Chapter 339: The Final Plan, the Heavenly Palace Plan.

Chapter 339: The Final Plan, the Heavenly Palace Plan.

"Ah!"

Wang Jia Laoye gazed blankly at the enigmatic Buddha on the altar before him, tears streaming down his face. In that moment, he felt as if the connection between his heart and the Buddha had been severed, and the Buddha seemed to have truly passed away.

"Is it dead?"

He had developed some attachment to this enigmatic Buddha, after all, they had been together for so many years, and he even had it enshrined in the main position of the ancestral hall. He never expected it to leave so suddenly, without even a proper farewell.

However, Wang Jia Laoye's sadness didn't last long before his expression turned peculiar again. "So, you're saying that if the Buddha bead on its wrist lights up, I'll die? If it weren't for these Malevolent Woods suppressing me, my grave would be overgrown with grass by now?"

"Yes," Liu Zide sighed. "I don't know if it's a case of a fool's luck or divine protection, but congratulations on surviving."

"By the way," Liu Zide continued, "we won't be staying here for long. We'll be leaving in a few days. If you want to go to the First Rank Continent, I can take you there, but I can only take you that far. The rest of the journey, you'll have to manage on your own."

Wang Jia Laoye hesitated for a moment. He had been hoarding the Malevolent Woods for this very day, as he could exchange them for Spirit Stones once he left. Moreover, the living conditions in the Mystic Heavens Continent were far better than those in Greater Xia Kingdom, without the sudden temperature drops of the Endless Ice Plain.

But the problem was, it was a completely new world, and his influence there was negligible. Without the protection of a powerful cultivator, he felt it was too risky. If he sold the Malevolent Woods and attracted attention, he might become a target for others.

After pondering for a while, he shook his head awkwardly. "Never mind, let's forget about it for now. The outside world doesn't seem safe. We can try again next time. I'm not in a rush, and it doesn't matter if I stay here or not. You know me, I'm a bit of a coward. I'll wait for my son to grow up and let him take my fortune out there to make a name for himself."

". . ."

Liu Zide shook his head and didn't say more. Wang Jia Laoye was not as timid as he claimed. In the past, when they were almost bankrupt, he had accompanied Liu Zide in several high-stakes gambles. Now that they had some wealth, he had become more cautious.

That's just how people are.

Liu Zide understood this well. When one is poor, they dare to take risks, but once they have money, they tend to become more conservative.

Afterward, Liu Zide and Wang Jia Laoye sat down for a meal and chatted until dawn before leaving.

They mainly talked about their experiences in the outside world.

Wang Jia Laoye was very interested in hearing about the outside world.

"The Hundred Nations have been unified?"

Chen Qiu looked at Cao Laotou sitting across from him in surprise and poured him a cup of wine with a smile. He learned from Cao Laotou that shortly after Xia Xundao broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, the Hundred Nations under the Endless Snow Mountain were unified by Greater Xia Kingdom.

At this moment, the Celestial Prison was completely dominated by Greater Xia Kingdom, and there was no other nation left.

"Yes," Cao Laotou nodded, hesitating for a moment. The last time they had a barbecue together, they were on equal footing, and Cao Laotou might have even been in a slightly higher position.

But this time, although Chen Qiu was friendly and smiling, the subtle pressure he exuded made Cao Laotou feel suffocated.

"Okay," Chen Qiu waved his hand, signaling Fat Dragon to bring over the young man in the linen robe not far away. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my promise. I've found the Array Formation genius you asked for."

"He can receive your legacy and allow you to leave that place."

"Um..."

Cao Laotou suddenly felt embarrassed. "I didn't expect you to remember this after so long. But actually, I don't really want to leave. Last time, I didn't tell you that it's impossible to leave the Eternal Land alive. Due to special circumstances, we left behind a legacy. Once the legacy is obtained, there's a chance to reincarnate, but all memories will be erased."

"The old man who gave you the legacy left the Eternal Land like that."

"After he left, I had no one to talk to, and it was quite boring being alone. I wanted to reincarnate quickly."

"But then..."

"But then, Chen Qiu, you rose too quickly, and someone you scared even fled to the Eternal Land to survive. I had someone to talk to, and gradually, I didn't want to reincarnate anymore. I wanted to witness how far you could go."

