Chapter 349: "I'll Give You Three Moves, So It's Not Too Unfair."

Chapter 349: "I'll Give You Three Moves, So It's Not Too Unfair."

". . ."

Chen Qiu glanced around, and the elders, who were usually powerful and influential, were now sincerely kneeling in the void. He didn't have much regard for them, as their cultivation was too low, and even if they submitted to him, it wouldn't be of much use.

At this moment, after his tribulation, his cultivation had finally reached—

-

"Cultivation Level": Celestial Immortal, First Layer (0.0%).

-

The reason he could advance from the First Layer of Great Transcendent Immortal to the Apex of Great Transcendent Immortal in such a short time, within the duration of an incense stick's worth of time, was naturally due to the fruits of the World Tree.

The World Tree, planted in the Void, bore an incredibly large number of fruits.

With these fruits, one could effortlessly and rapidly enhance their cultivation.

Even if others could meet the numerous stringent requirements and possess the same number of spiritual fruits, they still wouldn't be able to increase their cultivation as swiftly.

Firstly,

you need to consider combat power. Otherwise, even if you live a life of seclusion, without seeking conflict, you would still be struck down by the heavenly tribulation during your tribulation.

There's no need to mention the second point, as this alone completely eliminates such a notion.

But Chen Qiu was different; he didn't need to worry about combat power. He only needed to focus on cultivation, and his combat power would naturally improve.

At this moment—

Jiang Buying flew over from a distance and hovered in front of Chen Qiu, his expression complex. "You won't do this again after an incense stick's worth of time, will you?"

"No, I won't."

Chen Qiu chuckled lightly. After all, the unique cultivation method of Celestial Immortals was somewhat complicated, and he needed some time to study it: "Until next time."

Without further delay, he dissipated into thin air and returned to Cao Tian Palace after finding a quiet place.

Inside Cao Tian Palace.

Chen Qiu sat cross-legged on the ground, and after circulating his cultivation technique for a grand cycle, he calmly examined his dantian. Whether it was the Fusion Kill Move or the Heaven Realm, even his True Body,

These were all attacks on the physical level.

However, the unique method of Celestial Immortals was the Shadow Veil, which operated on the level of laws and could be said to have initially touched upon the power of laws.

In theory, a Celestial Immortal's power over those with lower cultivation was absolute and left no room for negotiation.

This was a completely different type of attack.

For example, if an adult with an RPK machine gun fought against an adult with a sharp blade, no matter how sharp and valuable the blade was, it would be impossible for the blade-wielding adult to defeat the one with the machine gun.

This was a dimension of power.

They were not on the same level.

This was the kind of overwhelming power a Celestial Immortal held over those with lower cultivation.

Of course, the 'Celestial Immortal Apex' old man whom Chen Qiu had instantly killed was an exception. After all, Chen Qiu's blade was tens of thousands of meters long, and he had the advantage of striking first, which was a bit unreasonable.

Aside from Chen Qiu, it was basically impossible for any Great Transcendent Immortal to defeat a Celestial Immortal, and this was the might of the Shadow Veil!

In fact, the Shadow Veil was a fusion of one's strongest technique into a wisp of mist, and the more proficient one was in that technique, the more powerful the mist would be.

Several hours later.

Chen Qiu took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the purple-blue mist swirling in his palm. His expression was complex as he remained silent, and this wisp of mist was his Shadow Veil.

It was based on the Lightning Invocation Technique.

Although it seemed ordinary, he could clearly sense the energy emanating from the mist. This wisp of mist could change in size at will, and he could use it as a long-range spell attack.

He could also use it as a shield, a spear, or even a bow and arrow.

It was like a weapon that could be freely manipulated by one's will, but it was composed of laws.

All along.

His attack methods had been very singular, relying solely on the Lightning Invocation Technique. Even with the addition of the Spirit Transformation Domain, Fusion Kill Move, Heaven Realm, and True Body, the foundation was still the Lightning Invocation Technique.

It was like changing the soup but not the medicine.

One could say that the Lightning Invocation Technique was his root.

He had always wanted to change this, as encountering an enemy immune to lightning would be troublesome. However, he never found a good opportunity, and it had been put off until now.

Unexpectedly, he had turned a calamity into a blessing.

The power of the Shadow Veil stemmed from two factors.

The first was its rank; naturally, his Shadow Veil was of an extremely high rank, far surpassing the Heavenly Dao's top rank of twelve.

The second factor was the strength of one's most proficient technique, and before obtaining the White Entry Slip, most of his Entry Slips were dedicated to enhancing the Lightning Invocation Technique, making it incredibly powerful.

