My Master Is Super Powerful But Overly Steady

by Stayrr

Ye Chen transmigrated to a fantasy world by chance. He was well-aware of how dangerous this world was, so he kept a low profile and quietly cultivated in Xuantian Holy Land. He tried his best not to get involved in any affairs for fear of getting caught up in any vendetta. If he encountered problems that he could not run away from, he would ensure that he annihilated all his oppone

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Ye Chen transmigrated to a fantasy world by chance. He was well-aware of how dangerous this world was, so he kept a low profile and quietly cultivated in Xuantian Holy Land. He tried his best not to get involved in any affairs for fear of getting caught up in any vendetta. If he encountered problems that he could not run away from, he would ensure that he annihilated all his opponents as swiftly as possible. He showed no regrets for staying aloof and no remorse for killing his enemies. Hundreds and thousands of years later, Ye Chen's disciples were domineering existences in the world, and their influences spread far and wide. On the other hand, Ye Chen was steadfast to his principle of not drawing any attention to himself. … One day, the Heavenly Path experienced significant changes, and all the demons and gods throughout history attacked Ye Chen simultaneously. Ye Chen was forced to defend himself. He drew out his sword and easily eradicated all the demons and gods, resulting in the collapse of the Heavenly Path. Ye Chen blinked his eyes in disbelief and said, "Was that all?"

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My Master Is Super Powerful But Overly Steady #Chapter 1 - Read My Master Is Super Powerful But Overly Steady Chapter 1 Online - All Page - Novel Bin

This System Is Too Unreliable!

Eastern Wastelands, Azure Billow Region, Xuantian Holy Land.

A translucent array as thin as a cicada's wings enveloped hundreds of magnificent mountain peaks. As it passed through the sun's rays, it refracted with a faint seven-colored radiance. Exotic flowers and plants bloomed all around the pavilions that decorated the area. Flying eaves and pagodas were faintly discernible as the dense spiritual Qi flowed like a ribbon throughout the surroundings. Immortal cranes flew freely in the air, making the scene look like a natural painting.

At the edge of the formation, Ye Chen lay leisurely on a soft field of grass in the middle of a relatively desolate Qingyun Peak. His head rested on his hands as a piece of dog tail grass stood out from his mouth. He sighed lightly as he said, "I have been in Xuantian Holy Land for three years, living humbly with my surroundings like an old dog. I wonder when the system will finish loading..."

Ye Chen was not from this world. Three years ago, he had fallen from the sky and landed on Qingyun Peak of Xuantian Holy Land by accident. He was then saved by the great elder of Qingyun Peak, Li Changsheng.

Prior to Ye Chen's arrival, a Demonic Path expert had invaded Xuantian Holy Land, killing everyone on Qingyun Peak except for Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng sighed at the fact that he could still meet the right person before his death as he accepted being the new Peak Lord?of Qingyun Peak and Ye Chen as his disciple. Unfortunately, Li Changsheng had passed away before he could teach Ye Chen any cultivation techniques. All he had managed to instil in Ye Chen were the basics.

This new world that Ye Chen had arrived in was vast and boundless. The Eastern Wilderness alone occupied millions of kilometres in territory, hosting many peerless experts and countless bloodthirsty demons. Experts could slaughter the weak without restraint, instigating all kinds of open and hidden battles in Xuantian Holy Land.

Ye Chen knew deep down that this world was filled with danger. The slightest misstep would result in a grave death.

And it was as he was nonchalantly chilling when Ye Chen accidentally awakened the system.

This system was too unreliable!

Just because Ye Chen had shown the slightest bit of recklessness, the system stopped loading for a length of time, depending on how reckless Ye Chen had been.

As such, Ye Chen would hide whenever he could, trying his best not to get involved with anything and anyone ever since he transmigrated. Up until now, he had guarded Qingyun Peak alone.

By now, the system had already loaded to 99.99%. It was almost done.

Then came a clear voice in Ye Chen's head.

[Ding! The system has completely loaded!]

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[Reward: Natural Talent – Divine Concealment!]

[Reward: Special Aptitude – Primordial Dao Body!]

[Reward: Supreme Cultivation Method – Creation Dao Scripture!]

Ye Chen was slightly startled initially. But then his eyes opened wide and a pleasantly surprised expression appeared on his face. He let out a satisfied sigh and said, "Finally, the system is done loading!"

A translucent screen appeared in front of Ye Chen and displayed his updated attribute panel.

[Name: Ye Chen]

[Identity: Xuantian Holy Land's Qingyun Peak Lord]

[Aptitude: Primordial Dao Body – the strongest constitution among all worlds. Perhaps you will awaken its full potential with the blessing of immeasurable luck?]

[Talent: Divine Concealment – able to conceal one's own constitution and cultivation from others]

[Cultivation: None – the realms one can cultivate to are (from the lowest to the highest) Wave, Law, Vision, Primordial, Might, Dao Lord, Slash, Saint, Sage, Great Sage, Quasi-Emperor, and Emperor. Each realm is further divided into Early, Middle, Late, and Peak Stage]

[Cultivation method: Creation Dao Scripture – the most powerful cultivation method among the multiverse that allows one to clearly understand the origins and mysteries of Heaven's creation, seize it, and form a Supreme Dao Foundation]

[Skills: None]

[Treasure: None]

[System space: None]

Once he had gone through the updates, Ye Chen's eyes lit up.

The Primordial Dao Body and the Creation Dao Scripture would be the foundation for him to finally move on and continue his journey in this world as he used Divine Concealment to hide his trump cards. The system was indeed powerful!

Ye Chen returned to his cave and sat cross-legged. His consciousness locked onto his Primordial Dao Body as he summoned it internally. "Awaken!"

And for the next fifteen minutes, the entire world started to buzz faintly.

Immediately after, a bright Moon rose and positioned itself next to the Sun as tens of thousands of stars appeared and shone brightly. The Sun, Moon, and stars aligned and formed a brilliant radiance that flashed a scene of boundless mountain ranges; water bodies that reflected the astral sky; howling winds; rumbling thunder; blazing fire; an overflowing sea of blood; the divine tree with its roots and branches connected to the three thousand worlds; the rage and roars of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin in the sky; and the appearance and disappearance of myriads of races.

The grand vision appeared in every corner of the various worlds. But it disappeared just as quickly, as if it had never happened.

Countless creatures looked up at the sky in shock as their hearts filled with terror and they didn't know what to do.

None had ever witnessed such a vision before!

The many unrivaled gods and demons in the various worlds tried to deduce the origin of this strange vision but no matter how they racked their brains, none were able to.

The Holy Lord and elders of Xuantian Holy Land soared into the sky from their respective peaks in response to the grand vision. Their gazes were filled with shock as they couldn't make heads or tails of what had just happened. In the end, the Holy Lord summoned them to the main peak to discuss a countermeasure.

As for Ye Chen, the one who had caused this vision, he was absolutely clueless. The only thing he knew happened was that his entire body felt fresh and natural, pulsing with a mysterious Dao rhythm.

[The host has awakened his Primordial Dao Body and now has the qualifications to become an expert. Please consider the following options.]

[One: Play Heaven's favorite and cultivate in a high-profile manner – reveal your possession of the Primordial Dao Body to the Xuantian Holy Lord and become the Holy Son; seek out the resources of Xuantian Holy Land and get a chance to obtain an offensive magic treasure. But beware as you will attract the attention of the emperors, immortal sects, and other powers of the major holy lands.]

[Two: Cultivate at Qingyun Peak in a low-key manner – one would remain unknown. But after officially cultivating, one would be able to obtain a forbidden array that would prevent others from unwanted probing.]

The words 'Holy Son' on the display immediately equated to being the sharp end of the stick for Ye Chen. He didn't want to be the bird that got shot for sticking its neck out.

Bearing the title of 'Holy Son' was obviously a way to attract hatred. Countless disciples in Xuantian Holy Land eyed the position, not to mention the emperors, immortal sects, and other forces of other holy lands. Even if all the resources in Xuantian Holy Land were utilized, no one would be able to stop a full-on invasion!

It was too dangerous!

Ye Chen shook his head and decisively chose the second option. Low-profile cultivation was the way to go.

Since he had chosen the path to walk towards being an expert, he focused his consciousness on the Creation Dao Scripture. Suddenly, a mysterious and ancient heavenly voice echoed in his mind as the contents of the scripture fused with the knowledge base in his mind. "Creation Dao Scripture... plunder the heavens and earth... fuse the essence of all things... Myriad Dao... immortality... eternal life..."

Ye Chen tried to cultivate the Creation Dao Scripture and instantly felt as if his entire body was immersed in a vast ocean of myriad Daos resonating within him. Soon a mysterious Dao rhythm lingered on his body like perfume.

Buzz!

His Primordial Dao Body slightly shook as the seemingly real yet illusory Great Dao vision occurred around Ye Chen again.

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The Disciple Acceptance Ceremony

Boom!

Ye Chen's Primordial Dao Body released its might and opened up a vast ocean of violently surging energy in his Dantian that contained an immeasurable amount of divine vital Qi radiating as brilliantly as a rainbow.

The Wave Realm!

Ye Chen started to feel waves of divine vital Qi rinsing over his limbs and nourishing his flesh, organs, and bones as his aura constantly grew.

[Congratulations, dear host, for breaking through to Wave Realm. You have officially started your cultivation and obtained the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array.]

[Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array: Uses the power of Heaven and Earth to set up an array where the five elements are reversed to obscure outsiders' ability to detect and sense their surroundings. It can also be used to hallucinate enemies.]

Soon after, Ye Chen sensed an ancient array disk with mysterious symbols of various colors appearing in the system space.

He moved slightly within the system space through his mind towards the ancient array disk and the mysterious symbols on it suddenly flashed. The green symbols merged into the void, the yellow symbols merged into the mountains, and the other colored symbols merged into the rest of Qingyun Peak's surroundings. Everything in his surroundings became clearer in Ye Chen's mind but to any other, nothing on the peak had changed at all.

No divine sense would be able to detect the changes in the surroundings of Qingyun Peak.

If one entered the peak without Ye Chen's permission, the reversal array would be activated and the person would lose their sense of direction. Without Ye Chen's intervention, outsiders would easily be trapped in the array.

Ye Chen nodded with satisfaction. This time, he would be able to cultivate in peace and finally move on steadily with the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array set up.

One year later, the divine energy in Ye Chen's entire body surged, and his flesh, organs, and bones became resplendent. His Qi and blood flowed as smoothly and ragingly as a dragon gliding through the sky; his skin glowed with luster; and every move he made contained an inexhaustible amount of might.

Ye Chen's divine light blazed as steaming clouds surrounded him. His divine energy surged once more from the immeasurable amount of vital Qi flowing vigorously with verve within and all around him.

The divine energy enveloped his entire body, emitting a seven-colored radiance before shooting up into the sky at an extremely high speed.

This was the Peak Stage of Wave Realm!

The Primordial Dao Body could absorb and refine all the energy in the world. However, the amount of effort needed to acquire sufficient energy to break through was extremely huge.

In this one year, the amount of energy that Ye Chen had absorbed and refined was already enough to allow an ordinary person to break through to Vision Realm. However, that same amount of energy only enabled him to reach the Peak Stage of Wave Realm. He was still one step away from the Law Realm and many more steps away from the Vision Realm that an ordinary person would have reached with that same amount of energy.

Ye Chen was preparing to break through to Law Realm in one sitting when his eyes suddenly opened. He had sensed something, and quite clearly too – there was a strand of divine consciousness moving around within the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array, unable to break through the barrier.

Ye Chen's divine energy shrouded his entire body, turning him into a stream of light that flowed into the great hall of Qingyun Peak. He stood and thought for a brief moment. In the end, he decided to restrain his aura and let that strand of divine consciousness in.

That strand of divine consciousness turned into a tall and sturdy middle-aged man before Ye Chen. The man's body was covered in a hazy glow, obscuring his face. His aura shone brilliantly with the vague shadows of 108 stars. He looked quite majestic.

When Ye Chen looked at that person, the relevant information automatically appeared in his mind from the system.

[Name: Xuan Qing]

[Identity: Holy Lord?of Xuantian Holy Land]

[Cultivation: Peak Stage of Might Realm]

The Holy Lord of Xuantian Holy Land was only in Might Realm? Not in Dao Lord Realm?

Was this the level to which Xuantian Holy Land had declined?

No wonder the Demonic Path expert dared to invade Xuantian Holy Land!

Ye Chen suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger in his heart. He silently cupped his hands toward the Holy Lord and said, "Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Holy Lord. Sorry for not welcoming you earlier. Please forgive me!"

"Junior Brother Ye is too polite! Hmm, the array that Senior Uncle Changsheng left for Qingyun Peak is quite interesting. My divine consciousness was actually unable to enter for a while." The Holy Lord?of Xuantian Holy Land stood with his hands behind his back as clicked his tongue in wonder.

But Ye Chen simply thought to himself, 'This array wasn't left by my master. If I hadn't let your divine consciousness in, you wouldn't have been able to enter even if a year passed!'

"Holy Lord, you are flattering me. It is just a simple array, it's not worth pondering too much about."

Ye Chen casually changed the topic with a smile. "What are your orders this time?"

The Holy Lord?of Xuantian Holy Land did not mind and went straight to the point. "Junior Brother Ye, it has been four years since Senior Uncle Changsheng passed away. You are the only one left in Qingyun Peak, yet you have never participated in any of the sect's events. The other peaks have already started to criticize you. This year's Disciple Acceptance Ceremony is about to begin. If Junior Brother Ye's Qingyun Peak still doesn't accept disciples by then, Qingyun Peak might have to be banned."

Ye Chen cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your reminder, Holy Lord. I'll drop by the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony right now."

Ye Chen understood that there were countless open and hidden battles in Xuantian Holy Land. A few years ago, the invasion of Demonic Path experts had caused Qingyun Peak to be completely wiped out. As such, a huge amount of cultivation resources were left behind and Qingyun Peak didn't have any experts guarding them. Because of this, the other Peak Lords had had their eyes on Qingyun Peak for a long time.

If he did not take any disciples soon, Qingyun Peak would be pushed to the center of the storm.

"I hope Junior Brother Ye can take in a disciple with exceptional talent." And with that, the figure formed by the Holy Lord's divine consciousness dissipated.

Ye Chen then mobilized the divine energy in his body to envelope his entire body again. The enveloping divine energy emitted a seven-colored radiance as he rushed toward the mountain gate of Xuantian Holy Land.

The vast square outside the mountain gate of Xuantian Holy Land was filled with people. Tens of thousands of young men and women had lined up in an orderly fashion, their gazes focused on the space outside the mountain gate as an auspicious cloud floated quietly in the air.

The auspicious cloud carried various figures with powerful auras, each surrounded by a showy display of their special skills. Some had streaks of lightning, and some were surrounded by illusory sword shadows. Others had flames burning on their backs or pill cauldrons floating in front of them.

These were the representatives sent by the 108 peaks of Xuantian Holy Land. Most of them were the outstanding disciples of their peaks. Very few Peak Lords came personally.

The Peak Lords would only come – or rush over – if there were new recruits with outstanding and heaven-defying talents. Otherwise, the representative outstanding disciples of their peaks would suffice for an event that only happened once a year.

The representatives of each peak eagerly showed off their skills, and with good reason – to attract genius talents who passed the test to join their respective peaks.

Although the representatives of the peaks had extraordinary temperaments, they were still far from the level of a young girl standing at the very front.

The girl had black hair that fell along her back like a waterfall, bright eyes, and white teeth. She had a slender body and snow-white skin. Her white clothes fluttered in the wind, making her look like a goddess. Simply looking at her reminded one of a pure white lotus flower with a drop of dew rolling off one of its petals, holy and pure.

Behind the girl was a huge vision of a mountain range with thousands of peaks and valleys, undulating like the back of a flying dragon. Clouds and mist surrounded the mountain range as the roar of surging rivers echoed throughout. The rivers gathered into a vast blue sea that spread out into the horizon.

Ye Chen looked at the young girl and the relevant information appeared in his mind courtesy of the system.

[Name: Xue Wei]

[Identity: Holy Maiden of Xuantian Holy Land]

[Cultivation: Peak Stage of Vision Realm]

With the Holy Maiden personally presiding over this year's Disciple Acceptance Ceremony, one could easily tell that Xuantian Holy Land regarded the tradition of inheritance with great importance.

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Qi Anomaly

Ye Chen lightly nodded toward Holy Maiden Xue Wei before controlling his rainbow light to gravitate toward the auspicious cloud.

Ye Chen's arrival had the representatives on the auspicious cloud secretly shaking their heads.

"Is that the new Peak Lord?of Qingyun Peak? His divine light reminds me of a candle flickering in the wind, and the speed at which it moves is as slow as a turtle. Why does it look like he has just stepped into the Wave Realm?"

"I heard that Ye Chen was appointed as Qingyun Peak's Lord before Martial Granduncle Changsheng passed away. But his aptitude is nothing impressive. He had access to all the cultivation resources on Qingyun Peak and yet it still took him three to four years to enter Wave Realm. It's no wonder the Peak Lords of the major peaks had some complaints about Qingyun Peak."

"Qingyun Peak has indeed declined!"

Ye Chen ignored everyone's discussion as he slowly approached them.

Holy Maiden Xue Wei gave a slight nod at Ye Chen before her gaze swept toward the crowded plaza below. Her red lips parted slightly and a clear, melodious voice reverberated throughout the entire plaza. "Everyone, I am the Holy Maiden of Xuantian Holy Land and will be the representative overseeing your test this year. The theme of your test today is 'Illusion Realm Heart Refinement'."

Once she was done speaking, Holy Maiden Xue Wei gently spread out her jade-like hands and an inch-tall jade-green mountain appeared in her palm. It was filled with boundless spiritual might that seemed to captivate one's mind with just a single look.

With a flick of her wrist, Holy Maiden Xue Wei tossed the mountain in her hand. The jade-green mountain grew as it flew through the air, transforming into a gigantic mountain peak several thousand feet tall. It stood in the center of the square, carved with nearly a hundred winding paths leading to the peak.

"This is Heart Refining Peak and each path leading to the top is filled with dozens of illusions. You must have a firm will if you want to reach the peak. The time limit is two hours. Anyone who gets to the top in time will be allowed to enter Xuantian Holy Land. The test begins now!"

And with that, the young candidates rushed off to start their climb, each of them choosing a different mountain path.

From afar, one could observe the illusions on each path of Heart Refining Peak. Some places burned with flames; some had snow falling. Other places roared with thunder or were filled with miasma. There were also places filled with thorns or bone-piercing cold winds.

The experience and performance of each candidate started to come to light, used as a reference for the representatives of the major peaks in selecting their disciples.

Not long after, the distance between the better-performing and underperforming candidates had widened, getting bigger and bigger as time passed.

In just an hour, someone had reached the top.

It was a young girl who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old wearing a light purple dress. Despite being the first, there was no joy in her eyes as she quietly looked at the huge stone tablet in the middle of the peak's square. The tablet was engraved with mysterious symbols and the longer she looked at it, the more furrowed her eyebrows became. Yet, one could tell, even from afar, that there was an air of arrogance and stubbornness around her.

When Ye Chen's eyes landed on this person, a clear system notification pinged in his thoughts.

[Detected a Qi anomaly. Do you want to check it?]

'Qi anomaly?'

Ye Chen was a bit surprised and decided to be led by his curiosity as he responded to the system through his thoughts. 'Check it!'

[Name: Zi Menghan (Qi anomaly)]

[Identity: The ninth princess of Zi Wei Empire]

[Cultivation: None]

[Aptitude: Innate Crippled Body – abandoned by the Heavens and Earth since birth; unable to gather any energy in her Dantian; unable to reach Wave Realm.]

[Character experience: Zi Menghan was born in Zi Wei Empire, ridiculed her entire life due to her Innate Crippled Body. Three years ago, she left Zi Wei Empire alone and kept her identity secret. She tried to join six holy lands, great religious sects, and ancient sects but was rejected by all due to her Innate Crippled Body. Yet, her Dao Heart remains as firm as a rock. As such, no illusion can shake her mind.]

[Remark: The so-called Qi anomaly can increase one's cultivation without being restricted by one's aptitude – it has the potential to change one's fate. One will experience countless calamities in one's life, but also encounter countless opportunities.]

Ye Chen sighed internally. The princess of Zi Wei Empire had an Innate Crippled Body and had been rejected by holy lands and other major forces. But she was a Qi anomaly. Why, weren't these the traits of a main character?!

'But what does a Qi anomaly?have to do with me?'

'Can it make me live forever?'

The system had already said that the life of a Qi anomaly could be followed by countless disasters. If he provoked this person, who knew how much retribution he would have to face in the future? His small Qingyun Peak would not be able to handle it!

Ye Chen was ready to avoid such a Qi anomaly?and take in a random disciple with ordinary talent. But then, a system notification came along again.

[The host has transmigrated here, breaking the original trajectory of the Heavenly Path. At some point, the Heavenly Path will want to balance its accounts. Becoming friends with a Qi anomaly will reduce the host's presence from the Heavenly Path, thus delaying the time for retribution.]

Ye Chen's pupils contracted with slight fear.

'My transmigration has been detected by the Heavenly Path?'

'Does that mean I will be punished by the Heavenly Path sooner or later?'

Ye Chen's expression changed several times. But he quickly took several deep breaths to calm himself.

'Since befriending the Qi anomaly could weaken the Heavenly Dao's ability to detect me, I will have a slightly higher chance of survival in the future, especially since I have the system too!'

[The host has encountered the Qi anomaly, Zi Menghan. Now, you have the following options.]

[One: Refuse to accept her as a disciple and obtain the Thousand-Year Turtle Shell, a defensive magic tool.]

[Two: Accept her as a disciple and inherit a Sword Path skill]

Ye Chen silently chose the second option but it was not without hesitation or doubt. Zi Menghan was the first to reach the top, which meant that she had performed quite outstandingly. Wouldn't it be too shabby for her to accept being a disciple of Qingyun Peak?

With the deafening chime of a bell, two hours had passed.

"The time is up! 536 people have reached the top and are now qualified to enter Xuantian Holy Land!" Holy Maiden Xue Wei's voice rang clear as she made the announcement. With a gentle wave of her hand, thousands of light rays shot out and accurately wrapped around the people who had not reached the top, placing them at the edge of the square.

"To those who failed to reach the top of Heart Refining Peak, please leave!"

Upon hearing Holy Maiden Xue Wei's instructions, the regular disciples of Xuantian Holy Land who had been waiting around the square for a long time glided over with their rainbow lights to send away the many young men and women who had failed the test. The lively square instantly became much emptier.

Holy Maiden Xue Wei's gaze turned back towards the many successful candidates at the top of Heart Refining Peak. With a smile, she said, "Congratulations on passing the test! Xuantian Holy Land has 108 peaks each, with different inheritance. It is important that we allocate the suitable peaks according to your aptitude for the benefit of your cultivation."

Zi Menghan's pupils contracted slightly as she pursed her lower lips tightly.

'Do they have to evaluate our aptitudes too?'

"The stone tablet at the center of the small square at the top of Heart Refining Peak is the aptitude test tablet. All you need to do is press your palms on it and your aptitude will be evaluated. First up is Zi Menghan!" Holy Maiden Xue Wei finally revealed the purpose of the stone tablet that Zi Menghan had been observing ever since she arrived at the top.

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Innate Crippled Body?

Zi Menghan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and placed her hand on the aptitude test tablet.

The gazes of Holy Maiden Xue Wei and the other peak representatives focused on Zi Menghan. Now was the time for the various peaks to compete for the genius disciple, Zi Menghan since she was the first to reach the top.

After one breath, the aptitude test tablet didn't respond, but the various peak representatives' eyes were still filled with anticipation.

After two breaths, the aptitude test tablet still had no response, and many were starting to have doubts.

Three breaths later, there was still no response from the aptitude test tablet. The peak representatives were now looking at each other in dismay.

Some were suspecting that there was a problem with the aptitude test tablet, while others thought differently. Regardless, their gazes towards Zi Menghan were no longer as warm as before.

Holy Maiden Xue Wei's clear voice suddenly came about. "The aptitude test tablet did not respond. But we're not able to tell if it's because of the tablet itself or Zi Menghan. Candidate, please step aside so we can try with the next person."

Zi Menghan gave a slight nod before walking to the side dejectedly.

"Next, Lin Feiyang!" Holy Maiden Xue Wei called forth the next candidate, a young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. He walked over excitedly and reached out to place his hand on the aptitude test tablet.

A faint sword hum came from the aptitude test tablet before an illusory sword shadow appeared above it. The sword shadow gradually solidified and exuded a sharp aura.

The representatives of each peak looked on with slightly puzzled expressions, not because of Lin Feiyang's aptitude evaluation by the tablet – the illusory sword shadow appearing on the aptitude test tablet proved that his aptitude in the Sword Path was not bad – but because it had been revealed that the tablet was not damaged. It simply did not react to Zi Menghan, which meant that her aptitude must be extremely poor.

"This person's aptitude in the Sword Path is not bad. Black Sword Peak wants him!" A cold-looking youth with many illusory sword shadows floating around him proclaimed as he stood on the auspicious cloud before anyone else could. He raised his hand, formed a sword seal, and thousands upon thousands of illusory sword shadows flew out from his back. A Sword Path formed from the endless stream of sword shadows that extended from his feet to the top of Heart Refining Peak.

Lin Feiyang was full of joy as he stepped onto the Sword Path.

As the Sword Path withdrew, Lin Feiyang gradually arrived next to the cold and stern youth. The former quickly cupped his hands and bowed, "Thank you, Senior, for your favor!"

The cold and stern youth nodded casually and said, "Stand behind me!"

"Yes, Senior!" Lin Feiyang responded enthusiastically and stood behind the cold and stern youth.

The aptitude test tablet had shown that Lin Feiyang had an aptitude in the Sword Path, but his potential was only considered mediocre. It wasn't outstanding enough for other representatives of the main peaks in the Sword Path to compete over.

"Next, Jiang Chuxue!" Holy Maiden Xue Wei wasted no time in calling forth the next successful candidate.

A cold-looking girl dressed in white walked over and stretched out her hand to be placed on the aptitude test tablet.

Shua!

A layer of frost suddenly condensed on the aptitude test tablet before immediately spreading into the surroundings. The frost shot out into a seemingly real yet illusory ice river that circled around Jiang Chuxue and danced.

"The Ice River Spirit Body!" Holy Maiden Xue Wei blurted out as her clear eyes revealed a pleasantly surprised expression.

The representatives of the peaks also jumped on the opportunity.

"Pure Moon Peak wants this disciple!"

"How rare it is to meet such a rare spirit body at the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony. Do you think the candidate will come to you just because you say so? Junior Sister Jiang, Ice Heart Peak is the most suitable for you because we have the most complete and authentic ice-type cultivation skills in Xuantian Holy Land! Moreover, if you join us, you will immediately become the personal disciple of the Peak Lord?and your status will be equivalent to that of a core disciple of Xuantian Holy Land!"

"Junior Sister Jiang, if you join Danding Peak, you can also become the personal disciple of our Peak Lord, and all the medicinal pills will be yours to use, in addition to the few ice-type cultivation methods. With the combination of our resources, we can ensure that you can cultivate to Primordial Realm without any worries."

"Pure Moon Peak mainly cultivates the energy of the Grand Moon and has a very strong and deep foundation. We once had an unparalleled Slash Realm expert. Junior Sister Jiang, your Ice River Spirit Body is very suitable for cultivating the Grand Moon Cultivation Method. If you join us, you stand a chance of becoming Peak Lord?of Pure Moon Peak in the future!"

"Great Snow Peak needs a talent like you! If you join us, we can guarantee you the position of Peak Lord's personal disciple, cultivation skills, medicinal pills, treasures, and anything else you desire!"

In just a short while, more than ten representatives of the main peaks had extended olive branches to Jiang Chuxue, making all kinds of promises to her. This only made many of the candidates who had not tested their aptitudes envious.

In the end, Jiang Chuxue chose to join Ice Heart Peak, which disappointed the representatives of the other peaks.

All except Ye Chen since he did not compete with them. For him, it did not matter whether the candidate had a spirit body or not. What he needed was the Qi anomaly!

It was time for Holy Maiden Xue Wei to call on the next candidate, but instead, she said, "Zi Menghan, you should try again."

A hint of hope appeared in Zi Menghan's eyes. She might not have gotten anything from the tablet the first time. But since now everyone knew that it wasn't malfunctioning, she was not giving up even with the slightest possibility!

Zi Menghan walked towards the aptitude test tablet and placed her hand on it once more as everyone else looked on with anticipation.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

The representatives of the peaks started to feel more and more disappointed. It was obvious by now that Zi Menghan did not have an aptitude – she had not been recognized by Heaven and Earth to hold energy in her Dantian. She would never be able to even step into the Wave Realm!

This was the Innate Crippled Body that was hard to come by since ancient times!

After ten breaths, Holy Maiden Xue Wei sighed softly. "That's enough. It's confirmed that your constitution is Innate Crippled Body. Even if you join Xuantian Holy Land, it would still be extremely difficult for you to enter cultivation. However, if there is a peak that is willing to accept you, you can stay in Xuantian Holy Land. There might be a miracle that will allow you to break the curse of the Innate Crippled Body."

