Chapter 273: Using a Sledgehammer to Crack a Nut

Chapter 273: Using a Sledgehammer to Crack a Nut

Master Chen.

In the Heaven-Reaching Continent, addressing someone as 'Master' was a highly respectful term, even surpassing the term 'Senior'. Calling someone 'Senior' implied that the person was older or had a much higher cultivation level than oneself.

But calling someone 'Master' represented that one regarded themselves as a student before them, with much to learn and great admiration.

If others were to hear that the head of a top-tier family in the Heaven-Reaching Continent addressed a junior at the Body Fusion Stage as 'Master', they would surely be shocked. It was indeed very out of place. In reality, Bai Jia Jiuzhu had not used this term 'Master' very often, and it felt a bit awkward. It had been many years since he last used this title. Ever since he became the head of the Bai family, there were not many in the Heaven-Reaching Continent worthy of his respect.

"Hmm?"

Just as Chen Qiu was about to leave, he hovered in the air and casually asked the middle-aged man in a white robe with golden embroidery on the cuffs, "Does this fellow Daoist have something to attend to?"

Although he didn't know how this man knew his surname and name, Chen Qiu wasn't surprised. After all, his name often appeared in the Heavenly Dao Edict, and it had resonated across countless continents. It was normal for someone from an upper-tier continent to know his name.

"Master Chen."

Bai Jia Jiuzhu took a deep breath, and the title 'Master Chen' rolled off his tongue more smoothly. He then rushed towards Chen Qiu and stopped at a safe distance before speaking quickly, "I am the head of the Bai family, and this is what happened..."

After a lengthy explanation, Chen Qiu nodded and paused for a moment before speaking softly, "I understand. So, a top-tier force from a Fourth Rank Continent feels that I took their opportunity, and they're unhappy with me. That's why they activated the 'Void Targeting' Rainbow Entry to launch a cross-dimensional strike against me?"

This was truly an unexpected calamity.

Ling Shiqi.

Today was the first time he had heard this person's name. He had no idea about it before. Who knew when he had taken this person's opportunity in the Heavenly Dao Edict? Moreover, if you wanted to show off, why not choose the Heavenly Dao Edict first instead of sending an invitation? How could he be blamed for this?

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he remained silent. The strongest member of the top-tier family from the Fourth Rank Continent was a Tribulation Ascension Stage powerhouse. Such a cultivator's strength far surpassed his own.

This meant that if he provoked this force, he might face endless pursuit from cultivators of this level. To be honest, he didn't want to provoke such a powerful force in the short term. He just wanted to cultivate peacefully and grow steadily towards the peak.

However, sometimes, his reluctance to provoke didn't mean the other party was willing to maintain peace.

Bai Jia Jiuzhu took another deep breath and then sent a Shadow Stone using his spiritual energy to Chen Qiu. He said seriously, "Master Chen, and she's at the same cultivation level as me. I believe you can go further than her. This Shadow Stone contains Ling Shiqi's true appearance, and it's a token of the Bai family's sincerity."

"First Rank, Second Rank, and Third Rank Continents are collectively known as Lower Rank Continents."

"Fourth Rank, Fifth Rank, and Sixth Rank Continents are collectively known as Middle Rank Continents."

"There are Celestial Constraints between each continent, and the constraints between Lower and Middle Rank Continents are even more powerful. Ling Shiqi could previously move freely to lower-ranked continents, all thanks to his title of 'Heavenly King'. Now, without this title and with Ling Pavilion's strength, it's difficult to pass through these Celestial Constraints to reach lower-ranked continents and find you. But upon learning that you're still alive, he might launch even more intense attacks from a distance."

"Of course, this is all a misunderstanding. If you wish to communicate with Ling Pavilion to resolve this misunderstanding, I, Bai, can act as an intermediary. After all, the Jiang Taiping Continent is an upper-ranked continent to the Heaven-Reaching Continent and will be your destination in the future."

"Making an enemy of a top-tier force from that continent beforehand will inevitably lead to setbacks when you go to the Jiang Taiping Continent."

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu lightly nodded, playing with the Shadow Stone in his hand. This matter did sound troublesome, but in reality, it was simple to handle. He didn't care about the consequences or how powerful the top-tier force from the Fourth Rank Continent was. He only knew that someone had inexplicably slapped him.

