Chapter 187: "The Demon Race is About to Fight the First Battle!"

Chapter 187: "The Demon Race is About to Fight the First Battle!"

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu pondered for a moment and hesitated, "2.9 billion sin points, I don't think it's strong enough to run amok on the Xuan Tian Continent, right?"

"We can give it a try!"

Ao Tian's expression turned serious, "After you told me about the effect of your 'Virtue Bodyguard' entry, I knew that the thunder tribulation would definitely not be a problem for you."

"With nearly 90 billion virtue points protecting you, if this thunder tribulation could kill you, then there wouldn't be many people left alive on the Xuan Tian Continent."

"As for whether 2.9 billion sin points are enough to run rampant on the Xuan Tian Continent..."

"To be honest, I'm not sure either."

"I've never seen it."

Ao Tian shook his head, "On the Xuan Tian Continent's sin points leaderboard, your 2.9 billion sin points are far ahead. The second place only has 300 million sin points, and the fifth place has 9.102 million."

"The combined sin points from the second to the ninety-ninth place are still less than yours."

"I've never seen how they face the thunder tribulation, but with such a steep increase in your sin points, the power of the tribulation will definitely not be small."

"During the thunder tribulation, the tribulation clouds won't move, and of course, you'll be restricted within the range of the clouds and unable to leave."

"You can stay here and be a trump card. After all, the 'World Chaos Version' hasn't arrived yet, and you can't get the Soul Transformation Domain Totem. Even if you break through to the first level of Soul Transformation now, it won't make much difference."

"Without the Soul Transformation Domain, the first level of Soul Transformation is stronger than the Peak Nascent Soul, but not by much."

After some thought, Chen Qiu nodded, "Then I'll listen to you, brother."

After Ao Tian left, Chen Qiu looked at the 'Grand Funeral' entry carved on his Nascent Soul, an entry with no side effects but also useless in his current life. The reason he chose this and the 'Revenge the Kind' entries was simply because they had no side effects.

Perhaps it was because he had been in closed-door cultivation for several days.

He had forgotten that he also had an entry called 'Fortune Awaits', which allowed him to spend 100,000 virtue points to get a chance to reselect an entry from three options.

He should have used this entry, spending 100,000 virtue points to reselect and try again.

But he forgot.

However, it didn't matter.

He quickly adjusted his mindset, thinking that the reselected entry might not be good either. Since it was in the past, he didn't dwell on it and looked forward. With this lesson, he would remember next time.

After several days of closed-door cultivation, he was tired, and there were still six days until the arrival of the 'World Chaos Version'. He decided to take a day off.

Chen Qiu strolled leisurely on the beach of Dragon Island, leaning on the Heavenly Clue Umbrella and clearing his mind, not thinking about anything. He enjoyed the morning sun as he walked.

One couldn't cultivate all the time.

Cultivation was meant to live a more comfortable life.

Constant cultivation without even time for a walk would defeat the purpose of cultivation.

At least, that's how it was for him.

"Father!"

In a palace within the core city of the Demon State, a young demon from the Demon Race stood on the green brick floor, his face filled with indignation as he held a pile of jade scrolls. He looked towards the middle-aged man sitting on the chair, then angrily threw the scrolls to the ground.

"I've had enough! Why does the Demon Race always have to play the role of inciting discord during the Age of Chaos?"

"Can't we change it?"

"Our people are ignorant and don't understand the reason behind it. Don't you, as the Demon Clan Patriarch, also understand this?"

". . ."

The middle-aged man sitting on the palace chair remained silent for a long time before furrowing his brows and pondering, "Son, you have a point. The Demon Race shouldn't always play the role of inciting discord during the Age of Chaos."

"So many years have passed, and it's time for the Demon Race to change."

"Father, you are wise."

The young demon from the Demon Race breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at the old man who had been following him all this time, as if he had achieved victory. This old man was a steward assigned to him by his father, and he had been by his side since he was young.

"Then let's start our seclusion, Father. I've already thought of a way. We can directly..."

