Chapter 138: "A Thousand Wounds"

Chapter 138: "A Thousand Wounds"

"Our predecessors established the reputation of the Mock Heaven Sect tens of thousands of years ago on the Xuantian Continent."

"Since I have inherited the position of the Sect Leader of the Mock Heaven Sect..."

"I naturally cannot weaken this reputation."

Chen Qiu paused and turned his head, gazing into the distance as he spoke softly, "Chen Qiu, the Sect Leader of the Mock Heaven Sect, when I passed through that Heavenly Path Mystic Realm, no one told me that being the Sect Leader would involve so many matters."

In reality, many decisions were no longer within his control. When he entered the Elite Talent Preliminary Mystic Realm, he had no idea that the name of the Mock Heaven Sect was so renowned, nor did he have any taboos.

Many of the Heaven's Pride remembered the name of Chen Qiu, the Sect Leader of the Mock Heaven Sect.

The Mock Heaven Sect had left a shadow on the Xuantian Continent tens of thousands of years ago, and although much time had passed, many had forgotten the name. However, a simple search in historical records would reveal the familiar name of the Mock Heaven Sect.

And now, as the new Sect Leader, even before stepping into the Xuantian Continent, he had reminded countless powers of the existence of the Mock Heaven Sect.

Three hours later, Chen Qiu stood once again at the entrance to the ancient ruins. He wearily clapped his hands; the passage was incredibly deep, and dismantling all these steps was no easy task.

It took the group of them three hours to dismantle all the stones that blocked spiritual sense.

These were valuable items; they couldn't be wasted.

The stones now formed a small hill at the back of the Mock Heaven Sect, and if one didn't count the documents, these stones were his entire harvest from this trip, oh, and also the little wolf.

A cultivator with a Fifth Level Core cultivation was a decent fighter.

However, Chen Qiu preferred to keep him as a pet, as he was still in his infancy. Although his cultivation was not weak, it was hard to consider him a true combat force on the battlefield.

It just didn't feel right.

At this moment, many cultivators surrounded the entrance to the ancient ruins. After dismantling all the stone steps, Chen Qiu casually used several Lightning Summoning Arts to seal the cave entrance. To enter again, one would have to clear the rubble from the cave-in first.

He wasn't really worried about anyone going down there.

Firstly, there was nothing useful below; the only valuable documents were in a secret room that could only be opened with the Sect Leader's token, and Chen Qiu had already stored them in his Spirit Artifact.

The poisonous gas alone at the bottom was enough to deter anyone from entering.

But out of habit, he blocked the cave entrance. It was like not wearing underwear; even though you know your pants are covering you, and no one can see, you still feel uncomfortable.

It was already nearing dusk.

After finishing everything, Chen Qiu returned to the inn in Fat City. The group chatted for a while before dispersing to continue their cultivation.

Fat Dragon went to the Little World to cultivate with the Demoness.

Meanwhile, Chen Qiu and the scholar cultivated in their respective rooms.

Soon, the Midnight Hour arrived.

Ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills were delivered once again. Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged on his bed, expertly took out a cultivation pill and placed it in his mouth. He circulated his cultivation technique, calming his mind and absorbing the medicinal properties of the pill.

After a night of bitter cultivation, dawn broke. Chen Qiu exhaled a mouthful of turbid air and turned his head to look out the window at the snow-covered landscape. It had snowed all night, and it was still falling as the day brightened, marking the second snowfall of the winter.

This heavy snowfall finally added a touch of winter to the season.

He examined his cultivation panel floating above his dantian—

- Cultivation: Fourth Stage Golden Core (5.3%).

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly. When he was at the Third Level Golden Core, he consumed a Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, which increased his cultivation progress by only 3%. He had assumed that at the Fourth Stage Golden Core, one pill would increase his progress by only 2%.

Unexpectedly, it still increased his progress by 3%.

This was beyond his expectations.

It meant he could break through to the Fifth Level Golden Core faster than anticipated.

The "Heaven's Pride Ranking" lasted for a full year, meaning he could receive ten Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills every day for a year. Unfortunately, they had to be claimed in batches.

It would be better if they could all be received at once.

He then examined his cultivation panel, which had reappeared above his dantian after his breakthrough, shrouded in clouds and familiar after a long absence.

- Cultivation Surge: Officially entering the Fourth Stage Golden Core.

- Please choose one of the three random clauses below within ten breaths.

1:

- Clause Name: Substitute Heavenly Path

- Clause Level: Blue

- Clause Effect: You can design a Heavenly Path Mystic Realm accessible only to Golden Core and below cultivators at the cost of three hundred years of lifespan. However, there is only a certain probability of success, and if it is deemed too unfair, it will fail.