Holy Maiden Xue Wei was actually quite puzzled. Logically speaking, it was impossible for someone with an Innate Crippled Body to pass the test. But not only did Zi Menghan pass the test, but she was also the first to reach the top of Heart Refining Peak. This was indeed a little strange.

When the representatives of the peaks heard Holy Maiden Xue Wei confirm that Zi Menghan had an Innate Crippled Body, they shook their heads and sighed. No one was willing to accept such a candidate on behalf of their respective peaks.

If they accepted an Innate Crippled Body, their respective peaks would become the laughing stock of Xuantian Holy Land. They wouldn't be able to answer to their respective Peak Lords.

Seeing that no one had spoken up to claim her, the desolate look in Zi Menghan's eyes grew deeper.

Was she going to be rejected again?

Just as Zi Menghan's mood had sunk to the bottom, she heard a clear voice speak. "Are you willing to join Qingyun Peak?"

It was Ye Chen who had spoken!

Zi Menghan was slightly startled. Even she hadn't expected someone to willingly accept her!

Even Holy Maiden Xue Wei and the other peak representatives were astonished. They became even more so because it was Ye Chen who spoke up.

Qingyun Peak was about to be banned and Ye Chen was the only one left to defend it. So why would he take on a disciple with an Innate Crippled Body?

After some consideration, Holy Maiden Xue Wei said, "Peak Lord?Ye, she has an Innate Crippled Body. Are you sure you have thought it through?"

"Yes. Don't worry. I am still sane enough to be able to make sound decisions on such a matter," said Ye Chen with a smile. He turned back toward Zi Menghan and said, "Are you willing to take me as your master?"

With surprise, Zi Menghan said, "I am willing!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly as he glided over with his faint rainbow light to Zi Menghan's side. He nodded slightly and said, "Alright. From today onwards, you will be the top disciple of Qingyun Peak!"

"Congratulations, Peak Lord?Ye!" Holy Maiden Xue Wei congratulated Ye Chen with a smile.

"Holy Maiden, please continue on with the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony. I will take her back to Qingyun Peak," said Ye Chen before he used his divine energy to wrap around Zi Menghan. The pair glided back to Qingyun Peak with Ye Chen's rainbow light quickly as everyone looked on strangely.

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The Rules of Qingyun Peak

Ye Chen brought Zi Menghan back to Qingyun Peak, passing through the invisible barrier of the reversal array and landing halfway up the peak.

Zi Menghan looked around, finding her new surroundings a little strange. Qingyun Peak seemed a bit different from the others – it was covered with beautiful trees, flowing streams, and waterfalls; dotted with pavilions with some caves that could be vaguely seen, and yet there was no sign of human beings, herb gardens, or animals. The whole peak looked extremely desolate.

Ye Chen saw through Zi Menghan's confusion and said, "Qingyun Peak faced a huge disaster a few years ago, and only the two of us are left."

"I see... Master, are there any rules that we need to follow?"

Ye Chen's face turned serious as he said, "We do have some rules that we must remember."

"Please tell me, Master!" Zi Menghan was ready.

Ye Chen looked into her eyes and calmly said, "First, do not fight for fame and fortune, and do not go looking for trouble. It would be best if you hide on the peak and train with a low profile. Conceal your cultivation, martial arts, treasures, and other methods to reduce your presence from others."

"What?"

Zi Menghan was a little surprised by this first rule as she cautiously asked, "Master, my previous teacher once said that cultivators must fight for both opportunities and luck! If you don't fight for it, where will you find the resources to cultivate?"

Ye Chen earnestly said, "Menghan, you must be more prudent in the way you think and behave! The human body itself is the greatest treasure. Fighting for fame and fortune is too materialistic. Don't put yourself in danger for the sake of such intangible things!

"Don't participate in any unnecessary exchanges, such as competitions between fellow disciples, sect missions, going down the mountain to train, exploring secret realms, and so on. On the surface, it might seem like you will gain something, but these will only bring you endless trouble!"

'The human body itself is the biggest treasure?'

"Yes, Master! I will remember it!"

Zi Menghan nodded. She pondered for a moment and then asked, "Master, if someone else takes the initiative to provoke us, what should we do?"

"And that's where the second rule comes in.

"If there is no way to avoid a conflict, then use lightning methods to destroy the enemy! Don't waste the opportunity to attack by talking. Anything you say would just be nonsense at this point. If you can kill the enemy with one move, then don't bother with any other moves. If you can attack from a distance, then don't engage in close combat! Everything must be done cautiously!"

"I understand, Master! Is there anything else?" Zi Menghan carefully processed the information Ye Chen had shared.

"Third, never put yourself in danger! Revealing your name must always be a last resort. Always use a sockpuppet if you can. And if you have a decoy, use it instead of showing your true form or location!" Ye Chen earnestly instructed.

"What is a sockpuppet?" Zi Menghan was a bit stunned.

"A sockpuppet is a fake name."

Ye Chen said, "In this world, there are all kinds of strange things. Some secret techniques only need to know a person's name to be able to kill them, even if they're at the other end of the world. If the enemy knows your real name, you won't even know how you died!"

Zi Menghan nodded quickly and carefully asked, "Master, if the enemy knows where the real body is, and we can't beat them, then what should we do?"

"Then we should learn a few more escape techniques and be ready to run at any time! Fighting your way through is like courting death!" Ye Chen looked at Zi Menghan as if he was looking at a retard.

Zi Menghan was speechless.

Ye Chen flipped his palm and a small jade bottle appeared in it before he handed it over to Zi Menghan. "This is a fasting pill. Eat one pill and you won't be hungry for a month. These will be enough to last you two to three years. Since your constitution is an Innate Crippled Body, I will need to ponder over the cultivation method that would suit you best. The courtyards here are all empty. Feel free to choose any to stay in for now."

Ye Chen instructed Zi Menghan simply and ignored her immediately after that as he flew to his cave by the lakeside and sat down cross-legged.

Since Ye Chen had successfully accepted a disciple, he was about to inherit a Sword Path skill. He had been excited to accept the inheritance the entire time but was afraid that he would cause a ruckus if he did so at the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony. Now that he had returned to Qingyun Peak and was concealed by the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array, Ye Chen could finally inherit the Sword Path skill in peace.

[Congratulations, dear host. You have successfully accepted a disciple. The master-disciple interface has been unlocked. The host can determine the disciple's movements at any time.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained the Sword Path skill, Extreme Realm Sword Slash (do you want to inherit it?)]

[Extreme Realm Sword Slash: An incredibly mighty Sword Path skill. Each slash of the sword contains divine vital Qi of the Extreme Path Realm, instantly increasing one's battle power by ten times.]

Ye Chen had been so focused on checking out his new Sword Path skill

inheritance that the unlocking of the master-disciple interface completely took him by surprise. But he was happy with it. This way, he could locate his disciple at any time, no matter where they go.

Now, what made Ye Chen even more excited was the benefits of the Sword Path skill that he had gained.

"Inherit it!" Ye Chen immediately exclaimed in his thoughts, instructing the system to grant him the Sword Path skill.

A sharp sword appeared above Ye Chen's head with a clear clang, emitting a domineering aura as if it could destroy everything instantly.

Zi Menghan had just chosen the courtyard closest to Ye Chen's cave when she felt the sharp sword intent as if there was an invisible sword pointing at her throat.

A sword light flashed all of a sudden and a towering tree dozens of meters away had been easily cut off. The sword light continued to shoot up into the sky with no intention of dissipating.

Then, a brilliant five-colored light appeared in the sky. The power of the reversal array activated the five elements as they surged and interweaved with each other, quickly blocking that sword light. Soon the sword light dispersed.

And with that, besides the fallen towering tree, none other could sense the sword light or its killing intent beyond Qingyun Peak for the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array had concealed it.

It was as if nothing had happened.

"How powerful!" Zi Menghan's eyes looked on in admiration.

With a long exhalation, Ye Chen started to feel extremely weak. So he activated his Creation Dao Scripture and immediately recovered.

Ye Chen was beginning to feel extremely excited. Since he was already at the Peak Stage of Wave Realm, using the Extreme Realm Sword Slash would enable him to defeat anyone in Vision Realm. Even if he were to make a conservative estimate, his attack could already cripple Law Realm warriors.

"I need to increase my power! I have wasted a lot of time taking in a disciple today so I will need to train even harder! As for Zi Menghan's training, it was indeed a headache. None of us would be able to figure things out for her for a while. So, it would be better to break through to Law Realm first!" And with that, Ye Chen focused his thoughts on silently operating the Creation Dao Scripture and eventually sank into some kind of mysterious cultivation.

"What? The Ten Thousand Dao Harmony?! Is the empire's ancestor's comprehension of the Dao far inferior to Master's?" Zi Menghan looked over at Ye Chen's current location with bewilderment.

As time passed, Zi Menghan was involuntarily influenced by the Ten Thousand Dao Harmony and a mysterious Dao rhythm faintly pervaded her body.

Then, an illusion of an abnormally vast vision appeared in Zi Menghan's space of consciousness – the Sun rose and set, and the bright moon shone clearly next to it; numerous stars hung high in the deathly darkness; ten thousand demonic races were faintly discernible and raging flames blazed across the plains; ocean waves crashed against rocks and reached for the sky; the branches of towering trees seemed to be holding up the Heavens as astral winds whistled, lightning danced, and heavy snow fluttered.

This vision was somewhat similar to the one Ye Chen had caused the multiverse to witness when he awakened his Primordial Dao Body.

And as usual, Ye Chen had no idea about what Zi Menghan was witnessing in her mind. He had already sunk deep into the path toward enlightenment, trying his best to break through to Law Realm.

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Zi Menghan Had Created Her Own Cultivation System!

Two months later, the divine energy in Ye Chen's body surged crazily – his life's vital Qi was raging like huge waves, attacking his meridians again and again.

Boom!

After countless attacks, Ye Chen's meridians suddenly opened up, and the divine energy formed by his life's vital Qi started to wash over his limbs and bones anew, rejuvenating and nurturing his internal body endlessly.

Finally, the Law Realm!

[Congratulations, you have broken through to Law Realm! You have obtained a secret method, the Ten Thousand Puppet Art.]

[Ten Thousand Puppet Art: A secret method to make puppets. Depending on the materials, the puppets would be able to unleash different battle power. Puppets recognize their master through a blood pact and can be used as an avatar. It would never betray its master.]

Ye Chen looked happy. The Ten Thousand Puppet Art was made for him. With this, he could finally 'multitask' – his puppet would go wherever and do whatever freely while Ye Chen would remain safe behind the scenes.

If he used it together with his Divine Concealment, it would be enough to make his puppets look real!

Right then, Ye Chen noticed that there were three unread messages on the master-disciple interface, which reminded him that he still had a disciple.

'Even though I have taken in a disciple, I have been quite absent from her for the past two months. I haven't taught her anything yet, so could these notifications be about her running away and betraying Qingyun Peak?'

Ye Chen opened the notifications mentally and was stunned.

[Your disciple Zi Menghan was influenced by your cultivation, so she created a cultivation system with visualization as the core. With the Visualization Cultivation System, she has the potential to turn anything into reality. For example, by visualizing her own body, she could make herself strong and see everything with a broader view and deeper understanding. The Visualization Cultivation System is still in its embryonic form and being perfected.]

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has determined the first realm of the Visualization Cultivation System: Sea of Consciousness Realm. She can derive the sea of consciousness in her mind by visualizing and borrowing the power of her surroundings to refine her mental strength and strengthen her soul. She is now one step closer to reaching her potential of turning anything into reality. The Sea of Consciousness Realm can be divided into Early, Mid, Late, and Peak Stage)

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has been deeply immersed in the mysterious Dao rhythm you emitted while cultivating and has deduced a cultivation method suitable for the Visualization Cultivation System: the Great Freedom Visualization Heart Scripture. Currently, she can cultivate to the Peak Stage of Sea of Consciousness Realm.]

Ye Chen blinked hard as he read these three messages several times. He started to grow a little suspicious. "Is this because she is a Qi anomaly that she could create her own cultivation system? This disciple with an Innate Crippled Body is too freakish!"

Creak!

Zi Menghan pushed the door open and walked out. When she saw Ye Chen in the outdoors as well, she was surprised. "Master, you have come out!"

Ye Chen was still a bit suspicious, "You are able to sense that I have come out?"

"Of course!"

Zi Menghan quickly nodded and excitedly said, "When Master was cultivating, the Ten Thousand Dao Harmony nearby had benefited me a lot. I found a suitable path for my cultivation, which was to visualize everything in the world.

"With that discovery, the first thing I visualized was the Dao rhythm that Master had exuded, which then allowed me to visualize the origin of everything in the world, Master's cultivation has been very beneficial to mine.

"I had lost some control earlier and had to withdraw myself from that state of visualization. But when I started to visualize again, I could only see the appearance of all things in the world, not their origins. And that was how I knew Master was done cultivating for the time being."

The admiration on Zi Menghan's face for Ye Chen grew stronger as she spoke.

For her to comprehend so much just by cultivating beside her master would make it hard for anyone to imagine her master's cultivation method.

And she had accomplished all of these while they were both supposed to cultivate in a low-key manner.

Ye Chen slightly nodded and said, "You have found your way so quickly. Your comprehension is not bad."

Zi Menghan was overjoyed to hear Ye Chen's praises for her. "Master, I have created a cultivation method based on the Dao rhythm that you emitted during your cultivation. It is called the Great Freedom Visualization Heart Scripture. I hope you can please examine it and give some feedback."

Then, Zi Menghan started to recite the Great Freedom Visualization Heart Scripture, as well as its essence and key points. Ye Chen started to look at her in a different light.

Once she was done, Ye Chen looked straight into her expectant eyes and said, "Not bad at all! Since you are the one who created this brand new cultivation system, it would be fine as long as you improved it according to your own ideas. There would be no need to worry too much about how it fits into others' cultivation methods. However, this path will not be an easy one for you to walk on. If you wanted to go further on this path, you would have to put in more effort than the others.

"Don't worry, Master! I have had an Innate Crippled body since I was young. Now that I can finally cultivate, how could I dare to relax at all?!" Zi Menghan had a strong resolve to do her absolute best.

Ye Chen nodded and said, "Right, I am preparing to make a puppet. If you are interested, you can watch me."

"Puppet? Can it be used as an avatar?" Zi Menghan's eyes lit up.

She had remembered the rules set by her master. If she could use an avatar, then she wouldn't have to use her real body. Now that her master was preparing to make a puppet, she was naturally very interested.

"You will know when it is done."

Ye Chen replied simply as he walked to an empty space by the lake. He stretched out his hand and gently touched the air, causing a pile of materials to appear in front of him.

"Cold ironwood, blood essence stone, thousand tenacious vines, mysterious jade glue, spirit illusion crystal... All these materials are top-quality materials, Master!" Zi Menghan named the materials excitedly as if she was talking about her family's treasures.

Ye Chen raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "You are quite familiar with these materials."

Zi Menghan stuck out her tongue mischievously. "Since I've always had an Innate Crippled Body and couldn't cultivate, I read a lot of miscellaneous books instead."

With an empire as resourceful as Zi Wei Empire, it was not a big deal for Zi Menghan, their princess, to recognize these materials.

Ye Chen did not ask any further and proceeded to follow the records of the Ten Thousand Puppet Art. He carved out the 206 bones of the human body from the cold ironwood. After fusing them with the blood essence stone, they turned into flesh and blood. The subsequent fusion of the thousand tenacious vines turned them into the blood vessels of the puppet while the mysterious jade glue would turn into its skin and the spirit illusion crystal turned into its eyes.

Two hours later, a lifelike human-shaped puppet was created. It looked about eighty percent similar to Ye Chen but more ordinary-looking.

Ye Chen dripped a drop of blood essence on the human-shaped puppet's body and he immediately felt a connection to it.

Under Ye Chen's control, the human-shaped puppet stood up from the ground. Ye Chen could sense everything the human-shaped puppet sensed – its vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, emotions, and so on. It was as if it was a clone of Ye Chen.

Ye Chen once again used Divine Concealment to change the puppet's aura to be exactly the same as his.

"Master, this puppet of yours is too real! I don't think anyone will be able to tell that it's just a puppet!" Zi Menghan was shocked.

Although she had seen many more powerful puppets in the Zi Wei Empire, it was the first time she had seen such a realistic puppet!

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This Puppet Is Not Good Enough

"Oh? What kind of puppets have you seen before?" asked Ye Chen.

Meanwhile, the human-shaped puppet was still trying to perform all kinds of complicated actions. The master and the puppet could do different things at the same time without any issues, and the effects of either's actions would not affect the other.

As such, Ye Chen could keep training while his puppet did all the miscellaneous or dangerous things. Plus, the former could also keep track of the latter's activities and location.

"I have seen a lot of different kinds of puppets. There are ape-shaped puppets with incredible strength, snake-shaped puppets with strange and flexible movements, crane-shaped puppets that can fly in the sky, and human-shaped puppets with battle armor. But, none of them is as naturally realistic as this puppet."

Zi Menghan had gained more confidence in the way she carried herself ever since she was able to cultivate. She had become more cheerful and not as depressed anymore.

"How powerful is the strongest puppet you've ever seen?" asked Ye Chen through his human puppet. The voice was exactly the same as his own, and it spoke with a sparkle in its eyes. It was truly impossible to be able to tell that it was just a puppet and not a real person.

Even if Zi Menghan could not cultivate in the past, she was still a princess of Zi Wei Empire. Thus, the amount of knowledge she had should not be underestimated. Ye Chen could learn more about puppets from her to inspire or improve the ones he would make in the future.

Zi Menghan thought for a moment, then muttered, "I once saw a thirty-foot tall gold-armored warrior puppet that cut a mountain in half with a sword!"

Cut a mountain in half with a sword?

'I don't think even a Primordial Realm warrior would be able to do that!'

If Zi Menghan had witnessed a puppet with a cultivation level comparable to a powerful warrior, the history, resources, and abilities of the Zi Wei Empire were far from what Xuantian Holy Land could compare to.

Ye Chen nodded and tried to control the puppet to use its divine energy. As he did so, he found that the divine energy of the puppet was as powerful as his own.

The Ten Thousand Puppet Art seemed to have a kind of power that could turn something rotten into something magical. Since Ye Chen had just acquired the method, the puppet he had created was still very much a mystery to him despite being a replica of himself.

"Hmm...Let's call this Puppet Number One."

Ye Chen gave the puppet a simple and systematic name just so that he could distinguish it from the other puppets he would create in the future.

Suddenly, a powerful divine energy poured out from Puppet Number One's body and enveloped its entire body. Then, it turned into a beam of light and flew around Qingyun Peak, heading toward a pagoda at top of the peak.

"Let's go to the training pagoda and see how powerful this puppet is." Ye Chen used his divine energy to envelope Zi Menghan as well before they turned into a beam of light and landed outside the pagoda where Puppet Number One was already waiting for them.

The training pagoda only had three floors. Each floor had a radius of ten thousand feet and dozens of arrays – the Spirit Gathering Array, Illusion Array, Trap Array, Killing Array, Mustard Seed Array, and so on. It was once used by the disciples of Qingyun Peak.

The first floor was used by Wave Realm disciples. The second floor was for those in Law Realm, and the third floor was used by Vision Realm disciples.

As for those in the Primordial Realm or beyond, well, Qingyun Peak had not gotten that far yet.

Ever since Ye Chen entered the peak, this training pagoda had never been used.

When Ye Chen had set up the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array, it had somehow cleaned up the training pagoda as well. Thus, the training pagoda looked spotless without even the slightest bit of stale air.

Ye Chen brought Zi Menghan into the training pagoda and went straight to the third floor, activating the array around it.

In the next fifteen minutes, an illusionary figure appeared with an aura that hinted that he had reached the Peak Stage of Primordial Realm.

Behind this illusionary figure was a huge vision formed by the power of the five elements – blades, spears, swords, and halberds shone with a cold light; huge trees and ancient forests covered the sky; the blazing fire swept across the Heavens; oceans surged; and the mountains emitted a powerful and tyrannical aura.

Vision Realm cultivators could communicate with the natural energy of the world to construct such visions that possessed all kinds of unimaginable power.

This illusory human figure before them had the highest battle power in the training pagoda. With the Five Elements vision, his strength was on par with Holy Maiden Xue Wei.

Of course, Holy Maiden Xue Wei still had many more abilities, treasures, and secret methods up her sleeves. If these two were to fight, this illusory human figure would not even be a worthy opponent.

"Kill!"

The illusory figure let out a soul-stirring roar, and the power of the five elements behind him churned as he rushed toward Ye Chen and the others.

A clang that was so sharp and loud it could pierce through gold and crack rocks came from Puppet Number One's body. A sharp sword had appeared in the air above its head, shining with a cold light. The sword Qi was so powerful that it was hard for anyone to look straight at it.

Shua!

The sword condensed into a sword light that flashed and disappeared. In the next instant, the illusionary figure's massive five elements vision instantly collapsed before the figure itself disappeared.

Although the sword light dimmed a little, it didn't disappear.

Boom!

The sword light struck the training pagoda's protective array with a deafening boom and the entire pagoda trembled slightly.

"How powerful!" Zi Menghan exclaimed.

Although she did not know how powerful the illusory figure was, she could sense that its aura was not weaker than Holy Maiden Xue Wei's. For such a powerful figure to be killed by Puppet Number One in one sword attack was indeed shocking.

After Puppet Number One's attack ended, the huge aura on its body disappeared. Although it still looked no different from a real person, the divine energy inside its body had been completely exhausted and it could no longer use any of it.

This was the difference between Puppet Number One and Ye Chen. Ye Chen's divine energy could be replenished at any time whereas the puppet's would be completely gone once it had used it up.

In other words, if Puppet Number One used its Extreme Realm Sword Slash, it could only do so once.

To use the attack again would require Ye Chen replenishing its divine energy, thus limiting the puppet's long-term abilities.

Ye Chen turned to Zi Menghan and said, "Menghan, what do you think Puppet Number One needs to be improved?"

Zi Menghan thought for a moment before saying, "Puppet Number One's realistic appearance is enough to convince almost anyone that it is a real person, and its attacking power is also unquestionable. But the disadvantage is that after a full-power attack, it would turn useless.

"I think we can improve the endurance of the puppet by preparing some energy reserves.

"Also, we can carve a teleportation array on the puppet so that it could immediately leave the scene once it has exhausted its divine energy. Just to be safe."

Ye Chen nodded slightly and encouragingly asked, "Anything else?"

Zi Menghan thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I really can't think of anything else. Please enlighten me, Master!"

"Most importantly, the puppet must have a self-destructing array within its body. If anything goes wrong, it can self-destruct immediately and leave no traces behind! If the puppet falls into the hands of the enemy, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Yes, Master! I understand!" Zi Menghan nodded seriously as she thought to herself, 'Master is still the most prudent person!'

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The Principles of Arrays and the Arrival of Someone from the Demon Cult

Ye Chen made simple modifications to Puppet Number One by affixing all kinds of spirit talismans on it – the Space Escape Talisman for a quick escape, the Fog Concealment Talisman to form a huge fog and hide its tracks, the Divine Flame Talisman to self-immolate, and so on.

Why didn't he just affix the arrays themselves?

Because Ye Chen didn't know much about arrays!

The only array Ye Chen had any experience with was the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array which could be used easily. He didn't know much about the Spirit Gathering Array, Teleportation Array, Self-Immolation Array, or any of the others!

If he were to study arrays just to improve the puppet, it would be a waste of time. He might as well focus on his cultivation. The puppet was just a support item anyway, and power was more important.

Thus, after improving his puppet, Ye Chen returned to focus on his cultivation while?Puppet Number One went to buy spirit medicine seeds at Danding Peak and the young of tasty beasts at Spirit Beast Peak. The puppet also grew flowers and fed the fish, making Qingyun Peak look livelier.

Three months later, a system notification popped up in Ye Chen's mind.

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has opened her sea of consciousness and thus broken through to the first realm of the Visualization Cultivation System, Sea of Consciousness Realm! As her master, you are entitled to receive the Principles of Arrays.]

[Principles of Arrays: Records all the arrays in the world. Upon receipt, you will be able to set up any array as long as you have the corresponding materials. Would you like to receive the Principles of Arrays?]

A disciple breaking through to the next realm entitled their master to a reward?

And now he would be able to set up any arrays if he chose to accept it?

How terrifying!

"I accept!" Ye Chen murmured.

Suddenly, Ye Chen's mind was flooded with information of all the arrays one could form, down to the very last detail.

The amount of information Ye Chen received was enough to shatter the divine consciousness of someone even in Emperor Realm. But Ye Chen absorbed it all without any complications. It was as if this information had existed in his mind since birth.

Ye Chen let out a sigh of relief as he opened his eyes that now flickered with a new light of wisdom.

From this moment forth, Ye Chen was the person with the highest knowledge of arrays in the world!

Among his collection were the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, Orbital Constellation Great Array, Chaotic Origin River Great Array, Twelve Capital Deity Killing Great Array, and the Nine Bend Yellow River Great Array.

One day, Ye Chen hoped that he would be able to form these arrays and put them to good use!

However, in order to set up powerful arrays, he needed the corresponding materials. Moreover, some of the more powerful arrays would also require him to be in a higher cultivation realm.

For example, the Orbital Constellation Great Array would require 365 great orbital star banners and 14,800 small orbital star banners to correspond to the positions of the stars in the sky. Once formed, the array would summon the power of the universe which would be enough to destroy everything!

A light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes as a thought appeared in his mind. Combining the Ten Thousand Puppet Art with the Principles of Arrays would lead to an invincible existence.

If he pushed himself to the extreme, he might just be able to form the Orbital Constellation Great Array by himself!

Of course, Ye Chen could only look forward to it for now. Those legendary arrays were still unattainable at his current level.

Since he had absorbed all the information contained within the Principles of Arrays, Ye Chen started to feel that Qingyun Peak's Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array was a bit lacking. Although it was extremely effective in obstructing the senses of and trapping the enemy, it was still not enough in terms of defense and offense.

Ye Chen gathered and fused the star cloud gold essence, thousand-year snow wood heart, cold-hearted ice soul, fire marrow liquid, and mystic-origins heavy earth – treasures with attributes of the five elements – in the array's eye. Then, he adjusted some of the array's layout, thus enhancing the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array into something more comprehensive and powerful.

However, Ye Chen was still not satisfied.

The treasures with the attributes of the five elements that he found were left behind by the senior of Qingyun Peak and weren't that great in quality. If he could obtain better quality treasures with the attributes of the five elements, the power of the array would greatly increase!

But there was nothing more he could do to the array now. So, Ye Chen moved on to Puppet Number One. He proceeded to upgrade it by infusing three Spirit Gathering Arrays, three Concealment Arrays, three Teleportation Arrays, three Self-Immolation Great Arrays, an Illusion Array, a Killing Array, a Mustard Seed Array, and a few other arrays; as well as spirit swords, spirit talismans, and other spirit treasures. Ye Chen had equipped Puppet Number One to the teeth.

Although the current Puppet Number One was still far from being comparable to his original body, it was enough to deal with most emergencies.

Ye Chen refined two more substitute puppets that were exactly the same as Puppet Number One. By activating the Mustard Seed Array around each, the two new substitute puppets shrunk to the size of rice grains to be carried by Puppet Number One. This was so that if Puppet Number One met with misfortune, either of the substitutes could revert to its original size and take over at any time.

Next, Ye Chen refined four servant puppets that looked like children. They were in charge of planting medicinal herbs and raising spirit beasts, thus making Qingyun Peak a bit more lively.

After a few days of refining and assigning the puppets to their duties, he was about to return to his cultivation when he suddenly sensed that the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array had been triggered again.

Ye Chen's mind stirred slightly as he hid his true body and activated Puppet Number One to investigate.

In the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, a young man wearing the uniform of a core disciple of Xuantian Holy Land was wandering around. His figure flickered as he hurried toward the mountainside of Qingyun Peak. His eyes darted around quickly – he seemed to be acting quite suspiciously.

[Name: Qi Hanxing]

[Identity: A core disciple of Xuantian Holy Land's Ice Heart Peak (His real identity is a core disciple of Blood Demon Cult)]

[Cultivation: Late Stage of Vision Realm]

[Aptitude: Ice Demon Body]

[Character background: Qi Hanxing was born in a small mountain village at the edge of Blood Barren Mountain Range. When he was eight years old, he fought with other children and awakened the Ice Demon Body. After that, he slaughtered the entire village and was accepted as a disciple by the passing Demon King Qingli.

He was born with a savage and bloodthirsty nature as he cultivated the Demon Embryo Purgatory Art. In order to quickly increase his cultivation, he used human blood to nurture his Demon Embryo. He had slaughtered thirteen villages and was highly valued in Blood Demon Cult.

Several years ago, Demon King Qingli was sent by Blood Demon Cult Lord on a secret mission to infiltrate Xuantian Holy Land but mysteriously disappeared. Qi Hanxing has now been ordered to investigate the whereabouts of Demon King Qingli and eventually arrived at Qingyun Peak.]

