Chapter 289: "Five years later, I, Chen Qiu, will protect the Bai Family for a thousand years."

Chapter 289: "Five years later, I, Chen Qiu, will protect the Bai Family for a thousand years."

"?"

The old man, tied to a pillar, glanced at the pill in the bear expert's hand and was momentarily stunned. Despite the cloth stuffed in his mouth, his muffled laughter still escaped.

"Young friend, do you understand the concept of the Body Integration Period?"

"Do you know what one must go through to cultivate to the Body Integration Period? I've braved the knife mountains and fire seas, wandered between life and death countless times. Do you think I'd fear this?"

"It's just pulling out fingernails and inserting needles into the gaps."

"Come, call me grandpa, you're my grandson!"

The old man's eyes were filled with scorn as he looked at the bear expert. Having reached the Body Integration Period, he had his own pride. These so-called tortures were nothing new to him, having experienced them countless times in his life.

To cultivate to the Body Integration Period, one needed countless opportunities, but they had undoubtedly endured countless beatings.

"Hmm."

The bear expert nodded in approval, then rolled up his sleeves. He took out a dagger, walked up to the old man, and made a small incision on his thigh. He then inserted the pill, which instantly dissolved in the blood, quickly spreading its effects throughout the old man's body.

A tenfold increase in sensitivity.

Whether it was the perception of pain or other senses, everything was heightened.

Immortals were already more sensitive than mortals, but this time, it was further enhanced.

Immediately after.

The bear expert stood up and exhaled, "Since you seem to be a tough one, let's start with the fourth-rank torture device."

"This is my new research, the fourth-rank torture device, 'Hundred Flavors Bull Testicles'."

After saying this, the bear expert, without further ado, walked forward and began demonstrating his knife skills. He carved intricate knife patterns on the old man's testicles, and under the tenfold sensitivity, it was evident that the old man's body tensed up. He clenched the cloth in his mouth, and his pupils dilated.

It was apparent that he was not feeling comfortable at all.

After a few breaths.

The bear expert took out chili water, salt, and other spices from his pocket and poured them all over the old man's wounds. He then gently rubbed them in, stood up, and watched expectantly for the old man's reaction.

However.

The old man's chest heaved up and down, and his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. His entire face contorted in agony, and he let out a low growl. But after a few breaths, he recovered and burst into laughter, "That's the stuff! That's the stuff!"

"I haven't had a bath in three thousand years, hahahaha!"

". "

The bear expert stood expressionless, then turned to look at the maid behind him, her head bowed low. Suddenly, he felt a bit embarrassed, so he reached into the box beside him and took out another treasure.

"Try this, the fifth-rank torture device, 'Bone and Flesh Separation'."

After saying this, the bear expert held a butcher knife and walked behind the old man. He slowly sliced down the old man's spine, carefully separating the skin and muscles with the knife, and then, like a butterfly spreading its wings, slowly peeled off the entire skin.

The gore was so intense that even the maid behind him, with her head bowed, trembled.

But this old man was truly tough. Even in the midst of excruciating pain, he continued to roar in ecstasy.

After a few breaths.

The bear expert held up a partially intact piece of skin, standing before the old man whose body was covered in blood and flesh. He frowned and asked, "How much did your master pay you? Why are you so tough?"

"Hehe."

The old man, already somewhat weak, stared at the bear expert and smiled, "You beast, keep torturing me. Let's see if your grandpa will surrender today. I've lived for so many years; I've had enough!"

"Fine."

The bear expert nodded expressionlessly, then took out a small booklet from the box, "Then let's get straight to the point."

"The seventh-rank torture device, 'Complete Torture', consists of multiple methods: slow slicing, boiling, castration, foot amputation, beating, breaking the spine, and live burial. It's like a mixed torture device. If you can endure this, we'll try the eighth-rank torture device."

"Constellations!"

"Come and apply the medicine!"

Even though his cultivation was sealed, he was still a Body Integration Period expert, and his physical qualities were far superior to ordinary people. Otherwise, a normal person would have died long ago after such torture.

But he still needed some medicine to prevent death.

After several thousand breaths.

The old man was half-buried in the ground, with a thick wooden stick protruding from his mouth. His head, without the support of the spine, hung limply on his shoulder. All the skin had been peeled off, and the surrounding soil was covered in chili water, while the air carried the scent of cooked meat.

The old man still had a piece of cooked meat hanging from his mouth, and on it was a standard knife pattern, which was the result of the demonstration of the fourth-rank torture device.