"After all..."

"You were the one I watched rise step by step from the 'Bazaar' when you were still a Qi Condensation cultivator."

". . ."

Chen Qiu looked at Cao Laotou expressionlessly for a while before breaking into a light laugh. "You saved my life several times back then. If not for you, I might not be here today."

"Shh..."

At this point, Cao Laotou also sighed. "It's all fate."

The two looked at each other and smiled, not mentioning the legacy or the present situation, but instead reminiscing about the past.

Especially when they talked about the old man who left the legacy for Chen Qiu, and how he anxiously followed Chen Qiu across the Dead Sea several times during his trials, Cao Laotou couldn't help but burst into laughter at the old man's comical appearance.

The main melody of life is composed of pain, and moments of joy are few, like a period at the end of a sentence, adding a touch of embellishment. But after the period, a new pain often follows.

However, when the chapter of life is about to end, and you've reached a certain height, looking back, the hardships and tribulations you've endured make the entire chapter dazzling, and the moments of joy within it blend harmoniously like chords in a melody.

The happiest moment in life is when you stand at a height, looking back at your past.

The most painful moment in life is when the height you've reached is the highest point of your life.

Over the past three days, Chen Qiu had met with many old friends, including the City Lord of Flying Fish City, the City Lord of Fat City, and other former subordinates from his time as the Imperial Preceptor.

The City Lord of Fat City, due to a transfer order, had selflessly guarded this remote land for decades, despite being close to the Golden Core Peak in cultivation. His perseverance and loyalty were truly touching.

And the City Lord of Flying Fish City, whose daughter had also grown up and married.

After all, more than a decade had passed.

She no longer asked for his autograph, and the girl who had once asked for his autograph through her father had also grown up. Now, it was her daughter who tugged at his clothes with her chubby hands, asking for his autograph.

It was like a cycle.

Some grow up, while others remain young.

Someone will always do what you once did, and you'll always find yourself in the position of the bystander, watching with a smile.

Chen Qiu had given many gifts to his former subordinates, items to help them improve their cultivation faster. Among these gifts, the most practical were Spirit Stones.

After all, in the Greater Xia Kingdom, the commonly traded Spirit Stones were Low-grade and Medium-grade Spirit Stones. High-grade Spirit Stones were only used when setting up large-scale Spirit Gathering Arrays for breakthroughs.

He left each of them with ten thousand Medium-grade Spirit Stones, a fortune that meant little to him. Even without considering the Treasure Devouring Spirit Tree rooted in the Void, the Current Spirit on his body alone was worth several billion Medium-grade Spirit Stones.

Ten thousand Medium-grade Spirit Stones were insignificant to him.

But in the Greater Xia Kingdom, it was a massive fortune. In the past, he had endured many hardships for a single Medium-grade Spirit Stone. Even for a major breakthrough like the Golden Core stage, only a few dozen Medium-grade Spirit Stones were needed.

When he formed his Twelve-grade Golden Core, which required a large amount of spiritual energy, he only used over a hundred Medium-grade Spirit Stones.

While saying that ten thousand Medium-grade Spirit Stones could rival a country's wealth might be an exaggeration, it could certainly bring instant riches without much trouble.

He also went to the Endless Snow Mountain.

With his current strength, he easily found many Ten Thousand Year Frost and Ten Thousand Year Frost Tea under the heavy snow. However, there was nothing else but these items beneath the snow.

He didn't take everything.

He only stopped when he felt he had enough for himself and decided to come back for more later.

After his cultivation broke through the Immortal Human stage—

The Greater Xia Kingdom had become a place he could return to at any time. It wasn't that breaking through the Immortal Human stage allowed him to break through the barrier; it was solely because he possessed the Skyward Sect Master Token that he could ignore the barrier after reaching the Immortal Human stage.

If it were anyone else, even a True Immortal, they wouldn't be able to break through this barrier.

And on this day—

He set off with Fat Dragon and the others towards the south of the Greater Xia Kingdom.

"After being away for a few years, everything has changed so much."

At the southernmost tip of the Greater Xia Kingdom, in Fat Province, stood the ruins of Fat City.

