Chapter 156: The Dark Deity is Too Powerful, I Must Devour the Stars!

Chapter 156: The Dark Deity is Too Powerful, I Must Devour the Stars!

Three days later.

Qi Yuan looked at the storage bag filled with various spells, his eyes lighting up with joy.

"As expected, it feels good to have subordinates."

"If the techniques from the Liu Feng Realm were useful to me, that would be even better."

"With so many spells, I should have enough to advance to the Divine Infancy Chapter and push my Golden Core to the Mid Stage, right?" Qi Yuan pondered.

Qi Yuan contemplated the deduction of the Golden Core Great Dao Chapter. For him, it was like a bottomless pit.

After all, how many planets were there in the universe? Qi Yuan had no idea.

To completely devour all of them would indeed be a huge consumption.

"However, the deduction of the Golden Core Great Dao Chapter I did before should be enough for the Solar Flame on my Golden Core to devour a few planets, right?"

Qi Yuan looked within himself, and in his dantian, there was a projection of a Golden Core. The flames on it were burning fiercely.

A day on earth, a century in heaven.

He estimated that it wouldn't be long before he could devour some planets.

Qi Yuan stopped pondering and devoted himself entirely to the spells he had obtained.

...

Great Merchant Country, Divine Light Sect.

Profound Esteem Elder of Divine Medicine Peak, Xuan Chong, had a face ashen with rage, and Withered Tree True Monarch's expression was also grim.

In front of them stood a young man in a white robe.

"Withered Tree True Monarch, we are of the same clan, how could I deceive you?

And Elder Xuan Chong, the three of us are from the same clan, we should prioritize the interests of the Wood Clan!" The young man in white was named Wood Void.

Back then, when Hong Lian slaughtered the Wood Clan, he was not in the clan and barely escaped with his life.

Withered Tree True Monarch looked at Wood Void, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, "The interests of the Wood Clan? That's just your personal interests."

Wood Void smiled indifferently and said, "With Withered Tree True Monarch's talent, when will you be able to cultivate to the Purple Mansion Realm?

My master, the Supreme Elder of Crimson Sword Gate, is a Purple Mansion Cultivator.

As long as Withered Tree True Monarch offers the Wood Treasure Canon, the Great Merchant will serve Crimson Sword Gate, and when my master's injuries are healed, he can take revenge for the Wood Clan!"

He spoke with a grand and dignified demeanor.

Withered Tree True Monarch's face darkened.

Crimson Sword Gate had been coveting the Great Merchant for more than a day or two.

The previous emperor of the Great Merchant had the backing of Crimson Sword Gate.

Now that the old emperor's plan had failed, they sent Wood Void as an envoy?

"Withered Tree True Monarch, give me an answer within three days, or else... my master won't be as reasonable as I am when he comes here." Wood Void looked indifferent, "Today, well, I will stay at... Seven Colors Peak.

I've heard that the Peak Lord of Seven Colors Peak is extremely beautiful, I wonder if I'll have the fortune to see her?"

Withered Tree True Monarch's face turned ashen, "The Peak Lord of Seven Colors Peak is in seclusion and doesn't meet outsiders."

He didn't know that the top of Seven Colors Peak had long been empty.

"What a pity." Wood Void sighed.

With his weak strength, he was only at the Golden Core stage, so he naturally didn't dare offend Ruan Yixi.

But when his master arrived, the outcome might be different.

"Withered Tree True Monarch, Elder Xuan Chong, you should consider everything carefully, and prioritize the overall situation.

If my master doesn't receive my message within three days, he will personally come to the Divine Light Sect."

After speaking, Wood Void smiled and walked towards Seven Colors Peak.

Withered Tree True Monarch and Elder Xuan Chong stood in the grand hall, their expressions extremely unpleasant.

"How dare you!" Withered Tree True Monarch wanted to slap Wood Void to death.

However, he couldn't take action due to his fear of the Supreme Elder of Crimson Sword Gate.

Otherwise, he would be dragging the Divine Light Sect into a crisis of destruction.

"Is the feng shui here bad?" The silent Elder Xuan Chong spoke up.

He had been in the Divine Light Sect for hundreds of years, quietly cultivating and never involving himself in sect affairs.

But during this time, he discovered that this small Divine Infancy Sect had many problems.

Within the sect, he had discovered over a hundred spies, and there were also some strange disciples, executives, and elders.

He had thought that those people joined the Divine Light Sect with ulterior motives.

But in the end... they were quite normal and never caused any trouble.

The problematic people formed a sect that seemed perfectly fine.

After the Hundred Nations Blood War and now facing the threat of Crimson Sword Gate, Elder Xuan Chong truly believed that the feng shui here was bad.