Before the young demon from the Demon Race could finish his sentence, the middle-aged man sitting on the chair leaned back, his face slightly excited as he slapped the armrest of the chair, "So many years have passed, and the Demon Race's foundation is now sufficient. This time, during the Age of Chaos, the Demon Race will no longer play the role of inciting discord!"

"The Demon Race is about to fight the first battle!"

"The Demon Race will lead an army to the front lines!"

"Come, I'm going to give a speech. Everyone will join the army, and the Demon Race will carve out a new world during this Age of Chaos!"

"Betting on the Demon Race's heritage, we will strive for a great cause spanning ten thousand years!"

"The Clan Leader is wise!"

The old man standing behind the young demon from the Demon Race had a fanatical look on his face, and he placed his right arm on his chest, bowing deeply as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, the other high-ranking members of the Demon Race in the hall also became enthusiastic, exclaiming, "We are willing to stake our lives for the Demon Race's great cause spanning ten thousand years!"

". . ."

The young demon from the Demon Race, standing in the hall, remained silent for a long time before speaking softly, "I actually think inciting discord is fine too. Let's all calm down and not get too excited."

"Our ancestors have always incited discord during the Age of Chaos, and there must be a reason for it."

"Let's discuss it further."

"The 'World Chaos Version' is still six days away, so there's no need to rush. Let's take it slow."

"Shall we have lunch first?"

Led by a Soul Transformation Realm peak elder from the top power of Zhongzhou, the Green Mountain Palace, nearly a hundred Soul Transformation cultivators stood at the Vanishing Forest, facing off against a group of Soul Transformation cultivators from the Demon Clan.

"After these few days of negotiations, we have basically confirmed the situation."

The Soul Transformation Realm peak elder from the Green Mountain Palace looked indifferently at the group of Soul Transformation cultivators from the Demon Clan floating above the Vanishing Forest, "After the arrival of the 'World Chaos Version', the Soul Transformation cultivators from the Human Clan and the Demon Clan will not fight each other."

"As for the Golden Core juniors below, let them have their fun. As long as we, the Soul Transformation cultivators from both clans, do not take action, this Age of Chaos will not escalate."

"Both sides can develop peacefully."

"Do you have any other questions?"

". . ."

". . ."

On the edge of the Vanishing Forest, nearly a hundred Soul Transformation cultivators from the Demon Clan stood on the treetops, but none of them spoke. Instead, they all looked towards a young-looking Soul Transformation cultivator from the Demon Clan standing at the forefront.

It was clear that this young man was the leader of the Demon Clan.

"No problem."

The young man turned to the Soul Transformation Stage Elder from Green Mountain Palace and said with a smile, "Then it's settled. I hope your Human Clan can keep their word for a long time."

The Soul Transformation Stage Elder from Green Mountain Palace glanced meaningfully at the Demon Clan's Soul Transformation cultivators and then left without further delay.

The Human Clan's Soul Transformation cultivators followed behind.

For countless years, the Demon Clan had been in a state of division, but now it seemed they had united, and the Demon Clan had their own king. This situation was not looking good.

The Demon Clan had more Soul Transformation cultivators than the Human Clan.

There were definitely many Soul Transformation cultivators hiding in the Vanishing Forest. All along, the overall strength of the Demon Clan had been stronger than the Human Clan. However, during every Age of Chaos, the Demon Clan had failed to unite, allowing the Human Clan to gradually expand their territory and drive the Demon Clan into the Vanishing Forest.

But now, it seemed that if the Demon Clan's unity lasted long enough, it would pose a threat to the Human Clan.

Soon—

The group flew back to Zhongzhou, and as they parted ways, the Soul Transformation Stage Elder from Green Mountain Palace swept his gaze over everyone present and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"There's something I need to remind you about."

"Chen Qiu's cultivation will soon break through to the Peak Nascent Soul Stage, and he will be preparing to create his Soul Transformation Realm. Almost all Soul Transformation Domain Totems are controlled by Zhongzhou, so whoever among you encounters Chen Qiu, don't alert him, and contact me immediately."

