Chapter 184: "Will the Heavenly Dao punish us for this?"

Chapter 184: "Will the Heavenly Dao punish us for this?"

"Forget it."

Lying in the arms of the woman in white, July Cat sighed lightly. Whatever will be, will be. Since she was powerless to change this, she could only accept it.

If she died, then so be it.

What else could she do?

She had already done more than enough. Originally, this little fox was on the verge of death in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, and then she was reborn in this little fox's body. When she saw that her new master was going to find Chen Qiu, she wasn't even a little shocked.

It was normal, too normal.

It was as if she and Chen Qiu had a strong connection in the heavens, no matter where she was, no matter which demon beast she was reborn into, she always managed to find her way to Chen Qiu's side, and this was often beyond her control.

Since it couldn't be changed, she could only accept it.

At this moment—

In the southernmost part of the Upper Nine Provinces, within the Vanishing Forest.

"Instant Formation!"

A cold, emotionless voice echoed in the sky above the Vanishing Forest. A silver-haired elder's robe stirred without any wind, and as he pushed his hands to the sides, boundless spirit energy surged forth.

The Soul Transformation Realm's Instant Formation was activated! Countless white mists instantly enveloped a large area of the forest centered around the elder, and then countless golden rays of light darted chaotically within the mist, all in the span of an instant!

The white mist quickly dissipated, and as it did, it left behind a large formation composed of golden light. Within the formation, countless golden rays transformed into golden swords, frantically slicing through everything within the formation.

Including the trees.

Each ray of golden light contained power far surpassing the Nascent Soul Apex.

In the blink of an eye, a lower-grade Soul Transformation formation was formed!

This was the might of a formation cultivator.

Before reaching the Soul Transformation Stage, formation cultivators had almost no combat power and could be considered the weakest in terms of strength. Lower-level formation cultivators could only eke out a living by carving formation plates in the market, while higher-level cultivators could earn a decent profit by setting up protective mountain formations for sects or families.

If they entered a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, their only means of combat would be the formation plates they had prepared beforehand. While the plates lasted, they could deal some damage, but once they were used up, they were as good as lambs to the slaughter.

Unless the enemy was willing to wait for the formation to be completed before attacking, in which case the formation cultivator could even fight beyond their level.

The advantage of formation cultivators was clear: once the formation was set up, they were invincible among their peers and could even fight beyond their level. However, the disadvantage was also evident: in combat, unless they had set up an ambush beforehand, it was nearly impossible for the formation to be completed.

But—

Once a formation cultivator breaks through to the Soul Transformation Stage and creates the Instant Formation Soul Transformation Realm! A revolutionary change would occur!

The Instant Formation Soul Transformation Realm had a simple effect—just as its name suggested—allowing formation cultivators to set up large formations instantly. With this Soul Transformation Realm, the combat power of Soul Transformation formation cultivators could be said to increase directly.

A hundred breaths later.

When the silver-haired elder standing above the Vanishing Forest retracted his Soul Transformation Realm, the forest that had been enveloped by it was now flattened, with wood chips floating in the air and a faint smell of blood lingering.

The next moment—

"Hey."

A lazy, relaxed voice echoed from deep within the Vanishing Forest. Not far away, on a treetop, stood a young man with a bare upper body, a handsome face, and two wolf ears atop his head. He narrowed his eyes, filled with killing intent, and smiled at the elder.

"This Vanishing Forest is still our Demon Clan's territory. Don't treat us like we don't matter."

"Usually, when human juniors come here to kill some demon beasts, we let it slide. But what's going on today? Why did a human Soul Transformation expert cause such a commotion in the Vanishing Forest?"

"If word gets out, it'll be embarrassing for our Demon Clan."

". . ."

The silver-haired elder stood high in the sky, his expression calm as he looked at the young man on the treetop in the distance. He flicked a token in his hand, sending it floating towards the man: "The world is about to descend into chaos, and the top powers of Zhongzhou are all retreating from society. The Human Clan wishes to join forces with the Demon Clan to face the upcoming age of chaos. We invite the Demon Clan's Soul Transformation experts to gather here three days from now to discuss the division of the world."

After saying this, the elder didn't linger for even a moment. He turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared from his original spot.

After the elder left, a middle-aged man emerged from the treetop, looking displeased as he gazed in the direction the elder had departed: "This old guy is really cautious, not daring to go any deeper. I say, what's the Human Clan up to? Why do they suddenly want to join forces with the Demon Clan?"

"On the Xuantian Continent, the largest races are our Demon Clan and the Human Clan."

"And the Human Clan and the Demon Clan have always been at odds."