Withered Tree True Monarch was exhausted.

He came from a great clan and had endured endless hardships to reach this point. His expression was firm, "Fate has its limits, but humans... are limitless."

He didn't believe in fate and thought that everything depended on one's own efforts.

"Stop talking nonsense, will you hand over the Wood Treasure Canon or not?" Elder Xuan Chong glared at Withered Tree True Monarch.

Withered Tree True Monarch sighed, "Sigh, the Eastern Land Genius War should have already started. I wonder how Kang Fulu and Qi Yuan are doing."

Hearing this, Elder Xuan Chong's eyes also carried a hint of regret, "What a pity, the time given to Qi Yuan was too short. Otherwise... if he had condensed his Golden Core, he might have had a chance to enter the top hundred of the Eastern Land Talents List and bring back the Purple Gold Gourd.

With the Purple Gold Gourd, our Wood Clan would have a glimmer of hope for revival."

Withered Tree True Monarch replied bitterly, "How can we rise with Hong Lian still alive?"

Not to mention Hong Lian, even the old and injured Purple Mansion Cultivator from Crimson Sword Gate was someone they couldn't handle.

The two of them felt bitter, and their hearts were heavy.

After an unknown amount of time, a voice of urgency suddenly sounded, "Bad news, Sect Leader!"

An executive rushed in, his eyes filled with panic.

Elder Xuan Chong couldn't help but touch his forehead, confirming that the feng shui was indeed bad.

"What happened?" Withered Tree True Monarch asked, his posture as if even the collapse of Mount Tai wouldn't change his demeanor.

"Wood Void... is dead... he died on the slopes of Seven Colors Peak!" The executive reported.

Withered Tree True Monarch's face changed drastically.

"Let's go!"

He waved his wide sleeves, and together with Elder Xuan Chong, they flew towards Seven Colors Peak.

When they landed on the slopes of Seven Colors Peak, Withered Tree True Monarch saw the familiar giant tree.

Once, he had a secret rendezvous here with the Great Merchant Empress, who was now the Dowager Empress Mu.

And now, Wood Void's body was split in two, as if cut in half by a sword.

Jiang Ling Su stood by the side, wearing a long orange dress, resembling a bee.

"What's going on?" Withered Tree True Monarch asked.

Jiang Ling Su seemed deep in thought and replied, "I was cultivating in my room when I suddenly felt a surge of sword intent, so I looked outside.

And I saw a blade of grass that cut this person in half."

She glanced at the ground, now covered in grass.

A blade of grass killed a Primordial Core Cultivator?" Withered Tree True Monarch frowned, "Where's your master?"

He suspected it was Ruan Yixi's doing.

"My master... she's left Seven Color Peak.

That's what Senior Brother told me." Jiang Ling Su answered.

Upon hearing this, Withered Tree True Monarch looked at the corpse on the ground, his expression growing more concerned.

Now, Wood Void was gone.

The Wood Treasure Canon was definitely lost, and the enmity with Crimson Sword Sect was solidified.

"Activate the sect's grand formation immediately!" Withered Tree True Monarch ordered.

Crimson Sword Sect's Supreme Elder had already been severely injured, and his strength was unknown.

But after all, he was still a Purple Mansion Cultivator.

Hopefully, Divine Light Sect could survive this tribulation.

At this moment, Jiang Ling Su said, "Sect Master, Senior Brother said that in two days, some members will arrive at Divine Light Sect with a gift for you."

"Members?" Divine Light Sect's Sect Master was confused.

"Isn't he participating in the Dongtu Talents Ranking?" Withered Tree True Monarch asked.

"I don't know." Jiang Ling Su shook her head, unclear about these matters.

Even if Senior Brother didn't participate, it didn't matter to her.

Upon hearing this, Withered Tree True Monarch didn't say anything.

After all, it was just a minor issue.

The threat from Crimson Sword Sect was the real concern.

...

Green Cloud Continent, Cloud City.

Qi Yuan had now moved to Cloud Pavilion.

"Alliance Leader!" The Cloud Pavilion Lord bowed outside the hall, his voice respectful.

"Enter." Qi Yuan opened his eyes, and a fleeting glimpse of the world's vicissitudes passed through his mind.

As the Cloud Pavilion Lord, with a stooped old man, entered, Qi Yuan said, "Both of you are very respectful."

"Alliance Leader, these are the new cultivation methods we've collected." The Cloud Pavilion Lord presented a storage bag.

Qi Yuan looked inside, filled with cultivation method jade slips.

He was quite pleased.

This was much faster than obtaining methods by killing old men.

No wonder everyone wanted to be a merchant, enjoying the benefits of peeling off others.

"Well done, keep it up." Qi Yuan casually praised.

