept secret, and yet, here the House of Spring and Autumn was, come to get answers.

Apparently, they wanted to take both Yang Zhan and Yang Qi into custody, and take them back to the House of Spring and Autumn for questioning. Of course, Yang Qi would never agree to something like that. The House of Spring and Autumn was a powerful organization, but now that he had the backing of the Demi-Immortal Institute, he wasn't afraid of them. The Demi-Immortal Institute was the most holy of locations in the continent, and had been for tens of thousands of years.

Looking at Lord Lie in his golden clothing, he smiled coldly and said. "House of Spring and Autumn? What's so special about you people? I'm from the Demi-Immortal Institute. Does your House of Spring and Autumn really have the gall to cause trouble for us? You really think I'm going to go with you for questioning? Who do you think you are?"

"What gall!" one of the other disciples shouted. "How dare you talk to Lord Lie like that! Do you know who he is!?"

"It doesn't matter who you are," Yang Qi said coldly. "If you come as a friend, then you're welcome to sit and have a drink with me. Don't accuse me of being impolite; after all, you're the ones who showed up and started causing trouble. As far as I'm concerned, the House of Spring and Autumn doesn't count for anything. You don't really think of yourselves as the Spring and Autumn Institute, do you?"

"Have a death wish?!" Lord Lie growled, taking a step forward, his killing intent surging.

However, before he could do anything else, a whistling sound filled the air, as though a group of people were approaching. Considering that, Lord Lie stopped in his tracks.

As he did, several shadowy forms dropped out of the sky.

Along with them came a medicinal aroma that, when inhaled, caused the muscles to go slack. It was no medicine, it was toxic energy!

"Hello there, Zhang Lie. Who would have thought that the fame of the House of Spring and Autumn would be insufficient to strike fear into the hearts of these yokels." A man appeared, wearing black garb and a black headband. He also had green eyes that made him seem something other than human.

"Well, if it isn't Blightking Skulkdevil from the House of Shadowblight. What, have you also come for the Yang Clan? I heard they killed quite a few of your people recently. This Third Young Master of the Yang Clan is a student at the Demi-Immortal Institute now. Does your House of Shadowblight really dare to make a move against him?" As it turned out, this Lord Lie was surnamed Zhang. And the words he spoke were sharp and biting to say the least.

Green eyes glittering, the House of Shadowblight elder continued, "When the House of Shadowblight takes action, even the dogs and chickens get wiped out. You're right, I am Blightking Skulkdevil. I've dominated the jianghu for a hundred years, and have killed scores of top experts. As for this little brat, I've taken a liking to him, and plan to turn him into a blightpuppet. Care to lend a hand?"

The surrounding banquet guests immediately devolved into a panic.

"I've heard of this guy!" someone cried out. "He's a Lifeseizer from the west, who's killed other Lifeseizers with his poison!"

"What? A Lifeseizer blightking?!" The guests began to huddle together in fear.

Yang Qi looked over and noticed that the person who had just called out was a chief elder from the Wang Clan. Obviously, the Wang Clan was in cahoots with the House of Shadowblight.

After all, in remote places like Yanhaven, even the top experts from the richest clans would usually only have heard of local Masters of Energy. It didn't make sense for them to have heard of Lifeseizers from distant places. Obviously, this chief elder from the Wang Clan was intentionally sowing discord, and hoped to sway the masses to rebel against the Yang Clan.

"You're exactly right," said Blightking Skulkdevil. "I'm a Lifeseizer, and also an elder from the House of Shadowblight. We've come here today to put an end to the Yang Clan. Any who wish to join us will live. Think the matter through carefully. If you help exterminate the Yang Clan, your clan might be picked by the House of Shadowblight to become the true kings of Yanhaven."

"Slow down, Blightking Skulkdevil," Zhang Lie said with a broad smile. "I think part of Yanhaven should go to the House of Spring and Autumn."

"Fine. Let's wipe out the Yang Clan, then split the city 50/50. What do you say? This puny Yang Clan is of little interest to us. But that Lifeseizer brat, the one who dared to kill people from the House of Shadowblight, well, he deserves a horrific death. It's hard to believe there are people out there who think they can bully the House of Shadowblight."

By this point, Yang Zhan had had enough. Summoning a powerful energy field, he stepped forward and said, "You people are pushing things way too far. Our Yang Clan is not the type that can be intimidated so easily."

When the members of the noble clans sensed Yang Zhan's aura, they were shocked.

"Yang Zhan reached the Lifeseizing level?"

"When did that happen? He's so strong! That's fully a hundred times the power of a Master of Energy, or even more!"