"Wait."

The old man, filled with fear, looked at the bear expert who was preparing the eighth-rank torture device in the distance. For the first time in his life, he felt such intense fear, and his voice trembled with despair, "I've confessed, but have the others confessed?"

"Others?"

The bear expert stood up and shook his head, "I haven't questioned the others yet. I'll question them after you."

"You haven't questioned them?"

A hint of disbelief flashed in the old man's eyes, and he couldn't help but scream hysterically, "You didn't torture them? You brought all the torture to me? Why?"

"You're tougher, so we'll start with the harder ones."

"I..."

The old man's voice was already weak, and his eyes were filled with despair. He spat out the cooked meat in his mouth and muttered, "I'll confess, I don't ask for anything else, just give me a quick death."

"Pingxi Continent was destroyed by us."

"But it wasn't just us who destroyed it."

"Pingxi Continent was already on the verge of collapse. At most, it would have lasted three thousand years before collapsing. Unless someone mended the heavens during this period, it might have been delayed to four thousand years. But after four thousand years, it was destined to collapse, and no one, not even an Immortal Emperor, could stop it.

"All First Rank Continents will eventually collapse, it's a natural law that cannot be defied."

"We merely expedited this process; is there a problem with that? If we didn't intervene, would it not collapse on its own?"

"Moreover..."

"Moreover, those people didn't experience the kind of pain I'm going through. In a way, they were much happier than me."

"You're confessing?"

Xiong Gao's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked down at the eighth-rank torture device in his hand, a life-sized iron statue of a person, but it was hollow. There were various ways to play with it once a person was stuffed inside: "I still have several other torture devices I haven't tried yet. How about you endure a little longer?"

"No, no, no!"

It was evident that the old man was genuinely terrified. His eyes were filled with fear, and his body, buried in the ground, struggled to move. A wooden stick pierced through his mouth, making his speech slurred and barely comprehensible. He trembled as he spoke with difficulty.

"Even if you tell us, you can't afford to offend the power I have backing me, a major figure from the Sixth Rank Immortal Realm!"

"That power is called 'Drunken Flower Manor', and the Manor Lord is that major figure."

"The task they gave us was to destroy all the lower-ranked continents of the Vast Continent within five years, which means accelerating the collapse of these continents. I truly don't know the specific reason."

"I'm just a worker; how could I possibly know these things?"

"However, I have a guess. Several years ago, I heard that this major figure encountered some kind of misfortune and suddenly changed his temperament. After that, he sought us out and arranged for us to go to the First Rank Continent to start preparing for the destruction of the twelve lower-ranked continents of the Vast Continent."

"This misfortune was very likely the 'Immortal Cancer'."

"And this major figure is obtaining the Soul of Shadows' Fortune by directly destroying the First Rank Continent."

At that moment—

Chen Qiu strode out from not too far away, carrying a chair. He placed the chair on the ground and sat down, crossing his legs as he casually looked down at the old man, half-buried in the mud, who appeared disfigured. "Can this method obtain the Soul of Shadows' Fortune?"

"And this so-called major figure from the Sixth Rank Immortal Realm, with such a strong foundation, doesn't even have the Shadow Emperor Fortune?"

"Is this believable?"

According to Ba Dan's information, in the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm, major powers usually have the Shadow Emperor Fortune in reserve, like the Maan Clan, who had stored a strand of the Shadow Emperor Fortune, but didn't give it to Ba Dan.

If even the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm has the awareness to reserve this, would the Sixth Rank Immortal Realm not have it?

"It's true, I swear."

The old man panted heavily for several breaths before trembling, "First, in such a vast Immortal Realm, there might only be a few dozen people who are extremely unlucky and would suffer from this disease. The probability of contracting this celestial illness is minuscule, perhaps even lower than drawing a rainbow entry. Most powers wouldn't normally store this at all."

"Who would think that their luck is so bad that they'd suffer this fate? This thing isn't cheap, and it's easy to waste a family's resources by spending a huge price on something that might never be needed."

"Secondly..."

"Of course, these are just my guesses. There hasn't been any specific news circulating, but based on the reaction of that major figure, I can guess with about eighty to ninety percent certainty, and even... this 'Drunken Flower Manor' might not just have one person suffering from Immortal Cancer."

"Otherwise, they wouldn't need so many strands of the Soul of Shadows' Fortune."

