Chapter 324: Not Even Worthy of the Seven Martial Stars!

Chapter 324: Not Even Worthy of the Seven Martial Stars!

An Qiao and the others exerted their strength, burying Chen Fan and Luo Bufen's group.

Qi Yuan gazed at the scattered corpses in Hai Shi Village, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"So many dead people, what a grand feast... it's a pity we can't eat them!"

The mission completion prompt had already arrived, and they were about to leave the mission world.

Qi Yuan looked at the village reduced to ruins, his expression calm.

"If we have the chance to come back in the future, we'll feast again."

At that moment, An Qiao approached, her eyes showing reverence as she spoke to Qi Yuan.

"Brother Qi, when we return, I'll give you the team leader's belongings."

Usually, after a newcomer completes their first mission successfully, they would return to the outpost where the elder who assigned the mission resides.

"Hmm, what's the name of the place you're returning to?" Qi Yuan asked out of curiosity.

An Qiao's eyes still held a trace of confusion, but she replied, "The Dead World... but we prefer to call it the Yellow Springs World."

In the Yellow Springs World, there lived a group of people who had already died, or those who were on the brink of death.

"Oh, then let's call it the Yellow Springs World. I'm patriotic and support domestic products." Qi Yuan blurted out.

This statement left An Qiao and the others puzzled.

"The mission is complete, and we can't stay here for more than half an hour. Now, silently recite 'return' in your mind, and you'll be transported back to the outpost." An Qiao explained to Qi Yuan.

"Okay."

Qi Yuan glanced at Xiao Mei, who was not far away, and waved goodbye.

This innate easy-wedding physique, hopefully, won't be married again by the time they meet next.

"Return!"

Qi Yuan silently recited in his mind.

In an instant, he seemed to sense a distortion of time and space, and his ears were filled with countless wails and murmurs.

This situation lasted for less than a breath before completely dissipating.

When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a small stone chamber.

The chamber was not large, about thirty square meters in size.

In the southern part of the room, there was a stone table, and on it was a stone lamp with a candle inside, emitting a dim yellow light.

This was the only source of light in the chamber.

"Hmm... a free house?"

Qi Yuan scanned his surroundings, finding everything before him quite intriguing.

The chamber seemed to be carved out of a single massive rock, and the stone table was connected to the ground.

Qi Yuan pushed open the stone door and was surprised to find himself standing on a steep cliff.

In other words, the entire stone chamber had been hollowed out of the cliff face.

"The apocalypse has arrived, and zombies are rampant. I'll stock up on supplies and hide here; zombies won't be able to find me."

If it were his younger self, Qi Yuan would have loved this stone chamber and made it his secret base.

But now, as an adult, he could only feel a slight excitement.

He surveyed his surroundings and noticed that there were many similar stone chambers on the cliff face.

Below the cliff was a valley filled with fragrant flowers. Taking a deep breath, one might feel a bit dizzy.

Qi Yuan followed a set of stairs down the cliff.

"Brother Qi, over here!" An Qiao waved to Qi Yuan from a distance.

An Qiao, in the current moment, was dressed in the same black uniform as the Demon Suppressing Bureau's attire in the mission world.

However, Qi Yuan noticed that this outpost had a mix of men and women with modern styles.

At that moment, a little old man approached, sniffed Qi Yuan, and said with a hint of urgency, "Newcomer? What's your mission reward? Is it the Tempering Blood Dan?"

He continued, "See, that beauty and handsome man in the bamboo building? If you give me the Tempering Blood Dan, those three beauties and handsome men are yours to play with!"

Hmph, not everyone gets this opportunity. I'm interested in your talent and want to befriend you, that's why I'm offering this."

Qi Yuan glanced over and saw three men and three women sitting on the bamboo building.

The men were handsome, and the women were beautiful.

Their attire varied.

The women wore ancient Qin dynasty-style dresses, modern cheongsam dresses, and short skirts with stockings.

The men's clothing also represented different periods.

"Lin Yeshan, don't try to deceive him! Brother Qi isn't the kind of newcomer you think he is!" An Qiao walked over and glared at Lin Yeshan.

"He's Lin Yeshan, a con artist who targets newcomers at the outpost.

The Tempering Blood Dan is precious; it can significantly enhance one's strength and has almost no side effects.

Why would you need a Tempering Blood Dan to enjoy the pleasures of the brothel?"

An Qiao bluntly exposed Lin Yeshan.

