Chapter 306: "The Marquis's Secret Decree, Secretly Forging Ten Thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Gener

Chapter 306: "The Marquis's Secret Decree, Secretly Forging Ten Thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals"

The door before him was nearly a thousand zhang tall, an awe-inspiring sight that could make one feel insignificant. Standing before it, one might experience a sense of inferiority.

It was like standing before a towering mountain, an overwhelming sense of grandeur that seemed unattainable.

Although Chen Qiu scoffed at the idea of "bigger is better," he had to admit that the grandeur of a sect's mountain gate seemed to be directly proportional to its size. Each sect seemed to strive for a mountain gate that was grand and imposing.

Building such a massive mountain gate required a significant amount of resources, and the most important thing was that it served no practical purpose other than looking impressive. It was purely a prestige project.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that each sect pursued such grand mountain gates.

After all, if we can spend so many Spirit Stones on a prestige project like this, wouldn't it make sense that we have more resources for other things? In his previous life, he had heard a poisonous motivational quote from a self-help book.

"Give a million to those who betray you, and those who don't betray you will work even harder for you because they know they'll get even more."

It was a pretty dumb statement.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn't entirely unreasonable, just like this mountain gate.

".

Chen Qiu calmly observed the majestic mountain gate before him, feeling the constant vibrations of the Sect Leader Token in his hand, he remained silent, patiently waiting for the host to continue the explanation.

Soon—

The realm host paused for a moment and then continued, "The seventh stage is relatively simple."

"At the top of this mountain gate, there's a Celestial Orb. As long as you touch this orb, you'll pass the stage."

"Is it that simple?" Fat Dragon doubted, "Can we fly in this stage? Or will there be heavenly punishment if we try to fly?"

"No."

The realm host shook his head, "Flying is not allowed in this stage, nor are any offensive means or the use of Spirit Qi. Aside from that, you can use any means to touch the Celestial Orb."

"What about the Maan Clan?"

"If I were from the Maan Clan, wouldn't I be able to easily jump and touch the Celestial Orb?"

"The Maan Clan cannot enter this realm."

"Are there restrictions?"

"Of course." The realm host replied in a soft voice, "Given the Maan Clan's physique, they simply can't fit in the corridor. This realm only allows humans to enter and prohibits other races. It's an exclusive realm for humans."

"According to the realm's rules, I can't speak anymore from now on."

"Senior, give it your best shot. But there's no life-threatening danger in this stage. Even if you choose to give up and not pass this stage, it's completely fine. However, if you don't pass this stage, you won't be able to proceed to the next one."

After saying this, the realm host stepped aside and stood in place, his eyes fixed on his nose, his heart calm, like a statue, silent and seemingly asleep.

".

Fat Dragon and Bai Pingling exchanged glances, and the two began a silent brainstorming session. To be honest, Fat Dragon was feeling a bit frustrated. Why did they have to create a realm that required so much thinking? Didn't they know that he hated thinking the most?

No use of Spirit Qi, no flying, and no controlling Spiritual Treasures.

Under these conditions, touching the thousand-zhang-high Celestial Orb was indeed a challenging task.

Unless... "Unless Scholar and his brother were here," Fat Dragon sighed regretfully.

If using Spirit Qi was prohibited, then using Codex Entries should be fine, right? No one said Codex Entries couldn't be used, did they?

With Scholar and his brother's Bloodline Codex Entry, touching the Celestial Orb would be a piece of cake. Even without using Spirit Qi to control flying swords, they could simply throw the swords with force and then teleport to where the swords were about to fall, continuing to throw them higher. The process might be a bit troublesome, but the result would be guaranteed.

Chen Qiu subconsciously touched his nose and glanced at the realm host not far away. He already had a solution, but he felt that the correct way to pass this stage might not be what he was thinking.

This stage allowed the use of Codex Entries.

That made it much easier for him.

For example, he could use infinite teleportation, which was a bit troublesome, but there were no restrictions in this stage. As long as he kept teleporting, he would eventually touch the Celestial Orb.

Having reached this level of cultivation, his physical qualities had been enhanced many times. Even without using Spirit Qi, he could clearly see the Celestial Orb at the top of the thousand-zhang mountain gate, shining brightly.

