Chapter 303: "You know what kind of person I am, Chen Qiu."

Chapter 303: "You know what kind of person I am, Chen Qiu."

Half an hour had passed since the fifth gate, and almost everyone had managed to pass through with some cost.

Except for one person, who had yet to send any news—Fat Dragon, who had entered the wooden door half an hour ago.

Fat Dragon was the only one who needed to enter the wooden door and challenge his fallen self. He was the only one who hadn't passed the first gate.

In fact, Fat Dragon's trial should have been the easiest.

Normally, it would be considered a blessing in disguise, as challenging one's self with equal strength only required a breakthrough or a stroke of luck to succeed. But to challenge the realm host, the difficulty was infinitely increased.

If this secret realm had followed the normal procedure...

At this moment, everyone else would have died here, and only Fat Dragon would have passed this trial.

However, unfortunately, this secret realm had a minor issue, appearing somewhat irregular, which turned what should have been the simplest trial into the most challenging one.

"..."

Chen Qiu took out a rocking chair from his storage ring and sat down, placing the Heavenly Oracle Umbrella in his embrace, he patiently waited for Fat Dragon to pass through, even though quite some time had passed. Still, he believed that Fat Dragon should be able to come out alive.

It wasn't that he had much confidence in Fat Dragon's strength.

Rather, Fat Dragon was naturally very afraid of death.

Generally speaking, when faced with death, those who fear it tend to struggle with great vitality. Moreover, showing anxiety wouldn't help; he couldn't assist Fat Dragon anyway, so he could only wait patiently, letting time pass, and awaiting the outcome.

Finally—

"Bang!"

Accompanied by a loud noise, the wooden door on the corridor wall was violently kicked open, and a limping Fat Dragon emerged, holding a butcher knife, his body covered in blood and wounds, some so severe that the white bones were visible.

"Damn it!"

Although his injuries looked severe, his state seemed good, and his voice was still strong as he cursed.

"Is there a problem with this secret realm? Weren't we supposed to have equal strength?"

"Why is my illusion so much stronger than me?!"

"This illusion can even transform into a dragon, spitting fire, but I can't! This is clearly not equal strength!"

Upon closer inspection, Fat Dragon's body had many wounds, but no blood was flowing. Many of the injuries were charred, indicating he was almost cooked.

"Hmm..."

The realm host hesitated for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Normally, the strength in this trial should be absolutely equal, and there shouldn't be any issues. However, due to different body constitutions, there may sometimes be minor mistakes, which I cannot interfere with."

"How so?"

Chen Qiu stood up, put away the rocking chair, and took out a pill bottle from his embrace, throwing it to Fat Dragon.

"I'm fine."

Fat Dragon caught the pill bottle, tilted his head back, and swallowed all the pills. He then burped, "Other than feeling a bit tired and in pain, there's no problem. I'm also a bit angry; this is unfair. That illusion knows more skills than me."

"..."

Chen Qiu looked at the approaching Fat Dragon and patted his shoulder gently, saying softly, "Don't forget your Twelve-Tier Five-Claw Golden Dragon bloodline. This is the highest-grade bloodline in the Dragon Clan. Perhaps this ability is something you inherently possess, but you don't know how to use it. The illusion defaulted that you have this ability, so it will definitely use it."

"This..."

Fat Dragon nodded thoughtfully, "That makes sense, but no one has taught me how to use it. I also don't feel that this Twelve-Tier Five-Claw Golden Dragon bloodline has much benefit for me personally. It only helps the Dragon Clan, not me."

"Not to mention, when breaking through a cultivation realm, it can't serve as a foundational condition to help me obtain higher-grade skills."

"I'll research it when I get back."

"The illusion can do it, so I have no reason not to."

"By the way..."

Chen Qiu opened his mouth curiously, "Since your illusion's strength far surpasses yours, how did you win?"

"I just won."

Fat Dragon coughed lightly, his eyes shifting, and he said with a lack of confidence, "It was easy."

Before entering this trial, because of the new realm host and the Bai Clan's young elites, he didn't want to lose face, so he acted nonchalantly, appearing relaxed.

Although these people were older than him in age and cultivation, Fat Dragon was more like a junior.

But since they respectfully called him Great Elder, he naturally had to display the demeanor befitting that title and not always appear fearful of death.

However, this was all just for show.

The moment he entered the trial, his legs trembled, but since he was already inside, he had to face it, even if he was scared. Then he encountered his illusion, which had greater strength.

This illusion was mysterious.