"Furthermore..."

". . ."

Chen Qiu patiently listened to the old man's explanation, then waved his hand, indicating that he should be imprisoned first. After questioning the others and obtaining their confessions, he walked alone to the edge of the cliff, overlooking the entire Mock Heaven Sect.

In the past, he loved to sit here and cultivate. The scenery was beautiful, and the spiritual energy was abundant. During breaks, he would look out over the entire Mock Heaven Sect, and a sense of grandeur would well up within him. But as he became busier, he hadn't stood here to appreciate the scenery in a long time.

Now, standing here again, his heart felt different.

This world was too complicated.

He even felt a bit tired.

According to the old man, the destruction of the Pingxi Continent was due to the Soul of Shadows' Fortune, but that major power couldn't find someone who could enter the Yin Realm to obtain it, so they chose the simplest method.

When a continent collapses, the Soul of Shadows' Fortune within its Yin Realm automatically separates and can be freely taken away.

What the old man did was to accelerate this process.

However, no matter who carried out this task, they would accumulate a massive amount of sin points and basically couldn't survive past the next day. They would be struck by lightning and killed on the spot. So, whenever they arrived at a new continent, they would find a native filled with hatred, someone who wanted to drag everyone down with them, to do this deed.

All they needed to do was wait for the Yin Realm to collapse, and then throw a "Soul-Fixing Pearl" into the Yin Realm entrance.

This "Soul-Fixing Pearl" was said to be extremely valuable, a supreme treasure of the evil cultivators. It contained countless resentful spirits, and when so many resentful spirits exploded in the Yin Realm, they would instantly cause the already crumbling Yin Realm to completely collapse.

This would lead to the continent suddenly revealing thousands of Yin Realm entrances, resulting in the sky falling and the earth caving in, and the continent utterly collapsing.

This was the entire process.

By collapsing a continent, they could plunder all the remaining Soul of Shadows' Fortune, usually ten full strands, and at the very least, five strands as a guarantee. But the price was the lives of hundreds of millions of living beings.

The woman from the Wang family, bathing in the hot spring pool, was the chosen "Sword Holder" for this mission.

Yes.

They called the person who would destroy the world with a pillar a Sword Holder, meaning the sword in hand, cutting as one wishes.

And the reason for choosing the twelve First Rank Continents of the Vast Continent is said to be carefully selected by the Drunken Flower Manor. Many powerful cultivators have climbed up from the lower-ranked continents, and although they are temporarily unable to return to their homelands, they still have emotional ties to them.

If their homelands were to be destroyed at this moment, it would become a life-and-death grudge.

Therefore, it was necessary to select First Rank Continents that had never produced powerful cultivators. Thus, the twelve lower-ranked continents of the Vast Continent were successfully chosen because their upper-ranked continent is the High Rank Continent, Qi Tian Continent.

The Qi Tian Continent, being a polluted continent, is akin to a heavenly chasm. Even the most talented Celestial Prodigies who reach this continent end up crippled, so basically, no powerful cultivators have ever emerged from the Qi Tian Continent.

With this, there are no more worries.

".

Chen Qiu stood silently in place, knowing full well that not everyone has the ability to travel to lower-ranked continents. But, perhaps due to luck, many of the powerful cultivators he had encountered recently were from the High Rank Immortal Worlds.

This world has a significant drawback.

There are too many continents, and too many people. When there are too many people, any extremely rare opportunities will be seized by countless individuals.

Just like now.

These cultivators from the High Rank Immortal Worlds come to the First Rank Continents as if they were strolling through their own gardens. In theory, there should be incredibly powerful Heavenly Dao Shackles preventing ordinary people from descending, but it seems that only ordinary people are blocked.

He can only be grateful that when he was in the Profound Heaven Continent, there weren't as many High Rank Immortal World cultivators coming down to wander around.

What troubled him was whether to kill these people or not.

If he killed them, the Drunken Flower Manor would immediately know that something had happened to their people below, and they would send more people down to investigate who killed them.

On the other hand, if he didn't kill them, the lack of progress would eventually be reported, and the people above would also know that something had happened to their subordinates.

He couldn't just let these people continue to destroy other continents. He couldn't stand by and watch as they went to destroy the Profound Heaven Continent. In other words, he was destined to clash with the Drunken Flower Manor.

But with his current strength, how could he possibly contend with the power of a Sixth Rank Immortal Realm?

"I'm still too weak."