Fat Dragon stood on the permafrost, his expression complex as he looked at the half-man-high ruins before him. This was Fat City, but now, as far as the eye could see, the land was flat, with only this slightly raised ruin.

Fat City was gone.

The entire city had been buried underground, and only the highest building of Fat City had a small part of its corner exposed. But even that would soon disappear at this rate.

He stomped on the permafrost, and as snowflakes flew up, it was clear that this wasn't ordinary permafrost!

It was formed by a large amount of Malevolent Wood as the base, with countless snowflakes and dust acting as a binding agent, filling all the gaps, and then freezing together in the extreme cold.

The entire Fat Province was covered by Malevolent Wood that was several zhang high, causing the ground level to rise by the same height.

"And this temperature is too..."

Fat Dragon's eyebrows furrowed, and he carefully retracted the protective spiritual energy from his fingertips. The next moment—

Ice quickly formed on his fingertips, and the surrounding skin turned deathly pale, startling Fat Dragon. He hurriedly reactivated his protective spiritual energy, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

"What a joke!"

"I've already cultivated to the Void stage! How can I not withstand this cold at all without my protective spiritual energy?"

"Brother Qiu, there's definitely something wrong with this cold. I can't even withstand it, let alone the locals of the Greater Xia Kingdom!"

". . ."

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he also retracted his protective spiritual energy. Feeling the biting wind, he wasn't greatly affected, only experiencing a slight numbing sensation, like the feeling of eating Sichuan peppercorns.

But this was extraordinary!

After all, he was at the Earth Immortal Eighth Level, and for the cold wind to affect him even without his protective spiritual energy was unusual. Especially according to Xia Xundao's words, the further one ventured into the Endless Ice Plain, the colder it became.

Moreover, the temperature had been consistently low for some time.

However, through the cold wind, he vaguely sensed that it wasn't the temperature that truly affected him. He thought he was frostbitten, but it was something else in the wind that had injured him.

As for the Malevolent Wood here—

"I remember the number of Malevolent Wood in Fat Province was based on the number of vengeful spirits underground, right?"

"Didn't we clear out all the vengeful spirits last time? Why is the Malevolent Wood still growing?"

The entire area beneath Fat Province was almost hollow, like a hellish underworld, filled with vengeful spirits unable to reincarnate, their bodies brimming with resentment. At such times, Malevolent Wood would naturally grow to suppress these spirits.

This was the law of heaven and earth; where there were many vengeful spirits, Malevolent Wood would grow.

Just like how there would definitely be an antidote within seven steps of where a seven-step snake was coiled.

"Oh, right."

Fat Dragon scratched his head in confusion, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

"Let's go take a look."

Chen Qiu didn't think much of it and immediately led Fat Dragon, their bodies turning into ethereal forms as they descended into the depths of the earth. Suddenly, they broke through a thin membrane, and the scene before them became clear!

Below, in the deep pit, countless resentful spirits had once again filled the place, and there were far more than before.

The number had increased by hundreds and thousands of times!

The last time he came here, he had only felt that there were many resentful spirits, but this time was different. This time, he could see countless resentful spirits squeezed together, their mournful wails echoing through the depths, creating an extremely eerie atmosphere.

"Damn it!"

Chen Qiu gazed at the scene before him, a hint of horror flashing in his eyes. No wonder the temperature in Fat Province had dropped so suddenly, and the ground had sprouted numerous Malevolent Woods.

The temperature had to drop with so many resentful spirits! But these spirits could only form after death, and he had already cleared them all out last time. It was impossible for so many people to have died in Greater Xia Kingdom in the past decade. Where did all these spirits come from?

Resentful spirits were like carrots filling their holes; they couldn't just appear out of thin air!

But at this moment—

There was no time to ponder these thoughts. These completely insane resentful spirits, upon sensing the scent of humans, went crazy, screeching as they launched an attack. Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

He lightly pinched a spell.

The fusion kill move, "Three Thousand Thunder Movement"! The next moment, countless arcs of lightning enveloped the entire underground pit, and in an instant, all the resentful spirits were purified. The deep pit returned to its former peaceful state.

"Although I'm a little confused, but..."

Fat Dragon licked the corner of his mouth and sighed, "But Qiu, don't you think this place resembles a Malevolent Wood respawn point? There seems to be an endless supply of Malevolent Woods, but unfortunately, they're not very useful to us now. However, if we sell them to the Enigmatic Buddha slowly, we might still make a decent profit."