The Cloud Pavilion Lord continued, "Recently, there are some hidden forces secretly investigating... the Alliance Leader's identity, like looking into the Hundred Nations Divine Flower Society's information."

Qi Yuan's eyes narrowed.

Someone was digging into his personal life?

This was too much!

Did he have no privacy left?

Even his alt accounts were being exposed, violating his privacy rights.

"Who is it?" Qi Yuan asked.

"Probably someone from Heaven Rank Forbidden Ground," the Cloud Pavilion Lord replied.

Hundred Nations bordered Green Cloud Continent, so investigating Hundred Nations' information inevitably involved dealing with Green Cloud Continent's powers.

Now, Green Cloud Continent had a new ruler, Blood Cloak Alliance.

"Ye Qiong Venerable?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up, "Did he threaten me? Did he say he'd destroy me?"

The Cloud Pavilion Lord was a bit scared, weakly saying, "No."

"Really?"

"Really." During this time, he had come to understand Blood Cloak Sword God's character.

This person was crazy!

And he liked to kill.

Of course, he killed with logic, not a random killer like a Great Demon.

"Even if he didn't say it, he must be thinking it!" Qi Yuan's expression turned serious, but he quickly abandoned this thought.

After all, it was unreasonable.

He wrote essays with evidence, not wronging a good person.

As for bad people, wronging them was fine.

"When I have time, I'll meet this Ye Qiong Venerable and ask if he wants to destroy me." Qi Yuan said.

6◇9◇◇

The Cloud Pavilion Lord's forehead almost froze.

You're too bold!

If a Purple Mansion Cultivator rashly asked an Dark Deity Venerable if he wanted to kill him, that Dark Deity Venerable, even if he didn't initially want to kill, would likely develop murderous intent.

The Cloud Pavilion Lord's thoughts were complex.

He didn't know if having such a powerful leader was good or bad.

He feared the Great Tribulation hadn't even started, and he was already causing trouble for Dark Deity Cultivators.

He glanced at the old man beside him, signaling with his eyes.

"Alliance Leader, I bid farewell." The Cloud Pavilion Lord said.

He had to intervene in the investigation of the Alliance Leader's identity, preventing further probing.

They dared not deeply investigate the Alliance Leader's identity.

As long as there were no issues, it was fine.

But if problems arose with Green Cloud Continent's Alliance Leader, what then?

It was like a cultivator family's Ancestor being killed, the enemy taking their place, pretending to be the Ancestor.

As a result, even if the cultivator family's elders knew the Ancestor was replaced, they wouldn't dare speak up, continuing to serve and fawn.

After the Cloud Pavilion Lord left, only Qi Yuan and the old man remained in the hall.

"Sit." Qi Yuan glanced at the old man, and a chair appeared behind him.

Qi Yuan always respected the elderly, treating them specially.

Even in Canglan Realm, his respect for the elderly remained.

"Thank you, Alliance Leader." The old man's heart pounded.

"I heard you've lived nearly ten thousand years, seen many Dark Deity Cultivators?" Qi Yuan asked.

The old man before him was a Wood Turtle Clan member.

This Wood Turtle Cultivator was the oldest in Green Cloud Continent.

Qi Yuan specifically sought him out to understand Dark Deity Cultivators' power.

"Greetings." The old man, with his frail body, seemed weak and feeble.

But Qi Yuan knew that this was just an appearance; the old man's defense was likely even stronger than that of the Grand Palace Lord of the Bright Palace.

"How powerful is the Dark Deity...?" Qi Yuan asked.

The old man revealed a thoughtful expression, recalling the warning he had received from the Cloud Pavilion Lord earlier.

It was nothing more than an exaggeration of the Dark Deity's strength.

In fact, even without the Cloud Pavilion Lord's warning, the old man felt that the Dark Deity was incredibly powerful.

"The Dark Deity realm is the realm of the Immortal God."

The owner of the Dragon Crown, the Black Dragon Venerable, whom Qi Yuan had met before, was a Skystrider of the Second Step.

"A Skystrider of the Second Step?"

"The Dark Deity realm is divided into seven minor realms, ranging from the First Step to the Seventh Step."

The First Step to the Third Step are collectively referred to as Venerables.

The Fourth Step is the Great Venerable!

Upon completing the Seventh Step, one can be called... a Bright Deity!"

"To achieve the Dark Deity realm, one must cultivate a Divine Aperture and transform one's spiritual power into divine power."

The cultivation of the Dark Deity involves further expanding the Divine Aperture.

With each additional Divine Aperture, one's strength increases by approximately one-tenth.

Having cultivated twelve Divine Apertures, one can be considered a Skystrider of the Second Step.