Lin Yeshan's expression turned awkward, and his eyes held a hint of ancient wisdom.

An Qiao was a capable Blood Qi Fighter, so why did she refer to this newcomer as 'Brother Qi'?

"Hehe, it seems like your team's newcomer performed well this time." Seeing that he couldn't deceive them, Lin Yeshan spoke again, "I know all the girls in the brothel; if you want, I can arrange something for you."

An Qiao glared at Lin Yeshan, seemingly dissatisfied.

"Brother Qi, let me take you to the team leader." An Qiao led Qi Yuan away.

Lin Yeshan was taken aback and then asked, "Where's Chen Fan?"

Lin Yeshan knew that Chen Fan preferred solitude, and his residence was rarely open to outsiders.

An Qiao's intention in taking Qi Yuan to Chen Fan's place was unclear.

"The team leader... is gone." An Qiao's voice carried a hint of melancholy.

Perhaps, this would be her fate as well.

Lin Yeshan was surprised and then looked at Qi Yuan with a complex expression, saying no more.

An Qiao led Qi Yuan through the valley, heading towards another cliff.

"You people are quite amiable. If I'm not mistaken, that person just now was a mid-stage Jade Blood Realm Fighter.

How come he's so patient with you when you're so aggressive?" Qi Yuan asked casually.

"He's an Ancient Martial Artist.

In the outpost, he possesses the strength of the Jade Blood Realm, but in the mission world, he only has mid-stage Blood Qi Realm strength.

So..."

An Qiao didn't finish her sentence.

Qiyuan now understood.

In future missions, they might even work together.

Within the mission world, Lin Yeshan's strength was relatively weak.

Most importantly, advancing in the Jade Blood Realm was far more challenging than progressing in the Blood Qi Realm.

Hence, old martial artists like Lin Yeshan held a lower status within the stronghold.

After a short while, under An Qiao's guidance, Qiyuan arrived at Chen Fan's stone chamber.

"The stone chambers are the safest places in the stronghold. Without the owner's permission, others cannot enter. The team leader granted me access before he left. In three days, this stone chamber will also become ownerless with the team leader's demise."

At this mention, An Qiao's eyes reddened slightly.

She entered the stone chamber and her gaze fell upon a stone box.

"These are the team leader's belongings. He asked me to give them to you." An Qiao opened the stone box, revealing a bundle.

Qiyuan calmly took the bundle.

This was his mission branch reward, and he wasn't about to pass it up.

"Jingxue Dan?"

"Jin Zhao Zhong?"

"Tian Xuan Ruanfeng Saber?"

Within the bundle, Qiyuan found several Jingxue Dan pills and numerous martial arts techniques.

These techniques were not of a high level.

But Qiyuan was quite interested in them.

These were new martial arts that could enhance his combat power.

Among them, a stone token caught Qiyuan's attention.

"What's this?"

The token was engraved with the character 'Tian.'

Qiyuan's eyes, capable of discerning hidden information, revealed only the token's material and its refinement process.

"This is... the entry token for the Tiancai Alliance. In the Yellow Springs World, there are many strongholds and naturally, many factions. The Tiancai Alliance is a major power, dedicated to recruiting geniuses. The team leader's talent was actually very high, which is why the Tiancai Alliance took notice of him. But due to his inner conflict, he never went to the Tiancai Alliance on the East Coast."

"Oh, it seems good. I'll keep it."

After taking the belongings, Qiyuan bade farewell to An Qiao and left Chen Fan's room.

An Qiao remained in Chen Fan's room, seemingly wanting to clear out all the items.

After all, these were the only things Chen Fan left behind in this world.

Back in his own stone chamber, Qiyuan took out the Cuiti Xue Dan.

"Comparable to dozens of drops of Demon Clan's Essence Blood... It's like mosquito meat."

This reward was quite good for others.

After all, they didn't have the ability to devour essences like Qiyuan, who could casually consume Demon Clan's Essence Blood.

Even with the Cuiti Xue Dan, there were restrictions on its usage.

"Mosquito meat is still meat. System, give me a boost!"

Qiyuan narrated his actions.

After slaying the Sea God, Qiyuan's collection of Demon Clan's Essence Blood reached three hundred drops.

With these three hundred drops, he planned to fully master the three martial arts techniques he obtained from Chen Fan.

"You consumed fifty drops of Demon Clan's Essence Blood and began cultivating Jin Zhao Zhong.