Blood Demon Cult?

The disciple of Demon King Qingli?

Ye Chen instantly became alert. Demon King Qingli was the Demonic Path expert who had wiped out Qingyun Peak!

Demon King Qingli was a Peak-Stage Primordial Realm Demonic Path expert. Even then, it was impossible for him to have killed the entire population at Qingyun Peak. There must be some other reason behind this!

What kind of secret mission could make a Peak-Stage Primordial Realm Demonic Path expert take such a risk?

Qi Hanxing's arrival triggered Ye Chen's sense of danger.

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Myriad Dao and the Auspicious Pill Cauldron

Qi Hanxing rushed towards the pavilion halfway up the mountain. His figure flickered at high frequency.

An hour later, Qi Hanxing stopped, looked around him, and frowned slightly. "Why am I still at the foot of the mountain? Did Qingyun Peak always have such a complex array?"

He continued moving forward at an extremely high speed. Logically speaking, he should have made a round trip around Qingyun Peak by now. So, why was he still at the foot of the mountain? And he could not sense anything amiss either as he was moving through the mountain, which was eventually what made him realize that the array of the peak was not that simple.

Qi Hanxing's eyes darted around a few times before he suddenly cupped his hands towards the top of the peak and said, "Peak Lord?Ye, I am Qi Hanxing, a disciple of Ice Heart Peak. Under my master's orders, I have come to invite you to discuss something important!"

"No!" Ye Chen's voice returned a response loudly and firmly.

"What?"

Qi Hanxing was shocked. Ye Chen's answer was completely unexpected.

Qi Hanxing tried his best to carefully sense Ye Chen's presence and location. But alas, he could not. Then, he patiently said, "This is an important matter. Please show yourself, Peak Lord?Ye!"

"Shoo!"

Suddenly, a bright sword light appeared out of nowhere and headed straight for Qi Hanxing's neck.

The Extreme Realm Sword Slash!

Qi Hanxing immediately felt a sense of impending death. He no longer hid his identity and a blood-red demonic sword appeared above his head that released a brutal and bloodthirsty aura as it quickly welcomed the incoming sword attack.

There was an ear-splitting explosion and the bloodthirsty demonic sword shattered while the resplendent sword light continued to slice through the air towards Qi Hanxing.

Qi Hanxing spat out a large mouthful of blood and a blood-colored iceberg that seemed to be both real yet illusory appeared behind him. The iceberg was crawling with ferocious demons donning green faces and sharp fangs. Right now, Qi Hanxing's entire person appeared abnormally evil.

This was his vision, the Ice Mountain Demon Prison!

However, the sword light simply collapsed the Ice Mountain Demon Prison as soon as the latter took shape.

Qi Hanxing was scared out of his wits. He crazily accessed the blood essence in his body and became instantly covered with countless blood vessels, turning him into a blood-colored shadow. Within an instant, he appeared a thousand feet away, narrowly avoiding that sword attack, but his face was abnormally pale.

Blood Shadow Escape!

Qi Hanxing was completely panicking. His previous intel simply told him that Ye Chen was a useless Peak Lord who had just entered Wave Realm. He was the only one left at Qingyun Peak and had taken in a disciple with an Innate Crippled Body not too long ago. So how was the Ye Chen he just encountered so powerful?

Moreover, Ye Chen had attacked him without any explanation, forcing him to reveal his demonic aura. Qi Hanxing had been on the receiving end the entire time.

"Ye, since you have forced me to reveal my identity, I will definitely grind your bones and scatter your ashes to vent the hatred in my heart in the future!" Qi Hanxing fiercely proclaimed as his divine energy enveloped his entire body, transforming him into a streak of light that rushed out of Qingyun Peak.

Since his demonic aura had already been exposed, it was very likely that the other experts from Xuantian Holy Land had already sensed him. He could care less about Blood Demon Cult's mission. He only wanted to escape from Xuantian Holy Land as soon as possible.

But then, another resplendent sword light flashed as it sliced through the air towards Qi Hanxing once more.

Puppet Number One still held two puppets on it, and each could utilize the Extreme Realm Sword Slash.

And since each puppet had been engraved with three Spirit Gathering Arrays, once the third puppet activated its Extreme Realm Sword Slash, the first puppet would be fully charged again. The trio was connected and harmonized perfectly.

Qi Hanxing took out a shield-shaped magic treasure and activated his blood essence again to use Blood Shadow Escape to flee a thousand feet away.

Shua!

The third dazzling sword light appeared, and this time, Qi Hanxing's eyes started to show despair. He had already used Blood Shadow Escape twice, and the blood essence in his body was almost completely depleted. He could not dodge this impending sword light no matter what he did.

Pooh!

A sword light arrived in between Qi Hanxing's eyebrows, and that was the end of him.

Ye Chen flicked out a fireball, burning Qi Hanxing's body into ashes. He then activated the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array to extract the vital Qi of Qi Hanxing's magic treasures to be fused into Qingyun Peak.

The various secret methods of the Demonic Path were hard to guard against and one of Qi Hanxing's magic treasures might contain the divine consciousness of a Demonic Path expert. Ye Chen didn't want to take such risks.

Ever since he saw Qi Hanxing, Ye Chen had been filled with killing intent and he had already decided that his first move would be to kill without giving Qi Hanxing any chances.

Ye Chen had never thought of getting any information from Qi Hanxing because he didn't think he could believe anything Qi Hanxing said.

"Master, this person's aura was so evil. Is he from a demonic sect?" Zi Menghan had heard the commotion earlier and flown over – though not with the multicolored light like the others – with a face filled with curiosity.

Ye Chen was not in a hurry to answer. Instead, he asked with surprise, "You can fly now?"

Zi Menghan nodded and happily said, "Yes, Master! I can fly now! I have opened my Sea of Consciousness and am visualizing all kinds of true spirits of the Great Dao.

"The first thing I visualized was an Immortal Phoenix which was created from the Dao rhythm that Master had exuded during your training. Each time I visualized it, my mental strength would become even more powerful.

"Now, I can easily move a fifty-kilogram object, and if I encompass my whole body with my mental strength, I can fly."

Ye Chen nodded slightly, "Good work. You have improved a lot, but don't be complacent. That person just now was from Blood Demon Cult and the disciple of Demon King Qingli.

"The disaster that Qingyun Peak encountered a few years ago is related to Demon King Qingli and this person had come here to investigate the whereabouts of the Demon King.

"I surmised that there must be something that Blood Demon Cult was determined to obtain in Xuantian Holy Land. Blood Demon Cult would never give up just like that.

"Only by working hard to improve our cultivation can we deal with all kinds of troubles that we can't avoid."

"I will work hard to cultivate!" Zi Menghan nodded solemnly.

Qi Hanxing had sneaked into Qingyun Peak so his disappearance didn't cause too much of a stir. Moreover, no one would have suspected Ye Chen to be the culprit behind Qi Hanxing's disappearance. Thus, Ye Chen and Zi Menghan once again began their closed-door cultivation.

Time flew by like a flowing river. In a blink of an eye, three years had passed. During that time, Ye Chen had gotten in touch with the energy of the surroundings and broken through to Vision Realm.

The moment he did, his vision appeared: the Sun, Moon, and stars were aligned and shining brightly; the five elements surged ragingly; and the dragon, phoenix, and Qilin were faintly discernible. All sorts of visions spread throughout the Heavens and Earth of the multiverse.

With the combination of the Primordial Dao Body and the Creation Dao Scripture, Ye Chen could now create any kind of visions in the world!

[Congratulations! You have broken through to Vision Realm and awakened the vision, Myriad Dao.]

[Congratulations! You have broken through to Vision Realm and obtained the Auspicious Pill Cauldron.]

[Myriad Dao: Able to create all kinds of visions in the multiverse.]

[Auspicious Pill Cauldron: A precious treasure that can be used to create pills. It records all the pill formulas available in the multiverse. If you place the corresponding medicinal ingredients in it, you can immediately produce the corresponding pills. The quantity and quality of the pills are always of the highest, and there will be no waste of the materials.]

Ye Chen was pleasantly surprised. With the Myriad Dao, he could evolve all the visions and become more well-balanced.

And with this Auspicious Pill Cauldron, he wouldn't have to worry about having to procure the medicinal pills he needed for cultivation. From now on, his cultivation speed would increase by a large margin!

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Xuantian Holy Lord Ends Seclusion

[Name: Ye Chen]

[Identity: Peak Lord of Xuantian Holy Land's Qingyun Peak]

[Aptitude: Primordial Dao Body – the most powerful constitution of the multiverse, augmented by boundless fate.]

[Talent: Divine Concealment – able to conceal one's own constitution and cultivation from others.]

[Cultivation: Early Stage of Vision Realm – the cultivation realms (from the lowest to the highest) are Wave, Law, Vision, Primordial, Might, Dao, Dao Lord, Slash, Saint, Sage, Great Sage, Quasi-Emperor, and Emperor. Each realm can be divided into Early, Mid, Late, and Peak Stage.]

[Cultivation method: Creation Dao Scripture – the most powerful cultivation method among all worlds that allows one to be able to clearly understand the origins and mysteries of Heaven's creation, seize it, and form a Supreme Dao Foundation.]

[Vision: Myriad Dao]

[Skills: Extreme Realm Sword Slash]

[Secret method: Ten Thousand Puppet Art]

[Array method: Principles of Arrays, Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array]

[Treasure: Auspicious Pill Cauldron (Supreme Treasure)]

Ye Chen noticed that there were two more notification pop-ups in the master-disciple interface.

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has determined the second stage of the Visualization Cultivation System – the Spirit Transformation Realm. Using one's mental strength, one can transform anything virtual into anything real, even spirit birds, beasts, divine weapons, mountains, rivers, the Sun, Moon, stars, and so on.]

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has been influenced by the aura you emitted while cultivating. She has completed the Great Freedom Visualization Heart Scripture and has the potential to cultivate to the Peak Stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm.]

Ye Chen nodded satisfactorily. Zi Menghan's cultivation was finally on the right track.

Shua!

A jade cauldron about an inch in size appeared in Ye Chen's palm. It was dark yellow and engraved with all sorts of complex and mysterious patterns as it emitted a unique aura.

This was the Auspicious Pill Cauldron and it could change in size according to Ye Chen's will.

Ye Chen lightly tossed it and the Auspicious Pill Cauldron grew as it fell, turning into a human-sized cauldron before it landed on the ground. In its full size, it appeared even more ancient and grand.

Ye Chen was ready to test if this Auspicious Pill Cauldron was really that magical, so he chose a common pill that he could use right away, the Vision Pill.

The Vision Pill could speed up the cultivation speed of Vision Realm cultivators, nourish their bodies, and strengthen their divine energy.

And since there were plenty of corresponding medicinal ingredients among the cultivation resources left behind on Qingyun Peak, Ye Chen was in the perfect position to experiment with his newly acquired Auspicious Pill Cauldron.

Ye Chen took out a portion of the pill ingredients and threw them into the Auspicious Pill Cauldron.

Buzz!

In the next fifteen minutes, a round jade-like pill shot out of the cauldron's mouth. It had a natural charm and emitted a refreshing pill fragrance.

This pill did not leak any medicinal power. As such its full potential and benefits could be completely absorbed and refined by others. There was no need to worry about pill poison.

Ye Chen picked up the pill and swallowed it. Suddenly, he felt a huge amount of medicinal power turn into pure energy before pouring into his limbs and refining his blood, bones, and meridians. It provided a huge amount of energy for the waves of divine energy in him.

"The pill is indeed amazing. If I can take it every day, my cultivation speed would be a couple of times faster!" Ye Chen was overjoyed. He started to activate the Creation Dao Scripture, quickly converting the huge amount of medicinal power contained in the pill into his own cultivation.

Then, Ye Chen refined all of the remaining ingredients from Qingyun Peak into all kinds of pills: Blood Qi Pill, Spirit Gathering Pill, Great Recovery Pill, Divine Consciousness Pill, Wave Pill, Law Pill, Vision Pill, and so on.

Since Zi Menghan's constitution was somewhat special, most of the pills were ineffective for her. However, when she cultivated the Visualization Cultivation System, she would also consume her own essence, Qi, and spirit. As such, Ye Chen still gave her some of the pills he had made, hoping that they would be able to help her in some ways.

Ye Chen consumed the rest of the pills in sequence – when the effects of one pill were starting to wear off, he would consume another. His divine energy constantly increased as his blood and bones became so well-nourished to the point where his internal body started to glow with a beautiful light.

In the next two months, Ye Chen immersed himself in cultivation, getting stronger and stronger as time passed. Eventually, all 158 pills that he had made using all of Qingyun Peak's medicinal materials had been consumed, and Ye Chen's cultivation had reached the Mid Stage of Vision Realm.

Since he had used up all of his pills, Ye Chen's cultivation speed returned to normal. Even then, he felt that the rate of his cultivation training was too slow.

Ye Chen thought to himself, 'Training is like burning money. Without enough money, it would be impossible to keep going.'

The cultivation resources of Qingyun Peak were not enough for Ye Chen at the moment.

To solve this issue, he had to either procure more or cut back.

Cutting back would slow down his cultivation even more than it already had. Thus, Ye Chen was more inclined to procure more.

Using Puppet Number One, Ye Chen left Xuantian Holy Land and bought hundreds of pill ingredients in the nearby market. When he returned, he refined all of them into pills.

But his decision to do so had almost depleted the spirit stones of Qingyun Peak.

If he sold some of the other pills, he would be able to accumulate a lot of wealth very quickly.

However, it would also attract unwanted attention and throw off the prudent lifestyle he intended to maintain.

Thus, he decided to wait until he had exhausted these hundreds of pills before planning his next move.

Ye Chen started his simple and unadorned pill-swallowing training again.

One day, Ye Chen suddenly sensed a stream of divine consciousness wandering in the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array. It was none other than the divine consciousness of the Xuantian Holy Lord.

'Oh, dear old acquaintance. Are you trapped again?'

Ye Chen opened the array and released that stream of divine consciousness into the reception hall where Puppet Number One was ready to receive him.

Xuantian Holy Lord's divine consciousness had been trapped there twice now, and his old face was currently looking to be devoid of light. He didn't even bother to transform into a human figure. He simply transmitted his voice as he said, "Junior Brother Ye, I've already come out of closed-door cultivation. I heard that you're looking for me. You can come to Xuantian Main Peak at any time."

The moment he was done speaking, the Xuantian Holy Lord's divine consciousness dispersed immediately with no intention of lingering around any longer.

After the incident with Qi Hanxing last time, Ye Chen had never felt at ease, as if there was danger at every corner.

And since Li Changsheng hadn't told him the details of the great calamity that had befallen Qingyun Peak – only that it had something to do with the Demon King Qingli – Ye Chen had decided to find out for himself by sending Puppet Number One to ask the Holy Lord. However, the Holy Lord had gone into closed-door cultivation at the time.

Now that the Holy Lord?was out of closed-door cultivation, Puppet Number One took off into the sky and flew towards Xuantian Main Peak.

As he approached the edge of Xuantian Main Peak, Ye Chen saw the Holy Lord once again, standing with his hands behind his back surrounded by his vision – 108 stars shining brightly and emitting a powerful aura that could easily make many bow to him. His whole body appeared blurry but his face seemed real.

Gosh, didn't it consume a lot of divine energy to keep up such an appearance?

[Name: Xuan Qing]

[Identity: Holy Lord?of Xuantian Holy Land]

[Cultivation: Peak Stage of Might Realm]

He's still in Might Realm?

He must have felt lonely while in closed-door cultivation!

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Demonic Abyss Crack

The Xuantian Holy Lord turned toward the approaching disturbance in the sea of clouds. He had sensed Ye Chen's arrival and acknowledged the latter's presence. "Junior Brother Ye, I heard that you took in an Innate Crippled Body at the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony three years ago. If you came to ask for advice about her cultivation, I'm afraid I am unable to help you. One born with the Innate Crippled Body would be unable to gather any energy as the person has been abandoned by Heaven and Earth. Even someone in the Saint Realm wouldn't be able to help."

Ye Chen pitied the Xuantian Holy Lord?for not noticing that the figure before him was only a puppet.

And based on his response, Ye Chen knew that the Xuantian Holy Lord had no idea why the former had reached out to the latter in the first place. He lightly shook his head and said, "Holy Lord, you worry too much. Menghan has her own path to take. Besides, that isn't the reason I had reached out to you."

"Oh? Was she able to enter the Wave Realm?" The Xuantian Holy Lord?turned around with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Ye Chen smiled, "Not yet, but she has taken a different path. She doesn't cultivate divine energy, but mental strength and still has a long way to go since she has basically just started her cultivation."

The Xuantian Holy Lord nodded slightly and said, "Cultivating mental strength is indeed a good idea. Although it's not as good as cultivating divine energy, it's still better than being a cripple for the rest of her life."

Obviously, the Xuantian Holy Lord was not aware that the mental strength Zi Menghan was cultivating was different from others' – it was a brand new cultivation system based on visualization. If it could be completely perfected, it wouldn't be inferior to the current mainstream divine energy cultivation system!

But Ye Chen didn't bother to explain too much. If news of Zi Menghan's self-created cultivation system got out, Qingyun Peak would never be as peaceful as it was now.

Ye Chen decided not to mention anything else about Zi Menghan anymore and decided to talk about his real intentions in reaching out to the Xuantian Holy Lord. "Holy Lord, I would like to ask more about the calamity that befell Qingyun Peak back then."

"Didn't Senior Uncle Changsheng tell you before he passed?" The Xuantian Holy Lord?was a bit confused.

Ye Chen shook his head lightly and sighed. "When I met my master, he was already dying. He only told me that the calamity was related to the Blood Demon Cult's Demon King Qingli and wasn't very detailed about it. Even if he had an evil secret method up his sleeve, Demon King Qingli was only a Peak-Stage Primordial Realm cultivator so how could he cause so many casualties on Qingyun Peak? Did something else happen?"

The Xuantian Holy Lord?sighed. "I see! You are just a cultivator in the Wave Realm and yet, you have to shoulder the history of Qingyun Peak calamity. It must be hard for you!"

The Xuantian Holy Lord paused for a moment as his gaze drifted into the distance. "Back then, Demon King Qingli secretly possessed an inner disciple of Qingyun Peak. He somehow managed to avoid the great mountain protection array of Xuantian Holy Land and hid in Qingyun Peak for several years, searching for something from the shadows.

"That day, the previous Qingyun Peak Lord?Ling Aojue finally discovered Demon King Qingli. By working together with the elders of Qingyun Peak, they managed to heavily injure Demon King Qingli.

"But before he could suffer any more damage, Demon King Qingli fled to a deep valley eighty miles southeast of Qingyun Peak. He opened a hidden Demonic Abyss Crack at the bottom of the deep valley and released a Demon Lord?named Cang Kong who immediately killed Ling Aojue and the elders of Qingyun Peak.

"The Demonic Abyss Crack was quite close to Qingyun Peak, which allowed me to sense the demon Qi. So I rushed over immediately but I was still a step too late. Demon Lord Cang Kong had already decimated every living soul on Qingyun Peak. In the end, I decided to completely stabilize the Demonic Abyss Crack.

"Demon Lord Cang Kong wasn't an ordinary Demon Lord. He wielded a half-saint weapon that even my use of the Xuantian Bell's Holy Might was only enough to barely suppress him. I wasn't able to kill him in that short period of time.

"Senior Uncle Changsheng was in closed-door cultivation on Xuantian Main Peak at the time, trying to break through to Dao Lord Realm. But when he sensed Cang Kong's aura, he immediately came out of closed-door cultivation and headed straight to the site. When he saw Qingyun Peak bleeding like a river, he didn't hesitate to burn his life essence to fight Cang Kong.

"The Peak Lords of Black Sword Peak, Pure Moon Peak, Ice Heart Peak, Crimson Flame Peak, and a few other great forces rushed over as well. We activated the great mountain protection array to its highest potential and joined forces to kill Demon Lord Cang Kong and seal the Demonic Abyss Crack.

"Senior Uncle Changsheng did not have much time left by the time the battle ended. He was about to die. But before he did, he took you in as his disciple and appointed you as the Peak Lord?of Qingyun Peak. Then, he finally passed.

"Since Demon Lord?Cang Kong's attack had had a huge impact on the prestige of Xuantian Holy Land, I issued an order of secrecy. This was why word of this incident didn't spread too far."

Ye Chen silently digested the information from the Xuantian Holy Lord. His face was solemn.

Demon Lord Realm corresponded to Dao Lord Realm. But most Peak Lords of Xuantian Holy Land were only at Primordial Realm. Very few Peak Lords were powerful enough to withstand another attack like that.

Demon Lord Cang Kong alone was enough to exhaust the manpower of the entire Xuantian Holy Land. The foundation of Xuantian Holy Land was still too weak.

Perhaps Xuantian Holy Land still had other backup tactics to be used when facing a life-and-death crisis. However, they were called backups for a reason.

Perhaps the most urgent matter was the fact that the Demonic Abyss Crack was eighty miles southeast of Qingyun Peak. It was too close to them, which made Ye Chen feel uneasy.

The Demon King had decimated the entire Qingyun Peak in an instant. This was enough for Ye Chen's alert level to be placed at the highest.

Also, where did Demon King Qingli go?

Ye Chen let out another sigh as he said with a frown, "Holy Lord, is Demon King Qingli alive or dead?"

The Xuantian Holy Lord fell silent for a moment, then said, "This person was extremely cunning. When he saw that the situation was no longer in his favor, he ran into that crack. So even I don't know if he was alive or dead."

Since no one knew if Demon King Qingli was alive or dead, it was safer to assume that he was still alive. Otherwise, he might take them by surprise!

"What kind of place is it on the other side of the Demonic Abyss Crack?" asked Ye Chen again.

The Xuantian Holy Lord said, "The Demon World is on the other side, a place filled with endless true demon Qi and beings waiting to invade our Ancient Desolate World at all times.

"The Demonic Abyss Crack is the spatial node connecting the two worlds. If it was opened, the Demon World's experts would be able to cross over.

"Of course, the more powerful one's cultivation was, the more difficult it would be to cross over.

"The Demonic Abyss Crack could only allow up to someone like the Demon Lord to cross over. If an entity from the Demon World who is on a level equivalent to someone in Slash Realm wanted to cross over, he would have to stabilize the Demonic Abyss Crack into a Demonic Abyss Passage."

Demon World?

Ancient Desolate World?

Was the vast Eastern Wastelands only one part of the Ancient Desolate World?

And who knew how many Demonic Abyss Cracks were hidden in this world? What if there were Demonic Abyss Passages too? There might also be Demonic Path experts already in hiding in this world. Danger could be just around any corner!

When Ye Chen had initially learned that there was a Demonic Abyss Crack near Qingyun Peak, he thought he could just escape to a safer place. But now, he didn't know where he could actually run to.

Perhaps a sealed Demonic Abyss Crack would be easier to deal with than the other hidden and unknown dangers.

He couldn't give up on Qingyun Peak just yet. Otherwise, who else would keep a vigilant eye on that Demonic Abyss Crack? Moreover, he could be the first to run if there were any strange movements around it.

"Holy Lord, that Demonic Abyss Crack is too close to Qingyun Peak. And since we've had a Demon King and Demon Lord crossing through it before, that Demonic Abyss Crack is definitely not something we should take lightly. If I may ask, are you sure your seal is reliable?" asked Ye Chen worriedly.

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Even the Ancestor's Coffin Was Used!

With a wave of his hand, the Xuantian Holy Lord proudly said, "Junior Brother Ye, don't worry. I will not let the same tragedy happen to Qingyun Peak. The Peak Lord of the Ten Thousand Array Peak was personally involved in linking the nine layers of sealing arrays to form a huge Nine Palace Demon Subduing Array. He had also brought in the coffin of a Dao Lord Realm ancestor to anchor the core of the array. Their efforts were flawless."

What the heck?!

Even the coffin of a Dao Lord Realm ancestor was used?!

Ye Chen was slightly relieved, but he still decided to keep an eye on that Demonic Abyss Crack in case he had to escape at any moment.

"Holy Lord, just where did Blood Demon Cult come from? How dare they behave so atrociously in Xuantian Holy Land?"

There might not be anyone in Saint Realm overseeing Xuantian Holy Land. But there must have been in the past, possessing holy weapons and power that were far from what anyone from ordinary sects could compare to.

When Ye Chen was analyzing Qi Hanxing's experiences, the system had notified him that Demon King Qingli had been sent here by the Blood Demon Cult Lord. But what right did the Blood Demon Cult Lord have to provoke Xuantian Holy Land?

The Xuantian Holy Lord interrupted Ye Chen's train of thoughts when he said, "Blood Demon Cult has been around for more than three thousand years. Its base is hidden beyond the Deathly Stillness Sea at the border of the Eastern Wastelands where there was a Demonic Abyss Crack.

"Since they were so well hidden by the Deathly Stillness Sea, Blood Demon Cult managed to stabilize that Demonic Abyss Crack into a Demonic Abyss Passage, attracting many Demon Lords and Demon Overlords to pass through until demonic flames surged into the sky.

"A thousand years ago, Blood Demon Cult even produced someone in Demon Saint Realm, evolving them into the Blood Demon Saint Cult as they slaughtered many others in their world as they rose to the top.

When that entity in the Demon Saint Realm massacred one of the declining longevity families, he provoked an extremely terrifying existence and was killed in one strike.

This triggered various large cults to besiege Blood Demon Saint Cult. The latter suffered heavy casualties and consequently, Blood Demon Saint Cult devolved back to the Blood Demon Cult. They fell from their limelight and now, no one knew how much of it is left behind.

"A thousand years have passed but we still don't even know how Blood Demon Cult is doing. It is possible that they have found a new Demonic Abyss Crack."

Blood Demon Cult had someone in Demon Saint Realm who was killed in a single strike after provoking a declining immortal family?

This world is just too dangerous and that Demon Saint Realm person was not prudent enough!

Ye Chen shook his head inwardly and cupped his fists at the Xuantian Holy Lord. "Holy Lord, since we don't know if Demon King Qingli is dead or alive and Qingyun Peak has to take revenge on?Blood Demon Cult who is now in the mortal world, we shall not slack off. I will return now to cultivate!"

"Junior Brother Ye, wait!" The Xuantian Holy Lord called after Ye Chen.

"Holy Lord, do you have new orders for me?"

The Xuantian Holy Lord spoke in a more hushed voice. "Junior Brother Ye, since Senior Uncle Changsheng handed Qingyun Peak to you, I hope you can bring it to greater heights.

"You've been participating in every Disciple Acceptance Ceremony in the past three years but have yet to accept any new disciples.

"For there to only be the two of you at Qingyun Peak makes the place too desolate and at risk. For the sake of the continuation of Qingyun Peak, it's better to take in more disciples.

"If you are worried that you can't teach your disciples, you can send them to Xuantian Main Peak for cultivation. The cultivation masters here will definitely treat them equally."

The Xuantian Holy Lord had spoken quite tactfully and Ye Chen knew what he meant.

To others, there was only him – a rookie in Wave Realm – and Zi Menghan – an Innate Crippled Body – at Qingyun Peak. If this continued, Qingyun Peak's population would go extinct.

But the thing was, Ye Chen had not been able to find any more Qi anomalies when he attended the annual Disciple Acceptance Ceremony through his puppet, and those were the only kind of disciples he was willing to accept so that he could continue to hide his presence from the Heavenly Path.

As such, even if the candidate had an incredible spirit body, Ye Chen would still not accept the person if he or she did not have a Qi anomaly.

"Thank you for your reminder, Holy Lord! If there are any suitable ones, I will take them in again. I will definitely not let Qingyun Peak go extinct!" Ye Chen said goodbye to the Xuantian Holy Lord and rode on his rainbow light back to Qingyun Peak at a moderate speed.

Now that he had a more thorough understanding of Qingyun Peak's history and current situation, Ye Chen's mood became even heavier.

He had never thought learning more about Demon King Qingli meant learning more about Blood Demon Cult and the Demon World!

Ye Chen decided to make a pitstop, heading towards the valley where the Demonic Abyss Crack was.

From above, the entire valley was covered in clouds and fog. The cypresses and pines were just barely discernible. The valley looked no different from the others.

At least not to the common man. For Ye Chen, the valley was filled with arrays.

The nine layers of sealing arrays intersected with each other, perfectly sealing an area of ten miles in the valley. At the center of the array was a green jade coffin anchoring it. The arrays seemed foolproof.

But for Ye Chen, it wasn't good enough.

First of all, the Nine Palaces Demon Subduing Array only covered the Demonic Abyss Crack that had exploded before. The array should cover a larger area. If the Demonic Abyss Crack became larger, the array would break without a single attack, and not even the ancestor's coffin would be able to suppress it.

Second, the Nine Palaces Demon Subduing Array only had a sealing array and not a warning array. If the enemies attacked through the Demonic Abyss Crack, no one in Xuantian Holy Land would be able to react in time.

The Nine Palaces Demon Subduing Array might not be easy to break from the Demon World, but it was not difficult to break from Xuantian Holy Land. What if someone sneaked into Xuantian Holy Land again?