Or, he had a Codex Entry called "Ant Holding a Hammer," which was a summoning object entry. During a fortuitous encounter, he added a pink entry to this little ant, "Giant Among Giants."

Yes, it was that very monster that grew larger with each beastfolk kill.

At this moment, his little ant, well-cared for by Xiong Gao all this time, had grown to a size of several dozen zhang. Although it might not look impressive, he could also release the little wolf that was raised in the rear mountain of Mock Heaven Sect.

By having these two creatures jump in the air, one stepping on the other, and continuously climbing upward, they could form a ladder to the sky, allowing him to easily reach the top.

Or...

Chen Qiu finally decided on the last method, which was "Body Law Conversion." If he couldn't use Spirit Qi, he could at least use his own strength, right? Body Cultivators could definitely unleash their full power without relying on Spirit Qi.

The next moment—

As the Codex Entry was activated, Chen Qiu suddenly felt an infinite power surging through every part of his body.

"Boom!"

Immediately after, Chen Qiu stomped his feet, and his entire body shot towards the sky. Then, at a height of a hundred zhang, he pushed off from the side of the mountain gate, using the momentum to shoot upwards again. After just a few back and forths,

he successfully reached the top of the mountain gate and touched the Celestial Orb.

He then heard the Heavenly Dao's notification sound, confirming his successful passage.

Chen Qiu's lips curled up in a satisfied smile, and he finally stood at the top of the mountain gate, staring straight down at the plaza below.

"Boom!!"

Without any deceleration, he plummeted straight down, smashing into the ground with a deafening crash. It had to be said that the ground was incredibly hard; under such an impact, not only did it not dent, but it didn't even crack.

And Chen Qiu was equally tough.

After such a collision, not only did he not get injured, but his knees didn't even bend. He walked out calmly from the dust, and although physical cultivators often looked a bit foolish, and their methods were sometimes silly, they were truly exhilarating in combat.

For example, he now suddenly understood why physical cultivators often did some foolish things.

Like jumping from a great height without any deceleration—it was a stupid thing to do, but it felt great. Which other cultivators would dare to jump from a thousand-zhang height to the ground without any defensive measures?

"Did you pass?" Fat Dragon was the first to approach him.

"Mhm."

Chen Qiu nodded slightly with a smile, "I passed. It's just as the host said, this stage isn't very difficult. It's quite simple, at least for physical cultivators. There's no challenge at all."

". . ."

The realm host, who had been watching from a distance, saw this and his eyelids twitched slightly. His lips moved for a while, but in the end, he didn't say a word. Regardless, the result was good.

"Senior."

Bai Pingling's eyes flashed with disbelief, and his voice trembled slightly, "Senior, are you a dual cultivator of physical and magical arts?"

Before entering this secret realm, the clan leader had told him that the senior was a magical cultivator, but he had never mentioned that he was a dual cultivator. Most importantly, dual cultivation of physical and magical arts was fundamentally unreasonable!

Generally speaking, dual cultivation was rare, as it required twice the energy and resources, and could ultimately lead to neither being mastered, resulting in complete waste.

But even if one were to dual cultivate, it would usually be in complementary areas.

For example, cultivating both "Array Cultivation" and "Divination Cultivation" had many similarities.

Or cultivating both "Artifact Cultivation" and "Physical Cultivation," as artifact cultivation was physically demanding, and physical cultivation could perfectly compensate for this.

Or "Sword Cultivation" and "Array Cultivation," as sword cultivators, when they advanced in cultivation, primarily relied on "Sword Arrays," and array cultivation could significantly increase their upper limit in this regard.

Generally, those with exceptional talent and wealthy backgrounds would indeed pursue dual cultivation, as it raised their ceiling and made them stronger at the same cultivation level.

But...

Physical and magical cultivation were two completely different systems. It was like holding a staff in the right hand and a hammer in the left. One focused on long-distance spellcasting, while the other was about close-quarters hammer-wielding.

There was no synergy at all. How could one cultivate both? Most importantly, from the senior's burst of power just now, it was clear that his physical cultivation was also top-notch. Although it couldn't compare to those peerless physical cultivators, it far surpassed ordinary cultivators. This was the most astonishing part.

"Mhm."

Chen Qiu casually nodded without elaborating. He turned to Fat Dragon, "Shall I send you up?"

"Is it safe?"