The key to Jin Zhao Zhong lies in gathering, hardness, and force dissipation.

Consuming a portion of Demon Clan's Essence Blood, Jin Zhao Zhong's entry level is achieved.

Consuming another portion of Demon Clan's Essence Blood, Jin Zhao Zhong reaches the second level.

...

Upon reaching Jin Zhao Zhong's mastery, further progress requires more Demon Clan's Essence Blood.

You had a sudden inspiration to apply the principles of immortality to martial arts.

Consuming Demon Clan's Essence Blood... Jin Zhao Zhong... Mastery."

Qiyuan pushed Jin Zhao Zhong to mastery in one go.

During the period of consuming Demon Clan's Essence Blood, Qiyuan also gained insights.

Wan Dao Shu Tu Tong Gui!

In the 1619 edition of the book, there was no mistake!

The martial art Jin Zhao Zhong is similar to defensive immortal arts.

But this similarity is vast, and Qiyuan has a profound understanding of both paths.

And these understandings are something Qiyuan doesn't lack.

His eyes can perceive hidden information, and his comprehension of immortal arts is exceptional.

After mastering Jin Zhao Zhong, Qiyuan consumed more Demon Clan's Essence Blood and swiftly achieved mastery in Tian Xuan Ruanfeng Saber.

Qiyuan also briefly practiced a storage bag-like martial art, creating a space within his body to store supplies.

"This Tian Yang Zhi is not bad. Should I practice it too?"

Tian Yang Zhi is a martial art provided by the Tiancai Alliance. Once one achieves mastery in Tian Yang Zhi, they can directly enter the Tiancai Alliance with the token.

"You consumed one hundred drops of Demon Clan's Essence Blood and began cultivating Tian Yang Zhi.

Tian Yang Zhi, small achievement... second layer... mastery."

"Not enough?"

"You consumed another fifty drops of Demon Clan's Essence Blood. Tian Yang Zhi... Mastery."

At this point, Qiyuan's martial prowess alone could easily overpower his past self.

The martial arts significantly enhanced his combat power, especially after mastering Jin Zhao Zhong. During battles, his entire body would be enveloped in Blood Martial Qi, and his skin would become as hard as iron.

Even if a casual demon slashed Qiyuan, he would be unharmed.

With his hardened body, he was best suited for charging into the fray.

"Alright, it's time to return to the real world and participate in the Martial Arts Tournament."

Qiyuan's situation differed from other residents of the Yellow Springs World.

He didn't enter upon death.

His circumstances were special.

Hence, he had relatively more freedom and could stay outside during periods without missions.

Of course, others weren't as fortunate as Qiyuan.

For instance, Chen Fan had only appeared in the outside world a handful of times in the past few centuries.

"Wow, five days have passed?

Seems like time in the game world is similar to the real world."

When Qiyuan secluded himself for a breakthrough, he specifically instructed the hotel not to disturb him.

So, when he returned to reality, the arrangement of his room remained unchanged.

Even if someone with poor eyesight tried to mess with the room, they couldn't damage its setup.

(End)

Before Qi Yuan entered seclusion, he had already set up an array.

"This place is still the best; my game character is too weak."

Upon entering the mission world, his cultivation was suppressed, and his realm dropped by one stage.

This also made him particularly cautious during his first mission, so much so that he couldn't sleep well at night, fearing the appearance of terrifying demons.

Both Luo Bufen in the game and Qi Yuan himself were suffering.

In this vast world, everyone had their own hardships.

For example, some were born without parents and became orphans.

Qi Yuan also had a tragic life, as he had lost his mother-in-law at a young age.

Without anyone to protect him, love him, or even acknowledge him, and with his power dropping by a stage, he was constantly on edge in the game, fearing discovery by powerful demons.

Fortunately, his cautious and steady approach allowed him to successfully complete the mission.

Back in reality, with his newly attained Foundation Establishment, his confidence returned.

"It seems... I need to form my Golden Core."

Qi Yuan gazed at the sun in the sky, deep in thought.

Soon, there would be an additional sun in the sky.

By forming his Golden Core, he would slowly draw the Golden Star over.

The first one he would pull over would be the star where Ning Tao resided, becoming Qi Yuan's first Golden Star.

"Begin... the breakthrough!"

In a military camp, thousands of soldiers in uniform were training, their loud roars filling the air.

The sound of the engines starting up was like thunder.

Various artillery fires raged uncontrollably.

