Chapter 315: Should I Take a Look from the Middle?

Chapter 315: Should I Take a Look from the Middle?

As the crowd chatted and exchanged greetings, the sky soon brightened, and the Bai family patriarch, Badan, and the others reluctantly took their leave, each carrying a gift from Chen Qiu.

A jade slip containing Earthly Elite Fortune.

This item was an excellent gift, a face-saving companion, universally useful, and he had plenty of them.

With the dawn, the bonfire party came to an end.

The disciples of Mocking Heaven Sect temporarily returned to their familiar surroundings, and the task of spreading their reputation was put on hold for a while, allowing them a few days of rest.

After the grand feast, the aftermath was a mess, and the Mocking Heaven Sect's maids were cleaning up the remnants of the banquet. Most of the leftovers had been disintegrated into dust by spirit energy, and only a portion of the debris needed to be cleared away.

How should I put it?

Even in the wilderness, everyone should take responsibility for protecting the environment. It was a simple task.

At this moment, Chen Qiu sat alone on a peak at the back mountain, a place he hadn't visited in a long time, and it felt somewhat unfamiliar. The stone he had brought from Daxia Kingdom remained quietly seated there, enduring the elements.

It had been seven years since he last visited this spot.

Chen Qiu exhaled softly, sitting cross-legged on the oval stone, overlooking the entire Mocking Heaven Sect's mountain gate and his Hundred Cities. He began to officially take stock of his gains since leaving the secret realm.

Only now did he finally have some time to himself.

The greatest gain, of course, was the Cao Tian Palace, which he didn't need to elaborate on. It was not only a great place for cultivation but also capable of navigating through the void, providing a stable haven in the void. Although he wasn't sure of its exact value, he knew it would be substantial.

It could also serve as a refuge, a safe haven.

If he ever angered a formidable enemy, he could simply hide in this refuge, safe from the collapse of the heavens. It was the ultimate in security, and without specific coordinates, it would be nearly impossible to find them in the void.

Even if their exact coordinates were known, he could keep the Cao Tian Palace in constant navigation mode in the void, making it impossible to find them.

To put it bluntly.

Even if the Heavenly Dao awakened sooner than he anticipated and he lacked sufficient countermeasures and strength, he could always hide in the Cao Tian Palace and wait for the Heavenly Dao to satiate itself and fall back asleep. Then, he could start accumulating strength again, waiting for the next three million years.

In other words, with the Cao Tian Palace, he was essentially in an invincible position, the only question being whether he could win.

The next gain was 150 Earthly Elite Fortune jade slips, a random red entry jade slip, a random gold entry code jade slip, a random purple entry jade slip, and eleven one-day rainbow entry jade slips.

Thousands of high-grade spirit stones and dozens of top-grade spirit stones.

The high-grade spirit stones were obtained in the sixth level of the secret realm, while the top-grade spirit stones were found over the course of seven years as he thoroughly explored the Cao Tian Palace. He had found over sixty top-grade spirit stones, and at this moment, he had inserted them into the brain mechanism of a Peak Heaven Immortal sword cultivator puppet.

To unleash the full power of a Peak Heaven Immortal puppet, sixteen top-grade spirit stones were required.

These sixteen top-grade spirit stones could enable the puppet to engage in high-intensity combat for a month, intermittent combat for a year, and provide protection for a century.

Moreover, this puppet could only use top-grade spirit stones and was incompatible with high-grade or medium-grade spirit stones.

The above was essentially the entirety of his gains from this secret realm.

Of course, these were just the surface gains; the hidden rewards were even more numerous. For example, his cultivation level had significantly increased, and he had advanced from the Body Integration Stage to the Tribulation Stage while in the Cao Tian Palace, a place that could conceal the Heavenly Dao. Additionally, his experience during this time had strengthened the trust between Chen Qiu and Badan of the Demon Clan.

Every crisis is a whetstone that sharpens allies.

For instance, despite Chen Qiu's absence for seven years and his uncertain fate, the Deceptive Buddha continued to fulfill his promise to the scholar and others, demonstrating his commitment to keeping his word. This trustworthiness increased the level of trust between them.

The random red entry jade slip had already been given away, gifted to the Deceptive Buddha.