Upon cultivating thirty-six Divine Apertures, one reaches the Third Step.

"Is this increase linear or exponential?" Qi Yuan asked.

If it were exponential, it would be terrifying.

The old man didn't understand Qi Yuan's question.

"Approximately, how many Venerables with eleven Divine Apertures can a single Divine Aperture Venerable defeat?" Qi Yuan rephrased the question for clarity.

"At least ten, possibly dozens, or even hundreds."

The later Divine Apertures contain even more divine power.

The Black Dragon Venerable, a Skystrider of the Second Step, had cultivated thirteen Divine Apertures.

The damaged Dragon Crown, when used to its full potential, could unleash a strike comparable to that of a Dark Deity with six or seven Divine Apertures.

Qi Yuan asked, "How many Divine Apertures did Ye Qiong Venerable cultivate?"

The old man smiled helplessly, "How could a small fry like me possibly know such secrets?"

Qi Yuan remained silent, but he now had a rough understanding of the Dark Deity realm.

It could be said that the gap between Dark Deities was immense.

At this moment, the old man spoke in a low voice, "Some time ago, the battle between the Bright Palace and the Cloud Pavilion in the Primordial Void resulted in some remnants falling onto the Green Cloud Continent."

"The little old man went to see it himself..."

Initially, Qi Yuan had summoned a Golden Core projection, destroying everything.

However, in reality, the Stellar Core in the Primordial Void had caused some disturbances, leading to the creation of some byproducts.

"Based on the battle remnants, the fight was estimated to be around the Second Step." The old man's face turned pale at this revelation.

Qi Yuan, however, was making calculations.

Could the Stellar Core projection summoned across the universe only be a Skystrider of the Second Step?

But upon further thought, it seemed normal.

After all, it was just a projection across a universe, not the actual Golden Core.

It seemed that Qi Yuan was still too weak.

Qi Yuan's heart was filled with a sense of urgency.

"What is the strongest Dark Deity in the Verdant Continent, and is there a Bright Deity?" Qi Yuan asked.

"This little old man doesn't know, but in the Eastern Land, there are only Venerables, no Great Venerables, so that much can be confirmed."

"Oh." Qi Yuan nodded, it seemed that Ye Qiong Venerable was also just a Skystrider of the Third Step.

The old man left.

In the vast palace, Qi Yuan was now alone.

He looked at the spell in his storage bag, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"The Dark Deity is indeed powerful, but it's a pity..."

"What if Ye Qiong Venerable is a Skystrider of the Third Step?"

According to the old man, a Skystrider of the Third Step has at least thirty-six Divine Apertures, which is ninety-nine.

If Ye Qiong Venerable has eighty-one Divine Apertures...

He would definitely lose if they met.

"This won't do, I must advance my Golden Core path!"

Qi Yuan looked within, sensing that the Sun True Fire within his dantian had accumulated to a certain extent.

In this world, only a dozen days had passed, but in that universe, a thousand years had gone by.

"Sun True Fire... Devour!"

At this moment, Qi Yuan activated the Sun True Fire.

His dantian instantly became scorching hot.

In the vast universe, a flame danced on a star.

A black-skirted, enchanting girl with a pair of bright eyes opened her palms, and a strand of Sun True Fire burned within.

She gazed at the thirteen planets before her, her face radiant with joy.

"Sun True Fire, go!"

With the girl's command, the star's flames soared.

In that instant, the star's size abruptly increased tenfold, a hundredfold.

In the Verdant Continent, the small sun in the sky became brighter, flashing intensely.

All ordinary people, even cultivators, couldn't help but glance at the small sun, their faces filled with confusion and bewilderment.

In the vast universe, the Sun True Fire raged.

In the eight directions of the universe, dense flames burned.

The mythical flames devoured everything, opening their giant maws to consume the vast universe.

The thirteen massive planets, which would take a lifetime for mortals to measure, seemed minuscule as dust under the Sun True Fire.

One planet, two planets, three planets... thirteen planets were consecutively devoured by the Sun True Fire.

Regardless of whether they were solid, gaseous, or icy planets, these cosmic bodies inexplicably ignited with Sun True Fire.

Ning Tou's eyes flashed with a hint of joy, "I've gained a few more palaces."

At this moment, in the Verdant Continent, Qi Yuan burped for the first time since becoming a cultivator.

He looked within his dantian and saw the projection of countless stars.

Although they were called countless, there were actually only fourteen.

One star, thirteen planets, and several other small celestial bodies.

"Let the stamp collecting begin!"

"Next time, I'll devour a star!"

Qi Yuan sensed that there was still a considerable amount of Sun True Fire remaining.

"If one star can't kill Ye Qiong Venerable, what about two?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end