"Yang Qi studied at the Demi-Immortal Institute, so it's no surprise that he's a Lifeseizer. But when did Yang Zhan reach the Lifeseizing level? Don't tell me the Yang Clan acquired some blessing from the heavens?"

Zhang Lie and Blightking Skulkdevil were similarly astonished. However, a moment later, Blightking Skulkdevil laughed and said, "Excellent! Two Lifeseizers! It seems heaven is truly on my side. Soon I'll have two blightpuppets!"

"Worldwide Blightstorm!" Black true energy surged out behind him to create an enormous, blade-wielding devil-ghost. "Sadly for the two of you, I'm stronger than both of you put together. You see, I've long since reached Secondary Lifeseizing! As Primary Lifeseizers, you're far too weak. Prepare to meet your death, Yang Zhan!"

As the terrifying devil-ghost lunged forward, the entire square seemed to grow darker.

Yang Zhan looked on ashen-faced; never could he have guessed that Blightking Skulkdevil would be this strong. Clearly, he would have to go all out to try to deal with him. However, before he could do anything, Yang Qi took action.

He chopped his hand through the air, sending a scintillating, sun-like beam of sword light straight toward the devil-ghost. The burning flames of that true energy instantly vanquished the toxic energy.

Then, Yang Qi took a casual step forward, placing him directly in front of Blightking Skulkdevil, where he waved his hand out in front of him. To everyone watching, it seemed like the most nonchalant of movements. However, to Blightking Skulkdevil, it seemed faster than lightning.

Face draining of blood, and hair standing on end, he shoved out his own palm and shouted, "Blightstorm Energy Art!"

Instantly, an enormous, pitch-black palm shot out in front of him.

When the two palm strikes collided, Blightking Skulkdevil shuddered, and blood began to ooze out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Then, he heard Yang Qi speaking into his ear. "You might be a Secondary Lifeseizer, but sadly for you, I'm a Tertiary Lifeseizer. Therefore, you'll be the one to die today."

The sword energy of the Cosmic Sunflare Sword pierced Blightking Skulkdevil full of holes, then continued on, stabbing into the other experts from the House of Shadowblight, causing them to burst into flames. Instantly the entire hall filled with bloodcurdling screams.

Obviously, there was no way Yang Qi could allow such people to live. Even their corpses would be laced with countless toxins; burning them into ash was the only safe option.

As for the onlookers, their faces were as pale as death.

"What? He killed Blightking Skulkdevil, a Secondary Lifeseizer, with only one move?"

Zhang Lie was just as astonished, but it was without hesitation that he said, "Come on men, let's go."

Then he flew up into the air. He was a shrewd individual, and knew that of the thirty-six stratagems of war, retreat was often the best option.

"You've come all this way, I'd be remiss to not entertain you. Why leave now?" Yang Qi waved his hand, causing an enormous vortex to appear that immediately sucked in all of the true energy in the area. As a result, all of the House of Spring and Autumn disciples who had just leaped into the air to fly away, were dragged back down to the ground.

Then, Yang Qi walked up to Zhang Lie, reached out, and sealed his meridians, making it impossible for him to access his own true energy. As soon as his energy touched the other disciples from the House of Spring and Autumn, they immediately passed out.

As easy as blowing some dust off his shoulder, he captured everyone.

"So, what were you saying just now, Zhang Lie?" Yang Qi said. "Something about the puny House of Spring and Autumn wanting to take on the Demi-Immortal Institute? How about this. Instead of killing you today, I'll just take you prisoner. Then, you can arrange for an elder from the House of Spring and Autumn to come in half a month and pay a ransom to set you free."

The truth was that Yang Qi had no desire at all to kill Zhang Lie. After all, a grudge with the House of Spring and Autumn wouldn't be very easy to resolve, and although they weren't on the level as the four institutes, they were still a powerful force in the lands.

Killing Zhang Lie would make him a mortal enemy of the House of Spring and Autumn, and would be a source of never-ending problems for the Yang Clan. Simply imprisoning him and asking an elder to come discuss the matter was a much better option. Besides, Yang Qi was currently capable of handling even Quaternary Lifeseizers, so an elder from the House of Spring and Autumn shouldn't pose any real problem for him.

And although the House of Spring and Autumn might have a Legendary on hand, they wouldn't send such a person to handle a minor task like this.

Legendaries did not take part in the mundane aspects of society. From what Yang Qi knew, for them to send a conclave student would be rather exaggerated.

With enough of a show of strength, and with the name of the Demi-Immortal Institute on his side, Yang Qi was confident in being able to resolve the situation.