2:

- Clause Name: Martyrdom's Command

- Clause Level: Blue

- Clause Effect: You can alter a person's subconscious memories at the cost of ten years of lifespan. The more complex the memory alteration, the more lifespan will be consumed.

3:

- Clause Name: Clean Death

- Clause Level: Yellow

- Clause Effect: Upon your death, everyone will forget your name, and any records, documents, jade slips, and traces of you will be automatically erased.

".

Chen Qiu frowned in thought, remaining silent. None of the randomly selected clauses were particularly useful to him.

Not a single one was related to combat strength.

They were all auxiliary effects.

He even randomly received a completely useless clause, "Clean Death." In his opinion, the reason this clause was yellow instead of white was likely because its effect involved the power of rules.

In terms of strength, this clause was quite powerful. It would erase memories of him from the minds of everyone who knew his name, and any jade slips, records, or documents related to him would also be automatically erased.

This was no small feat.

If one were to consider the effort alone, the term "yellow word entry" might even be an understatement. It was as if he had exerted so much strength just to pull out a large lump, and if it wasn't after death but during his lifetime, he felt that the effect would actually be quite powerful.

The first entry, "Substitute Heavenly Path," was also ruled out.

Spending so much lifespan as a cost just to create a Heavenly Path Mystic Realm that might not even succeed was indeed a bit unnecessary. The second entry, "Martyrdom's Command," could be chosen with some reluctance.

Although it wasn't of much use.

But it was like choosing the best among the short options, and it could be used in a pinch. If there was ever a time in the future when this entry could be used, it could be utilized, unlike the remaining two entries which were completely useless.

"Huh?"

Just then, Chen Qiu couldn't help but shudder all over, and he hurriedly spoke in a loud and urgent voice, "Cancel, cancel!"

After obtaining this entry, he suddenly felt inspired to see if this entry could modify his subconscious memories. Indeed, he felt a sense of connection with the Heaven and Earth Power, which was about to deduct his lifespan, waiting for him to decide what memory to modify.

He was just conducting an experiment.

But he didn't plan to actually modify his memories.

Moreover, he also became aware of the conditions for using this entry. It couldn't modify memories remotely; there must be physical contact to modify someone's memories by consuming one's lifespan as a cost.

"Hmm..."

Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the bed, pondered silently without speaking. He wasn't worried about having his memories altered by a Celestial Sage, but he felt that the cultivation world was too dangerous. If he could randomly obtain this entry, others could certainly do the same.

Without a Celestial Sage, anyone could alter one's memories by paying a small price in lifespan.

This was too frightening.

Over the next few days, Chen Qiu and his group didn't leave the inn. They patiently cultivated.

Soon, three days passed, and by the third day's dawn, Chen Qiu, who had been meditating on the bed, finally exhaled a sigh of relief.

His cultivation progress had reached:

-

"Cultivation Level": Fourth Stage Golden Core (90.3%).

-

Once the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill was received tonight, he could raise his cultivation to the Fifth Stage Golden Core.

Not bad.

After cultivating for several days, they couldn't stay cooped up in the inn all the time. It was time to get some exercise and balance work with rest.

In the morning, at a street stall.

Chen Qiu and his group were getting a bit tired of mutton soup, no matter how delicious it was. They couldn't eat it every day, so they decided to change their taste.

They switched to beef soup.

"This beef soup tastes pretty good too."

Fat Dragon picked up a pair of chopsticks with noodles and put them in his mouth, then picked up a piece of meat. He ate with great care, and under the devoted service of the Fifth Stage Golden Core female demoness, Fat Dragon's cultivation speed could be said to have soared.

The spirit qi fluctuations on his body were already at the Third Stage Foundation Establishment.

"Fat Dragon."

Chen Qiu picked up a porcelain bowl and took a sip of soup before instructing, "Remember to spend some time consolidating your cultivation realm. You're not like me and Scholar; we have the Heavenly Dao Foundation Pill, so our realms are basically stable."

"You don't have the Heavenly Dao Foundation Pill, so take it slow."

"Mhm, mhm."

Fat Dragon put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped the oil from the corners of his mouth with his sleeve, and then clicked his tongue, "Don't worry, Brother Qiu. I've been consolidating my cultivation realm. If I were to go all out in my cultivation, I might have already reached the Fifth Stage Foundation Establishment."

"So fast?"

The scholar beside him showed a hint of astonishment in his eyes, "I relied on my rebirth reset and the Heavenly Dao Foundation Pill given by Brother Qiu to barely enter the Sixth Stage Foundation Establishment last night. You would have reached the Fifth Stage Foundation Establishment if you went all out?"