"The remaining Demon Race, Dragon Clan, and Sea Race are all minor races. Look at the Evil Race, which was annihilated by a single Golden Core human child. It's laughable, there must be a scheme behind this, perhaps they want to wipe out our Demon Clan's Soul Transformation experts in one fell swoop."

"After all, this age of chaos will likely be a decisive battle between our Human Clan and the Demon Clan. If our two clans join forces, this age of chaos won't amount to much."

". . ."

The young man on the treetop remained silent, his expression calm as he looked at the token in his hand.

What is an age of chaos?

In the past, there had been conflicts between the Human Clan and the Demon Clan, but why would an age of chaos lead to a decisive battle?

The Xuantian Continent had experienced many ages of chaos, and they all had one thing in common: killing members of opposing races was rewarded. When the time came, the entire Xuantian Continent would officially enter a bloody era.

This was what defined an age of chaos.

In the previous ages of chaos, the Human Clan and the Demon Clan had always been opposing races. Now, with the arrival of a new age of chaos, why was the Human Clan inviting the Demon Clan to join forces?

Could it be that they wanted to take advantage of this chaos to completely eradicate the other smaller races?

Or perhaps they wanted to exhaust the Demon Clan's strength and then launch a sneak attack from behind? That was something the Human Clan was capable of.

"Is the sky falling?"

Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ao Tian beside him, his brows furrowing slightly as he fell into deep thought.

Ao Tian had already returned to Dragon Island, and the other disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect had also been brought back.

A hundred years ago, the sky in Quzhou had collapsed once. At that time, the Holy Maiden of the Profound Heaven Sect used a large amount of Malevolent Wood to block the sky, but now, less than a hundred years later, the sky had collapsed again. Why?

Chen Qiu had just cultivated for a few hours.

Before breaking through the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul Stage, he received such terrible news. This matter concerned every living being on the Xuantian Continent. If this hole in the sky was left unattended, it wouldn't be long before all the spiritual energy of the continent would leak out.

"Hmm."

Ao Tian's expression turned grim as he nodded heavily, "Brother, this is no small matter. The sky collapsed a hundred years ago and was patched up, but now, after a hundred years, it has collapsed again. What does this mean?"

"It means that the last time the sky collapsed, it wasn't an accident, but a destined event."

"Even though it was blocked last time, it was only barely so."

Chen Qiu pondered for a while before shaking his head and speaking softly, "Don't worry, brother. I have plenty of Malevolent Wood. I can try to patch up the sky again. Maybe I can succeed."

He understood what Ao Tian meant—even if the sky was patched this time, it might collapse again in a hundred years.

Chen Qiu didn't know why this was the case.

But he was clear on one thing: if this attempt to patch the sky succeeded, it would bring him a large amount of virtue points, and he might even be granted a strand of Heaven's Pride Fate. He decided to give it a try, unsure if the nearly 200,000 pieces of Malevolent Wood would be enough.

"Alright."

Ao Tian looked at Chen Qiu with a serious expression, then suddenly smiled, "But don't worry, brother. It will take at least a few decades for all the spiritual energy on the Xuantian Continent to leak out completely. There's still plenty of time."

"I have some news for you."

"Guess what it is."

"About the Soul Transformation Realm?" Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly.

"You guessed it!"

Ao Tian became slightly excited, "I have an old friend who is both an Array Master and a Divination Master, but he's stronger in divination. He's been imprisoned somewhere and can't get out. Before he was captured, he left me a few incense sticks. He said that after I light them, I can establish a connection with him no matter where he is."

"I searched all over the Xuantian Continent, but I couldn't find any information about a nearby Heavenly Dao Secret Realm suitable for a Law Cultivator's Soul Transformation Domain Totem."

"Helpless, I had no choice but to light one of the incense sticks and seek help from my old friend. He's a very powerful Divination Master and also a human. Although many humans want to kill me, some humans are also good. Over the years, I've used up several incense sticks chatting with him. This is the last one. I was planning to use it before I die, to chat with him one last time before my death."

"The place he's imprisoned in is like a prison, but he will never die, so it's like he's achieved immortality."

"I asked him where I could find a suitable Soul Transformation Domain Totem for a Law Cultivator."

"Do you know what his answer was?"

"You'll never guess, take a guess!"

". . ."

Chen Qiu remained silent for a while, looking at Ao Tian's expectant eyes, before speaking softly, "Did he say that he knows you, Chen Qiu?"

"Huh?"

Ao Tian froze in place, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He unconsciously took a few steps back and examined Chen Qiu up and down, "Brother, how did you guess that?"