On the other hand, the House of Shadowblight was a different matter. They were like wretch-devils with no sense of justice. Whoever they sent against him, he would simply kill them.

And thus, after only a few breaths of time passed, a catastrophe was completely averted.

As for all of the banquet attendees, they were totally bowled over. The House of Spring and Autumn and the House of Shadowblight had each sent a Lifeseizer to exterminate the Yang Clan. But Yang Qi handled them with ease, killing one and capturing the other.

The clans had witnessed a truly domineering display, and as of this moment, they suddenly felt like they were looking at a Great Sage from the distant past.

At this point, the livid Yang Zhan raised his voice and said, "Guards, heed my command! Arrest everyone from the Wang Clan!"

It was plain as day that the Wang Clan had been colluding with the House of Shadowblight. And the time had come to clean house.

1. The incident with the disciples from the House of Spring and Autumn happened in .

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Chapter 126: Entering the Blackcorpse Mountains

It was a sleepless night for Yanhaven.

A major purge played out as countless armored soldiers and energy arts masters descended ruthlessly on the Wang Clan, apprehending everyone in their headquarters, and then pillaging it. Screams and howls echoed through the city as the other rich, aristocratic clans waited, trembling, for the night to pass.

Never for all eternity would they be able to forget the sight of Yang Qi slaying the mighty Blightking Skulkdevil, a top expert from the House of Shadowblight, who ended up as nothing more than ash drifting in the wind.

As for the experts from the House of Spring and Autumn, they had been captured and imprisoned.

In the past, they had feared the name of the Demi-Immortal Institute, but not necessarily Yang Qi himself. Now they were terrified by him, a feeling which was already turning into veneration.

Yang Zhan had just declared himself king, and was not in a very stable position. Although many of the aristocratic clans had agreed to act as ministers in his government, the truth was that many of them were up to mischief, and were wrangling over financial and military matters.

But now, all of them understood how truly powerful Yang Qi had become, and they knew that struggling against the Yang Clan was futile.

In a study in the royal palace, Yang Zhan nodded as he listened to a report regarding the wealth which had been confiscated from the Wang Clan. He couldn't have been in a better mood. Not only had a major catastrophe been averted, but he was now a Lifeseizer, and had taken a major step to consolidating his royal power in Yanhaven. From now on, the Yang Clan would be as famous and glorious as the sun in the noon sky. Even some of the most powerful organizations in the land would hesitate before thinking of invading their territory.

If they played their cards right, it wouldn't be impossible to establish a thousand-year legacy.

"Father," Yang Qi said, "I'm going to head into the Blackcorpse Mountains for some more training. You help eldest brother and second brother with their cultivation. Once I find the right spirit medicine, I'll help them to reach the Lifeseizing level as well. One of these days, I'll be strong enough to go to the Hanging Mountain to look for mother."

"Very well, Qi'er. It's still hard to believe that you've become so strong. However, the Demi-Immortal Institute is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. You'd do best to keep the true level of your power a secret."

"I'll keep that in mind, Father. By the way, I've finished setting up the energy formation of the dao of monarchs in a secret chamber beneath the palace. Considering that eldest brother and second brother already have the Four Seasons Swordplay deeply rooted within them, all they need to do is work on their cultivation in that formation, and they'll definitely advance by leaps and bounds. Also, I suggest you promote some of the younger, loyal clan members, and give the chief elders less attention. It's easier to foster devotion amongst the younger generation. You know the old saying, right? Whoever provides milk is your mother. The loyalties of the elders are definitely just a matter of convenience for them."

"Don't worry, Third Brother," Yang Yunchong said. "We'll handle all of the clan affairs properly. The chief elders have long since become useless. We'll definitely focus our efforts on the energetic young ones. As for the older ones, as long as they don't betray us, we'll let them live out their days in peace."

"Good," Yang Qi replied, his eyes glittering. "Once I've fully established a power base in the Demi-Immortal Institute, I'll arrange for your children to go there to study."

By this point, both of his brothers were married and had children.

Now, he was the only one who was single.

Considering that he was nineteen, tradition dictated that he should be married already. But Yang Zhan knew that his son had a long road ahead of him, and plenty of longevity to work with. Therefore, such matters could wait until later.

"Be careful in the Blackcorpse Mountains, Qi'er."

"Don't worry." With that, Yang Qi rose to his feet, simultaneously summoning a manifestation of Humanoid True Energy. It looked exactly like him in every way, so lifelike that it even had body heat.