"No, they probably won't be willing to sell this stuff."

In the Mystic Heavens Continent, a Malevolent Wood was priced at around ten medium-grade Spirit Stones, which was slightly overpriced at the time. The Celestial Prodigy Road was about to open, and Malevolent Woods had a special effect there. Normally, the price should have been around seven or eight Spirit Stones.

This thing was extremely rare, but it had little use.

Currently, the two biggest known uses were to mend the sky and suppress demons, neither of which normal people would need.

In other words, the market wasn't that big, and not many people had a demand for it.

At this moment, Fat Province was covered with nearly a hundred million Malevolent Woods, an exaggerated number, but they were all frozen together, forming a permafrost. If these Malevolent Woods were sold, they could fetch several hundred million medium-grade Spirit Stones.

But who would buy them? That was the question.

Buy them to mend the sky?

Chen Qiu shook his head, dismissing the thought from his mind. He left the underground pit with Fat Dragon and returned to the skies above Fat Province. After the resentful spirits in the depths had dissipated, the temperature in Fat Province didn't warm up, nor did it change at all.

Instead, a large amount of cold air accompanied the cold wind, blowing in from the depths of the Endless Ice Plain.

"Let's go deeper."

As the saying goes, the more skilled one is, the bolder they become. He had been afraid to go before, but now he had no fear. It was almost embarrassing to admit that he felt like a low-level player returning to the starting village to bully the boss after reaching a high level.

Even though the process was wrong, as long as the result was correct, it was fine.

He ventured deeper for a full two hours.

Chen Qiu was now completely alone, as Fat Dragon and the others couldn't bear the conditions and had been recalled to his small world. Only he continued to fly forward through the blinding snow.

The temperature had dropped to an extreme low.

What truly made it unbearable for Fat Dragon and the others wasn't the temperature, but the special existence contained within the piercing cold wind, which had a strong destructive effect on both protective spiritual energy and the body.

If not for Chen Qiu's high cultivation, his thousand layers of protective spiritual energy, his abundant spiritual energy, and the protection of the Thunder Robe, he wouldn't have been able to handle it so easily.

There was no way a novice could have made it this far.

He had explored the deepest part of the Endless Ice Plain before, but his strength hadn't been sufficient, and he had turned back halfway. He had even sent a powerful cultivator at the Golden Core Peak stage, who later encountered a puppet swordsman at the Nascent Soul Initial Stage and was defeated.

This time, he had gone far beyond that area.

He also saw that old familiar puppet, but the spiritual energy fluctuations on its body had increased to the Initial Nascent Soul Stage.

It had leveled up.

Everyone was making progress.

The surroundings were filled with a vast expanse of snow, and if not for Chen Qiu's high cultivation, he might have lost his way. Finally, Chen Qiu saw a wall, a wall made of countless resentful spirits frozen together.

There were several words carved on the wall.

"Tomb of Sentient Beings."

". . ."

Chen Qiu stood before the wall, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the frozen resentful spirits. He tried to discern how long they had been frozen together, but they appeared incredibly fresh, as if they had been frozen just yesterday.

The four characters carved on the wall gave him an ominous feeling.

"Tomb of Sentient Beings" didn't sound like a pleasant place.

Behind this wall was nothing but darkness, which was likely the deepest part of the Endless Ice Plain. The darkness was the Heavenly Dao's shackles in the Mystic Heavens Continent, and with the correct password, one could pass through the dark region and enter the blinding light of the Void.

On the other side of the wall, he saw several more lines of words.

"In the past, I had laid out seven plans: the Fusu Plan, the Heavenly Retribution Plan, the Reincarnation Plan, the Soul Restoration Plan, the Long Voyage Plan, the Promised Land, and the Heavenly Palace Plan."

"This is the last plan, the Heavenly Palace Plan."

"Not every plan has a clear outcome, or rather, for most plans, I can't foresee their endings. I don't know which direction these plans will take."

"When the Promised Land plan was leaked, many called it an extremely crazy idea."

"But..."

"Compared to the Heavenly Palace Plan, the Promised Land plan is indeed a relatively conservative one."