"I, too, would like to meet this so-called Sect Master of Mock Heaven Sect."

"Palace Master."

A Soul Transformation Stage cultivator from a minor family spoke in a low voice, "I just received news from my family that a Heavenly Dao Secret Realm will open in Zhongzhou in three days. Inside this secret realm, there is a Soul Transformation Domain Totem suitable for Spellcasters, and Chen Qiu might come for it."

"Excellent." The Soul Transformation Stage Elder from Green Mountain Palace nodded with satisfaction and said, "Spread the word, I will personally oversee this, and we will wait for this Sect Master to fall into our trap."

"This Sect Master has gained fame since his debut in Quzhou for his ability to fight opponents of higher cultivation levels. I want to see if he can fight me, a Soul Transformation Stage cultivator."

In a small family within Zhongzhou, a young man looked at his father with confusion, "Father, why do they hold such strong grudges against Chen Qiu?"

"I can understand why the Buddhist Sect holds a deep grudge against Chen Qiu. After all, he took away the Buddhist Sect's direct disciple Kongming's Tenth Rank Nascent Soul, and even the Millennium Stupa used to create the 'Buddha Kingdom in Palm' domain."

"The younger sister of the Young Master of Sanchun Tower was also killed by Chen Qiu."

"I can understand why these two families hold grudges against Chen Qiu, but as far as I know, Green Mountain Palace has no hatred or connection with Chen Qiu. It's even possible that Chen Qiu has never heard of Green Mountain Palace's existence. Why does Green Mountain Palace hold such a strong grudge against Chen Qiu?"

"Shh."

The middle-aged man glanced around anxiously, and after seeing no divine sense probing, he breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "I'll tell you, but my Soul Transformation Stage cultivation is insignificant compared to theirs."

"I'm telling you, but don't spread it around."

"According to the rumors I heard, all the top powers in Zhongzhou have a prophecy, or rather a warning, that has been passed down for tens of thousands of years."

"It says that when the Mock Heaven Sect reappears, one should quickly go into seclusion to avoid a calamity."

"What?"

The young man's eyes flashed with shock, "Father, are you saying that the reason these top powers are going into seclusion is not because of the Age of Chaos, but because of the Mock Heaven Sect? But how can Chen Qiu, who is only at the Fifth Layer of the Nascent Soul Stage, possibly threaten these top powers with Soul Transformation Stage or even Essence Refining Stage cultivators?"

"I'm not sure."

The middle-aged man shook his head, also puzzled, "I don't know the specifics either. I heard this news from an Outer Gate Elder of Profound Heaven Sect before he went into seclusion, and he told me not to leak it out."

"Green Mountain Palace must also know this information, so they subconsciously placed Chen Qiu as an imaginary enemy. Moreover, tens of thousands of years ago, there was a deep conflict between Green Mountain Palace and the Mock Heaven Sect at that time. Only fragmented stories of uncertain authenticity have been passed down. Just remember one thing."

"Stay at home and don't go anywhere during this time."

"But..."

The young man hesitated, "Should we report Chen Qiu's whereabouts?"

"Report for what?" The middle-aged man sighed, "Whether the prophecy is true or not, Profound Heaven Sect has already gone into seclusion. Why should we provoke them? Besides, we've been staying at home all this time, how can we possibly discover Chen Qiu's whereabouts?"

In the following six days, the entire Profound Heaven Continent was filled with hidden undercurrents. In the last six days before the World Chaos Version arrived, everyone was secretly making preparations.

The Human Clan, Demon Clan, Demon Race, and Dragon Clan, as well as smaller races like the Dwarves, were all making their own arrangements.

Each had their own path, and each had their own hiding places.

Not everyone was seeking great opportunities in this battle; for many, especially those with lower cultivation levels, survival was the primary goal. Some ordinary people had already brought their families to the nearest city to seek refuge.