It had the same strength as him, no, greater strength, and the same thoughts and personality, almost identical to Fat Dragon. When they first met, he instinctively took a step back, and his illusion also retreated.

Then he understood.

This secret realm couldn't be passed with brute strength; he had to attack the heart.

He knew himself well, and his weaknesses, so he understood them even better. He also noticed that the illusion didn't attack immediately and was in a defensive state, indicating it didn't know its task.

In other words, the illusion didn't know that the two of them were enemies from the start.

Since it was like this, it was simple. He took out the Ma Yinxue puppet, which he had asked the Star Dou, the alchemy master of Mock Heaven Sect, to make at a high cost, and invited his illusion to join him in the trial.

As expected, his illusion accepted the invitation after some hesitation.

Indeed.

He sighed; no matter when, it was hard to refuse Ma Yinxue. If Ma Yinxue hadn't betrayed him, perhaps they could have lived happily ever after.

After that, things became straightforward.

While his opponent was still enjoying the illusion, he launched a surprise attack, severely injuring them and gaining the upper hand.

However, since his opponent's overall strength far surpassed his own, even with the advantage of a sneak attack, the battle lasted for half an hour before he barely emerged victorious.

It was foreseeable.

If he hadn't planned so meticulously, if he hadn't happened to have Star Dou forge Ma Yinxue's puppet, he might have truly died at this stage. He had failed the first gate because of Ma Yinxue, but it was also due to her that he successfully passed the fifth gate.

Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he couldn't tell anymore.

He only knew that he would have to ask Star Dou to forge a new Ma Yinxue puppet, as the one he had was now dirty, and he didn't want it anymore.

Of course, he couldn't reveal these details to others. If it were only Chen Qiu, he wouldn't care about losing face, as Chen Qiu had seen him at his lowest point. Moreover, Chen Qiu knew who he was, so none of this mattered.

But...

There were so many juniors here, including the new Realm Host who had just joined the Mock Heaven Sect. Naturally, he couldn't disclose the unsavory details of the battle.

He coughed lightly.

Casually glancing at the Bai Clan's elites and the Realm Host, he stood with his hand behind his back, his body covered in wounds but his posture straight and rigid. Despite his weak voice, it carried an intense oppressive force as he smiled lightly.

"Who dares not admit defeat? Who dares claim invincibility?"

"Even the strongest opponent has their own weaknesses. Striking at will, they are naturally vulnerable."

"If it weren't for the captivating scenery in this stage, I wouldn't have lingered for so long."

"Hmm?"

The Realm Host, somewhat perplexed, spoke up, "This stage is a small space composed of nothingness; there's no scenery to speak of."

". . ."

Fat Dragon, expressionless, turned to the Realm Host, "In human culture, scenery isn't always about the physical environment. Often, the artistic conception surpasses the actual objects. Your understanding of human culture is rather lacking; you seem a bit uncultured."

"Oh."

The Realm Host nodded seriously. He had only a superficial understanding of the human concept of artistic conception and physical objects, and he realized he needed to study it more thoroughly.

The Artifact Spirit Clan, on the verge of establishing their clan, had no culture of their own and was in the process of assimilating human culture.

This wasn't because human culture was particularly superior.

Over the years, they had only interacted with humans, and naturally, they had subconsciously begun to adopt human culture.

"Enough."

Seeing Fat Dragon's unusual behavior, Chen Qiu had already guessed the situation, but he didn't expose anything. Instead, he turned to the Realm Host, "We can proceed to the fifth gate."

"Alright."

The Realm Host nodded, and with a slight tremor in his arm, the corridor, suspended in the viscous liquid, began to shake violently. It then accelerated rapidly and soon emerged from the other end of the flesh globe.

The surroundings were once again filled with blinding light, and the speed increased as they shot forward.

"Senior."

The Realm Host approached Chen Qiu, his face full of ingratiating smiles, "There's about a thousand breaths left until the next stage. From this point on, you can choose to leave the realm at any time, as long as you've passed four stages."

"As long as you've passed four stages, it's fine."

"But, Senior..."

"Rest assured," Chen Qiu shook his head lightly, "I won't leave the realm until I obtain the Spiritual Treasure that can strip away the Race Fortune."

Upon hearing this, the Host hurriedly expressed his gratitude with a bow. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Senior, I have a question I'm not sure if I should ask. I've always wanted to know, what level of strength do you possess?"

"You don't know?" Fat Dragon, standing nearby, looked at the Host with a strange expression, "You don't know what level of strength Chen Qiu has? When the realm hadn't even started, you said you couldn't defeat him."