"I was just joking."

Fat Dragon disdainfully rolled his eyes at the scholar, "That's a Fifth Stage Golden Core demoness! Even the Master of the Flower Cult is only at the Fourth Stage Golden Core cultivation. Of course, my cultivation is increasing rapidly, not to mention I also have the Heavenly Destiny Dual Cultivation entry, which increases my cultivation speed ninefold."

"Maybe I should slow down; I could have reached the Fifth Stage Foundation Establishment long ago."

"Ordinary people don't have the opportunity to have a Fifth Stage Golden Core demoness at the First Stage Foundation Establishment. But I feel like I won't be able to use her for much longer. At most, I can use her until I reach the Seventh or Eighth Stage Foundation Establishment, as the essence in her body is almost depleted."

"So I plan to take a break after some time to let her recover, and then continue cultivating."

"That's good."

Chen Qiu smiled lightly and nodded, not saying much more. Everyone's cultivation speed was impressive, and he was happy for them.

After finishing their breakfast, they returned to continue cultivating.

However, just as Chen Qiu was about to start cultivating, he suddenly thought of something. His body disappeared from its original spot and reappeared at the door of the Little World's dormitory. He knocked on the door of one of the rooms.

Then, he pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, he saw the middle-aged shopkeeper, sitting cross-legged on the bed, his eyes vacant and his face pale as he lay on the bed.

"Shopkeeper?"

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He took a few steps forward and took out several healing pills from his pocket, placing them in the shopkeeper's mouth. After the shopkeeper's complexion improved slightly, Chen Qiu asked in confusion, "Did my little wolf hurt you?"

There were no outsiders in the Mock Heaven Sect; currently, only the shopkeeper was there.

Usually, Chen Qiu let the little wolf roam freely in the mountains at the back of the sect.

It couldn't be that the little wolf had injured the shopkeeper.

"No."

The shopkeeper struggled to sit up and shook his head. A trace of guilt flashed across his face, and he rasped with embarrassment, "Forgive me for making you laugh, Master. No one hurt me. It's just that the storage ring you gave me last time had a rather complex seal."

"I exhausted all my energy and used all my knowledge to the utmost, but I only managed to decipher one-hundredth of the seal."

"Extrapolating from this..."

"To break this storage ring's seal, the fastest speed would require four hundred days without sleep, food, or drink."

"This is assuming everything goes smoothly, but the seal is often more difficult the deeper you go. It'll likely take three to five years of effort, and in the worst-case scenario, it might never be opened in this lifetime."

"Is it that difficult?"

A hint of confusion flashed in Chen Qiu's eyes. He remembered that whether it was the Golden Core Storage Ring or the Demon Clan's Storage Ring, the shopkeeper had always been able to unlock them quickly. Yet, the storage ring he had found in the wolf's mouth when he was young had such a complex seal?

"It's extremely difficult."

The shopkeeper nodded with admiration and powerlessness, saying, "I don't know where you found this storage ring, but I can be certain of one thing: the person who created this seal is far superior to me in terms of skill. The gap between us is perhaps hundreds of times greater."

"If I have the opportunity to become this person's disciple, it would be the luckiest thing in my life."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"It's fine."

Chen Qiu shook his head, "I'm not in a hurry. Since it will take at least three to five years, then we'll take three to five years. We'll slowly break the seal, and it's fine whenever it's done. No rush. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you for your concern."

The shopkeeper's face had already improved significantly, "I have a feeling that once I break the seal on this storage ring, my skill in seals will greatly improve!"

"Okay, take your time."

After a few words of reminder to take care of himself, Chen Qiu didn't linger and immediately left the Little World. He returned to his bed and resumed his cultivation.

But at that moment—

A shrill and fearful voice suddenly transmitted from the sound transmission ring on his index finger, "Qiu-ge, Qiu-ge, save me!!!"

It was Liu Zide's voice.

Without hesitation, Chen Qiu contacted the scholar in the neighboring guest room through the sound transmission ring. Together, they transformed into streaks of light and shot towards Liu Zide's location.

Liu Zide had been sent out to acquire large quantities of Malevolent Wood.

No one knew what danger he had encountered.

Had he attracted unwanted attention?

In less than a dozen breaths, Chen Qiu arrived at Liu Zide's location.

A hundred li outside of Fat City, in a desolate wilderness, there was not a soul in sight, no official roads, no villages, and no passersby.

Not even a single monster could be seen.