"I've always considered myself a conservative person, and that's why I devised the Promised Land plan to ensure that even if other plans fail, at least in a few hundred thousand years, the Heavenly Dao will definitely perish. However, it's evident that many don't want this plan to succeed."

"I not only have a Plan B, but also Plan C, Plan D, and so on."

"Ha, if you've reached this point and you're not one of my clan members, you probably won't understand what I'm saying."

"This is my last handwritten message before I fall into an endless slumber. So, please bear with me as I try to convey everything I've done and ensure the smooth execution of my plans. After all, I should be considered your senior."

"The Heavenly Dao is currently in a severely wounded state, and the injury is more critical than we can imagine, almost on the brink of death."

"Even so, the Heavenly Dao is not an entity that can be defeated head-on; it exists beyond our dimension."

"This world was not like this before the arrival of the Heavenly Dao. There were no Entries or such things. However, it's undeniable that this world was already on the verge of collapse before the Heavenly Dao descended, as every world has its lifespan. After the Heavenly Dao's arrival, it barely managed to survive for so many years."

"But since the Heavenly Dao itself is also severely wounded, it can't sustain this world for long. That's why you often hear about continents suddenly collapsing and vanishing."

"You might suspect some conspiracy, but there's none. It's purely because the world's lifespan has come to an end."

"The day of Yin and Yang transition has arrived."

"The Heavenly Palace Plan involves gathering the Malevolent Spirits from the collapse of each continent and bringing them here through certain means."

"Yes, all of them will be directed to the Celestial Prison."

"This is indeed a crazy plan. It means that the Celestial Prison, which I've painstakingly created, will be in a constant state of potential collapse. However, in exchange, we can acquire a large amount of Malevolent Wood."

"A small amount of Malevolent Wood can repair the sky of a continent, earning a significant amount of Virtue Points."

"And a large amount of Malevolent Wood..."

Just then, the message abruptly stopped, leaving no further information.

"Huh?"

Chen Qiu's eyes widened in disbelief. He had been reading for so long, only to be left hanging at the most crucial point. Was this some kind of joke?

But just then, at the very bottom, he spotted a tiny line of text, like a sesame seed.

"Just a little joke, I have a bit of a twisted sense of humor. I was tempted to end it here, wondering what expression you'd have on your face at this moment."

"But unfortunately, this isn't the right time, so I'll save this joke for another occasion."

"There's a continent called the Origin Continent, from which the Heavenly Dao is said to have originated. The reason the Heavenly Dao is severely wounded and fled to this world is that the sky of that continent collapsed. So, I'm thinking..."

"Even if we annihilate the Heavenly Dao, this world won't last for long. But if we can migrate to the Origin Continent and repair its sky, we'll have a brand new world."

"A sufficient amount of Malevolent Wood can mend the sky of the Origin Continent."

"I'm not sure about the exact quantity, as it's beyond the capabilities of Divination Cultivators."

"But the more, the better."

"So..."

"You can find an immense amount of Malevolent Wood in the Endless Ice Plain, but it might require some patience as they are buried deep beneath the surface."

"Follow the wind direction, and you'll discover an ocean composed of Malevolent Wood."

"Take it with you, and when the opportunity arises to step into the Origin Continent, these Malevolent Wood might bring you a significant surprise."

"Of course, I hope you have the strength to handle it."

"You'll encounter countless Malevolent Spirits, and their numbers might be terrifying. After all, continents are collapsing at every moment, and the Malevolent Spirits from so many continents have gathered in the Endless Ice Plain. They are not to be trifled with."

"Do you remember the Long Voyage Plan?"

"Yes, the plan led by the third elder of the Mocking Heaven Sect. If that team succeeds in finding the coordinates of the Origin Continent in the vast void, they will contact the holder of the Mocking Heaven Sect Master Token. At that time, the Heavenly Palace Plan will officially commence."

"Finally..."

"Good luck, regardless of anything else, coming to this world has been our most wonderful experience, hasn't it?"

"By the way, there's a treasure beneath this tomb that you might like."

". . ."

With that, Chen Qiu had finished reading all the information on the tombstone. He remained silent, now realizing that the Long Voyage Plan had likely failed, as three hundred thousand years had passed, and they were probably long dead.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end