"I'm not sure," the Host shook his head, his expression serious, "I truly don't know Senior's exact strength. His paper strength is easily discernible—a four-layered Body Integration Stage. But the feeling he gives me is even more terrifying than a mid-stage Tribulation Transcender."

"Artifact Spirits have a strong sense of danger."

"In the many years since the realm's opening, countless challengers have come, and Senior is the second most terrifying one I've encountered."

"Second?" Fat Dragon raised an eyebrow, "Who's the first?"

"Well..."

The Host suddenly realized his mistake, and a flash of panic crossed his eyes, "Did I say something wrong?"

"You didn't," Chen Qiu turned to the Host, "It doesn't matter. There are countless people stronger than me in this world. I'm not so petty as to get angry just because someone is stronger."

"They say that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, but I'm different from others. I'm a very kind-hearted person and rarely lose my temper."

"Relax when dealing with me."

"It's not that you said something wrong; even if you did, it's no big deal. After all, who doesn't make mistakes? Tell me who the first person is; I'm curious too."

Hearing Chen Qiu's words, the Host breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "That person's name is Jiang Buying."

"Although his cultivation is not high, only at the sixth layer of the Body Integration Stage, the aura he carries is terrifying. Moreover, it's the kind that is easily felt. This person has taken the lives of at least ten million creatures, and the killing intent surrounding him is so dense that it has formed a black mist, obscuring his appearance from outsiders."

"Furthermore, he is a Demon Cultivator."

"However, when I had just awakened my consciousness, I didn't find him particularly frightening, so I didn't pay much attention. Later, as my consciousness developed over time and I encountered more challengers, I realized how terrifying this person was."

"Jiang Buying..."

Chen Qiu silently repeated the name, which gave him a sense of familiarity. It was similar to the name "Jiang Taiping," and according to Ba Dan, Jiang Taiping was born with nine Rainbow Entry Slips, supposedly the illegitimate child of a certain Immortal Emperor, and the Jiang Taiping Continent was named after him.

Jiang Taiping was a figure from a more ancient era, living around twenty thousand years ago. From a chronological perspective, the secret realm had not yet come into existence when Jiang Taiping awakened.

As for Jiang Bu Ping, he lived a few thousand years later, almost ten thousand years after Jiang Taiping.

However, this person's strength was undeniably formidable, yet no one had ever mentioned his name. It was hard to tell if there was any connection between the two, and he wondered if they were perhaps the secret offspring of an Immortal Emperor.

"That's good."

He casually shook his head, not taking it too seriously, considering it just a piece of gossip.

After all, both Jiang Bu Ping and Jiang Taiping were too distant from him, with almost no chance of any interaction, so he could afford to ignore them.

"Wait a moment—"

A hint of hesitation flashed across the secret realm host's face, as if he had suddenly remembered something. He hesitated, "I seem to recall something. Since I had a deep impression of that person, during the days when no one else was challenging the trials, my only entertainment was to reminisce about these challengers. I recalled this particular challenger quite often."

"I mentioned before that no one has ever passed the ninth trial in this secret realm over the years."

"This person was an exception."

"He smoothly passed through the first eight trials, and he was the first person I saw reach the eighth trial. Just when I thought he would easily pass the ninth trial, he stood at the entrance of the ninth trial, silent for a long time, before suddenly giving up."

"He turned around and left the secret realm without hesitation."

"This is what puzzled me the most. Everyone knows that the first person to pass all the trials would receive a substantial reward, but he didn't even attempt it and chose to give up."

"Normally, a person who has come this far, even if they know they are no match, would still give it a try. It doesn't hurt to try, but this person just gave up. This incident left a deep impression on me."

"I've been to every part of this secret realm, but the only place I've never been to is the ninth trial. I don't know what's inside, and I've never entered it."

"Because the ninth trial requires entering a special miniature world, and I can only go in when a challenger enters. Since he didn't go in, I couldn't either."

Fat Dragon, standing nearby, furrowed his brows slightly, "This is indeed a bit unusual."

"With such strength, as you said, he seemed even more threatening than Qiu Chen. How could he give up so easily? Was there anything unusual at the time? Think carefully."

"Hmm..."

The secret realm host knitted his brows in deep thought for a long time, then suddenly his face relaxed, and his eyes lit up, "I remember now. At the entrance of the ninth trial, there was a small character, the word 'Mock' (Chao)."

"Jiang Bu Ping was about to step into the trial when he saw that word and suddenly stood still, silent for a long time. Then, without turning back, he left the secret realm."

"Just the single word 'Mock'?"

Fat Dragon's expression grew strange, "Was it mockery, laughter, or... Mock Heaven Sect?"