After all, he still owed the Deceptive Buddha a strand of Soul Fortune, and since that strand was currently useless, he offered the random red entry jade slip as compensation.

However, it was unclear whether it was due to the Deceptive Buddha's stubbornness or his strict adherence to the principle of equivalent exchange.

The Deceptive Buddha clearly stated that he could accept the gift but that their cooperation period could only be 200 years, unless Chen Qiu provided another strand of Soul Fortune, in which case it would be extended to 300 years. The original agreement was to exchange one strand of Soul Fortune for 100 years, and it couldn't be changed.

After a moment of silence, Chen Qiu proposed exchanging a random red entry jade slip for an additional 100 years of cooperation.

The Deceptive Buddha shook his head again, stating that a red entry jade slip was worth 1.5 strands of Soul Fortune, so it should be 150 years.

That was fine.

Chen Qiu had no objections; after all, it was just compensation. Despite the Deceptive Buddha nearly dying because of him, his stubbornness was somewhat headache-inducing. Perhaps it was this very stubbornness that allowed him to keep his promise even when Chen Qiu's fate was uncertain.

As for the remaining random gold entry jade slip and purple entry jade slip, Chen Qiu was quite eager for the gold entry one.

After all, he didn't have a single gold entry yet, and this would be his first. Saving the best for last, he first crushed the purple entry jade slip.

"Codex Entry Name": Medicine Deity

"Codex Entry Grade": Purple

"Codex Entry Effect": When you consume any pill, the side effects will be significantly reduced, and there is a high probability that the pill will be completely expelled from your body intact, allowing you to take it again.

".

He drew this entry before, but he didn't choose it then. Now, it has returned in a different form.

This entry is practically useless to him.

After all, he rarely needs to consume pills, and there's no need for self-destruction. The power of self-destructing entries is now negligible at his cultivation level; a full-power strike using Spirit Qi from a higher realm is far more devastating than the unique abilities of his current realm, and it might even fail to break through defenses.

He can keep it as a reserve, just in case he needs to consume entries in the future.

Of course, this doesn't mean the "Self-Destruct Entry" is useless. It can be used as a permanent entry disassembler.

Indeed, the "Self-Destruct Entry" is incredibly useful. In the early stages, it can be a powerful trump card, and in the later stages, it can still be used as an entry disassembler.

What's more, this entry is just a white entry!

The cost-effectiveness is off the charts.

It provides god-level effects in the early, middle, and late stages, but its appearance rate is low. On his journey, he rarely encountered anyone with this entry. Aside from this, there's also an equally exceptional green entry, the "Imperial Decree Regular," which grants him a vast foundation.

But upon closer inspection, it seems these two entries are only exceptionally powerful in his hands.

The "Self-Destruct Entry" requires cultivators to advance by a major realm to obtain an entry, and even then, self-destruction might not guarantee survival. If they do survive, their future cultivation path is essentially ruined, as they'll be no match for anyone in Secret Realms.

As for the "Imperial Decree Regular," it's even more useless. If one's name doesn't appear on the Heavenly Dao Proclamation, this entry becomes completely ineffective, and obtaining it during Foundation Establishment would be a tear-jerking experience.

Without further thought, he crushed the "Random Golden Entry Jade Slip" in his hand.

"Entry Name": Eternal Sleep

"Entry Grade": Golden.

"Entry Effect": Upon activating this entry, you will enter a deep slumber for thirty thousand years. During this period, your lifespan and timed entries will be paused, resuming their countdown upon awakening. Your injuries will heal at an incredibly rapid rate, and you will be in an invincible state while asleep.

".

Upon seeing this entry, Chen Qiu's brows furrowed slightly. At first glance, it didn't seem to match the golden grade at all.

A pure trash entry.

A golden entry, surpassing red entries and second only to rainbow entries, yet it's reduced to this state? What kind of injury requires thirty thousand years to heal? By that time, one would have already perished.

However,

the words 'eternal sleep' and 'thirty thousand years' caught his attention. Could the Heavenly Dao possess such a power? According to the information obtained from the Mock Heaven Sect, only cultivation exists inherently in this world. Entries, Heavenly Dao entry sets, and the like are all byproducts of the Heavenly Dao's unconscious ability leaks that have solidified.

This entry might very well be a genuine ability of the Heavenly Dao itself.