Inside the steel building, however, it was surprisingly quiet, with excellent soundproofing blocking out the noise from outside.

A pot-bellied man in military uniform lifted his teacup, took a sip, and stared at the man in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Xiao Huan, this matter has already caught the attention of the Seven Star Warriors.

By doing this, he's practically sending a coffin to the Marquis of Blue Sea. It's not easy for us to handle this.

Although the Marquis of Blue Sea's actions are a bit excessive, after all... his intentions are for the country, for Qin Yuan.

How about this, I'll have the Marquis of Blue Sea personally go and apologize to him, and we'll let this matter go?"

There was a hint of menace in the military man's words.

Recently, the destruction of the Gui Ran Military Camp had caused a huge uproar.

The upper echelons of Qin Yuan Kingdom had also turned their attention to Qi Yuan.

It was unclear if the Marquis of Blue Sea had become greedy or received instructions from some powerful figure, but he secretly tried to infiltrate Qi Yuan's phone and computer to obtain more information.

Unexpectedly, their small actions were discovered and intercepted by Ling Yi.

Consequently, Qi Yuan arranged for Ling Yi to teach the Marquis of Blue Sea a lesson.

And so, the scene that unfolded today came to pass.

Xiao Huan dared not look directly at the man in military uniform. He lowered his head and said, "Sir, I don't have the qualifications to get involved in Mr. Qi's affairs!"

"Whether you have the qualifications or not doesn't matter. You must deliver our message to him.

Otherwise, if he dares to challenge the Marquis of Blue Sea today, who's to say he won't dare to kill someone from the Seven Star Clan tomorrow? He's indeed strong, but our Qin Yuan Kingdom's Celestial Eyes aren't vegetarians.

Under the Celestial Eyes, even the gods cannot survive! However, we want peace and don't wish to start a conflict.

As long as he shows goodwill and forgives the Marquis of Blue Sea, we can continue the negotiations."

The military man's expression carried a hint of threat.

There was much debate among the higher-ups regarding Qi Yuan, an unstable figure.

Some wanted to win him over, while others wanted to eliminate him.

Currently, the conciliatory faction held the upper hand.

However, even if they wanted to win him over, they needed to do it tactfully, by suppressing him first; otherwise, he wouldn't know who was the real boss.

"This..." Xiao Huan's face paled.

At the Gui Ran Military Camp, he had witnessed Mr. Qi's strength and regarded him as a god.

But could Mr. Qi, no matter how strong, compare to Qin Yuan Kingdom's national defense weapon, the Celestial Eyes?

When Cansheng invaded, the reason Archstar was able to maintain its independence and avoid being annexed was largely due to the Celestial Eyes.

At this moment, Xiao Huan couldn't help but worry about Qi Yuan.

He understood Qi Yuan's personality; Mr. Qi never went back on his decisions.

If he could be persuaded, it would be fine, but... such obvious and emotionally charged suppression would only make Mr. Qi disdainful.

"I..." Xiao Huan stammered, unable to speak.

Seeing this, the military man seemed to understand the direction of the matter.

Currently, the conciliatory faction held the upper hand, but the war faction was constantly making small moves behind the scenes.

"Xiao Huan, I have a close relationship with your grandfather. Since you don't want to talk to him about this, don't get involved in this matter." The military man decided to have the Marquis of Blue Sea personally meet Qi Yuan.

If Qi Yuan refused the apology, then it would be a different matter.

He said this, hoping to have the Marquis of Blue Sea personally apologize to Qi Yuan.

"Sir, the fault lies with the Marquis of Blue Sea..." Xiao Huan wanted to say something more.

The military man said, "Xiao Huan, you're already an adult. You should think about your family. After you return, pretend like nothing happened, or... you can stay here for a while."

He meant to keep Xiao Huan there until the matter was resolved.

"I..." Xiao Huan struggled, feeling helpless and angry.

He worried about Qi Yuan.

From what he knew, Qi Yuan would never compromise.

He wouldn't change his mind about what he had decided.

What should he do?

He felt at a loss.

After an unknown period, he walked out of the steel building.

Two guards who had been "taking care" of him followed closely.

For some reason, he felt the sun today was particularly dazzling.

He suddenly realized that many people seemed to be looking up at the sky.

He also looked up.

When he saw the additional sun in the sky, his eyes widened, as if he had realized something.

He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, the Seven Star Warriors aren't even dog shit!"

(End)

Chapter end