The word 'Mock' (Chao).

Placed alone at the entrance of the ninth trial, although it seemed unlikely, he felt that this word represented the three characters of 'Mock Heaven Sect'. No other term could be clearly expressed with just the word 'Mock'.

But the history of the Mock Heaven Sect didn't seem to include this.

As far as he knew.

The Mock Heaven Sect was a large sect established by a million time-travelers, once highly respected on the First Rank Continent's Profound Heaven Continent. Later, it gradually declined, and the entire sect fled to Daxia Country, sealing themselves within to allow their legacy to be passed down.

This was the history of the Mock Heaven Sect that he and Qiu Chen were aware of.

The Mock Heaven Sect's reach shouldn't be this far, at least not into this secret realm, which was a Body Integration Stage secret realm. Moreover, the Mock Heaven Sect had perished three million years ago, while this secret realm was born only a few thousand years ago.

". . ."

Chen Qiu's expression remained calm and unperturbed, and he said nothing. In fact, he had a high level of acceptance for this matter.

He had long suspected this.

That is...

The Mock Heaven Sect should have two histories. One was the public history, which stated that they dominated the Profound Heaven Continent three million years ago before gradually declining. The other was a hidden history.

He had always believed in the first history, as it was what he had learned from the Mock Heaven Sect's legacy, and it was also verified in the historical records of the Profound Heaven Continent.

But gradually, he discovered that this history had too many loopholes and couldn't withstand scrutiny.

Loophole One: If the first history were true, how could one explain the millions of spirit stones at the bottom of the Mock Heaven Sect's miniature world? Even a top-tier force on the First Rank Continent would find it difficult to accumulate so many spirit stones.

Loophole Two: The Mock Heaven Sect had a million sword cultivators in the past. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how absurd this number was. A million sword cultivators—to put it bluntly, even the Bai Clan couldn't afford to support that many, even with enough spirit stones. The Profound Heaven Continent, just a First Rank Continent, couldn't accommodate so many top-tier sword cultivators.

Loophole Three: The reason for the Mock Heaven Sect's downfall was that they claimed to be time-travelers, which angered other sects, leading to their expulsion as heavenly demons. This was hard to justify. At least, among the many time-travelers in Daxia Country, he had never seen anyone openly proclaim themselves as such. No one could be that foolish.

Loophole Four: In the history of the Mock Heaven Sect, the seal in Daxia Country was said to be set up by them to imprison themselves. But later, he learned from Ba Dan that it was the Celestial Prison, not a man-made seal. However, he had also found many traces of human activity there. Moreover, how could a top-tier force from the First Rank Continent set up a seal that even he, at the Body Integration Stage, couldn't break from the outside? Was it that sturdy?

Loophole Five:

These and other loopholes had already made him doubt the hidden history of the Mock Heaven Sect. There were too many inconsistencies, but he hadn't thought too much about it. He didn't want to dwell on it, as it had nothing to do with him, regardless of what conspiracy or scheme might have been involved three million years ago.

He is indeed the current Marquis of Mock Heaven Sect.

However, he ascended to the position without any formal succession ceremony, and he doesn't believe that the three-thousand-year-old grudges of the Mock Heaven Sect should be his burden. So, he has always chosen to ignore this matter and not dwell on it.

But now it seems that the hidden history of the Mock Heaven Sect might be more terrifying than he imagined.

This is a Secret Realm of a Body Integration Stage cultivator. The fact that traces of the Mock Heaven Sect can be found here indicates that the sect was once a top-tier power in a Third Rank or even a Fourth Rank continent.

Furthermore, for a Secret Realm with traces of the Mock Heaven Sect to suddenly appear after so many years of its demise suggests that the sect's methods were not limited to this. It might have even been a top-tier power in the Immortal World.

At least, he is already powerful enough now, but if he were to create a Secret Realm with his own traces a thousand years later, he honestly admits that he would be incapable of such a feat. It's not a matter of cultivation level but of means beyond his capabilities.

At that moment, he slowly recalled something he had forgotten.

On that day, in the underground palace of the Mock Heaven Sect's Miniature World, there were many corpses of sect disciples, and a resurrection ritual was being held. Although it ultimately failed for unknown reasons, the corpse of the Mock Heaven Sect's Marquis, which should have been seated in the main position, had disappeared without a trace.

In other words, the Mock Heaven Sect might have indeed perished three thousand years ago, but its Marquis did not die. He escaped and has been secretly active ever since, which could explain many things.

However, there are also some illogical aspects.