Ye Chen did not believe that Xuantian Holy Land had the ability to identify demon cultivators, based on its history of Demon King Qingli's and Qi Hanxing's infiltrations. Xuantian Holy Land would soon become a highly accessible place by any world if they kept this up.

...

How could the Peak Lord of Ten Thousand Array Peak be so careless?

[The host has discovered many flaws in the seal of the Demonic Abyss Crack. You have the following options]

[One: Explain to the Xuantian Holy Lord about the flaws in the seal of the Demonic Abyss Crack and obtain an offensive magic treasure.]

[Second: Secretly reinforce the seal, keep a low profile, and receive a step skill."

Ye Chen silently weighed his options. Since he had never established much of a presence in Xuantian Holy Land, reporting the situation to the Xuantian Holy Lord would attract too much attention and potential hostility from Ten Thousand Array Peak. He might even risk revealing his knowledge of arrays. It was too risky!

And he would just receive an offensive magic treasure. He didn't think it was worth it.

Ye Chen silently chose the second option and prepared to secretly strengthen the seal. Although it would waste a lot of array materials, it was a relatively more prudent decision. Moreover, he could also obtain a step skill. No matter what, it wouldn't be a loss.

Ye Chen returned to Qingyun Peak and refined a large amount of array equipment. Then, he once again returned to that valley.

"I am the Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak, Ye Chen. Today, I learned that Demon Lord Cang Kong had massacred Qingyun Peak after he came out from this Demonic Abyss Crack. In order to prevent the Demonic Abyss Crack from opening again, I've come to reinforce the seal!"

Ye Chen transmitted his voice to the distant valley as he spoke to the ancestor in the coffin. He didn't want to be killed the moment he entered the area unannounced.

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Zi Menghan Has Broken Through Again!

Ye Chen waited above the valley for a response to the announcement of his presence.

A moment later, he felt a gaze on him as if he had been seen through. The entity stared at Ye Chen for a long time before disappearing.

Ye Chen knew that meant that the ancestor had tacitly agreed to his intentions.

Thus, he wasted no time flying toward the valley that was surrounded by clouds and fog at a moderate speed. As he did so, he would occasionally but consistently throw out the array flags, array plates, and other array equipment that he had made to add more arrays – the Heaven and Earth Demon Sealing Array, Four Extreme Evil Slaying Array, Spiritual Mountain River Extinguishing Array, and various other arrays – to the Nine Palace Demon Subduing Array.

Now that Ye Chen had covered more area, the seal shouldn't break so easily even with further expansions of the Demonic Abyss Crack.

Then, Ye Chen set up thirty-six Great Attack Arrays in succession to surround and deal with any demon that happened to pass through the Demonic Abyss Crack should it open again.

Ye Chen also set up another nine layers of Great Warning Arrays that connected to the great mountain protection array of the valley.

As long as someone who had already reached Vision Realm – regardless of whether they were from the Demonic or Heavenly Path – became present in the valley, the great mountain protection array would be activated immediately to seal the entire valley.

Ye Chen had also set up an extremely huge Great Eight Desolate Spirit Gathering Array that would gather the surrounding spiritual Qi into the jade coffin for the ancestor's perusal.

As long as the ancestor was still there, this Demonic Abyss Crack would be stable.

Additionally, Ye Chen set up the Great Cover Array, Great Illusion Array, Great Chaos God Array, and many more arrays.

While setting up the arrays, Ye Chen also secretly set up the twelve layers of Monitoring Array which would allow him to detect and monitor any movements in the valley, even from Qingyun Peak. As long as it moved, nothing could hide itself from Ye Chen.

After three full days, Ye Chen finally finished setting up the arrays.

Despite all his hard work, the whole valley still looked exactly the same as before to the untrained eye. Nothing about it seemed to risk attracting unwanted attention.

But once someone entered the valley, the changes would be easily noticeable.

"I have finished setting up the arrays and completed what I've come here to do. I apologize for any inconveniences I may have caused." Ye Chen cupped his hands towards the green jade coffin and left.

After Ye Chen had left, a vague wave of vitality came out from the green jade coffin. "What vast array knowledge! This guy must have set up at least hundreds of arrays and even I do not know most of them. Now, even I would find it hard to leave the valley..."

As soon as Ye Chen's puppet left the valley, a line of words appeared in front of the real Ye Chen.

[The host has finished reinforcing the seal of the Demonic Abyss Crack in the valley. You have acquired the step skill, Imminent Skyline.]

[Imminent Skyline: To a mortal soul, the edges of the world are unreachable and unknown. But when you reach the highest level of cultivation, even the ends of the world will be within your reach. Would you like to inherit it?]

This skill was not bad and a must-have for escaping, especially if he could not win in a battle.

Ye Chen pondered over the brief summary of the skill carefully. The Imminent Skyline was divided into nine levels. Progressing from one level to the next depended on the amount of energy in the user's body.

The first level would allow the user to travel one mile at a time. The second level would allow ten miles at a time. The third level meant a single step would cover one hundred miles at a time. The fourth level would cover one thousand miles at a time, and so on.

With this skill, he could go anywhere as long as he had enough energy in his body!]

"Inherit it." Ye Chen murmured.

A huge amount of information immediately imprinted itself in the depths of Ye Chen's mind. By the end of it, he had completely comprehended Imminent Skyline as if he had been training with it for countless years.

He activated the skill with just a thought and?Ye Chen's figure suddenly appeared at the foot of Qingyun Peak. Fifteen minutes later, he appeared halfway up the mountain, and then at the peak. Ye Chen's figure started to flash everywhere around the peak.

Based on the amount of energy he possessed, Ye Chen was at the third level of Imminent Skyline, which allowed him to travel up to one hundred miles with each step.

Ye Chen now had one more life-saving method up his sleeve!

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has broken through to the second realm of the Visualization Cultivation System, Spirit Transformation Realm! As her master, you have obtained a Supreme-Grade defense spirit treasure: Cloud Pattern Immortal Robe.]

[Cloud Pattern Immortal Robe: Its appearance can be changed by the will of its owner. The robe's defense is so powerful, it can resist the attacks of warriors at the Peak Stage of Demon Lord Realm.]

What?

Zi Menghan had broken through again?

And the reward this time for her achievement this time was not bad. A Supreme-Grade defense spirit treasure that could resist the attacks of a Peak-Stage Demon Lord Realm warrior? Now, no one other than those in Slash Realm and above would be able to hurt Ye Chen!

Without a moment to waste, Ye Chen took out the Cloud Pattern Immortal Robe, marked it with a drop of blood, and put it on his body. He immediately felt a sense of security he had never felt before.

Then, Ye Chen sensed that Zi Menghan had emerged from her training session and quickly sent her a message. "Come to the lake after you're done. Let me see how far you've gotten."

"Yes, Master!"

Zi Menghan walked out and an Immortal Phoenix appeared out of nowhere in front of her. Each of its feathers looked magnificent as they bathed in dazzling flames which made it look noble and dreamy.

Zi Menghan jumped on the back of the Immortal Phoenix as the latter spread its wings and carried her into the sky. As it approached the lake where Ye Chen told Zi Menghan to meet him, the Immortal Phoenix slowed down and descended gently.

Zi Menghan jumped down from the back of the Immortal Phoenix and greeted Ye Chen who was standing by the lake with his hands behind his back. With a voice as beautiful as an oriole, she said: "Master, I have been refining my mental strength to the upper limits of Sea of Consciousness Realm, and I finally broke through to the second realm of my Visualization Cultivation System, the Spirit Transformation Realm, today."

Ye Chen looked at Zi Menghan with a hint of surprise. "I see that you have also been working on the Great Freedom Visualization Heart Scripture which has consequently strengthened your body."

Zi Menghan nodded. "When I was visualizing my surroundings, its corresponding power nurtured my body too. Although I do not have any divine energy in my body, the power of my Qi and blood is already comparable to that of a Vision Realm warrior. I can now even fly up into the sky just by relying on my body's Qi and blood."

Ye Chen blinked his eyes. Zi Menghan had just broken through to the second realm, and her Qi and blood power was already comparable to that of a Vision Realm warrior?

Had her ability to cultivate always been so terrifying?

"Not bad."

Ye Chen nodded slightly as he looked at the Immortal Phoenix beside Zi Menghan. With great interest, he said, "This Immortal Phoenix that you have created is quite interesting. Let it attack me with all of its power."

"Alright, but please be careful, Master!" Eagerness grew in Zi Menghan's eyes.

In the next fifteen minutes, that Immortal Phoenix turned into a beam of fire as it rushed towards Ye Chen. Each of its feathers burned with a bright flame before it arrived before Ye Chen in an instant.

Ye Chen wanted to test the defense of the Cloud Pattern Immortal Robe. As such, he did not bother to dodge, defend himself, or fight back. He simply allowed that Immortal Phoenix to attack him head-on.

Boom!

With a huge explosion, the Immortal Phoenix shattered into pieces mid-air. The flames that had enveloped each of its feathers dispersed in all directions, releasing a horrifyingly high temperature that distorted the air.

On the other hand, the Cloud Pattern Immortal Robe simply gave off a layer of hazy cloud Qi that wrapped around Ye Chen's whole body. By the time the Immortal Phoenix's explosion hit him, the aftereffects of the attack hit Ye Chen like a breeze blowing across his face. He did not get hurt at all.

Ye Chen was quite impressed. "This attack is already comparable to a full-power attack of a martial artist who has just broken through to Vision Realm. Have you developed any other attacks? I want you to come at me again!"

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A New Qi Anomaly, the Fallen Genius

Zi Menghan was slightly stunned. She had not expected her powerful attack to be so easily taken down by Ye Chen.

And when she heard Ye Chen ask her to continue her attacks, a monstrous battle intent burst forth from her eyes. A Bright Moon suddenly rose behind her that shone with a clear yet cold light.

The Bright Moon flickered and a vast expanse of moonlight immediately sprinkled down toward Ye Chen. However, Ye Chen did not seem to have been affected at all as the moonlight refracted around him.

The redirected energy hit their surroundings instead and shattered the trees and rocks nearby.

The Bright Moon disappeared and a huge river appeared around Zi Menghan instead. It flowed like a divine dragon as it encircled her. Soon, it turned into a beam of flowing light that headed straight for Ye Chen. But again, it was unable to do anything to him.

Next, Zi Menghan brought out a Divine Mountain, a Treasure Sword, Aquarius of the Great Dao, and other items one after another. Each of them was imbued with their own mysterious powers, but none could break through Ye Chen's defense.

After a long while, Zi Menghan stopped panting and bitterly smiled as she said, "Master, my mental strength is about to run out. I don't think I can visualize any more spirits."

Ye Chen nodded and said, "You have managed to visualize a lot of different kinds of spirits, and each of them has its special abilities. Although you have just broken through to the second realm, even ordinary Vision Realm warriors cannot match up to you."

But still, Zi Menghan regretfully said, "Master, my mental strength is still too weak. I can only form one True Spirit of the Great Dao at a time. If I can form a few more spirits simultaneously, I will be able to double my power."

Ye Chen shook his head and said, "Based on your performance in spirit transformation earlier, you're still a ways away from forming a proper True Spirit of the Great Dao. Those that you formed earlier were only similar in appearance to the original.

"For example, that Immortal Phoenix only had the appearance of one. Without its flesh, bones, and natural charm, its power would be limited, and so would yours.

"Another example would be that Bright Moon. It should be a supreme lunar star but what we saw earlier was only its projection. If you could bring about its true form and control it, your power would also increase by several times.

"But of course, if you can also form multiple True Spirits of the Great Dao, especially those that can cooperate with each other, your power would increase dramatically too."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I will return to my training and think about what you have said carefully." Zi Menghan nodded seriously and a white cloud appeared under her feet that carried her toward her own courtyard.

Time flew by quickly. Soon, it was time for the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony again.

Without needing anyone to remind him, Ye Chen left Qingyun Peak via his puppet for the mountain gate to participate in that year's Disciple Acceptance Ceremony.

This time, the ceremony wasn't supervised by Holy Maiden Xue Wei, but a Primordial Realm elder from Xuantian Main Peak. As usual, the candidates were already lined up at the entrance.

Once the test was over, the aptitudes of the successful candidates were revealed one by one. Some could make the tablet appear illusory, while others could make it disappear and reappear elsewhere. There was even a Fire Cloud Spirit Body that could cause the tablet to resonate with the environment. After an intense competition among the peaks' representatives over him, he finally joined Crimson Flame Peak.

But no matter how impressive the candidates were, Ye Chen remained disinterested in them. Spirit bodies might be rare, but they were not of much use to him. What he was looking for was a Qi anomaly.

This was the fifth time Ye Chen had participated in the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony of Xuantian Holy Land, or at least his puppet did. And he had been unlucky the previous three times after recruiting Zi Menghan.

As such, he did not have high hopes for this Disciple Acceptance Ceremony either. He looked around aimlessly at the candidates who were waiting in line to have their aptitudes tested.

Finally, when Ye Chen's gaze landed on a certain young man with a weak aura, the system notification that he had waiting for rang in his mind, "A Qi anomaly has been detected. Do you want to check it?"

Ye Chen was excited. 'Did I really find another Qi anomaly this time?'

"Yes, check it!" Ye Chen did not hesitate at all.

[Name: Li Qingzhou (Qi anomaly)]

[Identity: The son of the Li family, the main family of Wu Ling City in Desolate Horn Region]

[Cultivation: None]

[Aptitude: Sword Spirit Body (disabled)]

[Character experience: Li Qingzhou was born in the Li family of Wu Ling City in Desolate Horn Region. He had a Supreme Sword Bone in his sternum and a Sword Spirit Body. His sword Qi was so strong that it shot into the sky the moment he was born.

He started to learn the Sword Path when he was three years old. By the time he was six, he entered the Wave Realm. When he was ten, he broke through to the Law Realm, becoming the youngest one to do so in Wu Ling City. In the same year, he was arranged to be engaged to Lin Yuqing of the Lin family in Wu Ling City.

When he had just broken through to the Vision Realm at the age of fifteen, he was backstabbed by his fiancée who dug out his Supreme Sword Bone. Consequently, he was reduced from a genius to a cripple. He was even framed by Lin Yuqing for having evil intentions. In the end, she broke off their engagement publicly and he was forever looked down upon.

Although Li Qingzhou's Sword Spirit Body was crippled, he never admitted defeat. His fighting spirit was unquenchable and he practiced swinging his sword ten thousand times a day. However, his Sword Spirit Body was unable to recover. Thus, he decided to try his luck at Xuantian Holy Land's Disciple Acceptance Ceremony.]

[Remark: The so-called Qi anomaly can increase one's cultivation without being restricted by one's aptitude – it has the potential to change one's fate. One will experience countless calamities in one's life, but also encounter countless opportunities.]

...

Wow, this candidate had a natural Sword Spirit Body, thus making him a cultivation genius only to end up getting backstabbed by his fiancée who dug out his Supreme Sword Bone. Yet, he tenaciously continued to practice his sword skills and remained hopeful. This was another main character!

Ye Chen had found another person to help weaken his presence from the Heavenly Path.

[The host has encountered the Qi anomaly, Li Qingzhou. Now, you have the following choices]

[One: Refuse to accept him as a disciple and obtain a defense magic treasure at random.]

[Two: Accept him as a disciple and obtain a heaven and earth spirit essence at random.]

This was the moment he had always been waiting for! Ye Chen selected the second option without hesitation.

But since it was not Li Qingzhou's turn yet, Ye Chen was not in a hurry to extend an invitation to him. After all, with Li Qingzhou's current state, it would be impossible for him to join any other peak in Xuantian Holy Land.

If Ye Chen suddenly picked him out of turn, it would attract too much attention from the other peak representatives. That wouldn't be a prudent decision to make.

Since he had decided to wait, Ye Chen scanned the rest of the candidates with the hopes of finding yet another Qi anomaly. But alas, there were no more.

After a long time, it was finally Li Qingzhou's turn to test his aptitude.

Li Qingzhou reached out his hand and placed it on the aptitude test tablet. A clear sword sound rang out and the tablet resonated with Li Qingzhou as countless sword shadows appeared in the air around him.

However, the sword shadows shattered immediately after with another clang of a sword.

Li Qingzhou suddenly spat out a huge mouthful of blood and his aura became even weaker.

"What's going on?"

Everyone looked at each other. Most of the representatives of the peak did not know what had happened. What was wrong with this person's aptitude? Was what happened supposed to be good or bad?

The elder in charge of the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony flashed to Li Qingzhou's side and took a reading of his pulse for a moment. Then, he shook his head and sighed. "This child once had a Supreme Sword Bone in his body, but it was dug out by someone. He is now equivalent to a cripple."

The moment they heard the elder's diagnosis, everyone felt sorry for the boy. But none had the intention of taking him in as a disciple.

Still, the representative of Black Sword Peak did not believe the elder's words. He personally flew to Li Qingzhou to check the condition of his body. But in the end, he shook his head and flew back without a word.

By now, all representatives of the various peaks had completely stopped paying attention to Li Qingzhou.

If Li Qingzhou still had his Supreme Sword Bone, they would have probably scrambled over him. However, the current Li Qingzhou was no longer of any value to them.

A fallen genius was not the same as a genius.

Li Qingzhou clenched his fists and his eyes were filled with disappointment and despair. It seemed like even Xuantian Holy Land would not be able to help him regain his Sword Path!

And it was right at that moment when Ye Chen's voice suddenly came. "Are you willing to join Qingyun Peak?"

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The Time Spirit Spring and the Rebirth of the Supreme Sword Bone

Li Qingzhou froze. He had already given up all hope and thus, did not expect anyone to want to take him in as a disciple!

"Yes, Disciple is willing!" Li Qingzhou hurriedly agreed.

The representatives of each peak turned around, wanting to see who would want to take in a crippled Sword Spirit Body as a disciple.

When they saw that it was Ye Chen, they didn't seem too surprised.

It was fine if it was the leader of Qingyun Peak!

The Qingyun Peak Lord had always been different from the others, especially after he took in the Innate Crippled Body. Now, he was taking in a crippled Sword Spirit Body.

Since Ye Chen had already determined that there were no other Qi anomalies among the rest of the candidates, he proceeded to bring Li Qingzhou back to Qingyun Peak. Upon arrival, they landed near the lake.

Li Qingzhou had already seen the entire Qingyun Peak as they flew in. He saw pavilions, waterfalls, and a herb garden filled with a faint medicinal fragrance. There were also some small spirit beasts like roosters and fluffy rabbits that were full of spiritual Qi running around. However, it still seemed a little sparse to him.

If he had been around the same time as Zi Menghan, he would have known the amount of improvement Ye Chen had made on Qingyun Peak's environment via the servant puppets he had created. Back then, the herb garden was abandoned and there were no spirit beasts. Things looked much better now.

Ye Chen looked at Li Qingzhou with a smile, "This is Qingyun Peak and it's a little special from the others. There are only the three of us. You have a senior sister who should be in closed-door cultivation right now. Don't worry, the two of you will be able to meet at some point."

'There were only three people in the whole mountain? Qingyun Peak was in a more miserable state than I thought!'

'Is this new master of mine really capable?'

Li Qingzhou muttered to himself, but he did not show any dissatisfaction on his face. Then, he carefully said, "Master, the Supreme Sword Bone in my body has been dug out by someone, crippling my Sword Spirit Body, cutting off my cultivation, and sealing my meridians. Do I still have any hope of cultivating the Sword Path again in my life?"

Li Qingzhou had tried many methods, but he could not regain his cultivation. He had come to participate in the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony of Xuantian Holy Land only because he was desperate.

As such, he had been excited to be accepted by Qingyun Peak. But now that he had seen how barren it was, his mood sank again.

Ye Chen said, "As long as you have the will and desire to return to the Sword Path, you will definitely be able to do it!"

"Really?" Li Qingzhou's eyes turned bright.

Ye Chen said, "You're just cultivating the Sword Path, and you were able to do it before. So it shouldn't be that hard. Also, since you have joined Qingyun Peak, there are a few rules you must follow."

Once Ye Chen had finished explaining the rules of Qingyun Peak, Li Qingzhou looked as if he completely understood what Ye Chen had said and suddenly looked a little regretful. "If I had known of Master's teachings earlier, I would not have ended up like this."

"You are a promising young man!"

Ye Chen was very satisfied with Li Qingzhou's attitude. People who had been beaten up by society were indeed very understanding.

Li Qingzhou looked at Ye Chen with a burning gaze and asked, "Master, how should I get back on the Sword Path? Please enlighten me!"

"There are a lot of empty places in Qingyun Peak. You can choose any one of them and stay there for now. As for your cultivation, you may follow our tradition at Qingyun Peak – figure it out yourself," said Ye Chen nonchalantly before leaving.

What??

Li Qingzhou looked absolutely confused. What did he mean by 'figure it out yourself'? 'Then what is the point of me joining Qingyun Peak?'

Li Qingzhou could not help but start to doubt his life.

'Is Master's prudence only a facade?'

'Can I really rely on a master who would take me in but not teach me?'

Li Qingzhou quickly turned towards Ye Chen who was slowly walking off into the distance and said, "Master, what if I can't figure it out?"

"If you can't even do such a simple thing, then you can just go down the mountain!" Ye Chen's response was like an invisible thorn that stabbed Li Qingzhou's heart.

Ye Chen had witnessed Zi Menghan's monstrous comprehension ability. Thus, he knew what it meant for someone to have a Qi anomaly. These people had to figure out their own way to get back on their cultivation path. It would be a more suitable method for them in the long run than Ye Chen showing them the ropes.

If he couldn't even comprehend his own cultivation path, then Li Qingzhou wouldn't be worthy of having a Qi anomaly.

After leaving Li Qingzhou, Ye Chen decided to check out what he had obtained for gaining another Qi anomaly.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully accepting a disciple. You have obtained the Time Spirit Spring.]

[Time Spirit Spring: A spirit spring that contains the power of time. It can be used to mature all kinds of medicinal plants and trees. Watering any plant for a day with the water from the spirit spring will speed up plant growth by a hundred years.]

A spirit spring that could speed up the maturation of medicinal plants?

Ye Chen was extremely surprised. This spirit spring would allow him to have countless precious medicinal plants. Combined with his Auspicious Pill Cauldron, he would be invincible!

Since the Time Spirit Spring would be used every day, Ye Chen did not place it in his cultivation cave. Instead, he placed it in a hidden spot near the herb garden and slightly modified the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array to protect it.

The Time Spirit Spring was his god of wealth on Qingyun Peak. So it's only natural for Ye Chen to make special arrangements to protect it.

Soon, one of the servant puppets arrived at the Time Spirit Spring, took out a bucket of spirit spring water, and used it to water all kinds of medicinal plants in the herb garden. In an instant, the plants grew at a rate that even the naked eye could see.

But Ye Chen did not bother to pay any attention to what was happening in the herb garden for the time being. He took the Vision Pill and resumed his cultivation.

Meanwhile, Li Qingzhou had been worrying about his gains and losses. He found a place with no one around and stayed there for the time being. Everything that he had gone through today felt like a dream. The worst part was that he did not understand what his master was thinking.

After a long time, Li Qingzhou collected his complicated feelings and sat cross-legged, trying to absorb the surrounding spiritual Qi.

Ever since his fiancée took away his Supreme Sword Bone, Li Qingzhou had been trying to absorb the surrounding spiritual Qi every day to reenter the Wave Realm. However, although he could sense the spiritual Qi, he could not absorb it.

Without the Supreme Sword Bone, Li Qingzhou seemed to have lost the source of his power. His body was unable to absorb any more spiritual energy. Even consuming panaceas did not work. In the end, he had never been able to reenter the Wave Realm.

But this time, just as Li Qingzhou calmed his mind, he sensed the Ten Thousand Dao Harmony not far away.

Li Qingzhou's mind had unknowingly been brought into the vast ocean of Great Dao. He started to sink into it and his body gradually suffused with various strands of mysterious Dao rhythms as he sank into a deep level of enlightenment.

Li Qingzhou had not absorbed the surrounding spiritual Qi, but a kind of energy that was more primitive and closer to one's innate qualities.

As time passed, Li Qingzhou's chest gradually emitted a dazzling brilliance. His skin turned transparent and a vague sword-shaped bone started to appear and slowly grow. The whole event was magnificent and dreamy as if the Dao rhythm was sent by the Heavens. Eventually, Li Qingzhou faintly emitted an extremely fierce aura of the Sword Path.

Li Qingzhou's Supreme Sword Bone had been reborn.

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The Nirvana Sword Scripture and the Clash Between the Two Disciples

The rebirth of his Supreme Sword Bone required the nourishment of the Great Dao's power but the process was extremely slow.

Li Qingzhou had long forgotten about time as all of these were happening. He was completely immersed in the vast ocean of the Great Dao and a new sword scripture was being developed in his mind.

As the sword scripture evolved, the regrowth speed of Li Qingzhou's Supreme Sword Bone gradually increased, but he still maintained his calm and collected attitude.

At this moment, Li Qingzhou knew that the Ten Thousand Dao Harmony that he felt was emitted by his master during the latter's cultivation. Thus, Li Qingzhou was only able to rediscover his cultivation path here, with his master.

It was hard to truly appreciate something until it was gone.

The loss of Li Qingzhou's Supreme Sword Bone tested his perseverance and humility. Now that he had completely settled down here, he treasured this hard-earned opportunity very much and did not dare to let down his guard.

Time flew by like flowing water. In a blink of an eye, three months had passed.

Clang!

A sound of a sword echoed from one of the courtyards on Qingyun Peak and an extremely sharp sword Qi soared into the sky. But when it reached the boundary of the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array, it quickly dissipated.

The sword scripture in Li Qingzhou's mind had been formed and his Supreme Sword Bone had been completely reborn.

In the same moment, Li Qingzhou finally reentered the Wave Realm and the true Qi sealed within it was converted into sword Qi that was condensed to the extreme.

The sword Qi whistled through the sky once more, forcefully breaking open Li Qingzhou's sealed meridians and connecting them with the surrounding spiritual Qi. These concurrent events formed a vision of a sea of swords around him. Each sword exuded a sharp sword intent, a dazzling sword light, and an aura as if it could destroy everything.

Li Qingzhou had instantly entered the Vision Realm!

The rebirth of the Supreme Sword Bone not only allowed Li Qingzhou to recover his cultivation but to also break through the bottleneck!

A system notification suddenly buzzed in Ye Chen's mind.

[Your disciple, Li Qingzhou, has comprehended the Dao rhythm that you have emitted during your cultivation. He has now created his own Nirvana Sword Scripture which can allow his Sword Path to continuously transform.]

[Your disciple Li Qingzhou's Supreme Sword Bone has been reborn and his Sword Spirit Body has transformed into a Sword King Body as he broke through to the Vision Realm. As his master, you have obtained a Supreme-Grade attack spirit treasure: Mortal Transformation Sword.]

[Mortal Transformation Sword: Supreme-Grade attack spirit treasure. It can destroy all kinds of energy such as vitality, Qi, spirit, and thoughts with a single strike. Before the wound heals, the person will turn into a mortal. It is only effective against those at Peak-Stage Dao Lord Realm and below.]

Ye Chen opened his eyes, revealing a look of interest.

As expected of a Qi anomaly. Li Qingzhou not only created his own sword scripture but was also reborn. He was truly a monster.

Qi anomalies were definitely more suited to freely and independently cultivating!

Li Qingzhou's breakthrough to the Vision Realm also allowed Ye Chen to receive a reward.

Ye Chen thought for a moment and finally understood. Although Li Qingzhou's Supreme Sword Bone had been dug out, his Vision Realm cultivation was still intact. It had simply been sealed away.

Now that Li Qingzhou's Supreme Sword Bone had been restored, he was only considered to have broken through once. That was why Ye Chen was only rewarded once.

Regardless, Ye Chen was quite satisfied with the reward.

This sword could turn anyone at the Peak Stage of Dao Lord Realm or lower into a mortal with a single hit. What a powerful ability!

Even if another Demon Lord came, he would be at Ye Chen's mercy as long as Ye Chen wielded the sword!

"No, I'm getting arrogant again! I must remain grounded! If a Demon Lord really comes, it won't be that easy for me to kill him! It's best if I don't meet any enemies at all!" Ye Chen inwardly warned himself.

"Oh? There are other messages in the master-disciple interface."

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has confirmed the third realm of the Visualization Cultivation System, the Ten Thousand Spirit Realm! Her mental strength is now able to create many kinds of True Spirits of the Great Dao simultaneously, operating according to their unique order.]

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has been influenced by the Dao rhythm you emitted while cultivating. She has perfected the Great Freedom Visualization Heart Scripture, and is currently able to cultivate to the Peak Stage of Ten Thousand Spirit Realm.]

Did Zi Menghan intend to re-create the world?

These two great Qi anomalies were indeed not easy to deal with!

Ye Chen was just lamenting when he suddenly sensed a huge fluctuation of energy from outside.

Using the eyes of a servant puppet watering in the herb garden, Ye Chen witnessed Li Qingzhou flying around on his sword. He had not only recovered his cultivation, but he had also made a breakthrough. As such, he could not contain the joy within him and decided to fly around on his sword. He howled with contentment, venting the pent-up emotions in his body.