In this desolate wilderness, a two-zhang-wide hole appeared on the ground, and overwhelming vengeful spirits continuously surged out from the depths of the hole. Countless Qi Condensation and even Foundation Establishment cultivation level vengeful spirits emerged endlessly from the hole.

The piercing cries of the vengeful spirits echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

The nearly tangible vengeful spirits made the surroundings even colder, as if they could freeze a person's blood.

Above the hole, Liu Zide's Wang Family Patriarch was currently in a state of fear and panic, constantly self-destructing his clauses. Each time, he unleashed a full-power strike of a Fifth Level Core, frantically smashing it towards the hole, killing countless vengeful spirits with each strike.

But the number of self-destructing clauses was limited.

If Chen Qiu hadn't arrived, the Wang Family Patriarch wouldn't have lasted much longer. Soon, countless vengeful spirits would have emerged from the depths of the earth beneath the hole, completely engulfing Liu Zide and the Wang Family Patriarch.

With so many vengeful spirits, there was no chance of survival for the two of them.

Upon seeing Chen Qiu's arrival, the Wang Family Patriarch's face lit up with excitement, and he shouted with a trembling voice, "Qiu-ge, save me!!!"

"Step aside."

Chen Qiu frowned slightly and waved his hand, sending hundreds of Thunder Dragons towards the hole. The Thunder Lord's Carnage had a restraining effect on these vengeful spirits, and the hundreds of Thunder Dragons completely blocked the hole, instantly turning the vengeful spirits that collided with them into wisps of blue smoke.

Only then did he gesture for the Wang Family Patriarch to retreat, and he himself hovered above the hole, relying on the effect of the Celestial Sage. The countless vengeful spirits beneath him couldn't escape, and before they even got close to him, they turned into blue smoke and dissipated in the air.

Looking down at Liu Zide and the others from above the hole, Chen Qiu spoke softly, "What have you two done to dig up the Netherworld Prison?"

According to legend, after death, people would turn into vengeful spirits and head to the underworld. Those who had done many bad deeds in their lifetime would become vengeful spirits and suffer torment day and night in the hell of the underworld. The ghosts in the Netherworld Prison were often extremely bloodthirsty and ferocious.

The Wang Family Patriarch was still in a daze, his entire body trembling as he stood in place, "I..."

Liu Zide patted the Wang Family Patriarch's shoulder, who was somewhat stuttering, signaling him to step back. Then, he took a step forward, his face turning slightly pale as he spoke, "Qiu-ge, let me explain. I've been dealing with Malevolent Wood a lot recently."

"Malevolent Wood grows in places with malevolent energy, and places with malevolent energy are where many people have died."

"But there are countless places where many people have died."

"The Great Xia's Ten States are not the only place where people have died, and with the Hundred States constantly in turmoil, more people should have died there, right? Why don't the other eighteen states of the Great Xia have Malevolent Wood?"

"The Hundred States don't have Malevolent Wood either."

"Only the Great Xia's Fat State has Malevolent Wood?"

"I haven't been able to figure out this question for some time. I thought that perhaps it was because Fat State is cold, and thus Malevolent Wood grows there, providing everyone with firewood to keep warm."

"But..."

"It wasn't until this hole opened that I got the real answer. Why does only Fat State have Malevolent Wood? Because enough people have died there."

"I've been acquiring Malevolent Wood on a large scale recently. Every time I acquire too much Malevolent Wood in one place, I find that the temperature in the surrounding area drops by a bit. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but then I decided to conduct an experiment."

"I had people acquire all the Malevolent Wood within a radius of several dozen li here, and then I had them pull out all the Malevolent Wood that grew in this area. That's when this happened."

"You mean..." Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly and looked down at the hole where countless vengeful spirits were emerging. He had a rough understanding of what Liu Zide meant.

"Absolutely!"

Liu Zide took a deep breath and nodded heavily. "I've discovered the true purpose of the Malevolent Wood. It's not meant for warmth at all, but to suppress vengeful spirits!"

"The entire Fat State below has been almost hollowed out, and beneath it lies an endless sea of vengeful spirits."

"Furthermore, I even suspect that the Endless Ice Plains are so cold because beneath them, they too are hollow, and an endless sea of vengeful spirits lies below, forming a sea of vengeful spirits!"

"The Malevolent Wood is what suppresses these vengeful spirits."

"These days, we've acquired a large amount of Malevolent Wood, which has led to a slight shortage of it for suppressing vengeful spirits. As a result, the suppression of the spirits has weakened a bit. With me clearing out the Malevolent Wood within a radius of several dozen li, this area has become the weakest point, allowing the vengeful spirits to burst out, as if Fat State were a punctured watermelon."