Usually, when fighting, they would avoid cities because destroying a city would bring a high sin value, which meant certain death when facing the thunder tribulation.

The higher the sin value, the more severe the damage from the thunder tribulation—this was no joke.

Except for those at the Peak Nascent Soul Stage who were about to break through to the Soul Transformation Stage, all cultivators at the Soul Transformation Stage and above needed to face the thunder tribulation every time they advanced to a new minor realm.

Depending on various factors, including the rank of the Nascent Soul and sin value, the tribulation would be categorized as—

One-Nine Tribulation, Two-Nine Tribulation, Nine-Nine Tribulation, and so on.

The One-Nine Tribulation was the weakest, with only nine tribulations, and each tribulation would be stronger than the previous one, until the Nine-Nine Tribulation, which consisted of eighty-one tribulations.

The Nine-Nine Thunder Tribulation could utterly obliterate any Divine Transformation Cultivators who dared to challenge it.

And so, during the Age of Chaos, hiding within city walls was considered a relatively safe option. Of course, it was only relatively safe; places like Evil Province were still dangerous, but it was undoubtedly better than being out in the wilderness.

Take Quzhou, for example. At this moment, all cultivators were gathering near the city, and Quzhou had entered a period without any Divine Transformation Cultivators. The three existing Divine Transformation Cultivators had all gone into seclusion to escape the chaos.

If a Divine Transformation Cultivator invaded Quzhou at this moment, the city would be defenseless.

The power vacuum was unprecedented.

Moreover, the pitch-black hole above Quzhou continued to leak spiritual energy, causing unease among the cultivators in the city.

Many attempted to replicate the actions of the Holy Maiden of Profound Heaven Sect a century ago by using Malevolent Wood to repair the hole, but even after throwing in hundreds of Malevolent Wood, the hole showed no signs of shrinking.

If left unattended, the entire Profound Heaven Continent's spiritual energy would leak out, and Quzhou would be the first to suffer.

After all, the hole was directly above Quzhou.

"Isn't Chen Qiu coming?"

In the Great Destiny City, a true disciple of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, a white-robed woman, sat on the rooftop of a teahouse, gazing absently at the black hole in the sky above.

She had tried to approach it but found that the closer she got, the more intense her fear became.

She retreated before getting too close and even threw in seven or eight Malevolent Wood, but to no avail.

And it wasn't just that Chen Qiu hadn't arrived.

Not a single sect in the Central Continent came to address the issue. Everyone was preparing for the upcoming World Chaos Version, but no one seemed to care about the black hole.

It seemed like everyone had accepted that the Profound Heaven Continent would perish within a century and was focused on enjoying the chaos before the end.

She contacted her sect, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

Her master's reply was straightforward: "There's nothing we can do. Just wait."

The message was clear: wait for someone like the Holy Maiden of Profound Heaven Sect to handle the situation or for the Profound Heaven Continent's spiritual energy to deplete, leading to the End Times.

This response left her feeling absurd. This was clearly a more critical issue than the World Chaos Version, yet everyone seemed indifferent.

It made her question the authenticity of the world in her heart.

"Little Moon is still too young."

In the Central Continent, within the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, a bony old man shook his head, gazing in the direction of Quzhou. Though he couldn't see the hole above Quzhou, he could sense the spiritual energy of the world flowing in that direction.

The solution to this problem was simple.

By gathering enough Malevolent Wood, it could be easily resolved.

But the problem lay in the quantity required.

Filling the hole would take far more than tens of thousands of Malevolent Wood.

A substantial amount was needed.

Who would take the lead in this endeavor? Whoever did would have to contribute the most, and asking other factions for Malevolent Wood was no easy task.

This resource was valuable.

Not only could it be used to enhance the Golden Core Heaven's Pride in the upcoming Heaven's Pride Road, but it also had various other applications, such as creating a Divine Transformation Domain or purifying a tainted Heavenly Dao Artifact.