"Sigh."

Chen Qiu sighed helplessly, "Your friend, the old man Cao, is someone I know. I never expected that you also know him."

"It's indeed him."

Ao Tian nodded heavily, then said with a strange expression, "I asked Old Man Cao why he knew you and how he guessed it was you just from my brief mention of a suitable Soul Transformation Domain Totem. He shook his head and didn't explain further."

"But after a hundred breaths, he told me, 'On the day of the Age of Chaos, the totem will appear.'"

". . . On the day of the Age of Chaos, the totem will appear."

Chen Qiu frowned and quietly repeated the sentence before asking in confusion, "What does this mean?"

"That's what I asked him too. Old Man Cao paused for three breaths before saying that when the 'Heavenly Strife' version is released, a virtue points shop will appear, containing many celestial materials and treasures that require virtue points and sin points to purchase."

"This includes various Soul Transformation Domain Totems."

"Suitable for Law Cultivators, Sword Cultivators, and so on."

"I understand." Chen Qiu nodded, "It would have been clearer if you had said so earlier."

"Who said otherwise, brother? That's exactly how I replied to him."

". . ."

After chatting with Ao Tian for a while, Chen Qiu returned to his cultivation state. The 'Heavenly Strife' version was coming soon, and the most important task before that was to break through to the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage.

Even with his current sixth-layer Nascent Soul cultivation, after absorbing a Primordial Soul Dao Cultivation Pill, he could still increase his cultivation progress by 1%.

There was no difference compared to the first layer of the Nascent Soul Stage.

After ten times, it would be a 10% increase in cultivation progress. This was different from the Core Formation Stage, where the later-stage cultivation pills provided less cultivation progress. However, it was also because of this that his cultivation progress wasn't considered slow.

As for the hole in Quzhou, Chen Qiu didn't plan to deal with it for the time being.

Let it leak for a few more days.

No harm done.

Before breaking through to the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, he didn't want to run around aimlessly. If something unexpected happened during his travels, it might delay him by a day or two. In the past, without the Primordial Soul Dao Cultivation Pills, such delays didn't matter.

Now, with the pills, running around would be a waste of time.

After seeing Ao Tian off,

Chen Qiu turned to look at the disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect behind him. After Scholar collected everyone's spirit stones, he reported in a low voice, "Brother Qiu, we collected a total of 90,000 medium-grade spirit stones. Qu Gui contributed the most with 18,000 spirit stones."

Chen Qiu nodded, storing all the medium-grade spirit stones in his storage ring. He then tossed another storage ring to Qu Gui, "According to the rules we set, from this day forward, Qu Gui will be the Outer Gate Elder of Mock Heaven Sect."

"This storage ring contains ten thousand Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills."

"You're in charge of distributing them."

"As an Outer Gate Elder, you should mediate any occasional conflicts among the outer disciples and supervise their cultivation. With the Age of Chaos upon us, your cultivation is still too low. I've given you the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, so for now, just stay here and focus on cultivation. Don't go anywhere else."

"Understood!"

Qu Gui's face lit up with excitement as he nodded vigorously, then carefully tucked the storage ring into his sleeve. He led a group of Mock Heaven Sect disciples down the mountain, and from that day forward, they would cultivate on the island.

The Heaven's Pride Fortune on Dragon Island was also quite dense, making it an ideal place for cultivation.

When only Chen Qiu remained on the peak, he took out the two middle-grade Heavenly Wheels from his embrace and crushed them casually. The most valuable item in the middle-grade Heavenly Wheel was originally the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills, but now that he had an abundance of them, there was nothing in the middle-grade Heavenly Wheel that could attract his interest.

But it would be a waste not to use it.

So, before starting his cultivation, he casually crushed the wheel.

However, it would be best if he could randomly obtain a gray entry without side effects again. The gray entry itself had significant drawbacks, but without side effects, it was quite powerful.

---

"Please make your choice within a hundred breaths, five options, choose two."

1. Twenty First-Rank Nascent Soul Bodies.

2. One hundred Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.

3. One First-Rank Divine Transformation Body.

4. One Transformation Token.

5. Four thousand Foundation Establishment Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.

---

Without hesitation, Chen Qiu chose the Transformation Token and the Divine Transformation Body. After all, the other options were of no use to him. As his divine sense probed the token, its information immediately entered his mind.

By dripping the blood of any race onto this Transformation Token, one could transform into the appearance of that race's creatures.

The transformation would be complete, from physique to demeanor to aura, even concealing the dantian, making it almost identical.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded thoughtfully, considering that a functional Spirit Treasure might come in handy one day, so he decided to keep it for now.