With the combination of these two factors, along with the Abundance and other boosts to his cultivation methods, he could now kill a Celestial Immortal Apex with just a glance.

This was no joke, nor was it an exaggeration.

It was the truth.

The Shadow Veil could not only be used as a spell or weapon but could also enhance one's physical body, granting them a robust physique comparable to a Body Cultivation expert.

When infused into a fist, it could shatter the heavens with a single punch.

When infused into the legs, one could soar through the skies with a single leap.

When infused into the eyes, one glance could seal a person's fate.

The Shadow Veil had numerous wondrous applications, and this cultivation method was entirely different from the previous ones. There were various ways to utilize it, not just one. For example, you could first infuse it into your legs to quickly close in on an enemy, then instantly infuse it into your fist to strike them away, and finally use the Shadow Veil for a long-range attack."

This required a high level of combat experience and daily cultivation.

If both parties possessed the Shadow Veil and clashed head-on, the victor would be determined by the rank and strength of their Shadow Veil.

Ten years passed by in the blink of an eye.

It had been ten years since Chen Qiu crossed the Seventh Rank Tribulation and broke through to the First Layer of Celestial Immortal. Now, his cultivation had reached the Apex of Celestial Immortal.

At any time, he could break through again.

In reality, he had only spent one hour in these ten years to advance his cultivation to the peak of Xuanxian. The rest of the time was spent solidifying his cultivation, nurturing his Thunder Robe with the Spiritual Thunder gained during this period, and studying the usage of Shadow Veil.

Over these ten years, his cultivation progress was not significant, but his combat power had undergone a qualitative leap.

He also specifically organized the entries in his Dantian, grouping those that required manual activation into one area. This way, when a battle began, he could instantly cover that area with his Divine Sense, activating all the entries in that region simultaneously.

As for the spiritual fruits, he distributed most of them to the disciples of the Cao Tian Palace, mainly because there were just too many of them. He only needed a tiny portion to elevate his cultivation to the Immortal Emperor level. The World Tree's production was absurd, yielding 200 fruits every three months.

This meant he had more than he could ever use.

During these ten years, the disciples of Cao Tian Palace also frequently went out in batches to undergo their tribulations. The location was the same desolate plain in the Seventh Rank Immortal World where Chen Qiu had faced his tribulation. As a result, that plain often echoed with the constant crackling of heavenly tribulations.

However, no one dared to provoke them.

After all, only a few years had passed since that unforgettable heavenly tribulation, and everyone still remembered it vividly. Whenever they saw the character 'Cao' on the disciples' garments, they would silently lower their heads.

Ten years had passed; it was time to come out of seclusion.

Chen Qiu, now alone again in the Seventh Rank Immortal World, looked up at the sky and gathered the power of heaven and earth, preparing to break through. But as the power began to condense, it dispersed once more.

His cultivation had reached—

-

"Cultivation Level": Immortal Lord, First Layer (0.0%).

-

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu raised his eyebrows slightly, saying nothing more. This was entirely within his expectations. It couldn't be the Eighth Rank Tribulation; the combination of the minor tribulations of eight small realms and the Immortal Lord Tribulation wasn't enough to reach the Eighth Rank.

After all, as Jiang Buying had said, in all these years across the continents, only the former sect master of Cao Tian Palace had successfully passed the Eighth Rank Tribulation.

It was impossible for him to face such a tribulation at the peak of True Immortal.

Finally, his cultivation had reached the First Layer of Immortal Lord. At this level, he could already move freely in the Eighth Rank Immortal World and had gained the qualifications to contend for the title of Immortal Emperor.

He didn't need to spend these ten years; he could have quickly raised his cultivation to the Immortal Lord level again. The reason he waited was twofold: first, to take a breather, and second, to give others some time.

For instance, the Zhongzhou City Lord and others.

These people also needed time to acquire the white entries, and this was the most important purpose of his emergence from seclusion.

With a thought, he reappeared in the Tide Immortal Plane and obtained a large number of white entry jade slips from Ba Dan, the Zhongzhou City Lord, and the Wang Family Patriarch—a total of over twenty thousand. With the Wang Family Patriarch's help, the efficiency had indeed increased significantly.

Chen Qiu didn't hesitate; he immediately crushed tens of thousands of white entry jade slips.

The next moment—

-

"Treasure Name": Yellow Emperor Banner.

"Acquisition Source": None.