Fat Dragon hesitated for a moment, "Will anything happen? What if I use my spiritual energy and fail the stage?"

Chen Qiu smiled, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."

Without waiting for Fat Dragon to say more, Chen Qiu walked up to him, grabbed his collar, and tossed him into the air. Then, he took a deep breath, grabbed Fat Dragon's right leg, and spun him around a few times before hurling him high into the air.

Chen Qiu then stomped on the ground, and both he and Fat Dragon shot upwards.

At a hundred zhang, as Fat Dragon was about to land after screaming continuously, Chen Qiu, who had also reached a hundred zhang, suddenly kicked off the side of the mountain gate, catching Fat Dragon in mid-air and throwing him upwards again.

This process was repeated several times.

Finally, Fat Dragon, his face ashen, successfully reached the top and touched the crystal ball at the summit.

Before he could react, Chen Qiu grabbed him and they plummeted straight down towards the ground. Just before impact, Chen Qiu threw Fat Dragon slightly higher, cushioning the impact on himself. After Chen Qiu landed steadily, Fat Dragon fell from several zhang above, crashing to the ground.

This height was no longer enough to cause any harm.

"Ugh."

Fat Dragon, who had just landed, hadn't even had time to get up when he turned pale and dry-heaved for a while. Bai Pingling, standing nearby, quickly approached with a water bag, "Elder, is it that bad?"

Fat Dragon, who had finally recovered, looked at Bai Pingling weakly, "You'll experience it soon enough, don't worry."

That process...

It was indescribable.

From start to finish, he didn't know how many times he had spun. He could only keep telling himself not to use his spiritual energy. His vision was completely blurred as he soared upwards at high speed.

Bungee jumping from a thousand zhang without a rope—it felt amazing.

"Your turn."

Chen Qiu licked his lips, enjoying the sensation, and turned to Bai Pingling. He felt like he could completely empathize with physical cultivators. He was beginning to understand their joy; it was indeed exhilarating!

This feeling of being a muscle monster...

The next moment—

Bai Pingling also soared into the air, screaming.

After a few breaths—

"Ugh, ugh."

Bai Pingling's face turned ashen, and he knelt on the ground, his whole body going limp as he dry-heaved violently. His reaction was more exaggerated than Fat Dragon's, who laughed heartily at the sight, "How does it feel? Isn't it great? How do you feel now?"

At that moment—

The realm host finally emerged from his statue-like state and walked back towards Chen Qiu and the others.

As Chen Qiu saw the realm host's hesitant expression, he knew that the host was probably struggling to hold something back. Chen Qiu waved his hand and spoke softly, "I know this stage's method is incorrect again. Tell me, how should one normally pass this stage?"

The realm host didn't speak but instead walked to the side of the mountain gate, his face filled with a complex expression.

In the corner next to the mountain gate, there was a stone basin.

The host picked up the stone basin and walked to the center below the mountain gate, placing it on a prominent red dot.

The next moment—

The empty stone basin suddenly began to overflow with a gushing spring, quickly spilling out. On the water's surface, a crystal-clear night pearl could be seen, and the host's face grew even more complex as he glanced at Chen Qiu and the others. Then, he touched the reflection in the water, making his intention clear.

As the spring water overflowed from the basin and flowed onto the ground, several words slowly emerged on the ground.

"While gazing up at the towering mountains, don't forget the small grass beneath your feet."

"Not bad, it has a nice artistic touch," Chen Qiu nodded expressionlessly. It seemed that this palace was indeed built by that group from the Mocking Heaven Sect, and those travelers were probably middle-aged men. Men at this age often yearn for artistic beauty, especially when they think they've created something profound.

He could even imagine the scene when the realm's creator finished this part, probably standing here, lost in his own admiration, marveling at his ability to create such an artistic realm.

A pure fool.

He couldn't help but curse silently.

Fat Dragon looked at the realm host with a blank expression, then down at the stone basin filled with spring water. After a long while, he said softly, "Does this count? Isn't this just a reflection? I thought the task was to touch the night pearl at the top of the mountain gate?"

"It counts," the realm host whispered. "The correct way to pass is like this, but if you can actually touch the night pearl at the mountain's peak, you'll also pass. After all, you're pretty amazing."

"This is the realm's intention."

"It was created this way from the start."