Yang Qi's true energy had reached such a high level that his Humanoid True Energy was almost like an out-of-body incarnation, a second nascent divinity.

"I'll leave behind this Humanoid True Energy to wait for the elder from the House of Spring and Autumn. Hopefully we can resolve the issues with them once and for all. Once that elder arrives, I'll hurry back from the Blackcorpse Mountains. It should only take a few breaths worth of time."

Of course, considering that Yang Zhan himself was now a Lifeseizer, the reputation of the Yang Clan itself would be enough to resolve many sticky situations.

Having made all of the necessary arrangements, Yang Qi flew up into the air and vanished.

Yang Zhan watched his mysterious, powerful son leaving, and then sighed. "Greensura, can you see all of this? Your son only continues to grow more and more powerful. Soon, he'll be the rival of Great Sages. He'll definitely come to look for you in the Hanging Mountain one day."

Yundale-by-the-Sea was located on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. It was a flourishing city that had already come to be called the State of Yun. Troops patrolled the streets, and a steady flow of merchants came and went among the countless docks.

This city was many, many times larger than Yanhaven, and the ruler of it all was Yun Hailan's father, Yun Zhonglong.

He was currently sitting in a study in his mansion, opposite of a middle-aged man who was none other than Yan Gufeng. After being driven out of Yanhaven, he had shifted his loyalties to Yundale-by-the-Sea, or more properly, the State of Yun.

"I'm very pleased to have you on our side now, Yan Gufeng." Both of these men were Masters of Energy, and city magistrates as well.

"After being driven out by the Yang Clan, I became little more than a stray dog. I'm very grateful for how you've treated me, Supreme Leader." Although Yan Gufeng kept his expression placid, it was impossible to conceal the raging enmity in his eyes. "My daughter is studying at the True Dragon Institute, and was recently promoted. Furthermore, she's in the good graces of one of the top experts there. Sooner or later, she'll get revenge for me. She definitely won't let the Yang Clan get away with this."

"Getting revenge will be easier said than done," Yun Zhonglong said with a faint smile. "I heard that Yang Qi joined the Demi-Immortal Institute, and that he's already reached the Lifeseizing level. That makes him an elite student there. With every day that passes, he seems to be getting more powerful."

"I heard that too. Your daughter is in the Demi-Immortal Institute as well, and has the backing of a very powerful person. She's also an elite student, correct? From what I understand, it was for the purpose of awakening the blood of the sea god in her that she had Yang Qi steal that Latent Dragon Pill. I think you owe me some help here, Supreme Leader. Yang Qi hates your daughter, and will definitely try to get revenge eventually. Both you and I have grudges with the Yang Clan that can only be ended in death. You understand all of this, right?"

Yun Zhonglong nodded. "Of course I understand."

At this point, a light tapping could be heard on the door.

"Come in," Yun Zhonglong said.

One of Yun Zhonglong's agents entered and kneeled. Voice trembling, he said, "Supreme Leader, I have some bad news. I just received a report about something that happened in Yanhaven yesterday. Yang Qi returned home to visit his family, and both the House of Spring and Autumn and the House of Shadowblight showed up. In the end, Yang Qi completely decimated Blightking Skulkdevil from the House of Shadowblight, a Secondary Lifeseizer. He reduced him to nothing more than ashes…."

"What?" Yun Zhonglong grabbed the report and read every word. After reaching the end, he sagged into his chair, seemingly having aged by an entire decade. "Yang Zhan's a Lifeseizer now too…."

"This is big news," Yan Gufeng said. "Supreme Leader, may I read the report as well?"

"Take a look," Yun Zhonglong replied, handing the report to him.

Yan Gufeng read it, and his face fell. Hands trembling, he said, "Is Yang Qi a god from heaven descended into the mortal world? How could he be this strong? What did he learn at the Demi-Immortal Institute? No. Wait. This doesn't have anything to do with the institute, does it? It must be that lightning strike! My subordinate Luo Hun crippled his energy arts, and then he was struck by lightning. That's when everything changed."

After a long moment passed, Yun Zhonglong took a deep breath and said, "Quick, send a message to my daughter and tell her what's happened! There's something very mysterious about this Yang Qi. My daughter surely has connections at the Demi-Immortal Institute that can help." Looking back at Yan Gufeng, he continued, "The time has come to take a trip out to the sea. We need to talk to one of the Seafolk kings."

Meanwhile, in the Heaven Lode Mountains, high above the sea of clouds, Yun Hailan had just emerged from the Minorcosm World. The first thing she noticed was an eagle flying toward her; she reached out, and it landed on her arm, allowing her to take the message from its leg.