He wondered how many thirty thousand years had passed in this world and whether the Heavenly Dao's injuries had fully healed. What kind of severe injury would require such an extended recovery period?

From this perspective, it seems that the Heavenly Dao possesses all the entries and Heavenly Dao entry sets of the continents.

".

Chen Qiu's breath hitched slightly. Was this enemy not terrifying enough? How could anyone possibly stand against it? The Heavenly Dao knew his name and appearance, and it could use 'Void Targeting' to find him, even within the Cao Tian Palace. It was uncertain if this ability would work within the Void.

No wonder the combined forces of the Twelfth Rank Immortal Plane couldn't defeat the Heavenly Dao.

It's almost impossible to overcome.

It's like a son, no matter how talented, can never surpass his father's age within the same period. The upper limit is set, and you can never break through.

After a deep breath, he pushed these thoughts aside, not wanting to dwell on them further. Thinking about it now would only bring a sense of helplessness. He'd deal with it later; if necessary, he'd go into eternal sleep as well.

With this entry in his possession, he was not under the control of the Heavenly Dao. The entry couldn't be taken back, and this ability became his permanent power. If he couldn't win, he'd also go into eternal sleep.

You sleep for thirty thousand years, and so will he.

Everyone sleeps together.

After all, his lifespan would be paused during slumber, so who's afraid of whom? It's a matter of who loves sleep more.

After crushing the random entry jade slip, Chen Qiu turned his attention to the reward he had been eagerly anticipating—eleven one-day rainbow entry jade slips.

Although they were only valid for one day,

they were still invaluable for crafting cultivation methods. However, if one wanted to maximize the effect of the rainbow entries, they would likely be disappointed, as even with perfect execution, the one-day limit restricted their usefulness.

Nevertheless, he wasn't too concerned about this. Possessing a rainbow entry would elevate his cultivation methods and future realm-specific abilities by nine grades.

There were eleven of them.

In other words, his fusion kill move would increase by ninety-nine grades, reaching nearly two hundred grades.

His future cultivation methods would also start at ninety-nine grades higher.

Soon,

he crushed the eleven timed rainbow entries, and a burst of rainbow light flashed as he reunited with old friends like "Thousand Layer Spell," "Ultimate Tao," and even "Continuous Improvement."

Most of the Rainbow Entries are familiar, and the "Thousand Layer Spell" even appears twice.

Among them, there are only three Rainbow Entries that he hasn't seen before.

-

Entry Name: Tao's Reward for Diligence

Entry Grade: Rainbow

Entry Effect: Every time you cultivate a spell to the Grand Perfection stage, it will automatically advance to a Supreme Tao Spell, greatly increasing its power.

-

An ultimate-grade entry for Spell Cultivators.

However, it's not suitable for a one-spell cultivator like him. From his debut until now, despite being a Spell Cultivator, he only knows a few spells. He relies mainly on the "Lightning Attraction Technique" to roam the world, and even his Fusion Kill Move, "Three Thousand Thunderous Strikes," is just an enhanced version of the Lightning Attraction Technique.

This entry is more suitable for those who cultivate various spells.

They can transform into a spell-wielding machine gun, with each spell they cast possessing immense power. Furthermore, by combining different spells, they can overcome numerous challenges and create many awe-inspiring combo techniques.

As for which of these two Spell Cultivators is stronger...

Well, the one-spell cultivator focuses on maximizing their spell's power, while the other, despite having slightly weaker stats, has a more perfect mechanism, allowing them to handle a wider range of challenges. If both are at the same level, the latter would be superior in both versatility and adaptability.

But if the former's stats are high enough, then it's a different story.

In the face of absolute power, even the most ingenious mechanisms, exquisite combo techniques, and numerous spells become insignificant. Absolute power surpasses all, making everything else seem trivial.

And he is that cultivator with overwhelming stats!

His evaluation of this Rainbow Entry is just average. It's highly targeted and lacks the universality of the Continuous Improvement entry.

It's worth mentioning that he has a Heavenly Dao Entry Set with the same name, Tao's Reward for Diligence. This was the first Heavenly Dao Entry Set he obtained, but he's unsure if anyone else has acquired it since then.