Chen Qiu lowered his head and muttered into his palm, "Too weak."

If he had absolute strength now, he wouldn't need to worry about this. He could just kill his way to the Sixth Rank Immortal Realm and annihilate the entire Drunken Flower Manor. He needed to focus on cultivating faster.

However, at his current cultivation level, no matter how fast he progressed, it wouldn't be enough. He had already dispatched six teams, which would greatly increase his cultivation speed, but he hadn't found a solution to the Spirit Stone problem yet.

Just then—

The Bai Family Patriarch suddenly approached from a distance, his face filled with a complex expression as he spoke softly, "Master Chen, do you want to go all-in with me?"

Chen Qiu glanced at the Bai Family Patriarch without saying a word. He wasn't sure what the Bai Family Patriarch was implying, but at that moment, he had no time to think about it.

"I've thought of a solution."

After a long pause, the Bai Family Patriarch spoke softly, "According to the information that person revealed, the task given to them by the people above is to destroy the twelve lower-ranked continents of the Vast Continent within five years."

"But in reality, they don't actually know if the continents have been destroyed or not."

"They just need to submit the Soul of Shadows' Fortune."

"So, we can give the Soul of Shadows' Fortune to that old man and let him submit it. We'll also report false news of everything going smoothly, buying us five years of time. Within these five years, we'll raise our cultivation to a level sufficient to reach the Sixth Rank Immortal Realm. By then, even if the truth is exposed, we won't fear anyone."

".

Chen Qiu turned to look at the Bai Family Patriarch, and after a long while, he shook his head slightly, "Five years to cultivate to the level of reaching the Sixth Rank Immortal Realm... Do you know how many Spirit Stones that would require? It's an astronomical number."

Although he was somewhat displeased with the idea of submitting the Soul of Shadows' Fortune, if it was to buy time, it might be the only option.

"I understand."

The Bai Family Patriarch nodded seriously, then suddenly laughed. He waved his left hand vigorously, and several storage rings on his fingers emitted a bright light. Countless Spirit Stones fell from the sky, filling the entire valley.

The entire valley was filled with Spirit Stones!!!

".?!"

Chen Qiu stared at the valley before him, which had been instantly filled. He stood frozen in place, took a few steps forward in disbelief, and after confirming that it wasn't an illusion, he turned to the Bai Family Patriarch with a look of disbelief, "Is the Bai Family this rich?"

The Bai Family was just the top power in a Third Rank Continent. When he first met them, they had offered 500,000 Spirit Stones, which he had already considered quite generous. But the number of Spirit Stones piled up here was far more than several million!

"This..."

The Bai Family Patriarch seemed a bit embarrassed, "Actually, the Bai Family is quite wealthy, but our strength is not that great. So, we've always tried to keep our wealth hidden to avoid attracting the covetousness of powerful cultivators."

"Master Chen, you know that the Bai Family has the ability to freely travel between continents."

"This ability is much stronger than you might imagine."

"Perhaps you haven't noticed, but the prices of things vary from continent to continent. An item that costs one Spirit Stone in one continent might cost two Spirit Stones in another. The profit margin is astonishing."

"Over the years, the Bai Family has had large trading teams operating between different continents."

"In fact..."

"We've earned quite a lot of Spirit Stones, and this is just a small portion. To be blunt, we've earned so many Spirit Stones that we can't spend them all. However, Spirit Stones cannot be directly converted into combat power. We've been generous to our clansmen, but we still can't produce geniuses."

"If we don't have an absolute pillar of support, the Bai Family won't be able to reach the Fourth Rank Continent, let alone the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm."

"On the contrary, if our wealth is exposed, it might even bring about the destruction of our family."

"Therefore, after much deliberation, I want to go all-in with you, Master Chen. In the next five years, the Bai Family will dedicate all its spirit stone reserves to support your cultivation. All I ask is that you lead the Bai Family to the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm and become our protector within a thousand years."

"Allow the Bai Family to borrow your name to promote our reputation, and we hope to have three opportunities to request your assistance."

Having said that, the Bai Family Patriarch looked at Chen Qiu with utmost sincerity, awaiting his response. This was a true all-in for the Bai Family, akin to a fat sheep wiggling its buttocks in front of hungry wolves.

At this moment, the Bai Family was completely defenseless against Chen Qiu.

If Chen Qiu wished, there was no need to agree to these requests; he could simply take action and seize everything.