"Usage Effect":

1. You possess all yellow entries, and the Yellow Emperor Banner will be in its perfect state.

2. You can freely choose whether a specific yellow entry takes effect or not.

3. The perfect state Yellow Emperor Banner is a unique item. Once acquired by one person, no one else can obtain it.

4. All yellow entries you obtain in the future will randomly transform into an unowned blue entry.

5. You will gain the acquisition method for the Blue Emperor Banner.

-

"Not bad," Chen Qiu said with satisfaction as he looked at the Yellow Emperor Banner in his hand, its body entirely yellow. He smiled lightly, knowing that he had collected all the yellow entries—66,666 in total, no more, no less. The number of entries decreased as the ranks increased, making them easier to obtain.

With this in mind, the most challenging entry to obtain was actually the White Emperor Banner.

Once the complete White Emperor Banner was acquired, the others would gradually follow. He wasn't worried about someone getting ahead of him.

After all, directly obtaining the complete Yellow Emperor Banner or Blue Emperor Banner without the foundation of the complete White Emperor Banner was extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Chen Qiu already knew the acquisition method for the Blue Emperor Banner. It wasn't in the Fifth Rank Immortal World but could be found in the Sixth Rank Immortal World, where there were three.

After a few breaths, Chen Qiu turned his gaze to the Blue Emperor Banner in his hand. It wasn't in its perfect state, but that didn't matter. He still had around 140,000 white entry jade slips left, more than enough. He crushed tens of thousands of these slips, and the Blue Emperor Banner's panel changed.

-

"Treasure Name": Blue Emperor Banner.

"Acquisition Source": None.

"Usage Effect":

1. You possess all blue entries, and the Blue Emperor Banner will be in its perfect state.

2. You can freely choose whether a specific blue entry takes effect or not.

3. The perfect state Blue Emperor Banner is a unique item. Once acquired by one person, no one else can obtain it.

4. All blue entries you obtain in the future will randomly transform into an unowned purple entry.

5. You will gain the acquisition method for the Purple Emperor Banner.

-

The effects were basically unchanged. Conveniently, there was a Purple Emperor Banner in the Sixth Rank Immortal World, and the total number of blue entries was 55,555. After completing this, Chen Qiu still had 90,000 white entry jade slips left, and he hurried off to the Sixth Rank Immortal World.

He effortlessly snatched the Purple Emperor Banner from a fated person.

Then, he upgraded the Purple Emperor Banner to its perfect state.

-

"Treasure Name": Purple Emperor Banner.

"Acquisition Source": None.

"Usage Effect":

1. You possess all purple entries, and the Purple Emperor Banner will be in its perfect state.

2. -

With this, he had acquired all the purple entries, totaling 44,444. Most importantly, he still had white entry jade slips remaining. Through the perfect Purple Emperor Banner, he learned that there were two Red Emperor Banners in the Seventh Rank Immortal World.

After purchasing the item in the Seventh Rank Immortal World's marketplace, he proceeded to upgrade it to its complete form.

Item Name: Red Emperor Banner.

Source: N/A.

Effects:

1. You possess all Red Entries, and the Red Emperor Banner will be in its prime state.

2. Red Entries total 33,333, but he only has around 10,000 White Entry Slips, which is insufficient to activate the complete form of the Golden Emperor Banner.

He also learned that the Seventh Rank Immortal World does not have a Golden Emperor Banner.

However, the Eighth Rank Immortal World does have one.

"Phew!"

Chen Qiu, back in the Seventh Rank Immortal World, took a deep breath in the air above the wasteland. He needed to relax after such a tiring trip, during which he had crafted several Emperor Banners into their complete forms.

Currently, he possessed the complete forms of six Emperor Banners: White, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, and Red.

In other words, he had acquired all the entries from white to red without exception.

Not a single one was left behind.

The strength of the purple and red entries was evident, and having the fully equipped versions of these entries meant his power had increased significantly. As he stood high in the sky, he blocked the entries with negative effects one by one, examining their uses.

He gathered all the entries that could be actively activated into one place.

Whenever he encountered an enemy, he would activate all these entries.

Before, he had many white and green entries, but he only used passive entries, rarely using active ones as his attack methods were already sufficient.

But from now on, he didn't plan to waste the active entries either.

Whether he could use them or not, it was a waste not to.

When a battle commenced, he would activate the active entries first, followed by the passive ones, and then effortlessly break through with overwhelming force.

After completing this task, Chen Qiu patted his belly in satisfaction, glanced around, and effortlessly defeated the puppet of the Seventh Rank Immortal World, shattering the Heavenly Dao Shackles before ascending to the Eighth Rank Immortal World.

His current cultivation base was at the first layer of Immortal Lord, making him invincible in the Eighth Rank Immortal World. Even as an ordinary Immortal Lord, he was unbeatable, let alone with his extraordinary abilities. Since his debut, he had never feared assassination.