But fifteen minutes later, Ye Chen saw Zi Menghan stepping out on an Immortal Phoenix and soaring into the sky.

This Immortal Phoenix had a flame crown on its head and every feather on its body shone with a dreamy light. It moved with extreme nobility and its eyes dazzled with a bright light. It truly looked like a real Immortal Phoenix, compared to the one Zi Menghan had made when she had just broken through previously. This Immortal Phoenix already had a hint of charm in it, and the aura on Zi Menghan's body was also incomparable.

"Where did this madman come from? How dare he act so atrociously on Qingyun Peak? Take this!" Zi Menghan shouted. With a light wave of her hand, a Heavenly River gushed out from her palm and surged towards Li Qingzhou.

Zi Menghan could truly form more than one True Spirit of the Great Dao at the same time!

"I-"

But Li Qingzhou did not have time to explain. His right hand quickly formed a sword finger and a sharp sword light flashed out from his hand. The sword light forcefully slashed at the Heavenly River.

The impact of the collision between the two attacks resulted in a huge explosion. Li Qingzhou quickly dodged and said, "Listen, I can explain..."

But his voice quickly trailed off when he saw the Heavenly River get replaced by an ancient longbow and a sharp arrow that flashed with a cold light as if it could even shoot a hole in the fabric of reality.

Zi Menghan snorted coldly and released the arrow. It tore through the air and arrived at Li Qingzhou in an instant.

Li Qingzhou was scared out of his wits. He swiped at his sternum and a sparkling and resplendent bone sword appeared in his hand. Clear and melodious sword chimes faintly echoed in the world and a sharp sword intent shot straight into the nine heavens.

The bone sword in his hand was formed from his Supreme Sword Bone!

Boom!

Li Qingzhou instantly swung his sword at the sharp arrow, and the collision between the two attacks caused yet another explosion. The sharp arrow shattered into pieces mid-air while the glow on the bone sword dimmed considerably.

"Senior Sister, please stop! I'm Master's new disciple! One of us! Stop attacking!" Li Qingzhou hurriedly begged for mercy.

His Supreme Sword Bone had just been reborn, so he was no match for Zi Menghan. As expected, he admitted defeat.

The bow and arrow in the air disappeared, and Zi Menghan descended from the Immortal Phoenix. The corners of her mouth curled up as she spoke in her ethereal voice. "Well, I knew that if you were an outsider, you wouldn't even be here. Master wouldn't have allowed it. However, the commotion you caused just now was too big so just wanted to test you a little."

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Li Qingzhou Wants to Go Down the Mountain?

"Are you done?" Ye Chen flew over with his trail of rainbow light slowly.

He had been watching the battle from a distance and waited until the two finished before showing up. He did not intervene because he wanted to see how far they had progressed in their cultivation and how strong they had gotten.

But of course, if things went south, Ye Chen would have stepped in immediately.

"Master!" Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou bowed to Ye Chen at the same time.

Ye Chen nodded casually and looked at Li Qingzhou with great interest, "How do you feel? Now that your Supreme Sword Bone has been reborn, how does it compare to the one that had been dug out by someone else?"

Li Qingzhou's eyes shone with confidence as he slowly said, "The former Supreme Sword Bone allowed me to have an extraordinary comprehension of the Sword Path. But this new Supreme Sword Bone has allowed me to awaken my Sword King Body and keep my sword heart bright all the time. So I obviously feel much better than before!"

"What? Your Supreme Sword Bone was dug out by someone? Who was it?" Zi Menghan looked at Li Qingzhou with curiosity.

Li Qingzhou let out a long sigh and said, "It's a long story."

But Li Qingzhou told her anyway – that he was born with the Supreme Sword Bone and started learning the Sword Path at the age of three before entering the Wave Realm at the age of six. By the time he was ten, he entered the Law Realm, which fully opened his meridians. He was also arranged to be engaged to Lin Yuqing, the number one beauty of Wu Ling City.

When Li Qingzhou was fifteen, Lin Yuqing had invited him to a banquet at the Lin family's estate to discuss their wedding. However, she had added a type of poison to his food.

Right after, Li Qingzhou's entire body felt sore and weak. He couldn't circulate any of his true Qi as he helplessly watched Lin Yuqing dig out his Supreme Sword Bone.

Still half-conscious, he then heard the conversation between Lin Yuqing and the Head of the Lin family – that she had only approached him for the Supreme Sword Bone because she had read about a secret bone fusion method in an ancient book when she was ten that would allow one to fuse a Supreme Sword Bone to one's own body for life. It could only be used once and was thus extremely risky. However, the higher one's understanding was of the Supreme Sword Bone, the greater the chances of successfully performing the method.

This explained why she watched Li Qingzhou practice his sword every day.

And since the Lord of the Lin family had just broken through to Vision Realm, becoming the only one to do so in Wu Ling City, this put the Lin family in a more powerful position than other families in the city. Lin Yuqing realized that it was time to execute her plan and there was nothing the Li family could do about it, not even after Li Qingzhou was publicly humiliated by her accusations against him and the public dissolution of their engagement.

In fact, the Lord of the Li family had attempted to seek justice for Li Qingzhou, only to be severely injured by Lin Tianxing. In the end, the Li family had to hold in their anger and swallow their pride.

Li Qingzhou stayed with the Li family for another three years, using all kinds of elixirs to regain at least his cultivation, but to no avail.

At first, everyone sympathized with him. But eventually, people started to ridicule him.

Some even kept mentioning the false accusations Lin Yuqing had blamed on Li Qingzhou, and soon, everyone started to believe in the rumors.

But Li Qingzhou had never given up. He still drew his sword ten thousand times a day to develop his sword heart. Still, he could not cultivate or even reenter the Wave Realm again. And that was when he decided to attend the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony to try his luck.

He was hopeful, but even he did not expect to join Qingyun Peak and regain his Supreme Sword Bone!

It all just felt like a dream!

Ye Chen listened with great interest. Although he had already read Li Qingzhou's experience provided by the system, it was still too general. Listening to Li Qingzhou recount his past revealed more details that enhanced his story.

Ye Chen said, "You can never know a person's face without knowing his heart. There are dangers everywhere in the martial world. You must always be alert and remember the rules of Qingyun Peak. You must always be cautious and prudent!"

Li Qingzhou agreed with him, "Yeah! If I had listened to Master's teachings earlier, my Supreme Sword Bone would never have been taken away by that snake of a woman! If Master had not taken me in, I don't think I would have been able to regain my Supreme Sword Bone!"

"Well, it's not a big deal that your Supreme Sword Bone was taken. All you need to do is to cultivate around Master!" Zi Menghan casually reassured Li Qingzhou.

Li Qingzhou said, "Senior Sister, please don't be sarcastic! You're a talented person so how could you ever understand my feelings?! Everyone had always looked at me as if I was a piece of trash. I was the victim but people treated me like I was the culprit. You wouldn't know what it's like."

Zi Menghan blinked and looked at Li Qingzhou with dissatisfaction. Then, she turned to look at Ye Chen and said, "Master, he said that I am talented but I think he is insulting me. Can I beat him up?"

What?

How did she misinterpret his praises for insults?

Li Qingzhou cautiously said, "Senior Sister, you have already entered?Vision Realm at such a young age. Don't you think that your talent is extraordinary?"

"Your senior sister has an Innate Crippled Body," said Ye Chen.

Li Qingzhou couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief as he said, "Impossible! How can one cultivate with an Innate Crippled Body?"

Ye Chen said, "Your senior sister created her own Visualization Cultivation System, where she can cultivate simply by visualizing things. Everything that she used to fight you earlier had been visualized and formed by her."

"A self-created cultivation system? Senior Sister is such a monster!" Li Qingzhou could not help but admire her.

Zi Menghan shook her head lightly. "I am only able to do so because I could sense Master's Dao rhythm during his cultivation. If I had not met Master, I would have still been a useless person with an Innate Crippled Body."

"Master is even more powerful!"

Li Qingzhou praised Ye Chen, silently glad that he had joined Qingyun Peak.

Ye Chen turned to Li Qingzhou and asked, "Now that you have broken through to?Vision Realm, what are your plans? Are you going to take revenge on Lin Yuqing?"

Li Qingzhou frowned slightly and said, "I am always thinking about taking revenge on her, but not now."

Three years ago, Lin Yuqing had joined the Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land but he did not know how far she had gotten in her cultivation or if she was connected to anyone powerful.

"Taking revenge on her now would be too risky."

Ye Chen nodded, "That's right. It is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge. You have thought it through thoroughly. I am relieved and have nothing to worry about, then."

Li Qingzhou sighed and slowly said, "Master, three years ago, my father was severely injured by Lin Tianxing because of me. His meridians and internal organs have been destroyed and his injuries have yet to recover! Now that I have my Supreme Sword Bone again, I am ready to go down the mountain to find some healing pills for my father. I would like your permission and blessing for me to do so, Master!"

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Master Is Truly as Prudent as...as an Old Spirit Mountain!

After saying this, Li Qingzhou looked at Ye Chen with nervous anticipation. He knew that his master's main priority was to always be prudent. So, he did not know if his master would let him go down the mountain.

Zi Menghan also wanted to know if Ye Chen would allow Li Qingzhou to go.

With his two disciples looking at him, Ye Chen smiled after pondering for a moment and said, "In this world, there are things that we must not do, and things that we must do. Your father has yet to recover from his serious injury. If you want to go down the mountain, then it is not a problem. Just remember the rules of Qingyun Peak."

"Thank you, Master!" Li Qingzhou expressed his gratitude.

He knew that he regained his Supreme Sword Bone because of his master. And he also knew that after he went down the mountain, his training would definitely not be able to progress as quickly as it could in Qingyun Peak.

However, his father had not recovered from his serious injury, so he had no choice but to go down the mountain.

Ye Chen said, "I have all the healing spirit medicines that you need. They should be sufficient to heal your father and also to be used in your journey should you find the need for them. Also, I will teach you two life-saving skills before you go. You're not allowed to leave before mastering the basics."

Thanks to the combination of his servant puppets, Time Spirit Spring, and Auspicious Pill Cauldron, Ye Chen was able to refine more than ten kinds of pills that could heal the internal organs and meridians. Moreover, he had stocks of dozens and hundreds of bottles for each kind. Any one of them could cure Li Qingzhou's father so his disciple's mission shouldn't be a problem at all.

Li Qingzhou was so touched that his eyes started to fill with tears. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Master! I will not hesitate to execute your orders in the future!"

"Watch carefully!"

Ye Chen's expression turned serious as his essence, Qi, and spirit gathered together. A sword shadow appeared above his head and slashed towards the sky at an extremely fast speed.

Extreme Realm Sword Slash!

Boom!

The chaotic power of the five elements suddenly appeared mid-air, intertwining with each other and forcefully blocking this sword attack.

However, the sword shadow continued on its path towards the sky, unhindered by the interception earlier. Then, a bright five-colored light appeared around the entire Qingyun Peak as it flickered a few times and almost shattered.

Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou's pupils slightly contracted. They knew how powerful this great mountain protection array was. When Li Qingzhou broke through and his sword light soared towards the sky, it wasn't even able to cause much of a disturbance on the array. However, their master's sword almost broke through the great mountain protection array and they simply watched in awe.

Their master was just too powerful!

Speaking of which, was this really their master's full strength?

How much more of his strength and abilities did their master hide?

When Li Qingzhou's Supreme Sword Bone had reformed, it allowed him to maintain a state of brightly lit sword heart at all times. Thus, he had an incredible comprehension of the Sword Path and could tell how terrifying this attack was.

A sword that gathered all of one's essence, Qi, and spirit could destroy everything. It was indomitable and could instantly unleash its full power. At critical moments, not only could it save his life, but it could even kill powerful enemies!

Li Qingzhou felt that if he learned this skill and combined it with his Supreme Sword Bone, he might just be able to stand his ground against a Primordial Realm expert!

His master was truly a master. Even his Sword King Body could only look up to Ye Chen's sword skills!

"This skill is called Extreme Realm Sword Slash. If you use your Extreme Realm Qi and spirit during your sword attack, you will be able to instantly increase your battle power by ten times. After you learn this skill, I will teach you another one."

Ye Chen explained the essence and operation of the Extreme Realm Sword Slash in detail and Li Qingzhou was able to understand it instantly. But he still needed to try it out himself.

Next, Ye Chen taught Li Qingzhou about Imminent Skyline. This kind of speed shocked Li Qingzhou.

Even Zi Menghan was too. She came from an empire and had seen a lot of speed-related skills before. However, she had never heard of a skill like Imminent Skyline that allowed one to increase the distance taken by each step with an increase of their energy!

No wonder her master said that it was a life-saving skill. It was the perfect escape method for when one could not defeat an enemy. One step and the person could reach the other end of the world instantly.

Li Qingzhou could not wait to start training. He knew how precious these two skills were so he trained them very seriously. He did not dare to slack off at all.

These were skills that could save his life after all!

As for Zi Menghan, Ye Chen did not deliberately hide these skill from her because her cultivation system relied more on mental strength which is different from what those skills required.

If she could learn them, Ye Chen would have taught her those skills a long time ago.

Zi Menghan reached out a finger and poked Ye Chen's shoulder. Ye Chen glared at her. "What are you doing?"

"I just want to see if Master is a real person or a puppet." Zi Menghan stuck out her tongue.

Ye Chen asked, "So what do you see?"

Zi Menghan shook her head. She was having a hard time telling whether this master was the real deal or a puppet.

After some time, Zi Menghan smiled slyly, "Master, I know that this must be a puppet."

"Oh? How did you deduce that?" asked Ye Chen in return.

Zi Menghan said, "Master is a cultivation maniac. When you cultivate, there will be Dao rhythms circulating around you. Since I can still sense your Dao rhythms all over Qingyun Peak, you must still be cultivating, which means this is not the real you."

Ye Chen nodded and asked, "Li Qingzhou is already planning to leave the mountain. When are you planning to go home?"

Zi Menghan's expression froze for a moment before she laughed self-deprecatingly, "In the eyes of the rest of the family, I am just a useless, crippled body. What difference does it make whether I go back or not? I'm perfectly happy staying on Qingyun Peak is fine. This is my home now."

Ye Chen looked at her deeply and said, "As long as you want to, you can stay here for as long as you want."

The heartless empire she had come from was the most powerful. Having such a constitution would mean that Zi Menghan would constantly be under more pressure than others if she remained in Ziwei Empire!

One month later, Li Qingzhou had completely mastered these two skills.

In fact, it only took Li Qingzhou three days to master the Extreme Realm Sword Slash. It was Imminent Skyline that took him longer to master.

Right now, Li Qingzhou was already at the second level of Imminent Skyline, which meant that he could move ten miles in one step.

If he tried his best, he could even already be in the third level of Imminent Skyline, which was one hundred miles in one step!

Li Qingzhou's understanding of the Sword Path was too high. If it were anyone else, they might not even be able to understand the essence of it in a few months, let alone use it.

After both of Li Qingzhou's skills had been tested by Ye Chen, the latter waved his hand and dozens of small jade bottles filled with all kinds of pills appeared in the air. "Take these spirit pills back with you. There are a lot of healing ones inside. I think any one of them can heal your father's injuries.

"Oh right, you should take this puppet body of mine with you. I don't usually use it anyway. If you run into any life-and-death situations, this puppet will be able to help you."

After saying that, the puppet body that had appeared as Ye Chen before the two disciples shrunk rapidly – in a blink of an eye, it had shrunk to three inches in size. It then turned into a small wooden stick and stuck itself into Li Qingzhou's hair bun.

Li Qingzhou was completely shocked.

The person who had been talking to him was only Master's puppet?

Wait a minute!

Was the master he had met even be Master's real body?

Gosh, Master had really hidden himself too well!

He was too prudent... as prudent as an old spirit mountain!

"Thank you, Master! I will go down the mountain now!" Li Qingzhou bowed towards where the puppet had once stood, then cupped his hands towards Zi Menghan from afar before floating down the mountain.

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The Primordial Realm and the Death Spirit Seal

After Li Qingzhou left, Qingyun Peak once again returned to its usual tranquility.

Under Ye Chen's control, the servant puppets watered the herb garden with water from the Time Spirit Spring every day. The spirit herbs produced were thrown into the Auspicious Pill Cauldron and transformed into medicinal pills. With a constant supply of pills, Ye Chen happily cultivated to the Peak Stage of Vision Realm.

Since Ye Chen possessed the Primordial Chaos Body, he hardly, if ever, experienced bottlenecks in his cultivation. As long as he consistently maintained his cultivation at the Peak Stage of Vision Realm, he would eventually be able to break through to Primordial Realm.

Six months passed in a blink of an eye.

Apart from cultivating, Ye Chen would occasionally check on Li Qingzhou's situation through the master-disciple interface, which only pinged him on important events that his disciples experienced. However, if he was willing to pay more attention, Ye Chen would be able to track his disciples' progress and activities with more details.

[Your disciple, Li Qingzhou, has left Xuantian Holy Land and used Imminent Skyline to travel. Every step he took covered ten miles of his journey. After a hundred steps, his divine energy was exhausted. He only recovered after meditating for three days.]

[Your disciple, Li Qingzhou, has returned to Desolate Horn Region via the Great Teleportation Array. He passed by the Misty Cloud Ridge and killed an evil man-eating dragon. However, in doing so, he provoked an evil Dark Dragon King who was at the Peak Stage of Demon King Realm and fled in a panic.]

[Your disciple, Li Qingzhou, has returned to Wu Ling City to heal his father's injuries. After that, he proceeded to avenge his father by barging into the Lin family alone and destroying the Dantian Wave of the Lin family's Lord – Lin Tianxing – with a single strike of his sword. He then threatened to seek revenge on Lin Yuqing in the future.]

[After leaving dozens of precious elixirs for his father, your disciple, Li Qingzhou, left Wu Ling City and prepared to return to Qingyun Peak.]

[When your disciple, Li Qingzhou, passed by Broken Sword Mountain Range, he sensed an endless sword intent lurking around him. When he went to investigate, he bumped into the disciple of Divine Sword School, Jian Wuchen, who had been cultivating his Sword Path. The two of them shared their experiences and knowledge of the Sword Path and appreciated each other's company. They left as good friends.]

[Your disciple, Li Qingzhou, was ambushed by Jian Wuchen. He was seriously injured but managed to escape. During his escape, he accidentally entered the Lifeless Sword Tomb and was trapped by the ocean of sword intent. He decided to make the best out of his situation and focused on comprehending the Lifeless Sword Intent.]

...

Ye Chen looked at Li Qingzhou's experience with great interest and thought to himself, 'This kid's journey is really interesting. He has experienced so many things in just half a year. No wonder he is a Qi anomaly!'

However, the outside world was really dangerous. A single, seemingly harmless step and one could encounter an enemy. It would have been safer for him to stay at Qingyun Peak.

Besides, Li Qingzhou was still not cautious enough. How could he so easily deem someone as his very good friend from their first and only encounter? He was too reckless.

Fortunately, Li Qingzhou could keep his sword heart bright at all times, which meant that Jian Wuchen's sneak attack was not a life-threatening danger for Li Qingzhou. After all, the puppet that Ye Chen had left with Li Qingzhou had not been activated yet.

Although Li Qingzhou had been trapped in the Lifeless Sword Tomb for the time being, he was not in any life-threatening danger either. And since he was surrounded by an ocean of sword intent, his entrapment there might just be a blessing in disguise.

Still, Ye Chen was very concerned about this disciple of his.

Eventually, Ye Chen's consistency and persistence paid off – he finally broke through to Primordial Realm and his Primordial Spirit was born. Now that he had progressed this far, he would be able to allow his Primordial Spirit to leave his body and travel anywhere in the world without restrictions. He would also be able to transmit his voice over thousands of miles.

Of course, this new ability came with a weakness too. Once his Primordial Spirit left his body, it would be very vulnerable to countless threats. As such, no one would choose to have their Primordial Spirit leave their body unless it was absolutely necessary.

[Congratulations to the host for breaking through to Primordial Realm. You have obtained the supreme treasure, the Death Spirit Seal.]

[Death Spirit Seal: A supreme treasure that can summon the dead. Once the Death Spirit Seal has been fused into one's body, it can be activated to summon any of the dead within the vicinity. The summoned dead will still possess all the battle power they had when they were alive.

This seal can be used to summon anyone from the dead, no matter how powerful, how?long ago, or how they died. As long as the person had once been alive and had died, he or she can be summoned.

The stronger the divine consciousness of the Death Spirit Seal's master, the larger the area from which one can summon the dead.]

[Remark: The Death Spirit Seal can only summon the dead that have bones. It cannot be used to summon pure divine consciousness.]

Ye Chen stared at his reward with eyes wide open.

F*ck, this reward was too heaven-defying.

He could now bring anything dead back to life, along with its full battle power.

Ye Chen took a deep breath as his eyes shone with eagerness.

Countless ancestors were buried in the tombs of Xuantian Holy Land. There were countless powerful warriors, including those who had been in Dao Lord Realm, buried under him. There were also quite a number Slash Realm and Saint Realm warriors!

If Xuantian Holy Land encountered a powerful enemy against whom the living could not defend, these ancestors could be brought out of their coffins to fight for their Holy Land once more!

Ye Chen examined the ancient seal covered in a greyish-white death Qi mentally. The entirety of the ancient seal was covered in all kinds of patterns that looked like ghost symbols.

Ye Chen mentally moved the ancient seal upwards and it slowly disappeared into his forehead.

When Ye Chen focused his consciousness on the Death Spirit Seal, his eyes faintly emitted a greyish-white deathly Qi as well. His divine consciousness spread out into deep valleys, ancient forests, underground rivers, hidden caves, and many other places, clearly sensing countless skeletons.

Some of these skeletons belonged to those with weaker cultivations and hadn't even entered Wave Realm while many others were probably the dead disciples from the Holy Land.

Ye Chen eventually understood that it would be quite difficult to summon all of the powerful dead to help with any fight. After all, his divine consciousness could reach thousands of miles, which was not a small area.

The only limit to his current level of divine consciousness was that he couldn't penetrate past the bigger rocks underground.

If only he had those high-density crystal ore veins as one of his resources at Qingyun Peak, then his divine consciousness would be able to penetrate even deeper.

Usually, the higher one's cultivation, the more important they would be after death and the deeper they would be buried. Very few of them would be buried in the shallower depths underground.

Ye Chen tried to sense these higher cultivators and discovered the many experts who had died because they hadn't broken through instead. Most of them were Primordial Realm experts, while some were at a higher level. There were even a few of them who were already in Dao Lord Realm.

But that was the extent of experts he could sense. Those in Slash Realm and above were most likely buried deeper than he could sense since there were none in the depths he had already scanned through.

Ye Chen decided to make do with what he had for now and activated the Death Spirit Seal. At the bottom of a certain valley, a skeleton that had been dead for a long time rose from the ground and stood up unsteadily. Its eyes shone with gray-white flames and its whole body was filled with death Qi as it waved the rusty blade in his hand.

A disciple of a peak was gathering herbs in the valley when he saw the skeleton. He was so frightened that he dumped the hoe in his hand and scrambled away, screaming, "Ghost! Help!"

As the person who summoned it, Ye Chen knew that this skeleton knew all kinds of skills and secret methods from when it was alive.

The deathly Qi was like life vital Qi as it lingered around this skeleton's body. Other than the fact that it had no mind of its own, it was no different from a living person!

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The Return of the Disciple of the Ex-Peak Lord

The bones of this skeleton might look rotten but the death Qi flowing all around it made it stronger than fine gold.

The skeleton swung his blade and a blade ray suffused with gray-white death Qi slashed out to make a deep cut on the cliff before him.

This was a blade method that the skeleton had learned before it died, the Wind Splitting Slash.

Even though it was using death Qi instead of divine energy from when it was alive, the effect of the attack was still the same.

Soon, a second skeleton came out of the ground, then a third, fourth, and so on.

In addition to human skeletons were beast skeletons.

Some of these beast skeletons were spirit beasts that elders of the Holy Land had raised before they died, while others were beasts that had invaded the Holy Land, then there were those that were killed by the disciples of the Holy Land. Regardless of how they died, their skeletons rose from the ground with a single command from Ye Chen.

As long as Ye Chen's divine consciousness was present in the area, the dead present could be summoned and controlled concurrently!

Moreover, Ye Chen wouldn't even need to be physically present to summon the dead in the future. His substitute puppets would suffice as long as it was imbued with Ye Chen's divine consciousness.

Meanwhile, back at the various peaks of Xuantian Holy Land, many powerful figures shot up into the sky. Their eyes scanned their surroundings cautiously, but they could not find what they were looking for.

The Xuantian Holy Lord stood proudly in the air as his vision of 108 huge stars shone around him with an unprecedented bright light. His entire being emitted an ocean-like pressure and his eyes were filled with cold electricity. With a voice as loud and clear as a bell, he asked, "Who dares to play tricks on us?"

D*mn, had he just alerted the Holy Lord and other Peak Lords?

Ye Chen's divine consciousness shifted slightly and the dead that he had summoned sank back into the ground once more.

"Where do you think you are going?"

The Peak Lord of the Crimson Flame Peak shouted as he reached out his hand toward a human-shaped skeleton, grabbing it forcefully.

But the moment he did, the death Qi encircling the human-shaped skeleton disappeared and the skeleton returned to its lifeless state. It appeared to have been shattered with a single touch by the Peak Lord.

The Xuantian Holy Lord, Peak Lords, and elders were shocked. No matter how many skills and secret methods they scoured through, they could not find any information that could explain what had just happened. In the end, they had no choice but to disperse.

A few years ago, there was a vision that had blotted out the sky. Now, the dead had risen. The Xuantian Holy Lord was physically and mentally exhausted from trying to figure all of these out. He simply asked the rest to be on their guard and thoroughly investigate each of their disciples to ensure no evil cultivators had snuck in.

Since he had to lay low to avoid attracting any more attention in Xuantian Holy Land, Ye Chen continued to immerse himself in his cultivation.

Now that he had the Time Spirit Spring and the Auspicious Pill Cauldron, Ye Chen was prepared to continue living on the mountain with no plans to leave until he was invincible.

And with that, Xuantian Holy Land regained its usual peace. The Disciple Acceptance Ceremony, outer disciple competitions, inner disciple competitions, ranked battles, and sect missions continued with no further interruptions.

And as usual, the only participation Ye Chen showed was in the annual Disciple Acceptance Ceremony via his puppet to search for more Qi anomalies.

Unfortunately, Qi anomalies were not easy to find and Ye Chen did not get anything from subsequent Disciple Acceptance Ceremonies.

Zi Menghan was not interested in that either, so she had also been focusing on her cultivation.

One day, Ye Chen's peaceful life started to change.

While Ye Chen was in closed-door cultivation, he could sense that a Jade Communication Talisman with the aura of the Xuantian Holy Lord had entered the boundaries of the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array.

Hmmph! This old man must have given up on using his divine consciousness to enter after being trapped in the array twice. So he decided to switch to using the Jade Communication Talisman instead.

The Jade Communication Talisman was not like those that could only transmit a single message. It consisted of two parts – a Yin and Yang. Thus, as long as one was not too far away and each end had one part of the talisman, they could communicate through the distance.

Ye Chen allowed the Jade Communication Talisman to land on his hand. Then, he heard the voice of the Xuantian Holy Land come out from it. "Junior Brother Ye, the eldest disciple of the previous Qingyun Peak Lord, Liao Wuhen, has returned from his training in the outer world. After learning about what happened to Qingyun Peak, he vowed to take revenge."

Ye Chen was surprised. "I didn't expect that there would still be disciples from Qingyun Peak who managed to survive. Why hasn't he returned after so many years? Is the current Liao Wuhen even the same person? Or has he been possessed?"

Qingyun Peak had been destroyed for a full ten years. And now someone wanted to enter, claiming to be a disciple? Ye Chen immediately raised his guard. This was just too suspicious.

The Xuantian Holy Lord spoke again. "Don't worry. I have also investigated his claim thoroughly. Apparently, Liao Wuhen had gone out with three other core disciples of Qingyun Peak to explore a ruin sixteen years ago. But he had accidentally entered an ancient array and was trapped in.

"Not long ago, the Xuantian Holy Son happened to pass by that ancient array and sensed his distress signal. Eventually, he managed to rescue Liao Wuhen from the ancient array.

"I had also considered the possibility of Liao Wuhen being possessed. For that, I used the Xuantian Treasure Mirror to examine his soul and the mirror reflected a soul and body that was in perfect harmony with each other. So I can confirm that he hasn't been possessed."

"As long as he isn't possessed!"

Ye Chen was slightly relieved. "Were the other three core disciples rescued?"

"They were not so lucky. Liao Wuhen had stepped into a trapping array but the others entered a killing array. This is why Liao Wuhen is the only survivor."

Ye Chen frowned again. He was the only one who made it out alive?

Something was starting to smell fishy again!

"Since Holy Lord has informed me of this, do you intend for me to let him return to Qingyun Peak to cultivate?" asked Ye Chen.

The Xuantian Holy Lord fell silent for a moment before he said, "Liao Wuhen has found out that Senior Uncle Changsheng appointed you as the Qingyun Peak Lord. But he is unconvinced of your eligibility, thus he intends to challenge you in public. If he wins, he will replace you as the new Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak based on the rules of Xuantian Holy Land."