Who would willingly give it away for free? It was impossible to gather all the Malevolent Wood from the Profound Heaven Continent's factions. Collecting from about a third of the factions might be enough.

But the issue remained: who would willingly contribute and let others benefit without contributing themselves? The person leading this effort would bear the brunt of the work and face criticism and resentment from others.

Furthermore, the Profound Heaven Continent was not solely inhabited by the Human Clan. Shouldn't the Demon Race and Demon Clan also contribute? If the leader had to purchase the Malevolent Wood, no faction would willingly take on such a burden.

And so, an absurd situation arose.

Quzhou's sky was collapsing, just like a century ago. If left unattended, the Profound Heaven Continent's spiritual energy would continue to leak until it was depleted, leading to the End Times.

Despite the severity of the situation, all factions seemed to have tacitly agreed to ignore it.

It was as if they hadn't received any news about it.

When the sky falls, someone will step up to support it, but apparently, no one wanted to be that person.

Everyone's thoughts were aligned: wait and see what other factions would do, take it slow, and let the situation play out until the last moment. Only then would they begin to address the issue.

As of now, it seemed like another five or six years would be needed before any progress could be made.

Even the Holy Maiden of Profound Heaven Sect didn't rush to fix the sky as soon as it collapsed; she waited a year or two before taking action.

There was no need to rush.

Time passed quickly, and three days later, the World Chaos Version was only three days away.

During these three days, Chen Qiu, who was on Dragon Island, did almost nothing. He spent most of his time wandering around the island, and his cultivation continued to rise. He could now fly wherever he went.

He rarely used his legs to walk anymore.

As he walked around the island, he realized that if he were an ordinary person, it would take a long time to travel from one end of the island to the other, and he would have to climb mountains and face many ferocious beasts along the way.

These three days were mostly spent wandering.

Occasionally, he would check on the cultivation progress of the Mock Heaven Sect disciples. Fatty Dragon successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, forming a Fourth-Rank Nascent Soul using a Divine Transformation body as material.

This was much higher than the Second-Rank Nascent Souls of the other Mock Heaven Sect disciples, and the Fourth-Rank Nascent Soul was his limit.

To advance further, he would need Celestial Fortune, which was not easily obtainable.

After breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, Fatty Dragon's cultivation progress soared. As his cultivation improved, his physical condition also became slightly better, and his face wasn't as deathly pale.

The cultivation progress of the other disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect was also rapidly increasing. After all, they had an unlimited supply of Nascent Soul Dao Cultivation Pills, which they consumed every twelve hours without pause.

In just one day, their cultivation progress could increase by 12%.

In a day or two, they would all reach the second layer of the Nascent Soul stage. This was already a fast pace, but compared to Fatty Dragon, it was still much slower.

Occasionally, Chen Qiu would sit alone on the beach, roasting some food and enjoying the waves, while also consolidating his cultivation realm.

As undercurrents began to stir in the outside world, he, on the other hand, was living a peaceful and calm life.

Just then, a golden light flashed beside him, and Ao Tian appeared, standing next to Chen Qiu on the beach. He handed over a storage ring, saying, "I've searched through the Dragon Clan treasury and only found this much Malevolent Wood, less than three thousand pieces. Take a look and see if it's enough."

"It should be enough," Chen Qiu said with a smile as he took the storage ring. "I'll use my own Malevolent Wood first. If it's enough, I won't need yours, and I'll return it to you later."

"Brother, why are you being so polite with me?" Ao Tian asked with feigned anger. "The Mock Heaven Sect and the Dragon Clan have signed a Blood Contract. Your matters are our matters. But brother, you are indeed the kindest person I've ever met."

Chen Qiu turned his head to look at the horizon, and with a gentle smile, he said, "Someone has to take charge of this matter. We can't just stand by and watch the End Times arrive. Since no one else is willing to take the lead, I'll do it."

"It's no big deal," Ao Tian said. "We can just go to Zhongzhou later and ask them to compensate us."