He was certain he couldn't withstand the might of Xiong Gao, and the Bai Family's remaining spirit stone reserves would undoubtedly be exposed.

However, based on his long-standing relationship with Chen Qiu, he didn't believe Chen Qiu was that kind of person. The Bai Family had always wanted to find someone to go all-in with, but it was evident that their own people lacked the potential. At this juncture, they could only seek external help.

But finding someone with such potential who also kept their promises was not an easy task.

Chen Qiu was the best choice.

"That's right!"

At this moment, Fat Dragon, who had approached them unnoticed, suddenly smacked his head and exclaimed, "How did I not notice this before? Each continent has different prices! There's so much potential here for profit!"

"Wait a moment—"

"I recall that free travel between lower-ranked continents isn't solely the Bai Family's ability, right? Have others not thought of this?"

"Of course, they have."

The Bai Family Patriarch cleared his throat with a hint of pride, "In theory, it's simple. We just need to earn the price difference. But in practice, it's extremely challenging, and there are many matters to manage."

"The market isn't an enemy. As long as you're powerful enough, you can break through any obstacle."

"The market needs to be tamed."

"For example, when large quantities of goods enter a continent, how do we distribute them to wholesalers in various cities, and how do we earn the price difference without disrupting the normal market prices of that continent? Moreover, we've been cooperating with those families producing goods for so long that we've built mutual trust."

"Wait, these things can't be achieved solely by free travel between lower-ranked continents."

"It's quite complex."

"And it requires strong management skills. Currently, there are tens of thousands of people cooperating with the Bai Family, and it's challenging to manage them and handle the intricate details."

"Including the 'Evil Deity Clan,' they possess the ability to freely transmit information, goods, and even living beings across continents. Logically, they should be the most suitable for this line of work, right?"

"Haven't they discovered this business opportunity?"

"They must have, and they've tried it. But in the end, they found it unfeasible. In this matter, the ability to freely travel between lower-ranked continents is just a necessary foundation, not an absolute condition."

When discussing the Bai Family's development, the Bai Family Patriarch, usually modest, exuded an air of arrogance.

"It's indeed challenging."

Chen Qiu nodded and patted the Bai Family Patriarch's shoulder, smiling as he said, "Perhaps you could seek advice from Liu Zide; I think he'll give you a lot of inspiration. By the way, if the Evil Deity Clan can cooperate deeply with you, wouldn't it be more beneficial for the Bai Family's development?"

"What more is there to say?!"

The Bai Family Patriarch, excited, exclaimed, "That would be like adding wings to a tiger! The Evil Deity Clan's ability is naturally suited for large-scale trade, but they insist on equitable exchange. It's a waste of talent! If this ability could serve the Bai Family..."

"The Bai Family will earn until their cups overflow!"

"Of course, at that time, there will be many more competitors, if there's no one to protect us, we might be swallowed whole."

Having said that, the Bai Family Patriarch looked at Chen Qiu with eager anticipation.

“.”

Chen Qiu chuckled and gazed at the valley filled with spirit stones, “I agree. In five years, I, Chen Qiu, will protect the Bai Family for a thousand years.”

“However, your plan from earlier needs some adjustments.”

“These five years are crucial, but we need to change our approach. In these five years, we'll continuously provide Soul of Shadows' Fortune to the Drunken Flower Manor. Don't say I'm unwilling to give, even if I am, I can't provide that much Soul of Shadows' Fortune.”

“Change our approach.”

“I've been thinking about it.”

“Why don't we create a story? Isn't the Drunken Flower Manor afraid of provoking a strong continent? Let's create a powerful cultivator in the Profound Heaven Continent, causing the Drunken Flower Manor to retreat."

“For example, let me think... We'll create a story about the Mock Heaven Sect. Tens of thousands of years ago, the Mock Heaven Sect was the strongest sect in all continents. Now, in its decline, it guards the Profound Heaven Continent. Anyone who dares to offend them will face retribution, no matter how far they run?”

“No.”

Chen Qiu shook his head, “If we do that, it will attract attention to the Profound Heaven Continent, exposing some of my affairs. Moreover, it's too fake; no one will believe it.”

After a moment of thought, he turned to Fat Dragon.

“Fat Dragon, what are your thoughts?”

“How do you think we should handle this matter and buy us five years of development time? At least during these five years, the Drunken Flower Manor won't cause us trouble.”

“This...”

Fat Dragon hesitated for a moment before replying with hesitation, “Let me think...”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end