At this moment, various speculations flooded Chen Qiu's mind, but he was clear on one thing: once he entered the Ninth Stage, he might be able to unravel some of the mysteries.

"You... Senior Chen."

At this moment, the Realm Host also reacted abruptly, his eyes flashing with shock and disbelief as he looked at Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon. His voice trembled as he said, "Senior, the word 'Mock' and the Mock Heaven Sect..."

He had just learned that the name of the senior's sect was the Mock Heaven Sect, and the senior had even told him about the sect's organizational structure, but he hadn't thought in this direction. Now, as he suddenly connected the dots, he felt a sense of creeping dread.

Could it be that the senior...

"No need to overthink it."

Chen Qiu shook his head slightly, "You may leave. I'll rest for a while."

He lay back in the rocking chair, closed his eyes, and remained silent. At this moment, he was contemplating whether to explore the Ninth Stage to uncover some of the mysteries and learn about the hidden history of the Mock Heaven Sect.

But this also meant that he might get entangled in the matter.

He would be dragged into the three-thousand-year-old grudges left by the Mock Heaven Sect, something he truly didn't want. When he took over the Mock Heaven Sect, it was empty, with only a name and nothing else. No matter what grudges existed three thousand years ago, they shouldn't involve him.

But he was also genuinely curious.

"Fat Dragon."

After a while, he set up a Soundproof Array without opening his eyes and spoke softly, "Do you think we should go in and take a look?"

Fat Dragon didn't answer directly but paused for a moment before speaking softly.

"Brother Qiu, don't you remember when we were in Daxia Country, and we were about to establish a sect? Then, the Secret Realm of the Mock Heaven Sect opened, and we smoothly inherited the sect's shell."

"At that time, Brother Qiu, you even said that you liked the name 'Mock Heaven Sect'."

"Brother Qiu, you also have a deep affection for the Mock Heaven Sect. Many times when introducing yourself externally, you used the title 'Marquis of Mock Heaven Sect, Chen Qiu'. I feel that whether it's fate or karma, Brother Qiu, you and the Mock Heaven Sect are deeply intertwined."

"Regardless of the hidden history of the Mock Heaven Sect..."

"Brother Qiu, you should at least go and learn about it first. This way, at least when enemies come, you won't be clueless about their origins."

". . ."

Chen Qiu didn't respond immediately but remained silent for a while before speaking softly, "Do you mean to go and take a look?"

"Take a look."

"But I'm always afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"You tell me, I can't remember what I was doing specifically a thousand years ago before I crossed over. This gives me a sense of unease. I'm worried that I might be the Marquis of the Mock Heaven Sect from three thousand years ago."

"Is that not good?"

"No, it's not good."

Chen Qiu muttered with a dazed expression, "It would be too chaotic. Which one of me is the real Chen Qiu? The one sitting on the court, pointing at the rivers and mountains? Or the one chopping wood in the cold wind? Or the one practicing sword on the steep cliffs with bare arms? Or even the Marquis of the Mock Heaven Sect from three thousand years ago?"

"You won't be able to tell."

"No, the current you is you." Fat Dragon shook his head slightly, "Moreover, the latter is just a guess, and the probability is very low. I personally believe that you absolutely cannot be the Marquis of the Mock Heaven Sect from three thousand years ago."

"Why not?"

"Because he lost, and you, Brother Qiu, can never lose."

"Are you that confident in me?"

Fat Dragon spread his hands helplessly, "I can't be confident in myself, can I? You know what kind of person I am."

"True."

After a pause, Chen Qiu suddenly laughed, "What you said makes sense. Let's go in and take a look. I'm also curious about what the hidden history of the Mock Heaven Sect is."

"Hopefully, there's some kind of ancient heritage for me."

"Even if I have to take on the karma, it's not impossible. At least, they should offer more benefits, right? They can't just give a million Spirit Stones and expect me to take on the karma of three thousand years, can they?"

"If the karma is too great, so great that I can't handle it, then we'll see if we can change the name or something, like changing it to 'Face Heaven Sect' or something."

At this point, Chen Qiu's voice suddenly stopped, and his mouth twitched slightly before he turned to Fat Dragon, "Do you remember that there was a Face Heaven Sect in Daxia Country? Could this Face Heaven Sect be the renamed Mock Heaven Sect?"

"I don't think so."

Fat Dragon also hesitated with uncertainty, "To be honest, I'm not sure about this either. I'll ask Zhao Dezhu about it when I go down, but from what I know of the Face Heaven Sect, it doesn't seem capable of handling such karma."

"The gap is still quite significant."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end