'A letter from home?' The eagle flew away, and she opened the message. 'Yang Qi went home. How did he get so powerful? He helped his father to reach the Lifeseizing level? How did he do it? Didn't I tell Song Haishan and the Crown Prince Society to keep an eye on him? Why didn't they tell me about this?'

Without any hesitation, she flew down from the clouds and left the Heaven Lode Mountains. Back in the main part of the institute, she was greeted by some of the high-ranking members of the Crown Prince Society. Considering that she had the favor of the Crown Prince, and also had Patriarchs Wind and Cloud as her masters, everyone was quick to fawn over her.

"Where's Jiang Fan and Song Haishan?" she asked coldly. "Bring them to me."

"Elder Brother Jiang Fan went to stir up trouble with Yang Qi. However, it seems Yang Qi knew what was coming, and went into hiding. Later, Jiang Fan sent a message indicating that he and Song Haishan went out on a mission. They haven't reported back yet."

The fact that Song Haishan and Gu Fenxian were dead was still a big secret. Jiang Fan and the others were still away from the sect, and were planning to wait until their return before reporting the deaths.

However, Yun Hailan was clever enough to be suspicious about the situation.

"The Crown Prince Society has secret ways to transmit messages, right? Send word to them to return immediately. We have something very important to discuss."

After she entered her room, the members of the Crown Prince Society exchanged glances and then shook their heads.

"This girl is advancing like crazy. What level is she now, anyway? Do we really need to contact Elder Brother Jiang Fan?"

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Chapter 127: Getting Stronger

BAM!

A golden rhinoceros with an enormous, razor-sharp horn charged directly toward Yang Qi.

A moment later, he had a golden demon core in his hand. Golden rhinos were demonlings that consumed metal, ensuring that their bones, blood, and muscle were all metallic in nature.

Their bodies made excellent ingredients for concocting metal-type spirit medicines, and their demon cores were perfect for insetting into spirit weapons.

With the wave of his hand, he sent the golden rhino demon core into his Heart of the Sea thumb-ring.

Currently, he stood at the top of a towering mountain, looking off into the distance, where black clouds swirled, and zombies stalked. He was now very close to the deepest parts of the Blackcorpse Mountains. His main goal in this venture was to see if there really was an alternate dimension in the Blackcorpse Mountains, that fabled Heavencorpse Dimension.

After all, there was a dimensional passageway in the Fiendcorpse Mountains near the Demi-Immortal Institute.

The Blackcorpse Mountains also contained corpse energy from the Heavencorpse Dimension, so it should contain such a passageway.

And he wanted to track down the fabled life force springwater from that dimension.

The only way to make significant progress with his Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was that springwater. Without it, he might as well give up on any thoughts of achieving a breakthrough.

'It will only be a few more days before Yun Hailan learns about Song Haishan's death. Too bad I can't be there to see the expression on her face. Well, her agents in Yanhaven will definitely send word to her about what I did, so she'll know I'm not in the institute.' Such thoughts about the Demi-Immortal Institute continued to occupy his mind as he sped through the mountains.

Swish!

Corrosive, hypertoxic corpse energy battered his face, and the screams of zombies reached his ears. Soon, he reached a valley packed with zombies, skeletons, and even some zombified demonlings.

He waved his hand, sending out a burning blast of true energy that transformed all of them into ash and streams of corpse energy.

Every few thousand years, the Blackcorpse Mountains would explode into activity. Corpse energy would abound, and any living beings it touched, whether they be humans or demonlings, would turn into zombies, which would attempt to eat any living beings they encountered.

Therefore, the more that Yang Qi killed, the less potential for disaster the mountains would pose.

Given the level of his true energy, he was virtually invincible, and therefore, any zombies or skeletons that he encountered were instantly destroyed. He was like an emissary from hell.

Meanwhile, in the depths of his sea of energy, in his Hellfire Crucible, a bundle of toxic energy that resembled a devil-ghost was currently howling in rage.

It was none other than the energy Yang Qi had absorbed from Blightking Skulkdevil, which contained the man's life force quintessence. Yang Qi was currently using his platinum sagefire to break down the toxic energy, and extract the true energy from it.

The Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth abounded with the aura of hell.

What kind of a place was hell? It was a place where all sorts of devil-gods lurked, a place of profound evil. Even the most vicious of devil-gods could seek refuge in the depths of hell, which in itself was like an enormous crucible.

As such, it was only natural that Yang Qi could harbor some heterogeneous true energy.

By using the toxic energy to destroy the corpses and skeletons, he was thus fighting fire with fire, and at the same time, acquiring the purest form of life force quintessence possible.