Obviously, Ye Chen was not too pleased to hear that.

What was his problem?

'He has just returned to civilization and now wants to steal my position?'

"I refuse to accept the challenge!" Ye Chen replied without hesitation, which made the Xuantian Holy Lord choke for a moment.

"You can refuse if you want. But you should just hand over your position to him," said the Xuantian Holy Lord.

So, there was nothing to discuss?

"What is Liao Wuhen's current cultivation?" asked Ye Chen.

"Late Stage of Vision Realm," said the Xuantian Holy Lord quickly.

Ye Chen asked, "Can I send my disciple to fight in my stead?"

If he could, he would. Wouldn't that fall in line with his philosophy of being as cautious and prudent as possible?

The Xuantian Holy Lord said, "Of course, you can! But, your two disciples..."

Obviously, to the Xuantian Holy Lord and anyone else, Ye Chen's two disciples were both cripples – one with an Innate Crippled Body and the other with a crippled Sword Spirit Body. How could any of them be able to face Liao Wuhen?

"Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing. And since Liao Wuhen is the one who challenged me, I have the right to decide when, right?"

"Yes, but don't drag it out too long. You should decide on a date and time no longer than one month from now."

The Xuantian Holy Lord had to give Ye Chen a deadline to prevent the latter from dragging things out for too long.

"A month later it is! And in that period of time, I will stand my ground as the Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak. I'm still a little suspicious of Liao Wuhen so as long as I'm the Peak Lord, he is not allowed to take a single step into Qingyun Peak!"

"Alright, I shall let him stay in Xuantian Main Peak in the meantime."

And with that, the Xuantian Holy Lord ended their conversation.

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I Am Chen Beixuan!

Broken Sword Mountain Range, Lifeless Sword Tomb.

In a wasteland with a circumference of nearly a hundred miles, dark red mounds that looked like steamed buns dotted the landscape, each stabbed with thousands of flying swords. These were tombs.

Each flying sword had a different form and aura from another – some were as thin as cicada wings, some were as big as door panels, some were wrapped with lightning, some were almost transparent, and some were still dripping blood.

All of these flying swords had achieved the status of being spirit treasures and yet, no one had ever possessed a single one of them, not even a Peak-Stage Primordial Realm expert.

The tombs might look ordinary, but each had a mysterious sword array to not only restrain the flying swords but also protect them.

Each sword stuck in the tombs seemed alive, vibrating and humming to its own tune. The volume of swords caused their collective sword Qi to shoot up towards the sky and converge into a vast ocean of sword intent around the tombs.

Li Qingzhou hovered upright in the middle of the ocean of sword intent. His white robe had already been torn into pieces but his body emitted a sharp aura that seemed to have merged with the surrounding Lifeless Sword Intent. Now, he looked like a sharp sword that had just been unsheathed.

Fortunately, all of these were only possible because Li Qingzhou had brought enough pellets with him to recover from the injuries incurred by Jian Wuchen's sneak attack.

Suddenly, Ye Chen's voice came through the puppet attached to Li Qingzhou. "I have received a challenge from someone and it is due in a month. Would you be able to fight in my stead?"

Dealing with Liao Wuhen, a Late-Stage Vision Realm expert, was not a big deal for Ye Chen. However, he was still unwilling to fight personally. If he could, he wanted to remain in the background.

Ye Chen could have easily asked Zi Menghan to suppress Liao Wuhen. However, she had an Innate Crippled Body. If she was sent out to battle, especially with her current cultivation level, she would just attract too much attention.

Li Qingzhou, on the other hand, was a more suitable candidate to stand in for Ye Chen.

He might have been remembered as the person who had lost his Supreme Sword Bone, crippling his Sword Spirit Body, but the fact that he had this previous glory meant that he had always been Heaven's favorite. Although the reappearance of his Supreme Sword Bone was unexpected, it was not unreasonable. The most that would happen was that others would simply envy Li Qingzhou's heaven-defying turnaround after becoming Ye Chen's disciple. None would suspect Ye Chen to be related to it at all.

"I will be there!" Two dazzling sword lights appeared in Li Qingzhou's eyes.

Within minutes, the Supreme Sword Bone on Li Qingzhou's chest shone with a similar dazzling light that behaved similarly to a black hole as it forcefully drew the boundless Lifeless Sword Intent into itself.

In a few breaths' time, the boundless Lifeless Sword Intent had completely been absorbed by the Supreme Sword Bone on Li Qingzhou's chest.

With a loud shout, Li Qingzhou slapped his palm onto the sword tomb below him, and one flying sword after another unsheathed themselves from the tombs before exploding mid-air and converging into pure sword essence that filled the sky. Finally, the spread of pure sword essence condensed into a three-foot-long sword with a divine aura that landed in Li Qingzhou's hand.

"From now on, you shall be called the Lifeless Sword!" Li Qingzhou softly proclaimed.

The Lifeless Sword responded with a clear ring – it seemed to understand what Li Qingzhou was saying as it merged with his Supreme Sword Bone.

Without the thousands of spirit treasure-level flying swords, the Lifeless Sword Tomb collapsed and Li Qingzhou reappeared in Broken Sword Mountain Range.

Suddenly, there was a flash of sword light and Li Qingzhou felt an oncoming attack toward his back.

Clang!

The Lifeless Sword instinctively left the Supreme Sword Bone to intercept the attack. Li Qingzhou turned around and looked coldly at the attacker. "Jian Wuchen, is that all you've got?"

A white-clothed young man appeared, riding on a purple-gold sword in the air. He looked to be in his early twenties, standing tall and straight while his eyes shone like two stars. Jian Wuchen confronted Li Qingzhou like an unsheathed sword.

"You finally came out!"

"You were waiting for me during the three whole years I was in there?! D*mn!"

"I won't let you escape this time. This time, I will take your life!"

With an angry shout, a sea of sword shadows appeared behind Jian Wuchen. The real yet illusory vision behind him entered the ancient sword under his feet, turning the weapon into a streak of light that slashed toward Li Qingzhou.

The Lifeless Sword let out a clear hum and its boundless Lifeless Sword Essence exploded instantly.

Jian Wuchen's Thunder Sword collapsed and his head flew off with eyes still wide open in disbelief.

The moment Jian Wuchen's corpse fell to the ground, Li Qingzhou stretched out his hand and a fireball appeared in it. With a slight toss, Jian Wuchen's corpse and head caught on fire, instantly incinerating into ashes.

'Master had instructed that the body must be destroyed after the enemy has been killed!'

At this moment, a strand of divine consciousness appeared from Jian Wuchen's burning head. It turned into a middle-aged man in the air with a strong sword aura.

The middle-aged man stared at Li Qingzhou and angrily asked, "Who are you? How dare you kill a disciple of Divine Sword School? Tell me your name!"

"I am Chen Beixuan from Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land!" Li Qingzhou replied arrogantly.

This was one of the aliases Ye Chen had prepared for him and Zi Menghan in preparation for these kinds of situations.

"Someone from Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land? No wonder you were able to kill our disciple! Chen Beixuan, I will remember you! Your death will be upon you soon!" The middle-aged man shouted.

Li Qingzhou disdainfully said, "The Holy Lands don't usually care about fights between the younger generation. But if the seniors want to start getting involved, Ten Thousand Holy Land will not take this lying down!"

"We may not be a Holy Land, but we are still a great school. We are not afraid of Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land!

"Moreover, who said we will deal with you personally?

"All I need to do is issue a wanted notice for you with a high reward and plenty of people will be willing to take your life!"

The middle-aged man snorted coldly before his figure dissipated.

Li Qingzhou lightly shook his head, ransacked the treasures that Jian Wuchen had left behind, and left on the Lifeless Sword under his feet, surfing back to Xuantian Holy Land on the stream of light.

Half a month later, Li Qingzhou arrived back at Qingyun Peak and reported his return to Ye Chen. Then, he focused on his cultivation and quietly waited for Liao Wuhen to challenge him.

Meanwhile, Divine Sword Sect had proceeded to do what the middle-aged man Li Qingzhou had encountered promised to do.

Since the Divine Sword Sect's disciple had been killed by Chen Beixuan of Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land, they specially offered a soul treasure for Chen Beixuan's head.

The reason Divine Sword School didn't mind attracting so much attention was that they wanted to use this opportunity to tell the world that anyone who dared to provoke them would have to pay a bloody price!

Soul treasures were treasures that could only be refined by powerful experts and Dao Lords. These treasures were so powerful and precious that most Peak-Stage Primordial Realm experts didn't even have one!

Thus, when the reward was revealed for the wanted notice on Chen Beixuan, many Primordial Realm experts in Eastern Wastelands did not hesitate to start their hunt. Even those from Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land joined in.

However, after hunting for a while, those involved were shocked to find out that Chen Beixuan did not exist in Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land!

The death of the successor of Divine Sword School was at the hands of an identified murderer. Divine Sword School ended up becoming a laughing stock in Eastern Wastelands.

Time flew by and a month was almost up.

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Liao Wuhen's Secret

Challenging a Peak Lord was a big deal in Xuantian Holy Land and had always been carried out on Xuantian Main Peak to ensure the fairness of the event.

On the day of the challenge, the Xuantian Holy Lord had ordered Ye Chen to arrive early to prevent him from causing any trouble. As such, even though the challenge was scheduled to go down in the afternoon, Ye Chen was expected to arrive in the morning.

The blazing sun gradually rose as Ye Chen brought Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou to Xuantian Main Peak.

Xuantian Main Peak was about three thousand meters tall, decorated with pavilions, magnificent fountains, and cascading waterfalls. From time to time, streaks of rainbow light would fly across the sky as all kinds of spirit birds flew around freely as if it was a paradise on earth.

By the time Ye Chen and the others arrived, the Xuantian Holy Lord and the others were already waiting by the training ground.

Ye Chen could tell at a glance that the Xuantian Holy Lord before them was just an illusion. The event was not major enough to require his true physical presence. Standing next to his illusion was the Xuantian Holy Son, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was a handsome and elegant youth. And even though he was still quite a distance away from Ye Chen and his group, they could see his immortal Qi spiraling all around him as his body emitted a mysterious Dao rhythm and exuded a grand aura.

[Name: Xiao Yixian]

[Identity: Holy Son of Xuantian Holy Land]

[Cultivation: Mid Stage of Primordial Realm]

[Aptitude: Stellar Divine Body ]

...

The cultivation base of the Xuantian Holy Son was much higher than that of Holy Maiden Xue Wei, which made sense. Holy Sons such as Xiao Yixian were usually required to travel the world and deal with various challenges, while Holy Maidens such as Xue Wei were responsible for socializing with and receiving people.

Behind the Xuantian Holy Son stood eight young disciples with extraordinary temperaments. Each of them exuded a powerful fluctuation of aura – they were elites in Vision Realm.

These were the followers of the Xuantian Holy Son.

In the history of Eastern Wastelands, many powerful elites had a large number of powerful followers. After all, one need not do everything by themselves, and it was a supreme honor for cultivators to follow powerful people.

Some overwhelming prodigies were destined to become main characters as soon as they were born, allowing their followers to obtain countless benefits for the latters' cultivation.

After he rescued Liao Wuhen from the ancient array, the Xuantian Holy Son had been wanting him to be his follower. So, how could he miss a challenge extended by his future follower?

In the same area where the Xuantian Holy Lord and Holy Son stood were six elders with white hair and greying beards who sat cross-legged. These were the people responsible for the personnel appointment and dismissal of those in Xuantian Holy Realm. Since the Xuantian Holy Lord was present, the elders had to be too.

Finally, the last person in the row of people was a young man in light blue clothes. He had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. A scimitar hung from his waist as a strange vision of a blue sky and a red sun appeared behind him. The aura he exuded was especially terrifying.

This was Liao Wuhen!

And that was it for those present. No one else, not even the other Peak Lords, came.

Strictly speaking, all Peak Lords should have been present since challenging a Peak Lord was a very serious matter.

However, since it was just Qingyun Peak, which consisted of Ye Chen, Li Qingzhou, and Zi Menghan, none of the other Peak Lords thought it'd be too interesting. They didn't even send out their representatives and entrusted the final decision in the hands of the Xuantian Holy Lord.

But Ye Chen was not bothered. His eyes landed on Liao Wuhen and relevant information appeared in his mind.

[Name: Liao Wuhen]

[Identity: The head disciple of Xuantian Holy Land's Qingyun Peak Lord, Ling Aojue but he has already been possessed by the Outer Realm Sky Demon that is hiding in the depths of his heart]

[Cultivation: Late Stage of Vision Realm]

[Character experience: Liao Wuhen was born on Xuantian Holy Land's Qingyun Peak as a descendant of a Xuantian Holy Land elder. He had a good background and was eventually accepted as a personal disciple by the former Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak, Ling Aojue.

He entered?Wave Realm at the age of eight, activated his meridian at the age of twelve, and broke through to?Vision Realm at the age of seventeen. He was the no. 1 disciple of Qingyun Peak.

But when he was twenty-two, he had only broken through to the Mid Stage of Vision Realm. Since he did not progress any further after ten years, a few disciples invited him to explore a ruin.

When they arrived, they found a small black bottle covered in seals. For some reason, he decided to release the seal and accidentally released the Outer Realm Sky Demon who planted a demon seed in his heart. Eventually, his mind became polluted.

The Outer Realm Sky Demon was extremely familiar with the arrays around the ruin so he controlled them to kill the other disciples. The Sky Demon then devoured their souls, Qi, and blood, to recuperate and break through to the Late Stage of Vision Realm.

A month ago, the Xuantian Holy Son, Xiao Yixian, passed by the ruins and rescued Liao Wuhen.

When he learned Qingyun Peak had been completely wiped out, Liao Wuhen was prepared to challenge the current Peak Lord, Ye Chen. Once he took back Qingyun Peak, he would further his cultivation.

...

'I knew it! There was something fishy about him!' thought Ye Chen to himself after reading Liao Wuhen's character experience.

This guy was not possessed by someone but had instead been planted with a demon seed by the Outer Realm Sky Demon which lived within him more subtly. No wonder the Xuantian Holy Lord could not find anything wrong with Liao Wuhen, even with the use of the Xuantian Treasure Mirror.

Ye Chen remembered how the Xuantian Holy Lord had reassured him of Liao Wuhen's intentions and now just wanted to slap that man's old face!

"Do your best to destroy his heart later. Don't worry about taking his life," said Ye Chen to Li Qingzhou.

Li Qingzhou nodded slightly. Since his master had said so, he would not hesitate to obey.

Even if Ye Chen asked him to cut Liao Wuhen into thousands of pieces, he would have definitely done it!

Ye Chen turned to the Xuantian Holy Son and looked at the latter thoughtfully. This poor boy had brought back someone who had been tainted. If things went wrong, the Xuantian Holy Son had to uphold a lot of responsibility.

When the Xuantian Holy Lord saw Ye Chen and his disciples arriving on time, a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Junior Brother Ye, you're just in time!"

The Xuantian Holy Lord always felt that Ye Chen was too cautious. The Holy Lord even thought that the Peak Lord would not come.

"Since it was Holy Lord's orders, how could I dare to be late?" Ye Chen cupped his hands toward the Xuantian Holy Lord as he lightly landed on the empty chair opposite Liao Wuhen.

Upon their arrival, Liao Wuhen stood up abruptly. With a gaze as sharp as a blade, he said, "Martial Uncle Ye, I don't know why Martial Uncle Changsheng chose you to be the Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak. However, it is obvious that I am more suitable for that position than you! I advise you to give it up. Our fight will only hurt the peace and harmony of Xuantian Holy Land!"

"How dare you talk to our Peak Lord like that?" Li Qingzhou yelled as his eyes shone like lightning. He was ready to attack at any moment.

For Li Qingzhou, his life was given by his master. So he was willing to give it up to protect Ye Chen.

But Ye Chen simply waved his hand to stop Li Qingzhou. Then, Ye Chen looked at Liao Wuhen with a smile and leisurely said, "We will soon know who is suitable to be the Peak Lord. The truth will prevail."

'Hmph, how dare you threaten me here, you little demon?'

'I will reveal your true colors later!'

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Li Qingzhou's Battle

"Alright!"

The Xuantian Holy Lord ended the argument and looked at the Xuantian Holy Son, Xiao Yixian. "Holy Son, you will be in charge of today's battle. The rest of us will watch from the sidelines."

The Xuantian Holy Son, Xiao Yixian, nodded and walked into the arena. With stars around him, Xiao Yixian turned to Liao Wuhen and said, "Liao Wuhen, as the eldest disciple of the former Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak, are you sure you want to challenge the current Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak, Ye Chen?"

Liao Wuhen stood up and cupped his hands toward the Peak Lord and the other elders, then resolutely said, "Yes!

"When the previous Peak Lord Li Changsheng appointed Ye Chen as the new Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak, he hadn't inspected Ye Chen too much. It was a bit of a hasty decision.

"Moreover, after Ye Chen became the Peak Lord, he didn't participate in any sect activities for so many years. He was mediocre and simply did nothing, making Qingyun Peak have almost no presence in Xuantian Holy Land. It's a disgrace to our ancestors!

"Thus, I have reason to suspect that Ye Chen isn't suitable to be the Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak. I hereby challenge him!

"If he can defeat me, I will recognize him as the Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak. I have no other intentions!

"But if he loses, then it just proves that he is not fit to be in charge of Qingyun Peak!"

Liao Wuhen said a lot of things righteously, thus appearing as a hot-blooded disciple who was ready to revitalize Qingyun Peak.

And the elders were pleased with what they heard. Even they agreed that since Ye Chen had taken charge of Qingyun Peak, he had not progressed it much at all. His lack of participation in the greater Holy Land truly dissatisfied them.

As such, Liao Wuhen's speech had many present looking forward to his success in the upcoming battle.

After all, no matter how bad Liao Wuhen was, he still would not let Qingyun Peak become this abandoned as Ye Chen did.

The Xuantian Holy Lord, however, remained indifferent as he sat silently.

Xiao Yixian decided to proceed. He looked at Ye Chen, cupped his hands, and said, "Peak Lord Ye, according to the rules of Xuantian Holy Land, any disciple of the main peak can challenge their own peak master. Does Peak Lord Ye have any objections?"

Internally, Xiao Yixian was already thinking of Liao Wuhen as the Peak Lord of Qingyun Peak. Since Liao Wuhen was someone he had saved from that ancient ruin and might become his follower in the future, that would mean the Xiao Yixian would have control over a peak. Wouldn't that be beneficial to him?

However, no matter how impatient or hopeful he was, he could not simply make Ye Chen give up his position to Liao Wuhen. Everything had to be done according to the rules.

Still, Xiao Yixian looked down on Ye Chen. Even if he was a Peak Lord, Ye Chen had not shown much potential in cultivation or talent. Thus, he didn't think that it would be difficult for Liao Wuhen to defeat him.

Ye Chen looked at Xiao Yixian indifferently and said, "Only that if Liao Wuhen wants to challenge me, he will have to go through my disciple first.

"No matter how weak Qingyun Peak currently is, I'm still the Peak Lord. I can't simply accept any challenge from every disciple, right?

"If there are more disciples in Qingyun Peak in the future, and all of them want to challenge me, when will I be able to cultivate and fulfill my duties as a Peak Lord then?"

Ye Chen's words made Xiao Yixian ponder for a moment before saying, "Peak Master Ye's words are right. Liao Wuhen, do you have any objections?"

What Ye Chen had said was true. Not many would challenge Peak Lords in the Holy Land. However, those who did would have to face a representative disciple of the Peak Lord first. An even smaller number would have the opportunity to face the Peak Lord directly.

But for Xiao Yixian, he believed that Ye Chen simply did not want to lose to Liao Wuhen, at least not prematurely. If his disciple fought on his master's behalf and lost, Ye Chen would most likely not continue the fight either. He would probably just give up the position of Peak Lord and at least be able to save his dignity.

"No problem! If I win against your disciple, I hope that Martial Uncle Ye would not push things back for another month!" Liao Wuhen confidently accepted Ye Chen's proposal.

When Xiao Yixian turned back to Ye Chen, the latter said, "There will be an outcome from the battle today. And if my disciple is lucky enough to leave as the winner, then Liao Wuhen will never be allowed anywhere near Qingyun Peak forever."

"Fine!" Liao Wuhen nodded.

He wouldn't lose anyway, or at least that was what he thought.

The Xuantian Holy Lord and elders weren't surprised by Ye Chen's decision.

A disciple challenging a Peak Lord was a serious provocation. It was basically a threat that would push against any Peak Lord's buttons and it would not be an exaggeration for the Peak Lord to kill the challenger on the spot. Ye Chen's proposal to banish Liao Wuhen was nothing in comparison.

"Alright! May I ask which disciple of yours will be your representative?" asked the Xuantian Holy Master?

Ye Chen gave a slight signal to Li Qingzhou and said, "Qingzhou, you go ahead."

"Yes, Master!" Li Qingzhou strode into the battleground.

Li Qingzhou had been holding back his aura the whole time so he had been appearing as an ordinary person. However, the Xuantian Holy Lord decided to look at him a little closer and started to have the feeling that this young man before them was not what he seemed."

Zi Menghan pouted slightly as she whispered to Ye Chen. "Master, I can do it too."

But Ye Chen quickly raised his hand to stop her from saying any more. He shook his head slightly and turned back to the battleground.

The people around them had profound cultivation bases. It wouldn't be surprising if they were able to listen in on any and every conversation around the battleground. The safest thing to do was to not say anything unnecessary while they were there.

Once Li Qingzhou had entered the battleground, Liao Wuhen wasted no time to join him, letting his body hover three feet above the ground while his right hand held the scimitar at his waist. His stance was much more eye-catching than Li Qingzhou's.

Xiao Yixian's said, "This arena has an area of ten miles and is imprinted with countless arrays. Once I activate the arrays, this area will expand by a hundred times and outsiders will not be able to interfere. The arrays are adequately capable of containing even a battle between two experts in Might Realm!

"At the sound of my voice, you may begin!"

"If you start to struggle, just give in and let me help. Otherwise, I'm afraid it will be too late to save you!"

"Understood!" Liao Wuhen replied loudly as his eyes shone with a bloodthirsty light.

The Outer Realm Sky Demon's influence had activated the bloodthirsty factor in his body. His killing intent surged as he used his blood to boost his abilities.

Liao Wuhen had been ignored by Ye Chen for a month. Who wouldn't be irritated and angry if put in his shoes? As such, he was ready to use Li Qingzhou's blood as a sacrifice for his little demon. He would not give any chance for anyone else to save his opponent.

Li Qingzhou looked at Liao Wuhen and quietly entered a state that calmed his heart and brightened his sword heart.

He only had one goal, and that was Liao Wuhen's heart!

"Begin!" The Xuantian Holy Son finally announced the commencement of the battle.

The scimitar was unsheathed and it shone with a brilliant blade light that seemed to be able to destroy everything. In a blink of an eye, it arrived before Li Qingzhou.

Clang!

The sound of two metals clashing into each other resonated throughout the heavens.

The Supreme Sword Bone in Li Qingzhou's chest gave off a dazzling light that overshadowed the light of the blazing sun in the sky. With a flash, the bone turned into a sword to meet Liao Wuhen's attack.

Extreme Realm Sword Slash!

Li Qingzhou did not even bother to use the Lifeless Sword. He decided to go all out with his Supreme Sword Bone and use the Extreme Realm Sword Slash to ensure nothing would go wrong.

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The Outer Realm Sky Demon

"The Supreme Sword Dao Bone!" The Xuantian Holy Lord blurted out as his eyes opened wide with surprise.

The six elders watching the battle were in Primordial Realm. But the appearance of the Supreme Sword Bone made them tremble with trepidation.

If Li Qingzhou's opponent was them, even they were not confident that they could face him head-on!

There was actually such an expert in Qingyun Peak?

Buzz!

The Xuantian Holy Son's constitution sensed something and a vast starry sky appeared around him. It was deep and endless as the stars made him look like a god in the night sky.

"The Sword King Body? How interesting!" Xiao Yixian's lips curled up slightly and a monstrous battle intent surged out of him.

His eight followers were also shocked. They had seen many geniuses and could sense their presence. Thus, they could attest that Li Qingzhou was no weaker than the young geniuses they had encountered before!

Li Qingzhou now seemed to almost be at the same level as the Xuantian Holy Son!

And they were able to sense all of these through the array. Liao Wuhen, Li Qingzhou's opponent, felt even more pressure. Now that Li Qingzhou had unleashed his full force, Liao Wuhen knew that he would never be able to intercept the former's attacks.

Even the Outer Realm Sky Demon within him felt a strong sense of danger.

But since they were now in a life or death situation, the Outer Realm Sky Demon could care less and started to act.

Liao Wuhen's heart suddenly contracted and a black demonic aura instantly enveloped his entire body. His eyes turned as black as ink – there was no white in his eyes at all – and his entire body became covered in a layer of fine greenish-black scales as a violent and bloodthirsty aura surged forth from him.

In an instant, the Outer Realm Sky Demon had taken over Liao Wuhen's body and appeared as a black mass.

A pitch-black sun appeared behind Liao Wuhen and wisps of evil demon Qi scattered down from it, blocking out the Sun and sky.

It was the vision, Demon Sun Covering the Sky!

"An evil demon!"

The Xuantian Holy Lord, six elders, and the Xuantian Holy Son knew that something was wrong. They wanted to attack Liao Wuhen immediately.

However, Li Qingzhou spared no one else a chance to take another step.

The divine sword formed by the Supreme Sword Bone flashed past and a transparent hole instantly appeared where Liao Wuhen's heart was – his heart had been shredded into the tiniest specks of dust by the endless sword Qi that Li Qingzhou had activated.

Then, a seemingly real yet illusory black shadow dashed out from Liao Wuhen's shattered heart. Its face was blurry but one could make out its black hair and the two balls of black flames that danced where his eyes would have been.

"An Outer Realm Sky Demon!" The Xuantian Holy Lord cried out in alarm and instantly arrived at the outer boundary of the array, intending to personally deal with the demon.

However, Li Qingzhou sprung into action once more as thousands of sword scars appeared on the demon's body. The sword scars were densely packed and each was surging with boundless Lifeless Sword Intent.

And with that, the demon collapsed in midair and turned into ashes.

Liao Wuhen's corpse fell to the ground with a loud thud, though the dense green-black scales on his body still shone with a cold light under the sun.

Li Qingzhou's Supreme Sword Bone returned to its original position and the disciple looked at Ye Chen with a relieved smile, "Master, I'm lucky to have lived up to your expectations!"

At this moment, Li Qingzhou felt that his master was even more unfathomable.

Ye Chen already knew how to deal with Liao Wuhen and what would happen after even before the battle began.

Somehow, his master just knew that there was an Outer Realm Sky Demon in Liao Wuhen's heart, and if Li Qingzhou had attacked the head or any other body parts, it would have taken even longer for the Outer Realm Sky Demon to reveal itself.

How was Ye Chen able to predict all of these so far ahead of time?

The corner of Zi Menghan's mouth slightly curled up. What a show-off, Li Qingzhou!

Ye Chen lightly nodded. Then, he turned to cup his hands towards the Xuantian Holy Lord and said, "Holy Lord, this disciple of mine was a bit too much earlier. Harming other disciples is a heinous crime. When I return, I'll definitely punish him heavily!"

The Xuantian Holy Lord approached Ye Chen but his face had turned dark.

He had just assured Ye Chen that Liao Wuhen was not possessed, which was partially true.

But still, he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself.

Although Liao Wuhen had not been possessed, he had been contaminated by the Outer Realm Sky Demon, which was worse because it made him more dangerous!

And Ye Chen's recent remark only made the Xuantian Holy Lord even more embarrassed. He softly said to Ye Chen, "I did not expect Liao Wuhen to have an Outer Realm Sky Demon hidden inside his body. It was my oversight!

"If it were not for Li Qingzhou, I don't know how many disciples in Xuantian Holy Land would have been killed!

"Li Qingzhou has done nothing wrong. He has done us all a great honor. I shall give him this spirit jade pendant, a defense-type soul treasure, as a reward!"

The Xuantian Holy Lord plucked out an ancient jade pendant from thin air. With a flick of his finger, the jade pendant turned into a beam of light and flew toward Li Qingzhou.

Li Qingzhou accepted the jade pendant and looked at Ye Chen questioningly.

"Since it is a gift from the Xuantian Holy Lord, you may accept it," said Ye Chen calmly.

He had asked Li Qingzhou to stand in for him just so that he could maintain his low profile. So, Ye Chen did not see anything wrong with allowing his disciple to accept the gift.

Li Qingzhou was overjoyed. Although he had seen thousands of soul treasures in Lifeless Sword Tomb, they were sword-type soul treasures. The defense-type soul treasure he had received was a rarity!

Envy appeared in the eyes of the six elders. Even they didn't have defense-type soul treasures!

However, they also knew that the aptitude Li Qingzhou had just displayed was deserving of this reward!