"Who built this realm?" Fat Dragon asked.

"That's not clear," the realm host shook his head. "Perhaps it was created by some powerful figure, or maybe this place has been abandoned for a long time, and the Heavenly Dao repurposed it as a Heavenly Dao Mystic Realm. But this realm is a 'Heavenly Dao' type, meaning it was personally crafted by the Heavenly Dao itself. While there's a possibility of the former, it's not very likely."

"Let's not talk about that," Chen Qiu shook his head and leaned on his staff, walking into the mountain gate. "Passing is what matters. Let's go in and see. Is the eighth stage inside?"

The reward for the seventh stage was a strand of Shadow Emperor Fortune.

Yes, it was the very same Shadow Emperor Fortune that could cure 'Immortal Cancer'. For those in need, it was invaluable, but for Chen Qiu at this moment, it was a bit excessive.

However, having it was better than not.

So far, his greatest gains in this realm were numerous strands of Earthly Elite Fortune and a few one-day Rainbow Codex Entries. Aside from that, there weren't any rewards that surprised him.

The rewards were not weak, but they weren't astonishing either.

Unless he received a Heavenly Dao Entry Set or an Eternal Rainbow Codex Entry.

His foundation was too strong, causing his expectations for rewards to be too high. Ordinary rewards hardly stirred any emotions within him.

"Senior, this way," the realm host hurriedly jogged to catch up, introducing as he walked beside Chen Qiu. "After entering the mountain gate, the main palace is ahead. The eastern-facing palaces were residences for important figures during the initial construction, while the western-facing ones were for members of various powers."

"The southern-facing ones are for servants and attendants."

"If a palace faces north, it is the residence of the leader of that power."

"That palace is also the ninth stage."

"The eighth stage we're heading to is in the dried-up well ahead. It's extremely simple and almost effortless. This way, please."

As Chen Qiu listened to the realm host's explanation, he examined the scene behind the mountain gate.

Beyond the gate were numerous palaces, each with its unique charm and ancient style. However, they didn't seem to follow any design aesthetic and were placed somewhat haphazardly.

Not a single blade of withered grass was in sight.

All the palaces were a dusty yellow, giving the entire place a hazy appearance, as if covered in dust for tens of thousands of years. The palace was eerily quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps and voices breaking the silence.

It was somewhat eerie.

Inside the main palace, there were many tall walls, most of them over a dozen zhang high. Led by the realm host, they walked along the base of these walls.

After walking for two incense sticks' worth of time, they finally arrived at a courtyard with a dried-up well. The courtyard was devoid of any decorations, appearing extremely plain with only a latrine and a single house.

Chen Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the house. This house faced north, which meant that despite its humble appearance, even less grand than the others, it was the residence of the most prestigious and powerful person in the entire palace.

Quite interesting.

He wondered if it was designed to be low-key, but if so, why make only this one house face north? This rule seemed rather conspicuous, although it did reinforce the class system. It also made it easier for assassins to find their targets within the palace.

This house was likely the ninth stage.

"We've arrived."

The Realm Host stood by the dry well, took a deep breath, and pointed to the well, introducing it, "This is the eighth stage. The content of this stage is also relatively simple. Of course, by simple, I mean it should be simple under normal circumstances."

"The content of this stage..."

"Requires entering the dry well and dealing with a powerful Sword Cultivator Puppet."

"This Sword Cultivator Puppet's cultivation is around the Mid-stage Tribulation Transcender level."

"Mid-stage Tribulation Transcender?" Fat Dragon's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Is this puppet's cultivation fixed? Unlike the previous stages, where the puppet's cultivation adjusts according to the challenger's level?"

"No."

The Realm Host shook his head, "The previous stages' puppets were illusions, so they could adjust to the challenger's strength. But this one is different; it's a real existence, and its strength cannot be altered."

"This stage shouldn't be a problem for you, but for the two of you..."

"What's there to say?" Fat Dragon waved his hand. "I'm not going down there. I think stopping at the eighth stage is enough. Going down there is just asking for death. Hey, Ping Ling, do you want to go down and challenge yourself?"

"I..."

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Bai Pingling's eyes, and he said awkwardly, "I'll pass. I don't feel there's much of a challenge."