By now, his energy arts were at the ultimate peak, right on the verge of reaching Quaternary Lifeseizing.

At the same time, he was hoping to find some thousand-year-old corpse king lairs; building up more life force quintessence would only help him get more prepared for his breakthrough.

And the further he got into the Blackcorpse Mountains, the more corpses and skeletons there were.

At the same time, the entities he encountered were getting stronger and stronger. Seventh phase, eighth phase, and ninth phase enemies appeared. There were even some old corpses who had been top experts for hundreds of years before their deaths.

Yang Qi also saw some who had once been famous experts in the Yanhaven area years in the past.

After all, Masters of Energy could live well over a hundred years, and if the corpse energy from the Blackcorpse Mountains reached them in their graves, they would become zombies, dig their way out, and enter the mountains to serve the corpse kings there. It was virtually impossible to say how many times such things had occurred over the years.

As such, it could well be imagined how powerful of a force lurked in the Blackcorpse Mountains.

In fact, there were far more zombies there than in the Fiendcorpse Mountains.

One reason for that was that the Fiendcorpse Mountains were a popular destination for students from the Demi-Immortal Institute to go for training and experience. In contrast, the Blackcorpse Mountains were located in the remote countryside. No one would go there for training, and thus, the forces of evil were free to grow stronger and stronger.

Yang Qi was able to slaughter demons to his heart's content here, and the demon cores flowed into his Hellfire Crucible almost without cease.

Such demon cores would be instantly melted by the platinum sagefire, and would quickly become pure life force quintessence.

AAOOWWW!

AAAAOOOWWWW!

All of a sudden, a tomb-like mountain trembled, and a massive column of corpse aura shot into the air. In response, the nearby skeletons and corpses all prostrated in allegiance.

A thousand-year-old corpse king had appeared.

Yang Qi had been ridding the world of devils and demons with such eagerness that he had attracted the attention of one of the location's top experts. This corpse king was actually golden, with golden wings, making it uncertain if he was a human or a devil.

As the golden corpse king appeared, a gale force wind blew out, filled with streaks of gold.

It was metal-type true energy, powerful to the extreme, the type that could pierce through just about anything.

"Divine Yaksha Starmetal Aurora!" he growled. The energy art fluctuations coming off him were gloomy and cold, and constituted a deadly attack. "It's been years since someone dared to cause trouble this deep in the Blackcorpse Mountains. You've bitten off more than you can chew, brat."

"So, a corpse that cultivates the dao of yakshas." Yaksha energy arts were considered evil, and after cultivating them, they would cause the fleshly body to grow physical wings, transforming the practitioner into an actual flying yaksha.

In the Demi-Immortal Institute, it was a forbidden devil art.

After all, only non-humans could cultivate it.

As the glowing light approached, Yang Qi unleashed an energy field that caused everything to tremble so violently that mountains began to crumble, and the lands began to crack.

As for the fluctuations of the starmetal aurora, they shattered.

"I control hell, and represent all the infernal deities there. Therefore, I call upon the magical laws of hell to strip you of your power!" It was as if the words Yang Qi had spoken came from the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth itself; the vital energy of heaven and earth fluctuated wildly, completely inundating the flying corpse king.

The corpse king was overwhelmed, and could instantly sense that he was about to be wiped out of existence.

As he fell out of the sky, his body collapsing, he shrieked, "Who are you? How can you control the laws of magic? What devil art is that? It contains the power of hell, the bane of all demon-devils. Are you human or a devil?"

Eyes flashing, Yang Qi killed him.

After extracting his demon core, which was enormous, he tossed it into the platinum sagefire to begin melting it.

Platinum sagefire was like a blessing from the legion of gods and could purify all sorts of demonic, devilish, and wretch energies. And it was the exact reason why Yang Qi had been so eager to enter the depths of the Blackcorpse Mountains, and beyond them, the Heavencorpse Dimension.

The Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth was the bane of all types of demon-devils, and thus, it was no surprise it could easily be used to crush them.

After killing the golden corpse king, Yang Qi continued onward unhindered.

RUMMMBLE!

Suddenly, a mountain-top exploded, sending massive boulders flying out in all directions, as well as clouds of dust. Revealed inside was a tomb, the depths of which contained a bronze coffin.

Inside the coffin, eyes opened up, and they shone with astonishment at the fact that the mountain had just been destroyed above it.

It was a level of power that clearly surpassed the Primary Lifeseizing level.

And yet, even as the eyes opened, a hand appeared above the coffin, grabbed the thousand-year-old corpse by the throat, and dragged him out into the open.