And if he didn't return that slap...

His Dao heart would be uneasy.

The next moment—

The Shadow Stone in his hand suddenly crumbled, and then, a storm of wind and rain suddenly raged in the heavens and earth, dark clouds enveloping the entire sky. The sound of heavenly thunder boomed once more.

And then!

The thunderbolts that carried immense power vanished in the blink of an eye, and Chen Qiu calmly gazed into the distance, a faint smile on his lips. He could vaguely sense that his attacks were traversing space, rapidly heading towards an unknown realm.

Was this how high-level cultivators fought?

They could battle from billions of miles apart, unseen but their techniques visible. It was quite interesting, and he rather liked it.

He had wanted to strike again, but unfortunately, he discovered that the 'Void Targeting' Rainbow Entry, though not explicitly stated, had a restriction—only one long-distance attack could be launched per day, regardless of distance.

Oh well.

If this Ling Shiqi could withstand this strike, he would come again tomorrow. After all, he had plenty of time and nothing else to do. He didn't mind delivering a strike every day at the exact time.

Bai Jia Jiuzhu felt the might of the heavens and the raging storm, his body stiffening in place, unsure of what to say. Only by experiencing such power up close could one truly understand the fear it inspired.

This... How could this be possible?

Admittedly, he sensed that Chen Qiu's cultivation was not at the initial stage of Body Fusion but at Tier Four. This cultivation speed was unheard of. However, in the face of such terrifying killing techniques, this speed was not very impressive.

In the Heaven-reaching Continent, he was practically the strongest existence, but he could almost certainly confirm one thing: he couldn't possibly withstand this attack. His only option was to flee; attempting to forcefully withstand it would only lead to certain death.

This... this was completely unreasonable. He was at the Bodhimanda Late Stage, far surpassing Chen Qiu by countless minor realms.

".

Chen Qiu glanced at the head of the Bai family, who remained silent. As the other approached, he immediately spent 100,000 virtue points to examine the entries the person carried. How to put it... almost all the entries were of the type that caused bodily mutations.

Although these entries could enhance combat power significantly, they weren't considered righteous. While they might grant rapid progress at lower cultivation levels, at higher cultivation levels, the boost to combat power from these entries was minimal.

In other words, although he could clearly sense that this person's cultivation was far superior to his own, the poor entry combinations resulted in a significant gap in overall strength. It wasn't just the head of the Bai family who was like this; the entire Heaven-reaching Continent was in a similar state. Most cultivators on the continent had combat power far below the normal standards, indicating a polluted and abnormal continent.

"Thanks, see you later."

Chen Qiu waved his hand dismissively. After thanking the head of the Bai family for the Shadow Stone, he led Fatty Dragon and the others back to the Vast Continent, leaving the Vast Continent a step ahead. As for whether Ling Shiqi was dead or alive, he couldn't sense it at the moment, but he would be able to the next day.

If he could target Ling Shiqi with Void Targeting the next day, it meant he was still alive; otherwise, he had already perished.

Unfortunately, Chen Qiu didn't know the true faces and names of those around Ling Shiqi; otherwise, he could have targeted them with Void Targeting as well. Six or seven 92nd-tier Body Fusion killing techniques would be enough to severely injure Ling Shiqi, even if they didn't kill him.

Soon...

The group had returned to the Mystic Heaven State and settled down in the Celestial Palace once more. They released the disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect from the Little World and stood at the entrance of the Celestial Palace. Fatty Dragon stretched lazily and then spoke thoughtfully, "Jiang Taiping Continent? The name sounds like a person's name. Was this continent named after someone?"

"Eh?"

The scholar standing nearby also seemed to be in deep thought. "Now that you mention it, I'm curious too. Who named these continents? The Vast Continent, Pingxi Continent, Profound Heaven Continent, Heaven-reaching Continent... Who came up with these names, and why? It's as if they've always been called this way, with no known origin."

"I don't know."

Fatty Dragon shook his head and then added, "Never mind, I don't want to think about it. There are too many things I can't understand, and pondering these matters is pointless."

Just then...

Xiong Gao suddenly rushed over, his face anxious and his tone slightly urgent, "Master, one of your maids has suddenly died."

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Which maid is dead? Was it a secret assassination, or a natural disaster? Let's go and see."