With only Refining Illusory Body cultivation, he was expected to challenge a Mid-stage Tribulation Transcender Sword Cultivator Puppet.

Even if he had a sudden burst of potential, it would be impossible for him to succeed.

"I'll go take a look."

At this point, Chen Qiu had already released his Body Cultivation state. Hearing the words 'Sword Cultivator Puppet', he raised his eyebrows slightly but didn't say much. Holding the Heavenly Oracle Umbrella, he walked to the well and jumped down.

As the brief sensation of falling dissipated, Chen Qiu's feet touched the ground.

The surroundings were pitch black.

It wasn't a small world; when he looked up, he could still see the well and Fat Dragon and the others watching from the side. This was indeed a space beneath the courtyard.

It was just pitch black, almost devouring all light.

His Divine Sense was blocked, and he immediately activated 'Golden Light Bodyguard'. Hundreds of flowers made of thunder light appeared around his body, restoring his vision.

". . ."

The scene that unfolded before him caused even the experienced Chen Qiu to slowly open his mouth in disbelief. The entire space beneath the well was surprisingly spacious, not a confined area, but a vast Limestone Square.

In the center of the square stood ten thousand Sword Cultivator Puppets, motionless like terracotta warriors, arranged in perfect order. The entire square was silent, except for his own breathing.

With countless thunder lights floating in the air, Chen Qiu's vision became clearer.

Ten thousand Sword Cultivator Puppets stood in perfect formation, but the mechanisms at the back of their heads were all open. These were meant for placing Spirit Stones, and they were all empty.

Without Spirit Stones, these puppets couldn't function.

In other words, these puppets were just paper tigers, unable to operate normally. In front of these puppets were eighteen steps, and on the eighteenth step was a throne.

The throne was empty.

But it was clear that whoever had sat there in the past was not an ordinary person.

No.

Or perhaps, terrifying was a more fitting description.

". . ."

Chen Qiu's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked at these puppets. Usually, the mechanisms at the back of a puppet's head could be opened to place Spirit Stones, and the mechanism would indicate the puppet's cultivation level, allowing the user to insert the corresponding Spirit Stone.

But the mechanisms on these puppets were all wide open.

At a glance, he noticed that almost all the mechanisms had four characters written inside.

"Peak Celestial Immortal"!

This meant that almost all the Sword Cultivator Puppets here were of Peak Celestial Immortal cultivation. Only one was of Mid-stage Tribulation Transcender level, and only this puppet had a Spirit Stone in its mechanism, but it was also in the open state.

What did Celestial Immortal mean?

Upon entering the Immortal World, after ascending to immortality, one became a Mortal Immortal.

With diligent cultivation and after overcoming eighty-one tribulations, one finally advanced from the early stages of Mortal Immortal to the peak, becoming an Earth Immortal, and finally, a Celestial Immortal.

In other words...

Celestial Immortals were essentially the top-tier powerhouses in the Immortal World, at least in the Fifth and Sixth Rank Immortal Realms. The Artifact Spirit Clan's elder was also a Celestial Immortal.

And here, there were nearly ten thousand such puppets.

"Ten thousand Peak Celestial Immortal Sword Cultivator Puppets..."

Chen Qiu's breath caught as he stared at the spectacular scene before him. It was hard to imagine how arrogant he would be if he possessed ten thousand Peak Celestial Immortal Sword Cultivator Puppets.

He would directly charge into the Immortal World!

Those who disobey, behead!

Those who defy, behead!

Those who don't comply, behead!

Behead them all at the slightest disagreement!

This Limestone Square gave him a very familiar feeling. In the small world of Mocking Heaven Sect, deep underground, he had seen a nearly identical Limestone Square with a similar basic structure.

Most importantly...

Although this Sword Cultivator Puppet had a higher cultivation level, its overall structure gave him a sense of familiarity, resembling the Sword Cultivator Puppet with Nascent Soul cultivation from Daxia Country in seven out of ten aspects!

And at that moment—

Chen Qiu noticed a line of words carved on the most central wall of the square.

"The Sovereign's Secret Decree: Secretly Forge Ten Thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals."

". . ."

After staring at these words for a long time, Chen Qiu couldn't help but curse silently.

Are you insane?

Why carve the secret decree on the wall? Are you afraid others won't know about it? Why not carve it on your forehead?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end