This Heavenly Dao Entry Set is among the top few, on par with the "Chosen of Fate" Entry Set. It's not something that can be compared to ordinary Entry Sets like the Thousand Layer Spell.

Its effect is that for every cultivator of the same cultivation level killed, one's cultivation progress increases by one percent without limit.

To be honest, it's a bit underwhelming. He's had this Heavenly Dao Entry Set for eight years, but he rarely triggers it because where would he find so many cultivators of the same level to kill?

For example, right now, he needs to kill 100 Tribulation Breakers to break through a minor cultivation level. Finding 100 Tribulation Breakers is an incredibly difficult task.

Chen Qiu shook his head and, without further thought, turned his attention to the remaining two Rainbow Entries he hadn't seen before.

-

Entry Name: Born a Brute

Entry Grade: Rainbow

Entry Effect: You will be unable to obtain any entries, and all your existing entries will be cleared. In return, your physical attributes will be greatly enhanced.

-

Among the Rainbow Entries, this is a rare combat-oriented entry. Most Rainbow Entries are general-purpose and rarely focus on combat.

This Rainbow Entry, however, directly increases combat power.

Other Rainbow Entries don't immediately enhance combat power; they require sufficient time to unleash their full potential.

Although the effect sounds simple, the straightforward description, coupled with the Rainbow grade, clearly indicates that the entry's boost to Physical Cultivators will be extremely exaggerated.

One might say that even a Spell Cultivator, upon seeing this entry, would immediately switch to Physical Cultivation.

He didn't activate this entry. Fortunately, the daily version of the Rainbow Entry allows him to choose whether to activate its effect, preventing it from immediately clearing all his existing entries. After one day, this entry will also be cleared, ensuring that he doesn't end up empty-handed.

Through these two entries, he feels that the Heavenly Dao might not possess all the entries. Many entries seem to conflict with each other, and if the Heavenly Dao had them all, they would be in constant conflict.

He believes that the Heavenly Dao possesses an unknown, extraordinary power that is not present in this world, and these leaked powers have formed various entries.

As for the third Rainbow Entry, it's related to stealth.

Entry Name: Absolute Concealment

Entry Grade: Rainbow

Entry Effect: Cannot be detected by any probing means.

-

This Rainbow Entry is quite tempting to him, and he desires a permanent version of it. However, it also makes him feel threatened, as there might be a sneaky cultivator nearby, hiding with this entry and observing him. He wonders if there are any countermeasures against it.

But since it's absolute concealment, it's unlikely that any countermeasures exist. Just like his little ant, which possesses the attribute of absolute immortality, he hasn't encountered any countermeasures against it so far.

After reviewing all the rewards from this Secret Realm, Chen Qiu laid down on the elliptical stone, stretching his body with a long yawn. This stone was something he brought from Daxia Kingdom, and whenever he sat or lay on it, he felt like he had returned to Daxia Kingdom.

His emotional attachment to Daxia Kingdom ran deep, as he had lived there for a thousand years.

Perhaps his long-tense emotions finally relaxed, and Chen Qiu, who hadn't slept for seven consecutive years, fell into a daze and drifted off to sleep on the smooth stone, caressed by a gentle breeze.

It might have been an illusion, but in his daze, Chen Qiu felt the stone beneath him vibrate slightly, like a heartbeat.

Grindstone Gufo, who had returned to the temple on the First Rank Continent, gazed at the random red entry jade slip in his hand and sighed with a complex expression.

Chen Qiu's generosity is truly remarkable.

Even at his peak, this treasure would have been invaluable. It's a significant opportunity, even at the "Ascension Assembly." Chen Qiu, despite being forced to break his promise, compensated him with this treasure. If Chen Qiu had been trapped for seven years, he would have provided such a treasure. He wishes Chen Qiu had been trapped a few more times.

The bonfire in the temple had already gone out.

The temple was in disarray.

The Scholar was no longer there, and the temple was now empty except for him. Suddenly, he felt a sense of loneliness that he hadn't experienced in a long time. The Scholar would often come to chat with him during these days, and the Demon Clan members usually acted alone, rarely gathering together. The Deceptive Buddha also didn't socialize deeply with other beings.