Shortly after...

Led by Xiong Gao, the group arrived at the rear of the Celestial Palace, where several exquisite small houses had been built at some point. These were specifically for Chen Qiu's maids to bathe, wash, and rest. At that moment, Chen Qiu's seven twin maids were running back and forth in a panic.

In front of a bed, Chen Qiu saw a woman lying there, a woman who still looked quite attractive. However, she was already dead, her divine soul extinguished, and her face was extremely pale.

His divine sense enveloped her.

There wasn't a single wound on her body, nor any sign of bleeding. There were no signs of a struggle before death, and her sea of consciousness was calm, as if she had been sleeping peacefully before suddenly dying.

A mysterious death.

He had a vague impression of this woman; she was a direct disciple of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, but he didn't know when she became his maid.

"That..."

Xiong Gao, standing nearby, cautiously explained, "At the celebration banquet, I noticed that you glanced at this woman a few times, and I thought..."

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. He waved for Xiong Gao and the others to leave the room before drawing a sword from his bosom and cutting through all the clothing on the woman's corpse.

A pale female torso appeared on the bed.

In the areas previously covered by clothing, large patches of pitch-black runes appeared, resembling Buddhist scriptures but with a subtle eerie aura. He couldn't understand the meaning of these runes, and his divine sense probing yielded no results.

However, it was clear that these runes were the cause of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect direct disciple's death.

In her arms, a tangerine cat lay, the same one he had met at the celebration banquet. After its fur was removed, similar black runes could be seen on its skin, and it was also dead.

He had witnessed countless deaths, but this was the first time he encountered such a mysterious death.

He intended to use a Shadow Stone to record these runes, but no matter what grade of Shadow Stone he used, they would explode upon contact with the runes. These Shadow Stones couldn't withstand such a high level of existence. When he tried to transcribe the runes, he could only sketch a rough outline, capturing the form but not the essence.

After half a day of contemplation...

He still frowned, carefully cutting off a piece of fur from the tangerine cat's abdomen, where these black runes were engraved. He planned to ask if anyone understood them, as he wasn't even sure if it was a murder or not.

If it was a murder, who would use such a method, incomprehensible even to him, to kill a maid?

If it was a suicide, could a true disciple from a First Rank Continent possess such a secret?

After doing all this, he finally buried the maid and the orange cat together at the rear mountain of Mock Heaven Sect, and instructed the little wolf not to dig up the grave or eat the bodies. He then summoned Xiong Gao and asked, "Tell me the details of what happened. When did the Ten Thousand Beast Sect disciple discover the death?"

Xiong Gao nodded and hurriedly replied, "When we left Mystic Heaven State to travel to the Heaven-reaching Continent, we took all the Mock Heaven Sect disciples with us, including the maids and the Celestial Palace. While in the Heaven-reaching Continent, your seven maids even took this new maid to play."

"After my inquiry just now, everything seemed normal. This new maid was also having a great time, and there were no complaints of discomfort or sudden unease. She seemed perfectly fine and in a very good state."

"When we were about to return, we all went back to the Little World and settled everyone near the Celestial Palace. I took care of this matter personally. At that time, the new maid was still acting normally, with nothing unusual. But not long after, a maid came to me and said that there was black energy coming from the room where the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's true disciple was sleeping. I knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered, so I pushed the door open and went in to check. That's when I saw that the girl was lying in bed, lifeless and without any vitality."

"I understand," Chen Qiu said, narrowing his eyes slightly. In other words, there were no signs or symptoms from start to finish, and the person died suddenly. If there was any external stimulus, it would be the trip to the Heaven-reaching Continent.

When he scanned the Ten Thousand Beast Sect disciple's body with his divine sense just now, he could clearly feel that the pitch-black runes with rust marks were emanating from within. This meant that the possibility of him being the killer was almost zero, and instead, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's true disciple had some kind of curse on her. This curse might not show any reaction usually, but under certain external stimuli, like the trip to the Heaven-reaching Continent, it would suddenly explode.

This led to her death without a proper burial.

This speculation was not unlikely, but the only thing that didn't make sense was the high-grade of the runes. Who would cast such a high-level curse on a Ten Thousand Beast Sect's true disciple?

Is it even fitting?