This corpse had recently gorged himself on human blood, and was in the middle of a session of cultivation. But now, he found himself in the grip of a young man. Baring his fangs instinctively, he lunged toward Yang Qi's hand to suck his blood out.

However, when his fangs touched Yang Qi's skin, they shattered, and then his entire body exploded. A moment later, Yang Qi had another demon core, this one, blood-red.

It looked very similar to the blood demon cores from the vampires he had killed some time ago.

This was a vampiric corpse king, extremely powerful, who usually slept in the day and went out at night to hunt. It had long been a major threat to the regions surrounding the Blackcorpse Mountains, but now, Yang Qi had put an end to his reign of terror.

And of course, he had benefited in the process.

The time had come to clean house in the Blackcorpse Mountains, and put an end to as many thousand-year-old corpse kings as possible.

1. Yakshas are a type of spirit from Buddhist mythology. .

2. This 'wretch' energy could be translated as evil or vile. I'm using 'wretch' to maintain term consistency with stuff that comes up later in the novel.

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Chapter 128: Devil-Ghost Spirit Body

As Yang Qi slaughtered his way further and further into the mountains, countless zombies and skeletons met their end at his hands.

He broke open innumerable tombs, slaughtering virtual armies of zombies and corpse kings. Normally speaking, the terrifyingly powerful thousand-year-old corpse kings would lurk in the mountains, waiting for the right moment to launch a wave of slaughter on innocent humans.

But this time, Yang Qi was forestalling all of that.

KABAAAMMM!

Another mountain-top exploded as Yang Qi unleashed a torrent of destructive true energy.

He had long since hoped to find a chance to see exactly how destructive he could be, and this was the perfect opportunity. At long last, he was able to push his energy arts to the limit to see what they were capable of.

Back when he had been a Master of Energy, his Invincible King's Fist had been capable of causing the waters of a lake to rise into the air. But now, he was thousands upon thousands of times stronger than that.

Now, he could easily crush mountain peaks.

He was like an unbeatable god of battle, bringing disaster with him wherever he went. Mountains crumbled. Platinum sagefire burned away every scrap of filth.

He had long since contemplated clearing out these mountains in order to make Yanhaven a safer place, and now, he was actually rooting out the thousand-year-old corpse kings and ending them, one by one.

In one short day, he slaughtered six of them. As for the number of zombies and skeletons he ended, it was literally impossible to count. He was a merciless meat grinder that no demon-devil could possibly stand up to.

He now had over a hundred zombie demon cores of the Master of Energy level in his thumb-ring, and hundreds of eighth phase versions. Those were demon cores that were essentially useless to him at this point, but would act as a mountain of wealth to his clan.

Because of the platinum sagefire that constantly surrounded him, he was like a shining light within the darkness of the mountains around him.

'Dear lord, six thousand-year-old corpse kings in a single day? All of them Lifeseizers? If something happened to provoke all of them to attack at one time, there's no way Yanhaven would have survived. Actually, I'm going too slowly. I need to kill more, and faster.'

Speeding up, he sent platinum sagefire out, creating a massive sphere hundreds of meters wide, which then exploded, causing a rain of fire to fall.

It was something that came naturally with the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth; in places where evil energy abounded, the platinum sagefire would erupt to cleanse it.

Most corpse kings spent their time sleeping, and absorbing the baleful, subterranean energy they needed to cultivate their nefarious arts. Only occasionally would they go out to hunt spirit creatures or humans to suck dry of blood. After all, if they killed humans too brazenly, it could attract the attention of the powerful orthodox organizations.

A good example was the vampire brigand force from the Blood Demon Grotto. They had long since been completely and utterly routed.

Yang Qi watched as the rain of platinum sagefire descended, then sighed as he realized that there was no corpse king in this area. However, it was still worth it; as long as there weren't any corpse kings to lead armies of zombies to attack Yanhaven, his father would be able to handle the situation.

Deeper and deeper he went into the mountains….

As he did, he felt his energy building, pushing him closer and closer to breaking through into Quaternary Lifeseizing.

All of a sudden, a host of voices reached his ears, like a throng of vengeful souls all crying out at the same time.

"Give me my life back… give me my life back…!"

It was accompanied by the most wretched of energies. Even the air itself seemed to turn evil. Looking off into the distance, he could see something like a black haze, which was the source of the howling. Just barely visible within the churning haze were vicious ghost faces.

He was now nearing the ultimate depths of the Blackcorpse Mountains, a place of such profound evil that few people ever came here. Even a Master of Energy who reached this location would find his defensive true energy destroyed, and would become a zombie within minutes.