The Deceptive Buddha was born to be alone, and loneliness was his constant companion. He had never felt anything about it before, as the Deceptive Buddha's nature was never compatible with the word "festive." But during these days, the Scholar gave him a different feeling.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have followed the Scholar to whichever continent he went.

Although the Scholar rarely spoke, and the mute younger brother beside him barely uttered a word, the look of earnest listening still made the Deceptive Buddha feel like confiding in him. He hadn't realized how strong his desire to confide was.

"Ascension Assembly."

The Deceptive Buddha looked up in a daze, gazing through the hole in the temple roof at the clouds in the sky, dyed orange by the morning sun.

This time, he would go to the Ascension Assembly.

However, he didn't plan to reclaim what he had lost. He didn't intend to reveal his identity, letting his enemies believe he was on the brink of death or suffering from Immortal Cancer.

In the path of cultivation, one must either advance or retreat.

Even if his cultivation recovered to its peak, his past enemies would have improved significantly during this time. He would undoubtedly be no match for them, let alone when his cultivation hadn't even reached its peak yet.

He was going to the Ascension Assembly to see if there were any opportunities and to observe how his former enemies were doing and their current strength.

"He's out?"

"Could this be what brought him out?"

In a cave in the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm, the Tide Immortal Plane, Jiang Buying stared at the sound transmitter in his hand in disbelief. Then, his mouth slowly opened, and he stood frozen in shock for a long time before his face burst into a frenzy of joy! Chen Qiu had escaped from that ghostly place! It was as if heaven was helping him! If he had been thrown in there, even with his current cultivation and strength, it would have been difficult to escape. But Chen Qiu had found a way out after being trapped for only seven years! No matter what method Chen Qiu used, it didn't matter; he was still dissatisfied.

He only knew one thing.

His corpse must have been brought out by Chen Qiu. It had been so many years, thirty thousand years!

He could finally reclaim his own body, and his strength would soon return to its peak!

After saying this, Jiang Buying struggled to contain his excitement. He was about to get up and search for Chen Qiu's figure in the Jiang Taiping Continent, but before he could rush out of the cave, he quickly stopped.

"No."

He furrowed his brows and stood in place, deep in thought. He had been too hasty, and if Chen Qiu realized that this body was important to him, Chen Qiu might use it to threaten him, putting him in a passive position.

He must act as if this item was important to him, but it was just that—important. Whether he got it or not didn't matter.

After all, he had Miss Bai's family in his hands.

Chen Qiu would most likely come to rescue Miss Bai, and if he went looking for Chen Qiu, he would be at a disadvantage. On the other hand, if Chen Qiu took the initiative to find him, he would have the upper hand.

That was the difference.

After thinking about it, he stood in place, deep in thought for a long time. Finally, he took a deep breath and forced his emotions down before returning to the depths of the cave and sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Calm down, calm down, he had to stay calm.

After all, he hadn't held high hopes of finding his own body, so finding it would be a pleasant surprise, and not finding it was to be expected. Calm down and act as if nothing had happened.

However, he turned his head and looked at Miss Bai, who was curled up in the corner, and smiled: "Why are you looking at me? Today is my birthday, and I'm happy. Is it wrong to smile?"

". . ."

Miss Bai looked down at the patterns on the ground, not looking at this man again. His emotions seemed a bit abnormal. She had noticed it these past few days; to put it nicely, he couldn't hide his feelings, and his emotions were written all over his face. To put it bluntly, he was a bit neurotic, with unpredictable moods, unlike a normal person.

Based on her shallow understanding of such people, they would show no signs before suddenly exploding. Perhaps one moment they would be chatting happily about what to eat tomorrow, and the next, they would burst into violence.

She wasn't sure if the senior would come to rescue her, but even if he did, she didn't think he could defeat this man.

"Huff"

Chen Qiu woke up from his sleep and washed up with spring water before stretching contentedly. He had slept very well, and his fatigue from the past few days had completely disappeared.

The first thing he did was to use his divine sense to examine the oval-shaped giant rock beneath him.

He didn't observe anything.

It was solid, not hollow, and didn't resemble an egg.

He remembered that when he was half-asleep, the giant rock beneath him seemed to have vibrated slightly, but the sensation was too weak and fleeting. After waking up and examining it carefully, he realized that the rock was solid and couldn't have vibrated.

Should he cut it open and take a look?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end