"There's no question of fitting or not," said Ling Shiqi, standing by the rear mountain of Ling Pavilion in Jiang Taiping Continent. He took out a Soul Transformation rank talisman from his pocket and crushed it, causing dust to fly and the ants to meet their demise.

"Just like these ants, they would rather die than believe that someone would use a Soul Transformation rank talisman to attack them. After all, their lives are far less valuable than this talisman."

"But to me, a Soul Transformation rank talisman holds no value. As long as I like it, that's all that matters. Ants often think that strong cultivators wouldn't use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but in reality, strong cultivators love to do just that."

"Since I've made my move, I won't hold back. Chen Qiu has taken my opportunity, so he should be prepared to face me as an enemy. Isn't this how the rules of the world work?"

His friend, standing by his side, sighed and said, "Brother Seven, Chen Qiu deserves to die. This opportunity was originally yours, but he took it without hesitation. He's just a native of a Third Rank Continent, and your wrath is far beyond what he can handle."

"Never mind," Ling Shiqi said, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distance. "A long time ago, there was a powerful ancient cultivator in the Upper Continent who said a famous line: 'That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.' These words have inspired countless people to move forward in the face of setbacks."

"For me, it's the same. It's just a minor setback, and I won't dwell on it."

Before Ling Shiqi could finish his sentence, his friend interrupted him awkwardly, "Um, Brother Seven, I have to go home for dinner. I don't know why, but my grandfather is suddenly urging me to come home immediately for a meal, as if there's some important banquet."

Ling Shiqi, who was in the midst of expressing his emotions, lost the desire to continue after being interrupted. He waved his hand to indicate that his friend could leave, and he stayed there to continue his musings.

Not long after his friend left, an endless dark cloud covered the entire rear mountain of Ling Pavilion. A storm of wind and rain arrived, accompanied by rolling heavenly thunder, illuminating the night like daylight.

That night, everyone near Ling Pavilion witnessed what true daylight was like and experienced the most spectacular thunderstorm of their lives. How could one describe this scene? Countless heavenly thunders, carrying terrifying pressure, tore through the sky and struck the area above Ling Pavilion.

The intensity of the storm even surpassed the wind and rain.

Without pause, one wave after another crashed down.

If this scene could be turned into a tourist attraction, it would surely be the most celebrated and visually stunning spectacle for the public.

Just as Ling Shiqi's friend had left the rear mountain of Ling Pavilion, he felt the commotion coming from behind. He froze in his tracks, turned around, and his mouth slowly opened in disbelief. After a long pause, he stood there speechless.

The grandfather, who had been urging him to return home immediately, suddenly went silent and stopped urging.

He sent a message, "Are you still alive?"

Damn! How does his grandfather seem to know so much?

Half a day later, Ling Shiqi's friend, named Taoli, a rare surname, arrived. Although his family's influence was not as great as Ling Pavilion's, they held significant power in a Fourth Tier Continent.

Taoli was a tall, fair-skinned young man with red lips, appearing somewhat effeminate. His overall appearance was beautiful.

It was unusual for a man to be described as beautiful, but Taoli naturally possessed this quality without any deliberate effort to appear feminine.

Half a day later, Taoli returned to Ling Pavilion, invited once again. The entire Ling Pavilion was filled with a heavy atmosphere, with white cloths and mourning couplets hanging everywhere. Each member of the Ling Pavilion clan had their heads wrapped in white cloth, their eyes red with grief.

"Yes, the last time I was invited was for a wedding, and this time it's for a funeral."

Peach Li looked towards the entrance of Ling Pavilion, where a middle-aged man sat with an account book in front of him. He sighed and took out a storage bag from his sleeve, handing it over. He hadn't even stood up yet, and his current expenses were all provided by his family. How could anyone handle such frequent expenses?

Moreover, it was highly unlikely that this money would be recovered.

The day before, they held a wedding banquet, and the very next day, a funeral banquet. Even in this state, they didn't forget to collect gift money. It's no wonder that Ling Pavilion is one of the top powers in the Jiang Taiping Continent. Who could compare to them?

The guests were mostly the same as the previous day, but today, everyone had changed into black robes, with a large white flower pinned to their chests. In the courtyard of Ling Pavilion, the guests held white flowers, taking turns to bid farewell to Ling Shiqi.