Mock Heaven Sect still had several Nascent Soul Bodies, enough for the remaining Golden Core disciples to form their Nascent Souls. If they needed more, he could always go out and gather more. As for the Divine Transformation Body, he could keep it for potential future use.

He crushed the other middle-grade Heavenly Wheel again.

---

"Please make your choice within a hundred breaths, five options, choose two."

1. One-hundred-breath Rainbow Clause limited-time version.

2. One hundred Malevolent Wood.

3. Twenty Nascent Soul Bodies.

4. One hundred Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills.

5. One chance to issue a Mystic Continent Proclamation.

---

This time, after a moment of thought, Chen Qiu chose the one-hundred-breath Rainbow Clause limited-time version and the chance to issue a Mystic Continent Proclamation.

The remaining options were completely useless, leaving him with no other choice.

The last time, he had obtained a "One-day Golden Clause limited-time version" from a middle-grade Heavenly Wheel, but today he managed to get a limited-time version of the Rainbow Clause.

However, it was only for a hundred breaths.

What could he do in a hundred breaths? Even if this Rainbow Clause could directly slay a Celestial Emperor, how would he find a Celestial Emperor within that time? Choosing this option essentially meant wasting a choice.

Although the chance to issue a Mystic Continent Proclamation was even more useless, at least this opportunity was permanently available, and he could use it whenever he wanted. If the other options hadn't been completely useless, he wouldn't have chosen the one-hundred-breath Rainbow Clause.

However, he decided to see what other Rainbow Clauses there were besides "Step by Step High."

It would be an eye-opening experience, regardless of its usefulness.

Immediately after making his choice, a panel shrouded in clouds slowly appeared in the air before him.

---

"Entry Name": Daily Check-in.

"Entry Level": Rainbow Clause.

"Entry Effect": You can check in once daily, and a successful check-in will grant a random reward. The reward depends on the location where the check-in is made, with more unique locations offering higher rewards. Each location can only be checked in once.

---

Chen Qiu's mouth opened slightly in shock, and a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

Damn!

Was this Rainbow Clause too overpowered? He had thought that his own Rainbow Clause, "Step by Step High," was already overpowered enough, but this entry seemed even more so.

More suitable for the early stages?

Although the entry was only valid for a hundred breaths, he could certainly try it within that time. He was currently on Dragon Island, which was probably one of the most unique places on the Xuantian Continent. Ordinary people couldn't even set foot on Dragon Island!

There was no time for further contemplation.

To ensure the Rainbow Clause didn't dissipate after a hundred breaths.

He immediately commanded, "Check-in."

Soon!

Another panel shrouded in clouds appeared before him.

---

"Today's check-in successful."

"Check-in location: Xuantian Continent, Dragon Island."

"Check-in reward: 'One-day Random Rainbow Clause Scroll'."

---

Chen Qiu stood silently, his expressionless gaze fixed on the Rainbow Clause scroll in his hand, unsure of what to say for a moment.

His feelings at that moment were complex, akin to having only one hundred spirit stones to his name and using them to buy a lottery ticket, only to win a prize of one hundred spirit stones.

July Cat meowed softly.

There was no difference.

The only difference might be the change from a hundred breaths to one day, and the limited-time version of the hundred-breath entry started counting down as soon as it was chosen, while the one-day scroll would only begin counting down after it was crushed.

The uncontrollable state had transformed into a controllable one.

Of course, as it was a random Rainbow Entry Scroll, he couldn't see the content of this rainbow jade slip before crushing it.

After a while, he tucked the rainbow jade slip into his embrace, planning to use it later.

However, the urgency in his eyes intensified, as he realized that if a Heaven's Pride in Zhongzhou possessed this rainbow entry scroll and checked in daily, they would accumulate a vast amount of Celestial Materials.

With such abundant resources, their strength would undoubtedly be impressive.

It was a matter of whether they obtained it in the early or late stages.

Although the "Daily Check-in" rainbow entry scroll had good effects in the later stages, it would be even better if obtained in the early stages. After all, both the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages required a substantial amount of resources to progress.

If one obtained this entry scroll after reaching the Soul Transformation Stage, it would mean the possibility of having a Twelfth Rank Golden Core and a Twelfth Rank Nascent Soul, making the Twelfth Rank Soul Transformation Realm unattainable. Opportunities missed in the early stages couldn't be compensated for later.

First, he needed to cultivate.

After a cup of tea, Chen Qiu, seated cross-legged on the mountain peak, let out a soft sigh. He realized that his mental state still needed honing, as his mind was filled with thoughts of the rainbow entry scroll while practicing his cultivation technique.