The wretch energy here was so profound it caused the air to distort.

'So, I was right about the Blackcorpse Mountains!' To his delight, the distortions ahead made it clear that there really was a dimensional passageway, leading to the fabled Heavencorpse Dimension. That was where he would be able to find life force springwater.

With that, he drew all of his magical power back inside of him.

Cracking sounds rang out as a platinum suit of holy armor spread out to cover his body, burning with flames that could destroy any wretch energy that came near. It was none other than his Infernal Deity Plate Armor. In the past, it had been dark gold. But each time he seized life, he grew stronger, and his armor changed. Slowly, it was becoming the holy color of platinum to reflect the glory of the legion of gods in heaven.

Deeper and deeper he went into the mountains….

Every step he took required more and more effort as the wretch energy and wild distortions grew stronger. Even other ordinary Lifeseizers would have difficulty resisting the energy, and would have eventually been forced to retreat.

But Yang Qi was different.

Godmammoths drew upon the ultimate powers of the legion of gods to suppress hell. This mere wretch energy was like nothing.

"Be destroyed!" His Infernal Deity Spear stabbed out, driving away the wretch energy as he shot forward.

The weeping of ghosts and the wailing of gods that he heard around him truly made it seem like he was descending into hell.

By now, it was impossible to tell what was east, south, west or north. Directions were meaningless. However, thanks to his true energy, he could sense the source of the wretch energy, and could slowly make his way toward the passage that led out of the Blackcorpse Mountains and into the Heavencorpse Dimension.

He wasn't particularly familiar with alternate dimensions, other than the Minorcosm World that existed above the sea of clouds.

However, as long as the portal that he sought remained open, he was confident in being able to find it.

"Give me my life back!"

Suddenly, a deadly surge of wretch energy headed toward Yang Qi, only to be blocked by a blast of platinum sagefire.

A devil-ghost had appeared just behind him in the wretch energy, a hulking, pitch-black thing with vicious claws. It actually looked like it was made completely of smoke, as opposed to having a corporeal body.

"Devil-ghost spirit body!" Yang Qi realized instantly that this was a type of devil-ghost that had a spirit body as opposed to a physical one. Such beings were difficult to exterminate; after all, ordinary energy arts couldn't hurt spirit bodies.

Only noble, righteous energy filled with intense heat could do anything against vicious and deadly devil-ghosts like this.

Because of the extremely intense wretch energy in the Blackcorpse Mountains, some beings that died would leave behind souls that would then become contaminated, and transform into devil-ghosts!

As for this particular devil-ghost, it was far beyond the level of the thousand-year-old corpse kings he had fought up to this point. It was even more powerful than Blightking Skulkdevil had been, and was approaching the level of Jiang Fan.

Its sneak attack having failed, it transformed into a black cloud that then took the shape of a huge ghost claw.

"Netherworld Ghostclaw!" it screeched.

Dark green flames surrounded the ghost claw as it shot through the air, creating a vacuum, and emanating sounds like metal scraping against metal.

This was a claw that could drag its victim so far into the netherworld that it would never be reincarnated.

Such was the power of the Netherworld Ghostclaw, a truly sinister and vicious energy art.

In response, Yang Qi spun in place and threw his spear out, sending it speeding forth like an arrow, like a raging god from ancient times, like a burning sun!

Whoosshhhh!

The ghost claw was pierced by the spear, and the devil-ghost screamed in frustration.

"Ghostsoul Possession!" Soul fluctuations erupted from the creature, becoming a sickly green energy flow that somehow bypassed Yang Qi's armor and entered his body in the blink of an eye. Clearly, this devil-ghost was trying to possess him. Coldness gripped him as the thing's will tried to take control of the true energy in his meridians, and his mind and soul came under attack.

'All rivers run to the sea. True energy: return!' Chuckling coldly, he pulled all of his true energy back into his sea of energy, dragging the devil-ghost with it.

RUMMMBLE!

As soon as the ghost broke into his sea of energy, the Hellfire Crucible appeared, and the ghost was thrown in. Sizzling sounds then rang out, accompanied by bloodcurdling screams.

As a spirit body, the devil-ghost was essentially an expression of life force energy, very similar to heterogeneous true energy.

For most people, having an influx of heterogeneous true energy would lead to cultivation deviation, and likely, a physical explosion of the body itself. And if a devil-ghost entered a person, he or she would eventually become a monster.

Sadly for this devil-ghost, the Hellfire Crucible was the bane of all spirit bodies!

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