At the tombstone, a pile of white flowers had already been placed.

"Rest in peace."

Ling Shiqi's father, his face dark and eyes red, choked out, "Son, rest assured. Ling Pavilion will spare no effort to hunt down your killer, no matter how far they run!"

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have suggested this to you."

After Ling Shiqi's father stepped aside, the other guests also came forward one by one to bid their final farewells.

"Brother Seven," Peach Li sighed, holding a bouquet of flowers and stepping forward. He stood in front of Ling Shiqi's tombstone. "Yesterday, we brothers were talking about the future, and today, one is underground and the other is in the underworld. How did this happen?"

"Actually, every time you said that, I wanted to argue with you."

"Well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but what if it does kill you?"

"Now it seems there's no need to say that. You're already lying here."

"Yesterday, you held the Heavenly Dao Entry Group, full of ambition, saying you wanted to become the strongest Celestial Pride in the history of all-tier continents. Today, you're suddenly lying in the underworld, silent. To be honest, the contrast is quite stark. It's like you died so simply, so easily."

"Wasn't Chen Qiu's full-power strike something your cultivation couldn't withstand?"

After saying this, he also placed the flowers in his hand on the tombstone and stepped aside.

In the crowd, a calm-faced guest was secretly aiming a shadow stone at the guests, recording their faces one by one. This person was none other than the head of the Bai family.

He, too, had been invited to attend Ling Shiqi's funeral.

This was the happiest he had ever been to receive an invitation from Ling Pavilion.

With such a perfect start, he couldn't wait to record the true faces of everyone present, whether he could use it now or not, there would be a time for it in the future.

Of course, for those with high cultivation, like the master of Ling Pavilion, he didn't dare to record. This small action might alert them.

Soon—

It was his turn to bid farewell to Ling Shiqi.

He took a deep breath, took out the white bouquet from his hand, his face filled with sorrow as he took large steps forward. Standing in front of the tombstone, his voice choked with you, and she's the same cultivation level as me. Why didn't you record her face?

"Young Master Ling, your patronage, I'll never forget it for eternity!"

He then placed the white bouquet in his hand on the tombstone. This bouquet of white flowers, without saying more, was made up of exactly five white flowers.

Peach Li sat in the guest seat, waiting for the meal to start, feeling a bit bored and looking around. His only friend had died, and for a while, no one was there to play with him, and he felt a bit bored.

Perhaps his definition of friendship was a bit strange.

Or perhaps his personality was a bit eccentric.

Regarding Ling Shiqi's death, he didn't feel sad at all. Instead, he found it quite interesting, like a dramatic ending in a play. Of course, it wasn't appropriate to show this emotion.

Right now, he was very curious about his grandfather.

After returning home that day, he had questioned his grandfather in detail about how he knew that Ling Shiqi was about to face great danger. His grandfather didn't speak, only shaking his head and refusing to discuss it. Peach Li then asked his grandfather that since he knew Ling Shiqi was in danger, why didn't he inform Ling Shiqi or help him escape? Perhaps they could have gained a generous reward and friendship from Ling Pavilion.

This time, his grandfather didn't shake his head but glared at him.

It was clear.

His grandfather knew something but refused to tell him. Peach Li sighed and scanned the surroundings before leaning back in his chair again. Why hasn't the meal started yet? Ling Shiqi's father was still on the stage, eloquently speaking about Ling Shiqi's excellence before his death.

What's the point of talking about this now? If he were truly excellent, he wouldn't have died.

The fact that he died proves he wasn't excellent enough.

He wondered why the meal hadn't started yet. Weren't all the guests here to eat this meal? It wasn't about the meal itself, but it was the last meal their friend invited them to.

Oh, even though it was still his friend who was paying for it.

At that moment—

He suddenly realized a problem. It was normal for Chen Qiu to have the Void Targeting rainbow entry, but how did Chen Qiu know Ling Shiqi's true face? It was almost impossible for someone from a second-tier continent to obtain specific information about someone from a fourth-tier continent.

The next moment!

A formation suddenly enveloped the entire Ling Pavilion. Ling Pavilion's master stood on the high platform, his face dark and eyes red, scanning each guest. His voice choked as he said, "After the mourning, there's something else I need everyone's cooperation with."

"Those who don't cooperate will be executed."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end