Without crushing the entry scroll jade slip, he couldn't calm down to cultivate.

Forget it.

He didn't want to wait any longer and immediately took out the rainbow entry scroll jade slip from his embrace and crushed it.

Soon—

A panel enveloped in clouds appeared before him.

-

"Entry Name": Daily Check-in.

"Entry Level": Rainbow.

"Entry Effect": Check-in once daily, and upon successful check-in, receive a random reward. The reward depends on the location at the time of check-in, with more unique locations offering higher rewards. Each location can only be checked in once.

-

"Hey!"

Chen Qiu was almost amused by the sight, gazing at the daily version of the Rainbow Entry Scroll, "Daily Check-in," that had reappeared before him. He wondered if there were only two Rainbow Entries, "Steadily Rising" and "Daily Check-in."

Were there no other Rainbow Entries besides these two?

However, his smile froze as he read the line, "Each location can only be checked in once."

Hopefully, his check-in on Dragon Island wouldn't count.

He hoped it wouldn't.

"Check-in!"

Thankfully, he breathed a sigh of relief as the cloud-covered panel reappeared before him. Thankfully, Dragon Island was counted, or he would have been truly amused.

-

"Today's check-in successful."

"Check-in location: Xuantian Continent, Dragon Island."

"Check-in reward—'Purple Entry Scroll Jade Slip'"

-

"Phew."

Chen Qiu exhaled in relief, hoping that no more daily rainbow entry scrolls would appear. He genuinely feared getting trapped in a loop, suspecting that the Heavenly Dao might have frozen if that were the case.

A Purple Entry.

Not bad, let's see its effect first.

-

"Entry Name": Full Family Tree.

"Entry Level": Purple.

"Entry Effect": Your direct bloodline, specifically your first-generation biological children, will reach adulthood in just one year.

-

"..."

Chen Qiu stared at the entry with a blank expression for a long time before extending his divine sense to cover the entire Dragon Island and contacting Fatty Dragon and Ao Tian.

Soon, Ao Tian arrived first.

"What's wrong, brother?"

Ao Tian's face was filled with a smile as he looked at Chen Qiu and said with a grin, "You mentioned you needed a Heavenly Dao Artifact, and I was searching for one in the Dragon Clan Treasury. I remember there should be one, but I can't find it."

Ever since the Dragon Clan's disaster was resolved, a smile had been permanently etched on his face.

He even shared his joy with Old Man Cao.

All of this was thanks to Chen Qiu.

As a result, he now paid close attention to Chen Qiu. His only regret was that the Dragon Clan would likely reach its peak in several thousand years, but his lifespan wouldn't allow him to witness that moment.

He had resolved the Dragon Clan's extinction crisis but couldn't witness the day they truly thrived.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't disappointed.

But there was no other way.

Although the number of Dragon Cubs had increased, it would take a long time for these young cubs to reach adulthood.

"Brother..."

After a long silence, Chen Qiu spoke, "How long do you estimate it will take for the Dragon Clan to truly thrive?"

"Let me calculate."

Ao Tian calculated with his fingers, "It will take 500 years for the first batch of Dragon Cubs to reach adulthood, and by then, they will all be at the Soul Transformation Stage. It will take several hundred years to cultivate to the Soul Transformation Apex."

"Then, perhaps one of these Dragon Cubs will break through to the Essence Refining Stage."

"At that point, the Dragon Clan will truly enter its golden age."

"In Xuantian Continent, only with an Essence Refining Stage cultivator can a sect be considered an Ultimate Power."

"At that time, the Dragon Clan will once again reclaim its position as the number one clan in the world."

"It's just a pity..."

He shook his head with a mix of regret and sorrow, "It's just a pity that I won't be able to witness that moment. But rest assured, brother, I will definitely record my great achievements in the Dragon Clan's ancient texts. I can't let my efforts go to waste."

"If..."

After a long pause, Chen Qiu spoke with a complex expression, "If you have the chance to witness the Dragon Clan's thriving moment, would you want to see it?"

"Oh?"

Ao Tian looked thoughtful, "Do you have a way to extend your lifespan, brother?"

Chen Qiu didn't say more and simply handed the "Full Family Tree" entry scroll jade slip to Ao Tian.

The next moment—

He watched as Ao Tian's legs seemed to suddenly go weak, and his body stumbled, almost kneeling before him.

After a long pause, Ao Tian raised his head to look at Chen Qiu, his voice hoarse and trembling as he spoke.

"Brother..."

"Will we be punished by the Heavenly Dao for this?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end