The Xuantian Holy Son walked up to Ye Chen and cupped his hands before solemnly saying, "Peak Lord Ye, I was the one who brought Liao Wuhen back from the ruins and I had almost caused a huge mistake. I can't absolve myself from the blame for such a thing! I hereby solemnly apologize to Peak Lord Ye!"

Huh? Only an apology?

HOW INSINCERE!

That was what Ye Chen truly thought, but he did not show it. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Holy Son, there is no need to be so polite! The Outer Realm Sky Demon has hidden itself too well. Even Holy Lord wasn't able to detect it, so there is no need for Holy Son to blame himself!"

The corner of the Xuantian Holy Lord's mouth twitched as he looked at Ye Chen gloomily.

'If you have something to say, just spit it out! Don't beat around the bush and talk in circles.'

Xiao Yixian decided to change his mind as he said, "As the Holy Son of Xuantian Holy Land, I must set a good example! After today, I will enter closed-door cultivation for half a year and live my life in self-reflection!"

To cultivate for only half a year?

"Holy Son, you really don't have to do this..." Ye Chen started to say.

"Let him go into closed-door cultivation!" The Xuantian Holy Lord's deep voice rang out and Ye Chen didn't say any more. In the end, the latter simply cupped his hands toward the Xuantian Holy Lord and the elders. "If there is nothing else, we will return to Qingyun Peak first."

"Wait!"

Right at this moment, a stream of light quickly arrived from a distance.

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The Peak Lord of Black Sword Peak Wants to Snatch Someone Else's Disciple?

When Ye Chen looked in the direction the voice came from, he saw a middle-aged man riding his sword over his white hair flying behind him. He wore a scholarly robe with a purple jade hanging on his waist as a sword light faintly flickered in his eyes and a sharp aura undulated around his entire body.

[Name: Gu Lingyun]

[Identity: Peak Lord of Xuantian Holy Land's Black Sword Peak]

[Cultivation: Mid Stage of Might Realm]

...

He's the Peak Lord of Black Sword Peak?

Ye Chen raised his eyebrows slightly. He just knew that this person was probably here for Li Qingzhou.

Li Qingzhou had made too much of a commotion when he attacked Ling Wuhen with his full power earlier, especially when he allowed his newly-reformed Supreme Sword Bone to reveal itself. As cultivators of the Sword Path, it was no wonder they would be able to sense his presence.

"Senior Brother Gu!" Ye Chen cupped his hands as he greeted the Black Sword Peak Lord.

The Peak Lord landed in front of Ye Chen and the others, before nodding at Ye Chen casually. Then, he looked at Li Qingzhou with a burning gaze as if he was looking at a piece of beautiful jade.

Li Qingzhou felt his scalp go numb from the intense stare as he moved his feet slightly and hid behind Ye Chen.

The Black Sword Peak Lord realized what he was doing and smiled back at Ye Chen instead. He then turned to the Xuantian Holy Lord as he cupped his hands and said, "Holy Lord, I was in closed-door cultivation when my sword body suddenly sensed a strong sword intent soaring into the sky. That's why I came over to take a look. But I would never have expected that it would lead me to someone with a Sword King Body! What a blessing for Black Sword Peak!"

A blessing for Black Sword Peak?

Did this bugger come here just to steal his disciple?

'You're too full of yourself!'

The Xuantian Holy Lord simply nodded noncommittally as he looked at Li Qingzhou. "Since the Supreme Sword Bone has reformed, his blood and bones have been thoroughly nourished to transform his Sword Spirit Body into a Sword King Body. He is indeed a peerless immortal seedling that cultivates the Sword Path!"

Xuantian Holy Lord turned back to Ye Chen and said, "Junior Brother Ye, I heard that when you took him in as a disciple two years ago, his Sword Supreme Bone had been dug out, crippling his Sword Spirit Body. Who would have expected for him to rise from the ashes better than before? Junior Brother Ye's judgment is really sharp!"

"Holy Lord, you flatter me. I don't have such judgment at all. The whole thing was just like a blind cat meeting a dead mouse," said Ye Chen humbly.

The Xuantian Holy Lord simply smiled and didn't say any more. But that didn't mean that the gears in his mind were already turning.

'Junior Brother Ye knew that Li Qingzhou's Sword Spirit Body had been ruined, and yet he was still willing to take him in as his disciple. Now, the disciple's Supreme Sword Bone is back. Has Junior Brother Ye been hiding his abilities? Perhaps a little too well?'

The Peak Lord of Black Sword Peak decided to be direct with Ye Chen as the former walked straight up to the latter and seriously said, "Junior Brother Ye, I have a presumptuous request!"

"Senior Brother Gu, since it is a presumptuous request, let's not talk about it anymore." Ye Chen responded simply.

The Black Sword Peak Lord stopped breathing and the sword Qi around his body started to move. A hint of arrogance appeared between his brows as he said, "Junior Brother Ye, please, let me finish first!

"Li Qingzhou's constitution in the Sword Dao is extremely impressive. Since Qingyun Peak is already ruined and your history of experience in the Sword Path isn't great either, making your disciple stay at Qingyun Peak will only be a waste of his potential and ruin his future!

"Black Sword Peak, on the other hand, has a rich foundation in the Sword Path, which means that our place has the best cultivation conditions for him to walk further along his Sword Path!

"I hope Junior Brother Ye can be willing to set his ego aside and let Li Qingzhou join Black Sword Peak!

"As a sign of sincerity, I am willing to gift Junior Brother Ye a jade protective talisman that can withstand a full-strength attack from a Peak-Stage Primordial Realm expert!"

A jade protective talisman that could withstand a full-strength attack from a Peak-Stage Primordial Realm expert?

'I don't mean to brag, but I already have my Cloud Pattern Immortal Robe which can withstand a full-power attack from a Peak-Stage Demon Lord expert. What is a jade protective talisman compared to what I have?'

Ye Chen looked at the proud Peak Lord of Black Sword Peak, his face remaining friendly as he said, "There is no need for you to gift me the jade protective talisman. As long as Li Qingzhou agrees to join Black Sword Peak, I have no objections."

Li Qingzhou panicked as he quickly jumped out from behind Ye Chen and said, "Master, I am not leaving Qingyun Peak!"

Ye Chen lightly sighed and earnestly said, "Qingzhou, what Senior Brother Gu said makes sense. Neither the resources nor foundation of the Sword Path of Qingyun Peak is enough to support your cultivation sufficiently. Remaining at Qingyun Peak will only be a waste of your talent. But if you join Black Sword Peak, you will finally be able to walk further along the Sword Path."

Li Qingzhou's face turned black and a bad feeling rose up in his heart.

"Junior Brother Li, don't worry about going to Black Sword Peak. I will take good care of our master." Zi Menghan almost couldn't hold herself back but she forced herself to keep a straight face. Any further lack of self-restraint would unleash a loud laugh from her as she thought, 'Don't you remember that Master is a very prudent person? It's even written in Qingyun Peak's rules that we must be as prudent as possible at all times too. So who asked you to be so showy earlier? You shouldn't have used your Supreme Sword Bone to kill the Outer Realm Sky Demon. It was impressive, I'll admit, but it was too much. Since you brought this upon yourself, you will have to solve your own dilemma.'

The Black Sword Peak Lord thought, 'This Qingyun Peak Lord's character isn't bad. He doesn't want to delay Li Qingzhou's development just for the sake of Qingyun Peak. After all, Black Sword Peak was the best place and had the best people to guide Li Qingzhou.'

"Li Qingzhou, don't be foolish. With your talent, it would be a waste to stay at Qingyun Peak. Joining Black Sword Peak will bring you a hundred benefits and not a single harm!" The Black Sword Peak Lord tried to persuade Li Qingzhou to change his mind.

But Li Qingzhou suddenly kneeled at Ye Chen and said, "Master, I had wasted three years without making any progress in my cultivation when my Supreme Sword Bone was taken from me, crippling my Sword Spirit Body and destroying all my hard-earned progress in cultivation!

"Out of the 108 peaks of Xuantian Holy Land present at the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony two years ago, only you, Master, was willing to take me in.

"And it was Master who encouraged me to comprehend the Sword Path on my own and allowed me to regain my Dao heart. It was master who gave me a second chance! My life belongs to you, Master!

"I, Li Qingzhou, am a member of Qingyun Peak in life and even in death. I will never join another peak!"

Li Qingzhou's sincere words moved everyone present.

"How loyal! Good! Very good! As expected of a disciple of Xuantian Holy Land!" The Xuantian Holy Lord was impressed as he praised Li Qingzhou and clapped.

But the Black Sword Peak Lord looked at Ye Chen in bewilderment and said, "Junior Brother Ye, you told him to comprehend the Sword Path on his own? Didn't you teach him?"

"Doesn't cultivation require one to comprehend on one's own? Isn't cultivation unique to each person like one's personality? How can I teach him something that only he would know and understand best?" Ye Chen looked confused as he responded.

Gu Lingyun's face turned black as Ye Chen's words made him realize that the cultivation conditions he had offered Li Qingzhou no longer meant anything. Li Qingzhou had managed to recover his Supreme Sword Bone and advance this far purely by relying on himself. He didn't need his cheap master to teach him anything. And despite all of this, Li Qingzhou was willing to follow Ye Chen and Qingyun Peak to death.

Or perhaps it was because of Ye Chen giving him the space and time he needed to figure things out that Li Qingzhou had become so loyal to his master. At this moment, the Black Sword Peak Lord felt as if his worldview had collapsed.

What was wrong with this world?

Cultivation only required self-enlightenment?

'Am I wrong, or is the world wrong?'

"Li Qingzhou, you have successfully aroused my interest! I hope you can break through to Primordial Realm as soon as possible. I can't wait to face you as a fellow expert in the same realm!" It was Xiao Yixian, the Xuantian Holy Son who challenged Li Qingzhou. And with that, Xiao Yixian disappeared beyond the mountain with his eight followers.

He had gone into closed-door cultivation.

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Return to Qingyun Peak

The Xuantian Holy Son did not bother to wait until the end to see what Li Qingzhou decided. He knew Li Qingzhou wouldn't be switching sides so he decided to leave.

Li Qingzhou, on the other hand, looked very troubled. Who had he offended? Why did the Holy Son challenge him?

'I only want to cultivate with a low profile. Why must you all force me to act in the opposite manner?'

And Li Qingzhou wasn't the only one who was depressed. The Black Sword Peak Lord was too. He looked at Li Qingzhou with a gloomy expression and said, "Did you join Qingyun Peak during the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony two years ago?"

"Yes." Li Qingzhou replied straightforwardly.

"You said that out of the 108 peaks of Xuantian Holy Land, only Qingyun Peak was willing to take you in? So are you saying that Black Sword Peak did not extend an offer to you?"

The corner of Li Qingzhou's mouth twitched as he said, "After my aptitude test, everyone knew that my Sword Spirit Body had been crippled. At the time, the representative from your peak was not willing to give up as he flew over to the tablet to personally examine me. But in the end, he shook his head and left. I had wanted to join Black Sword Peak but they did not accept me!"

"Zuo Jiansheng! How short-sighted of him to actually let such an outstanding disciple go just like that! You really make me angry!" The Black Sword Peak Lord gritted his teeth as a sharp sword intent surged out from his body and split the clouds in the sky into small blobs.

Zuo Jiansheng?

Was he the representative of Black Sword Peak who attended the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony two years ago?

Judging from the reaction of the Black Sword Peak Lord, Zuo Jiansheng would most likely be severely punished upon his Peak Lord's return!

How pitiful!

The Peak Lord of Black Sword Peak was about to leave before he turned around once more and flicked a sword-shaped token toward Li Qingzhou. "This is the Sword Observation Token of Black Sword Peak. Just show this token when you approach Black Sword Peak and you will be allowed to enter our Scripture Pavilion to read any and all of the secret sword methods and skills to your heart's desire. Don't let your talent go to waste!"

And with that, the Black Sword Peak Lord cupped his hands towards the Xuantian Holy Lord before he rode his flying sword into the sky for Black Sword Peak.

Li Qingzhou looked at the Sword Observation Token and was at a loss.

Honestly, Li Qingzhou didn't actually care how many secret sword methods and skills Black Sword Peak had. All he knew was that they neither had the Dao rhythm his master exuded during cultivation nor did they have Vision Pills for him to consume.

Although the Black Sword Peak Lord's offer wasn't bad, they were nothing compared to what he could obtain at Qingyun Peak!

Li Qingzhou had wanted to reject this Sword Observation Token, but he was worried that it would be too embarrassing for the Black Sword Peak Lord. In the end, he didn't know what to do with it.

"Take it. It would be good to learn more one day!" Ye Chen casually reassured his disciple.

"Yes, Master!"

Li Qingzhou put away the token, but he still felt that it was a bit too hot to handle.

"Farewell, then, Holy Lord, Elders!"

Ye Chen cupped his hands toward the Xuantian Holy Lord and elders, then left with Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou for Qingyun Peak.

As soon as they had left, Zi Menghan couldn't help but gloat at Li Qingzhou as she covered her laugh with her hand. "Junior Brother, you've really made a name for yourself this time!"

Li Qingzhou's face turned black as he said, "Senior Sister, don't make fun of me. If there is such an opportunity again, I'll let you take the limelight!"

"Enough. You may talk once we've returned!" Ye Chen interrupted their conversation as the three rushed toward Qingyun Peak.

They were still in Xuantian Holy Land, but one could never know when someone would be listening in with a secret art. Thus, it was best that they did not speak carelessly beyond the array boundary of Qingyun Peak.

Soon, the trio arrived at Qingyun Peak and walked through the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array. An indescribable sense of reassurance and security returned to Ye Chen's heart.

Now, he did not have to worry about being spied on by others.

Li Qingzhou fell to his knees and said, "Master, I am sorry!"

"And what did you do wrong?" asked Ye Chen indifferently.

"That Outer Realm Sky Demon was not that powerful, which means that I only needed to use the Lifeless Sword to finish him off. I should not have used the Supreme Sword Bone and Extreme Realm Sword Slash. I have brought too much attention to us!" Li Qingzhou reflected with seriousness.

Zi Menghan added, "Don't forget, the Xuantian Holy Son also challenged you in public. Oh, and the Xuantian Holy Lord and elders are now very interested in your progress!"

Li Qingzhou's face turned even darker.

But Ye Chen surprisingly waved his hand dismissively and said, "No, you did the right thing! Don't forget the second rule I taught you – no matter what enemies you face, you must go all out! If Liao Wuhen and the Outer Realm Sky Demon had some secret techniques up their sleeves, you would have died instantly and never have the chance to utilize your full potential!"

"What?"

Li Qingzhou was astonished as he said, "But, Master, I've attracted the attention of the Black Sword Peak Lord and the Xuantian Holy Son. I think the future only holds more inconveniences now."

Ye Chen sighed before saying, "How can one avoid all the karma in this world? If one encounters karma that one can not avoid, just find a way to get rid of it as soon as possible. Do you know why I specifically told you to come back and accept the challenge? Why do you think I didn't ask your senior sister to accept the challenge? Why do you think I didn't accept the challenge myself?"

Li Qingzhou also let out a slight sigh of relief when he knew his master did not blame him and carefully thought for a while. Then, he said, "Senior Sister was born with an Innate Crippled Body and apparently many experts had difficulty trying to find a way to let her cultivate. If she were to defeat Liao Wuhen now, it would probably cause an even greater ruckus.

"As for Master, well Master has always been cultivating while keeping a low profile without ever revealing his real potential to others. If Master made a move now, wouldn't that even be worse?

"Thus, relatively speaking, I am the most suitable since the Supreme Sword Bone I was born with but lost was reformed. No matter how it happened, my reentry into cultivation is most believable. People will only think that Qingyun Peak is lucky to have recruited me without attracting any more attention."

Zi Menghan agreed with him.

Ye Chen nodded and said, "Not bad. However, you must be able to take responsibility for the ruckus you've caused. So don't go down the mountain for the time being in case you make any more powerful enemies."

"Yes, Master!" Li Qingzhou agreed without hesitation.

Zi Menghan chuckled. "It would be good to stay at Qingyun Peak for a while. The Divine Sword School has already offered a high price for your head, Chen Beixuan of Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land!"

"You've heard about it, Senior Sister?" Li Qingzhou scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Of course! I was there when Master came up with all the aliases for us! I knew it was you when I heard Chen Beixuan's name!" Zi Menghan smiled.

Li Qingzhou shrugged. "Well, that Jian Wuchen was the one who ambushed me twice, almost preventing me from returning to attend the battle. So, I had to kill him in a hurry. But after he died, an old man from Divine Sword School suddenly appeared and asked for my name. Thankfully, I remembered Master's instruction and used Chen Beixuan's identity. So now, Chen Beixuan is famous in Eastern Wastelands."

"You're right, alright. Chen Beixuan of Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land is now famous for killing the successor of Divine Sword Sect, leaving many guessing his whereabouts and real identity in Ten Thousand Sword Holy Land. Who would have thought that Chen Beixuan would be hiding in the unremarkable Qingyun Peak of Xuantian Holy Land?" Zi Menghan was excited by the amount of attention Li Qingzhou had been getting, though what they were talking about didn't shine a direct spotlight on him.

"Alright, go cultivate!" Ye Chen waved his hand and dismissed the two.

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The Divine Consciousness Hundred Refinements and Another Break Through for Zi Menghan

Not many people knew that Liao Wuhen had challenged Qingyun Peak Lord, Ye Chen. Apart from the Xuantian Holy Son and the others who were present at the battle that day, only the Peak Lords knew.

However, the Peak Lords didn't care much about it, which explained their absence during the battle.

Only the Black Sword Peak Lord was there but it was only after the battle had happened.

After all, a battle that should have happened and ended quietly occurred in quite the opposite manner. Who would have thought that an Outer Realm Sky Demon and a Sword King Body would appear and kick the battle stakes up a notch?

And when Li Qingzhou made his move, his sword intent that soared into the sky was soul-stirring. Not only did the Peak Lord of Black Sword Peak sense it, but so did the other disciples who had comprehended sword intent and had special physiques. That day, many people's battle intent was stimulated.

While the battle did not have much of an attendance, the presence of those who witnessed the battle was enough to spread the news of what happened.

Li Qingzhou's name gradually spread throughout the Xuantian Holy Land.

Though the challenge the Qingyun Peak Lord had received had come to an end, the aftermath did not stop.

A few days after the battle, disciples of Black Sword Peak came to challenge Li Qingzhou. They had heard of how this guy had rejected their Peak Lord and indignantly wanted to teach Li Qingzhou a lesson. Unfortunately, they did not receive any response.

Soon, more outstanding disciples from the other peaks came to challenge Li Qingzhou, but they received no response either.

Those who were a bit more hot-headed or impatient decided to barge into Qingyun Peak but were quickly trapped in the reversal array. They were only released after a month.

After a few more people got trapped, others eventually believed that there was something amiss with the array and did not dare to barge in anymore.

Eventually, Li Qingzhou became known as a coward thanks to the people who got upset over his refusal to accept their challenges. And with time, Li Qingzhou's performance in the battle was turned into fiction and Qingyun Peak once again returned to its usual calm.

Eight months later,?Ye Chen was woken up by the system notification.

[Your disciple, Zi Menghan, has broken through to the third realm of the Visualization Cultivation System, Ten Thousand Spirit Realm. As her master, you have obtained a secret art, Divine Soul Hundred Refinements.]

Zi Menghan had broken through again!

The Visualization Cultivation System that she had created was different from the usual divine energy cultivation system. When she reached the second realm, her battle power was already comparable to that of someone in Vision Realm, which was already the third realm of the divine energy cultivation system.

Now that she had broken through to?Ten Thousand Spirit Realm, her battle power was probably comparable to that of someone in Primordial Realm!

Ye Chen decided to examine the Divine Consciousness Hundred Refinements that he had just received.

[Divine Consciousness Hundred Refinements: Refine your divine consciousness using the world as your furnace. Each time you complete a round of refinement, your divine consciousness will double in size and there is no upper limit. The stronger your divine consciousness, the longer it will take to complete a round of refinement.]

Then, the necessary information to fully comprehend the Divine Consciousness Hundred Refinement entered his mind.

"I got a secret art to strengthen my divine consciousness this time. Not bad at all!" A slight smile appeared at the edge of his mouth.

The stronger his divine consciousness, the wider the range of his divine consciousness, and the more powerful and numerous the dead he could control with the Death Spirit Seal.

Besides, having stronger divine consciousness would also have more advantages in terms of scouting, setting up arrays, puppets, and killing enemies.

Still, the Divine Consciousness Hundred Refinements could not increase divine consciousness by a hundred times in one go. Instead, it would require one to complete multiple rounds of refinements to advance the art. And with each round of refinement, the divine consciousness would be twice as powerful as before with no upper limit!

If one continued to refine it for a long time, one's divine consciousness would be unimaginably powerful!

Ye Chen checked up on Li Qingzhou and found that this kid's cultivation had also improved. He had reached the Mid Stage of Vision Realm, which was not too bad.

However, Ye Chen only received a notification and reward only when a disciple had broken through to the next realm.

[Name: Ye Chen]

[Identity: Peak Lord of Xuantian Holy Land's Qingyun Peak]

[Aptitude: Primordial Dao Body – the most powerful constitution of the multiverse, augmented with boundless luck]

[Talent: Divine Concealment – able to conceal one's own constitution and cultivation from others]

[Cultivation: Mid Stage of Primordial Realm- the cultivation realms (from the lowest to the highest) are Wave, Law, Vision, Primordial, Might, Dao, Dao Lord, Slash, Saint, Sage, Great Sage, Quasi-Emperor, and Emperor. Each realm can be divided into Early, Mid, Late, and Peak Stage]

[Cultivation method: Creation Dao Scripture – the most powerful cultivation method among all worlds that allows one to be able to clearly understand the origins and mysteries of Heaven's creation, seize it, and form a Supreme Dao Foundation]

[Vision: Myriad Dao]

[Skills: Extreme Realm Sword Slash, Imminent Skyline]

[Secret method: Ten Thousand Puppet Art, Divine Consciousness Hundred Refinements]

[Array method: Principles of Arrays, Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array]

[Treasure: Auspicious Pill Cauldron (Supreme Treasure), Death Spirit Seal (Supreme Treasure), Mortal Transformation Sword (Supreme-Grade Attack Spirit Treasure), Cloud Pattern Immortal Robe (Supreme-Grade Defense Spirit Treasure)]

[Heaven and Earth Spirit Essence: Time Spirit Spring]

...

Ye Chen's cultivation had also improved and he had broken through to the Mid Stage of Primordial Realm.

One had to admit that the higher one's cultivation was, the greater the amount of energy needed to break through.

Ye Chen already had the Time Spirit Spring to speed up the maturation of herb plants, as well as the Auspicious Pill Cauldron to provide unlimited amounts of medicinal pills. Unfortunately, the amount of power devoured by cultivating the Creation Dao Scripture was like a whale swallowing the sea, preventing his cultivation speed from increasing as quickly as he wanted.

There was no other reason. The Primordial Dao Body's constitution was too heaven-defying!

The amount of energy required to break through each minor realm was beyond imagination!

But Ye Chen's battle power was already far beyond others. Forget ordinary cultivators of the same realm, even those in the same realm would be nothing in Ye Chen's eyes!

"You two, come to Aquamarine Lakeside." Ye Chen used his divine consciousness to send a message to Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou.

Zi Menghan had just broken through so the joy on her face had not faded away. "Since I received my master's message right after I broke through, could my master sense whenever I do so?"

Zi Menghan shook her head, then pushed the door open and jumped into the sky.

In the next moment, a beautiful Immortal Phoenix appeared under her feet. Each of its feathers was sharp and its body was filled with a mysterious flame aura. Its eyes were extremely bright and its body seemed to have a dormant energy as vast as the sea that emitted a soul-stirring pressure. It looked like a real Immortal Phoenix.

Obviously, after breaking through to the Ten Thousand Spirit Realm, Zi Menghan's visualization ability had improved quite a bit.

If she cultivated to the extreme, perhaps she could visualize a real Immortal Phoenix that could do some damage to immortals and gods!

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Detecting Traces of Demon Cultivators

Just as Zi Menghan was riding the Immortal Phoenix towards Aquamarine Lakeside, Li Qingzhou also soared into the sky from his own courtyard on his flying sword as he quickly rushed in the same direction.

When Li Qingzhou saw Zi Menghan riding the Immortal Phoenix, he said, "Senior Sister, your visualization of this Immortal Phoenix has become more realistic. I wonder if it can go up against my sword?"

Zi Menghan raised her eyebrows as a fake smile appeared on her face. "Heh, it seems that Junior Brother has progressed as well. Why don't you give it a go and come at me?"

"Don't blame me for doing so, then!"

Li Qingzhou grinned and swung his right hand out as he clenched his fist. The Lifeless Sword appeared in his hand and he raised it to slash at Zi Menghan. A domineering sword intent that seemed to give no chance of survival to its victim swept out.

Zi Menghan shook her head lightly, and with a slight mental shift, the Immortal Phoenix beneath her feet opened its mouth and swallowed Li Qingzhou's boundless Lifeless Sword Intent into its stomach.

As it did so, large bumps appeared on its body, but then the Immortal Phoenix's bones and tendons bulged under its feathers as they forcefully pushed those large bumps back.

After a moment, the boundless Lifeless Sword Intent in the Immortal Phoenix's body disappeared and its eyes regained their intelligence.

A look of surprise flashed across Li Qingzhou's face as he embarrassedly said, "Senior Sister is indeed powerful. The blood, bones, tendons of this Immortal Phoenix's body are basically fully formed. Seems like my Lifeless Sword Intent really can't do anything to it!"

"Junior Brother, take my move too!"

Zi Menghan smiled slyly, waved her hand lightly and a flying needle pierced through the fabric of reality, instantly arriving before Li Qingzhou.

This was a flying needle that she had visualized to the very extreme of her abilities. It contained an endless killing intent and its power was exceptionally tyrannical.

Li Qingzhou's expression changed slightly as his Supreme Sword Bone in his chest sensed danger and automatically activated. It released a boundless sword light and forcefully intercepted the flying needle's attack with a sharp and ear-piercing sound.

Li Qingzhou retrieved the Supreme Sword Bone and bitterly smiled. "Senior Sister, I don't want to play anymore! Your cultivation has progressed too quickly!"

"You're exaggerating. I have only just broken through to a new realm," said Zi Menghan casually as they landed by the lake.

Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou both bowed to Ye Chen who was already waiting for them at the lakeside, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Master!"

Ye Chen turned around and looked at his two disciples before him. He nodded slightly and said, "Both of you have improved a lot. I am quite pleased with your progress! However, this world is full of dangers. Today, I will teach you another secret art!"

"Thank you, Master!" Li Qingzhou was extremely happy.

He had personally experienced the potential of the secret arts Ye Chen had thought him. The Imminent Skyline step skill that his master had taught him last time was so good that he had almost killed himself trying to learn and get used to it. His body just wasn't good enough at the time to take it fully.

Plus, the Extreme Realm Sword Slash that he had learned from Ye Chen was indeed an unimaginable Sword Path skill. It instantly increased his battle power by ten times; it was way too horrifying!

Li Qingzhou had been very grateful to Ye Chen for teaching him the secret arts. As such, he was very excited to learn a new one.

But Zi Menghan simply shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Master, I do not have any divine energy in my body so I don't really need this."

"The secret art I'm going to teach you is called Divine Consciousness Hundred Refinements that refines your divine consciousness with the energy from your surroundings. Every time you complete a round of refinement, your divine consciousness will double in size. Are you still sure that you don't need this skill?"

When Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou heard this, their eyes instantly brightened.

This was a godly skill!

Zi Menghan cultivated the Great Freedom Visualization Heart Scripture which highly relied on the potential of one's divine consciousness. As such, this new secret art that Ye Chen was proposing to teach them was extremely useful for her.

"Master, I'll learn it!" Zi Menghan excitedly responded.

She would be a fool if she didn't learn this godly skill.

And thus, Ye Chen proceeded to teach them the Divine Consciousness Hundred Refinements in detail and later checked their current battle strength.

Since Zi Menghan was already in the Ten Thousand Spirit Realm, she could already control many True Spirits of the Great Dao. Though she might not be too familiar with all of them, the True Spirits of the Great Dao that she could visualize now had were more realistic. Even experts in Primordial Realm might not be able to harm her.

Li Qingzhou, on the other hand, might not have increased his cultivation as much as Zi Menghan but he was still quite powerful. If he utilized his Supreme Sword Bone and Extreme Realm Sword Slash to their fullest potential as someone in the Mid Stage of Vision Realm, he could kill Primordial Realm experts!

But of course, they were nothing compared to Ye Chen.

Based on his calculations, Ye Chen was confident that he could hold his ground against a hundred Zi Menghan's and Li Qingzhou's.

'Alright, alright let's not get too ahead of ourselves.'

Ye Chen looked at the two disciples in front of him and thought for a moment before saying, "Both of you have improved a lot, which is a good thing. But, I have a feeling that Xuantian Holy Land will not be so peaceful anymore."

"Master, have you sensed something?" asked Zi Menghan with a bit of surprise. Li Qingzhou also looked at his master with curiosity.

But Ye Chen simply shook his head and said, "You are thinking too much. I just have a lot of puppets running around, so I have been able to learn some of the things people have been talking about.