"That makes sense," Ao Tian agreed, nodding with approval. "There's an ancient saying among the Human Clan: 'Don't fight an unjust war.' If you want to start a war, you must have a just cause."

"We'll help them plug this hole first, and they should share some of the losses. It's not right for the entire Xuantian Continent to rely solely on you, brother."

"This cause is just, much better than going out to rob people," Chen Qiu said.

"Let's go," he added with a light laugh, not saying anything further. He shook his head, knowing that he didn't really care whether it was an unjust war or not. The title didn't matter to him.

He needed resources, and if he didn't have enough, he would have to take them by force.

It was as simple as that.

All his hard work in cultivation was for this very reason—to acquire resources through simpler and more aggressive means. And most importantly—

He really wanted that billion Virtue Points for patching the sky.

Whether it was for completing milestone tasks or for the upcoming Virtue Value Shop, which would arrive with the World of Conflict version, they would be very useful.

One of the twelve milestone tasks on the Xuantian Continent was to accumulate three hundred billion Virtue Points or three hundred billion Sin Points. In other words, even if he spent all his Virtue Points, as long as he accumulated three hundred billion, he would complete the task.

Two hours later, Chen Qiu arrived at Great Destiny City, alone with Ao Tian. Fatty Dragon, Scholar, and the others were all diligently cultivating on Dragon Island.

For safety, Ao Tian wore a cloak, concealing his aura as much as possible. He sat quietly across from Chen Qiu, drinking tea, his head lowered. It seemed that he had been hunted by the Human Clan many times and had suffered significant losses.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be so cautious, to the point of hiding himself even though there wasn't a single Divine Transformation cultivator left in Quzhou at that moment.

Chen Qiu, sitting at a roadside stall, looked up at the hole above Quzhou. Countless celestial energies were slowly leaking out through it.

"This sky is really fragile," he said. "It collapsed a hundred years ago, and now it's collapsing again."

"Is there anything specific to do?"

Chen Qiu looked at Ao Tian, who was sitting across from him, and asked, "Or do I just fly up and throw the Malevolent Wood into the hole?"

Ao Tian nodded hesitantly. "A hundred years ago, the Holy Maiden of the Profound Heaven Sect, who patched the sky, did just that. She flew close to the hole and threw in enough Malevolent Wood."

"I watched from a distance," Chen Qiu continued. "That's how the Holy Maiden of the Profound Heaven Sect did it."

"But in the end, something happened. Just as the hole was about to be completely repaired and healed, the Mystic Continent Proclamation sounded, and at the last moment, the Holy Maiden inexplicably entered the hole and never came out again."

"Later, people spread the story that the Holy Maiden of the Profound Heaven Sect discovered that the Malevolent Wood was insufficient at the last moment and sacrificed herself to patch the sky. It's a touching story, but it doesn't make sense. The sky had already been repaired; she entered the hole at the very end."

"It still feels dangerous."

"Brother, be extra careful."

"If it's too difficult, just back off. Someone else will take care of it."

"Mmm," Chen Qiu agreed.

After finishing his tea, he took off his cloak and placed it on the table. Celestial energies surged beneath his feet as he walked step by step towards the hole above Quzhou.

He wanted to see what this hole was all about.

The allure of a billion Virtue Points was strong, and with the Virtue Defense Token, he was confident he could face most crises.

After a few hundred breaths, Chen Qiu approached the hole above Quzhou.

At first glance, the interior was pitch-black, a void-like darkness without a trace of light. His divine sense entered, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, sensing no signs of life.

He could only feel the vast celestial energies passing over his body, being devoured by the hole before him.

Looking up at the hole in the sky above Quzhou, he didn't feel too overwhelmed at first, just a bit helpless, but not with any strong emotions.

But when he stood before this void-like black hole, he felt a strong sense of oppression wash over him.

It was like being abandoned in the depths of the ocean, surrounded by nothing but darkness, and the despair of being in the night.

Staring into the depths of the black hole for too long, he even felt a subtle urge to dive into it and explore.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end