". . ."

". . ."

Chen Qiu remained silent, only exchanging a glance with the shocked Fat Dragon standing beside him. If anyone else had heard Liu Zide's theory, they would have scoffed at it.

The Fat State had a sea of vengeful spirits beneath it?

The Endless Ice Plains were so cold because of the countless vengeful spirits below?

Pure nonsense! But they truly believed it, for they had been to the Endless Desert and seen the river of fire beneath it, flowing like molten lava.

Moreover, Chen Qiu had personally experienced how the temperature could drop to freezing when burdened with too many vengeful spirits. The abnormally cold temperature of the Endless Ice Plains, coupled with the sea of vengeful spirits flowing beneath it, seemed like a plausible explanation.

"In the past, many families and sects also burned Malevolent Wood, but why haven't such incidents occurred before?"

The scholar beside them asked, puzzled.

Liu Zide patiently explained, "In the past, these families and sects burned Malevolent Wood within the borders of Fat State. The heat and malevolent energy released during the burning could also suppress the vengeful spirits beneath Fat State."

"No one would take Malevolent Wood out of Fat State."

"Because people outside of Fat State don't need it anyway."

"This has led to a delicate balance between the Malevolent Wood and Fat State over the years. This year, it's been especially cold, which means the vengeful spirits beneath Fat State are particularly agitated, slightly disrupting the balance."

"But it's still within control. As long as there are no unexpected situations, Fat State will only be a little colder this winter, and nothing unusual will happen. However, with our large-scale acquisition of Malevolent Wood and our decision to only acquire and not burn it, this balance has been completely disrupted."

"I understand." Fat Dragon nodded, his face filled with awe. "So, if you hadn't had the sudden idea to conduct this experiment and clear out all the Malevolent Wood within a radius of several dozen li, this big hole wouldn't have appeared, right?"

"Not exactly."

Liu Zide shook his head, his face grim. "If I hadn't conducted this experiment, when the balance is completely disrupted, it won't just be one hole; the entire Fat State will simultaneously have hundreds, thousands, or even thousands of holes."

"Full of holes."

"Each hole would require a Golden Core Cultivator to suppress it, and Great Xia doesn't have that many Golden Core Cultivators."

"At that time, the entire Fat City will be flooded with blood, completely turning into a ghost realm, and Great Xia, even Nanda City, will struggle to escape this calamity. It's a major disaster!"

Chen Qiu understood Liu Zide's meaning. Although many of Liu Zide's statements were speculations, based on his judgment, they were mostly accurate, and what he had witnessed was also the same.

One vengeful spirit meant one life.

In just the short time he had been standing here, nearly a thousand vengeful spirits had rushed towards him and then turned into wisps of blue smoke. One could imagine how many vengeful spirits were beneath Fat State, and how many people had died there.

The Malevolent Wood should be a relatively precious item on the Xuantian Continent.

The reason it was so common here was probably because more people had died here. But the Xuantian Continent was much larger than Great Xia, so was there no place similar to Fat State, an ancient battlefield?

"Let's go down and take a look."

Chen Qiu turned to Liu Zide. "Bring out the Malevolent Wood and see if we can block this hole."

"Okay!"

Liu Zide hurriedly nodded. They hadn't had the time before, and as the hole suddenly opened, vengeful spirits surged out like a tidal wave. Malevolent Wood couldn't block them. If not for the Patriarch's self-sacrifice, they would have flooded out long ago.

Soon—

Thousands of Malevolent Wood were scattered around the hole, and the vengeful spirits preparing to burst out let out a shrill, piercing scream, retreating once again.

Apparently, the Malevolent Wood did have a suppressing effect on the vengeful spirits.

Even though Chen Qiu was no longer standing at the hole, the vengeful spirits only screamed and wailed below the hole, and not a single one rushed out.

"Let's go."

Chen Qiu turned to the scholar and said softly, "Let's go down and take a look."

Chen Qiu and the scholar jumped into the hole, falling into a sea of countless vengeful spirits. As soon as they entered, it was like a red-hot fire stick being plunged into the ice and snow, instantly melting all the vengeful spirits along the route.

Every vengeful spirit that rushed towards him was also melted without exception.

Below the hole was a narrow, hundreds-of-zhang-deep passage that was vertical to the ground. The vengeful spirits had rushed to the ground through these passages, and after falling hundreds of zhang deep, a vast space suddenly came into view.

It was identical to the river of fire beneath the Endless Desert, with one exception: there was no fire here, only countless vengeful spirits.

As far as the eye could see.

The number was incalculable.

One could only feel a suffocating sense of oppression.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end