"For example, when I attended the recent Disciple Acceptance Ceremony via my puppet, I heard the disciples from the other peaks talking about traces of demons appearing at the outer boundaries of Xuantian Holy Land after Qingzhou killed the Outer Realm Sky Demon.

"At first, it was just a small scattered group of demon cultivators, but now, it is getting more and more intense. Demon Lord Realm and Demon Emperor Realm experts have also been spotted to be backing these scattered groups of demon cultivators. However, I was not able to get any more detailed information."

It was obvious that Ye Chen's trip to the recent Disciple Acceptance Ceremony had been a waste of time in terms of recruiting a new Qi anomaly. However, it was fruitful in terms of the information he had been able to gather.

Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou exchanged glances solemnly.

Ye Chen had once told them about the Demonic Abyss Crack that connected their world and the Demon World. Both sides had been battling each other since the beginning of time and neither would rest until one of them had been exterminated.

Now that Ye Chen had told them about the growing numbers of demon cultivators just outside Xuantian Holy Land, Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou knew that they could never let down their guard.

"Master, are those demon cultivators the remnants of Blood Demon Cult? Could it be that they are here for the Demonic Abyss Crack?" asked Li Qingzhou.

Since Blood Demon Cult was the main culprit behind the massacre of Qingyun Peak, the two disciples suspected that this time wouldn't be any different.

"Well, it is possible," said Ye Chen.

"I heard that a few Peak Lords had gone over to investigate the situation, but they only saw some low-level demon cultivators. Still, the Peak Lords have started to train their disciples more intensely as they monitor the demon cultivators' movements.

"Regardless of what the reality is just beyond the borders of Xuantian Holy Land, you two should be on high alert.

"The Holy Lord may ask you to join their training as well one day. But if that happens, try to reject their invitation.

"If you really can't, Li Qingzhou will go on behalf of Qingyun Peak."

Li Qingzhou sighed exasperatedly. "Why me again?"

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Mobilizing the Entire Qingyun Peak

Two years later, Ye Chen's cultivation had reached the Late Stage of Primordial Realm.

One day, the Jade Communication Talisman from the Xuantian Holy Lord suddenly trembled. Ye Chen walked over, opened it, and heard the Xuantian Holy Lord's voice come through. "Junior Brother Ye, there are demon cultivators wreaking havoc at the edge of Xuantian Holy Land's territory, and they are becoming more rampant by the day.

"Some of the demon cultivators practice demon techniques that had been passed down from Blood Demon Cult that disappeared a thousand years ago. Those demon cultivators might not be from Blood Demon Cult directly, but I have a feeling that a remnant of the cult is behind their movements.

"We have just located one of the demon cultivators' strongholds and suspect that it might be a branch of Blood Demon Cult. Xuantian Holy Land will be sending people to encircle and annihilate them. The Holy Maiden will be leading the team while Junior Brother Shen, the Crimson Flame Peak Lord will hold the fort. Does Qingyun Peak have any disciples who would like to participate?"

Shen Beiwang was the Peak Lord of Crimson Flame Peak and a powerful expert.

If he had been assigned to hold the fort, Xuantian Holy Land must be treading cautiously as they execute their plan to besiege the Blood Demon Cult branch.

Ye Chen's expression slightly changed as he nodded. "Qingyun Peak and Blood Demon Cult cannot both exist under the same sky. As such, Qingyun Peak will definitely participate in this effort. All of us from Qingyun Peak – Zi Menghan, Li Qingzhou, and I – will participate."

The Xuantian Holy Lord was a little surprised by Ye Chen's response. Though he did request their participation, he had no expectations from them. But when he remembered how the current state of Qingyun Peak had been caused by Blood Demon Cult, he could understand the reason behind Ye Chen's actions. "Alright! Meet us at the square of Xuantian Main Peak!"

And with that, the Xuantian Holy Lord ended the transmission.

In the past two years, the demon cultivators at the edge of Xuantian Holy Land's territory had become more and more rampant. Initially, they had been causing minor troubles such as attacking remote villages and small towns to occupy them for the demon technique training.

However, they eventually became bold enough to ambush some disciples of Xuantian Holy Land. In fact, some of those ambushed were the personal disciples of the Peak Lords and were eventually killed. This obviously infuriated the Peak Lords of Xuantian Holy Land. And that was how they had decided to execute the plan the Xuantian Holy Lord just relayed to Ye Chen.

This wasn't the first time Qingyun Peak had been approached to assist in their efforts to deal with the demon cultivators. But previous times were only to deal with the small fry, which Ye Chen did not deem worth their time and effort.

Now that there was a high possibility that Blood Demon Cult was involved, how could Qingyun Peak sit idly by?!

The feud between Qingyun Peak and Blood Demon Cult went a long way back, especially thanks to Demon King Qingli.

They would be cowards to not join the rest of Xuantian Holy Land in dealing with potential Blood Demon Cult forces now.

But of course, Ye Chen would not go with his real physical body. He would send his newly refined puppet instead, which was equipped with many more shrunken puppets so that they would be able to handle any kinds of troubles.

For the sake of safety, Ye Chen had specifically ordered the puppet to bring the Supreme-Grade Mortal Transformation Sword and Death Spirit Seal.

Ye Chen, on the other hand, would remain on Qingyun Peak as usual. With the Cloud Pattern Immortal Robe and the Heaven and Earth Five Elements Reversal Array, in addition to the Great Mountain Protection Array, he would be able to defend himself, Qingyun Peak, and Xuantian Holy Land. And with his Death Spirit Seal, even a Demon Slash Realm master would not be able to kill him immediately!

Ye Chen sent a telepathic message to Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou. "Xuantian Holy Land is planning to besiege a Blood Demon Cult branch and we of Qingyun Peak can not just stand by and watch. Get ready, the both of you. We will be gathering with the others at the square of Xuantian Main Peak soon."

Upon receiving their master's message, Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou immediately rushed out of their own courtyards with eyes shining bright.

They knew of Qingyun Peak's history so they were eager to stand up for their peak.

Moreover, these two had been itching to go down the mountain to fight the demon cultivators ever since they had heard of them. However, since their master was such a cautious and prudent person, he did not let them go due to the amount of potential danger they would run into.

But this time was different. Lady Luck had come knocking on their door. How could they not answer her call?

Ye Chen's figure slowly flew out as well. A glance over Li Qingzhou and he could tell that his disciple's cultivation had reached the Late Stage of Vision Realm but was using a secret art to hide his true cultivation level, only revealing an aura similar to that of one in the Early Stage of Vision Realm.

"Master, this isn't your real body either, is it?" asked Zi Menghan suspiciously.

"What do you think?" Ye Chen returned her question.

Was there a need to ask?

With the situation getting so dangerous, would master really go personally?

"OK. I got it." A sly smile appeared on Zi Menghan's face.

When Ye Chen looked at the Immortal Phoenix beneath Zi Menghan's feet, he said, "This Immortal Phoenix already has a charm, and its blood and bones have basically fully formed. Its power is indeed not bad, but it's too showy. If you show up with it, you will go against the most basic rule of our peak – to be prudent. If you don't want to die too miserably, put it away."

Li Qingzhou shook his head and laughed inwardly.

"Alright, Master. In that case, please let me ride along with you, and please don't let me fall," said Zi Menghan as she dismissed her Immortal Phoenix with a wave of her hand.

A beam of divine light appeared from Ye Chen's fingertip, turning into a divine rainbow light that wrapped around Zi Menghan before rushing off to Xuantian Main Peak. Li Qingzhou followed closely behind on his sword light.

Soon, the group of three was already approaching the square of Xuantian Main Peak.

From afar, Ye Chen and the others saw that several hundred figures had already gathered, chatting in groups of three to five.

Apart from a dozen or so elders who were showing signs of aging, the rest were young disciples. The men were handsome and elegant, while the women were fair and beautiful. Very few of them were ugly. After all, once one had entered the Wave Realm, one's divine vital Qi would grow and subtly refine one's flesh and bones. Eventually, one would naturally become more handsome or beautiful.

The girl at the very front was the most eye-catching. Her black hair fell along her back like a waterfall and her facial features looked as if she had been sculpted. She had a slender figure, the shape occasionally revealed when her white robes fluttered in the wind.

She was Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei.

Since it was not the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony, she did not bother to produce her vision. Still, her body naturally exuded a holy and pure aura, which made people unconsciously admire her.

When Ye Chen looked over at her, he was surprised. Holy Maiden Xue Wei had broken through to Primordial Realm?

Although her cultivation speed wasn't the same as his, it was not that much slower.

Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei had also sensed the arrival of Ye Chen and his disciples. When she turned to look at them, she also looked a little surprised. She did not expect that Ye Chen and his band of misfits would actually decide to join in the attack against the Blood Demon Cult branch.

Xue Wei had seen Ye Chen a few times before, but the majority of the elders and disciples present had not. Thus, the whispers in the square grew louder as many of them started to ask one another about the identities of the newcomers.

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Zuo Jiansheng

"Which peak are these three disciples from? How come I've never seen them before?"

"They're from Qingyun Peak. The one at the front is Peak Lord Ye. I've seen him several times during the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony, so I can't be wrong!"

"Qingyun Peak? Heh, I wouldn't have been able to remember if you hadn't mentioned it. I heard that this peak only has three people, and they're all misfits in the cultivation world. They have never even participated in the Holy Land's activities. It's really strange that they've chosen now to be involved."

"Qingyun Peak might not have been the best in Xuantian Holy Land back then, they were still among the top twenty peaks. Who would have thought they had fallen this much."

"I heard Qingyun Peak encountered a great calamity related to Blood Demon Cult. Perhaps it's because this that they've to go all out for this mission. Moreover, one must not underestimate the Qingyun Peak disciples. Do you know the white-clothed youth behind Peak Lord Ye?"

"No, I don't. Who is he?"

"Li Qingzhou!"

"He is Li Qingzhou? I heard that he possesses a Supreme Sword Bone and has transformed his physique into a Sword King Body. He even rejected the Black Sword Peak Lord's invitation to join their peak. Even the Xuantian Holy Son challenged Li Qingzhou. And this guy's from Qingyun Peak?"

"A few years ago, Liao Wuhen had challenged the Qingyun Peak Lord but Li Qingzhou fought on behalf of his master, eventually killing off Liao Wuhen and revealing the Outer Realm Sky Demon buried in Liao Wuhen's heart with one strike of the sword. I think Qingyun Peak disciples are hard-working cultivators. If there hadn't been a challenge, I don't think Li Qingzhou's potential would have been revealed."

"But still, Qingyun Peak has declined over the years since they only have Li Qingzhou to uphold their status. Everyone knows that Peak Lord Ye's talent is average while the other disciple has an Innate Crippled Body."

"Well, I think that although Qingyun Peak is not very well-known, the people there are all brave, especially to have decided to join us on our mission against the Blood Demon Cult branch. They deserve our respect!"

The people on the square of Xuantian Main Peak were from the various peaks in Xuantian Holy Land, each possessing different puzzle pieces of information on Qingyun Peak's past, present, and potential future.

Ye Chen walked through the crowd with Zi Menghan and Li Qingzhou as those around them whispered. They heard what everyone was saying but none of that bothered the trio.

Thankfully, Zi Menghan had put away her Immortal Phoenix, or the attention they received would be much higher!

"Peak Lord Ye, are you personally taking part in this mission?" asked Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei as she welcomed them.

Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei was extremely curious about Ye Chen's cultivation as well. The divine energy fluctuating around Ye Chen's body was not that extraordinary. It was as if he had just entered the Wave Realm.

But she knew that if he was able to guide a disciple like Li Qingzhou and dared to participate in this mission, then there was something he was hiding from them.

Perhaps, Ye Chen had some kind of secret treasure that could conceal his aura!

Ye Chen had the cultivation resources of the entire Qingyun Peak after all. It wouldn't be unreasonable for him to possess such a secret treasure.

When Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei first learned of Ye Chen, she simply knew that he had only been in Xuantian Holy Land for more than ten years and barely had any cultivation.

Even if he had been cultivating earnestly with all the resources available on Qingyun Peak, he would at most only be in Vision Realm and was not worth paying that much attention to.

Ye Chen nodded and said, "Since it involves Blood Demon Cult, I will try my best."

Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei also knew of the grudges between Qingyun Peak and Blood Demon Cult. Thus, she knew why the trio had to be present.

Suddenly, a young man in a blue robe approached and spoke with a voice as clear as jade but as aggressive as a wild boar. "Li Qingzhou, you are finally willing to leave the mountain!"

Li Qingzhou raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked at the stranger. Then, he frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

"Zuo Jiansheng from Black Sword Peak!" The young man in blue proudly revealed his identity.

Him?

Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat as he remembered that Black Sword Peak Lord Gu Lingyun speaking of this disciple angrily when the Peak Lord had wanted to take Li Qingzhou as his disciple.

'Why, I did not expect to see him here!'

Ye Chen gave a closer look at Zuo Jiansheng's identity and cultivation.

Late Stage of Vision Realm?

Ye Chen shook his head mentally. This person only had a normal physique and did not have any great Sword Path methods, skills, or secret arts. Even though his cultivation was slightly higher than Li Qingzhou's, he was not Li Qingzhou's opponent.

Li Qingzhou's facial expression revealed that he finally recognized this stranger as he smiled and cupped his fists. "So it's Senior Brother Zuo! When I first entered Xuantian Holy Land, I had met Senior Brother Zuo once. It's no wonder I thought you looked so familiar!"

When Li Qingzhou mentioned the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony, Zuo Jiansheng became even more furious. He gritted his teeth and said, "Li Qingzhou, thanks to you, I was locked up by my master for two years. I had just come out not too long ago! I had once challenged you from the foot of Qingyun Peak but you ignored me!"

Li Qingzhou rubbed his nose and frowned. "OK... But what do you want with me?"

Zuo Jiansheng's breathing stopped slightly at Li Qingzhou's question. He did not know how to explain himself.

'How was it my fault that a crippled Sword Spirit Body like you would be able to regain his Supreme Sword Bone? Master was furious at me all thanks to you!'

The focus of everyone at the square was now on Li Qingzhou and Zuo Jiansheng, they were interested in what happened between them.

Zuo Jiansheng took a deep breath before coldly saying, "Cut the crap. I want to challenge you now! Do you dare accept the challenge?"

Li Qingzhou looked at the Holy Maiden and awkwardly said, "But, we are here to help annihilate the Blood Demon Cult's branch. How can I fight with you now?"

When Holy Maiden Xue Wei saw that the two of them were arguing and one even wanted to challenge the other right then, she shook her head and said, "Junior Brothers, now is not the time to argue. We should wait until we destroy Blood Demon Cult's branch."

Zuo Jiansheng snorted as he proudly turned back to Li Qingzhou and said, "You better accept my challenge!"

"We are going to destroy the Blood Demon Cult's branch, not sightsee. Let's continue this discussion after we come back alive!" Li Qingzhou was not interested in Zuo Jiansheng's challenge.

He had been staying at Qingyun Peak for a long time and hadn't had much action since the battle with Liao Wuhen.

Now that they had the chance to have a proper battle with the enemy, it was better for Li Qingzhou to conserve his energy for now. Who knew how many powerful individuals and methods Blood Demon Cult had hidden among their ranks?

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Black Tortoise Mountain Range

"Li Qingzhou, we're just going up against a branch of Blood Demon Cult. Don't tell me you're afraid of a mere branch? Oh, right. I forgot. You've never encountered any demon cultivators before so I guess it's normal for you to be afraid," said Zuo Jiansheng disdainfully.

It was obvious that Zuo Jiansheng was just being bitter since he was imprisoned by his Peak Lord because of Li Qingzhou.

But Li Qingzhou simply smiled and shook his head. He did not want to argue with Zuo Jiansheng anymore.

Dozens more rushed over from the various peaks of Xuantian Holy Land.

Once everyone had gathered, Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei activated her vision and a bright Sun rose high against a brilliant blue sky with auspicious clouds floating behind her. Then, she turned towards the people in the square and said, "Fellow disciples, our target this time is at Black Tortoise Mountain Range, right at the junction between Azure Billow Region and Strange Stone Region. It is thousands of miles away from Holy Land.

"According to the information we've received, there's a demon cultivator's stronghold hidden in Rubble Cave somewhere in Black Tortoise Mountain Range. It's most likely the branch of Blood Demon Cult.

"When the time comes, I hope all of you can display your strengths, destroy this branch of Blood Demon Cult swiftly, and help spread the reputation of Xuantian Holy Land!"

Then, Holy Maiden Xue Wei raised her hand and shot out a golden stream of light which grew with the wind and turned into a thousand-foot-long ship in a blink of an eye. Various radiant lights and colors flowed on the surface of the ship as it was surrounded by numerous auspicious clouds.

Holy Maiden Xue Wei flew off and landed on the bow of the ship. "Everyone, please get on!"

The others wasted no time rising up to board the ship too.

Everyone was excited to get on the ship, all except Ye Chen who had a slight frown on his face. Wasn't this ship a little too flashy?

If the Blood Demon Cult branch was weak, they would have already escaped at the sight of the ship.

And if the Blood Demon Cult branch was too powerful, they would have set up an ambush in advance. By then, Xuantian Holy Land's disciples would suffer heavy casualties.

Or did Holy Maiden Xue Wei seriously want to fight with the demon cultivators head-on?

Did she think demon cultivators were fools?

Eventually, Ye Chen, Zi Menghan, and Li Qingzhou boarded the ship together. Once aboard, Ye Chen secretly sent a voice transmission to Holy Maiden Xue Wei. "Holy Maiden, if we go with such a great fanfare, won't we just be giving our positions away?"

Holy Maiden Xue Wei looked at Ye Chen who was calmly looking at the clouds in the sky as if he was enjoying the scenery. She could not tell whether he was the one who sent her the message at all.

She knew that this Peak Lord usually kept a low profile and did not like to be in the limelight, so she simply responded to his message. "Thank you for your concern, Peak Lord Ye! However, I want to destroy the Blood Demon Cult's branch to spread the reputation of the Holy Land. So, of course, I will go there openly.

"And don't worry about alerting the enemies.

"Since we've heard back about the situation there, that means that our fellow disciples there are keeping a good eye on the situation. If there are any unusual movements, we'll be the first to receive the news."

Ye Chen faintly smiled and no longer tried to persuade her.

The Blood Demon Cult's branch was a hundred thousand miles away. Who knew how reliable the news was? Who knew if the disciples monitoring the area were still alive? To place their lives completely in these remote disciples was too risky!

In the end, he could only rely on himself!

Ye Chen, or his puppet representative, activated a rice-sized puppet at the edge of the ship's great protective array. It silently passed through the array and turned into a skinny old man, moving a hundred miles with each step towards Black Tortoise Mountain Range.

Along the way, the skinny old man would activate and drop off more puppets every ten thousand miles. Eventually, Ye Chen would have spies everywhere to watch out for any incoming dangers.

Ye Chen also decided to activate his divine consciousness through his many puppets now strategically positioned to scan the area for the dead.

Once they reached the mountain range, Ye Chen would release even more puppets to do the same.

Since he already knew the exact location of the Blood Demon Cult's branch, it would be better to prepare himself in advance.

With the number of puppets Ye Chen was using, it was obvious that he had almost entirely used up the cultivation resources of Qingyun Peak. In fact, he had been procuring materials beyond Qingyun Peak most of the time.

Ye Chen used the first few puppets he had made to acquire the subsequent materials he needed to make more of them.

When he had obtained the Death Spirit Seal, he used it and his divine consciousness through his many puppets as they traveled, to search for and collect the magic treasures of the dead buried underground as puppet-building materials.

In a nutshell, most of Ye Chen's latest puppets were either made from or equipped with the magic treasures gathered from the dead.

"Take off!"

Holy Maiden Xue Wei ordered the departure of the ship, which released a dazzling stream of multicolored light as it left Xuantian Main Peak.

As for Shen Beiwang, the Peak Lord of Crimson Flame Peak and who was now supposed to be the leader of the scouts at Black Tortoise Mountain Range, there had been no sign of him. No one knew where he was hiding.

Qingyun Peak's Ye Chen, Zi Menghan, and Li Qingzhou sat cross-legged in a corner of the cabin and closed their eyes, quietly waiting for the ship to arrive at their destination.

Ye Chen was now in the Late Stage of Primordial Realm and he had refined his divine consciousness three times, greatly expanding the power and range of his divine consciousness. This was how he could use his divine consciousness in such a wide range through his puppets – the one currently on the ship and those out scouting for magic treasures.

As he did, he could sense the traces of historical battlefields, buried mountains, burned forests, ancient temples, and countless skeletons of all sorts of humans and demons. The land on which they now walked buried a history no one knew of.

The skeletons that had been preserved had either died not too long ago or been very powerful when they were alive.

And these skeletons were Ye Chen's trump cards.

He had to do everything he could to protect the lives of these two disciples. They were very important to Ye Chen.

Allowing them to tag along this trip was to give them more battle experience. However, if the situation took a turn for the worse, Ye Chen would not just stand by and do nothing.

This huge golden boat was the exclusive flying treasure of Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei. She seemed to be trying to show off the reputation of the Xuantian Holy Land, so she did not seem to bother about getting to their destination quickly. In the end, it took them three days to reach the mountain range.

After all, they were still within Xuantian Holy Land's territory, so they would not have encountered any other dangers.

The mountain range of their destination stretched for tens of thousands of miles. From afar, it looked like a huge black tortoise with its head held high, covered in a layer of gray fog.

Countless mountains and lakes made up the whole mountain range. The mountains were high and dense, with strange rocks everywhere. From time to time, there would be black, gray, blood-red, green, and other lights flashing from its depths. Other times, the cries of birds and beasts could be heard, so shrill that they could pierce through gold and cut through rocks. Hearing these noises made one's blood boil and hair stand on its end. No one knew how many powerful beasts were hiding there.

Ye Chen squinted and looked at Black Tortoise Mountain Range.

It was said that the mountain range was created by the Black Tortoise, a godly beast, but Ye Chen did not sense its remains anywhere. The Black Tortoise might have become a part of Heaven and Earth, which would mean that it would become a real mountain range with no bones left behind. This might explain how Ye Chen couldn't sense it.

And judging by the thickness of the death Qi here, Ye Chen had a feeling that this mountain range was not simple at all.

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Another Spy from Blood Demon Cult

Ye Chen wasn't the only one. Most of the people on the golden ship had also sensed the extraordinary power of Black Tortoise Mountain Range. They felt that this mountain range was filled with a thick evil aura and it made them feel a bit uncomfortable.

Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei seemed to have sensed the change in atmosphere on the ship and her eyes shone with a bright light of wisdom. "I've specifically asked Holy Lord about the origins of Black Tortoise Mountain Range. He mentioned a rumor, where millions of years ago, the humongous Black Tortoise fell from the sky and died here. Its divine energy dissipated, and its huge body turned into a mountain range which is now Black Tortoise Mountain Range."

"This mountain range is really the manifestation of the divine beast?" Many disciples exclaimed.

"Well, rumors are called so because they can't be verified. The legend of the Black Tortoise is too vague and unreal. However, the baleful aura in Black Tortoise Mountain Range is indeed too dense. Everyone should still be careful."

But was it just a rumor?

Ye Chen frowned on the inside.

As they approached Black Tortoise Mountain Range, the Xuantian Holy Maiden seemed to have sensed something.

An elegant young man soared into the sky suddenly from a hidden valley. He cupped his hands toward the golden ship from afar and said, "Purple Cloud Peak's Meng Shaofeng greets the Holy Maiden!"

Xuantian Holy Maiden Xue Wei rose from the golden ship and smiled at Meng Shaofeng. "Junior Brother Meng, thank you for greeting us. There are no changes to the situation, right? Where are the other fellow disciples?"

Meng Shaofeng replied with a smile. "Holy Maiden, a few core disciples are secretly monitoring the base. It has been confirmed that it is a branch of Blood Demon Cult. As for the other disciples and elders, they are hiding in this nameless valley for the time being."

"Thank you for your hard work! Please tell the others to gather. We will attack the Blood Demon Cult's branch right now!"

Since the Xuantian Holy Maiden had arrived with great fanfare, she didn't want to waste any more time.

"Yes, Holy Maiden!" Meng Shaofeng nodded, raised his hand, and shot out a voice transmission talisman as instructed.

Ye Chen looked at Meng Shaofeng and information about him appeared before him, only for his eyes.

[Name: Meng Shaofeng]

[Identity: The core disciple of Xuantian Holy Land's Purple Cloud Peak (His real identity is a core disciple of Blood Demon Cult)]

[Cultivation: Mid Stage of Vision Realm, but his real cultivation is at the Peak Stage of Vision Realm]

[Character experience: Born in the branch of Blood Demon Cult in Black Tortoise Mountain Range, Meng Shaofeng is the son of the Blood Demon Cult elder, Meng Jiuxiao. Meng Shaofeng cultivated the Demon Embryo Purgatory Art since he was young, entered Wave Realm at the age of nine, opened his meridian at the age of fourteen, but failed to break through to Vision Realm at the age of eighteen. Desperate, he sacrificed a small town of ten thousand people and finally broke through to Vision Realm by force.

In the following three years, he continued to sacrifice four small towns and eight villages in succession just to raise his cultivation to the Peak Stage of Vision Realm. However, he had exhausted his potential which made it difficult for him to break through to Primordial Realm.

He infiltrated Xuantian Holy Land's Purple Cloud Peak at the age of twenty-two as their disciple. During the sixteen years Meng Shaofeng was in Purple Cloud Peak, he had searched for and found the Demonic Abyss Crack in Xuantian Holy Land. It was him who informed Blood Demon Cult of the Demonic Abyss Crack's location and consequently leading to Demon King Qingli possessing a Qingyun Peak disciple.

With Meng Shaofeng still spying for Blood Demon Cult, they had managed to set up an ambush for the incoming party. They were prepared to deal a heavy blow to Xuantian Holy Land.]

Another spy from Blood Demon Cult!

Ye Chen was flabbergasted. Did Xuantian Holy Land not check the backgrounds and identities of their disciples? With their track record of being infiltrated by so many from the Demonic Path – Demon King Qingli, Qi Hanxing, Meng Shaofeng – and the Xuantian Holy Lord's failure in detecting the Outer Realm Sky Demon in Liao Wuhen, Ye Chen wouldn't be surprised if there are spies from other sects of cults among the ranks of Xuantian Holy Land either.

Xuantian Holy Land needed to buck up their due diligence.

Now that the spy was right before them, Ye Chen needed to find a way to get rid of him quickly, or he wouldn't be able to feel at ease.

"Holy Maiden, Meng Shaofeng is a spy of Blood Demon Cult." Ye Chen transmitted his voice to the Xuantian Holy Maiden.

With Ye Chen's strong principle in being prudent and keeping a low profile, how could he take matters into his own hands? Moreover, it wasn't appropriate for Ye Chen and his disciple to act independently since this operation was led by the Xuantian Holy Maiden. It was better to let her think of a way to deal with this Meng Shaofeng.

There was a change in the Xuantian Holy Maiden's face. She scanned her surroundings with her divine consciousness for the sender of the voice transmission, but she couldn't find out who it was.

She couldn't take down Meng Shaofeng just because of some unknown person's information. However, her guard was now up.

At that moment, the valley lit up with a brilliant light. The hidden huge arrays opened one after another as beams of light flew out from all over the valley and landed on the huge golden ship. Upon landing, the new arrivals greeted the Xuantian Holy Maiden.

Ye Chen quickly glanced over the disciples who had just arrived and confirmed that none had been possessed by or were spies from Blood Demon Cult. He sighed with relief. Thankfully, they would only have to deal with one spy for now.

"Fellow disciples, we will attack the Blood Demon Cult's branch right now. We need to use the drums to cheer us on!" With a faint smile that showed off her sparkling-white teeth, the Xuantian Holy Maiden gently waved her jade-like hands and an ancient drum appeared on the golden ship. Two drumsticks with stains of dried blood rested on the surface of the drum that was covered in tiny cracks. The ancient drum seemed quite demonic in nature.

Soon, the two drumsticks raised themselves into the air, and each started to hit hard on the surface of the drum rhythmically.

The sound of the drum was deafening, heavily hitting the hearts of everyone present. Those who heard it felt a hidden emotion in the depths of their hearts being drawn out.

But only one person reacted a little differently from the others. Meng Shaofeng's eyes started to turn red and his throat emitted a low and hoarse voice as he said, "Holy Maiden, this is a strange drum. Please, top hitting it!"

But the beat of the drum continued, and Meng Shaofeng let out a low growl as black demonic Qi began to float out of and around his body.

"This is the Demon Summoning Drum. It can awaken the demonic nature dormant in a living being's body, thus revealing if a person is a human or a demon. Although it won't be long before it disintegrates after this use, it will serve us well to find the demon cultivators hidden among us," said the Xuantian Holy Maiden coldly.

Her vision started to show a magnificent scene of mountains and rivers intertwining with each other in ravines as clouds and mist swirled around them. An endless blue sea spread out far and wide in the background. With her vision showing large and bright behind her, she looked like a mystical maiden from the nine heavens.

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