Perhaps no one had ever tried to assassinate him.

In fact, he had always wanted to experience what it felt like to be assassinated.

In the Eighth Rank Immortal World, the Lotus Immortal Realm, within a city in Night Province, Chen Qiu looked at Jiang Buying, who was standing at the entrance of a brothel. With a complicated expression, he asked, "I won't ask why you suddenly changed to this line of work, but I'm curious as to how you always know where to wait for me in advance?"

"Are you also proficient in divination cultivation?"

"Not really."

Jiang Buying was dressed flamboyantly, with rouge on his cheeks. "You flew up from the Night Immortal Realm, so you must have descended in Night Province first. Based on your habits, whenever you go to a new place, you always visit the nearest city."

"And you stroll along the main road."

"I just need to find a job at a shop on the main road in this city, and there's a high chance I'll run into you. This is called behavioral regularity. Chen Qiu, your behavioral patterns are completely unconcealed. Don't you know that it's very easy to get ambushed this way?"

"In a high-rank Immortal World, this is a very dangerous thing. In our time, even the habit of being left-handed or right-handed was never exposed."

"Ambushed?"

Chen Qiu glanced around and shook his head. "I've never encountered it. If there was one, I'd like to see it. How did you come up with the idea of being a host? Do you mainly serve men or women?"

"What are you talking about?"

Jiang Buying rolled his eyes. "I'm the madam here. Can't you tell I'm soliciting customers? I don't entertain customers personally. Now that you're out of seclusion, I won't do this job anymore. I'm tired of it after all these years."

"But I have to say, there's a lot of gossip in this brothel."

"I sincerely suggest that storytellers who can't come up with good stories should spend some time in a brothel when they're free. Listening to the conversations around them should inspire them and help them think of better stories."

"How does that saying go? If one doesn't indulge in carnal desires, they are not a true scholar."

"Who said that?"

"I did." Jiang Buying quickly removed his clothes, revealing his true cultivation base to the brothel manager who was about to scold him. He tossed his clothes into the manager's arms and said, "I quit. You don't need to pay me. Consider it a gift."

Then he turned to Chen Qiu.

"Let's go. No more idle talk. There's something I need to discuss with you."

However, the next moment—

"Slap!"

The brothel manager slapped Jiang Buying on the back of his head, revealing his cultivation base at the peak of Great Transcendent Immortal. With an angry face, he shouted, "Are you pretending to be a Golden Immortal in the initial stage? Do you think this is a game, playing pig to eat a tiger?"

"Even if you've been hiding your true cultivation base all these years, it's not impressive!"

"Do you know what my cultivation base is?!"

"Are you trying to fool me here?"

"Without some skills, how could I manage this brothel?"

". . ."

Jiang Buying didn't turn around but silently looked at Chen Qiu. "A tiger falls flat in a plain and is bullied by a dog. Help me scare him off. Consider it a favor I owe you."

"Tsk."

Chen Qiu chuckled and snapped his fingers, revealing his cultivation base at the first layer of Immortal Lord without any concealment. Even a mere hint of his power exuded a mighty aura that enveloped the entire city.

In an instant, everyone in the city lost control of their bodies and prostrated themselves on the ground, their faces filled with fear and awe as they looked towards Chen Qiu. The manager, who was bearing the brunt of the aura, was already on the ground, his face pale, his eyes filled with disbelief and despair. He trembled as he spoke.

"Senior."

"I don't know you."

"That's good," Jiang Buying sighed softly and crouched down, patting the brothel manager's head. "My exit was so perfect. A big shot was hiding his identity, working as a madam in a brothel. When the time came, he would reveal himself and leave gracefully. But it seems like you're not giving me that face."

"Are you not going to kill him?"

Chen Qiu looked at Jiang Buying, who was about to leave.

"Why kill him?"

Jiang Buying shook his head, "I don't have any grudges with him. We've gotten along well over the years, even though his mouth is often foul. But to manage people below him, being too soft wouldn't work. It's normal and understandable."

"He's quite dedicated. Moreover, it's not easy to cultivate to this level. It would be a pity if he died."

"Let's go."

They didn't leave the city but entered a private room in a tavern.

"Speak."

Chen Qiu took a sip from the wine cup and then turned to Jiang Buying, "Weren't you going to discuss something with me?"

"Well, it's not a big deal."

Jiang Buying scratched his head awkwardly, "What could I possibly have to talk to you about? But at that moment, I was making my exit. A big shot friend came to find me, and if I said I had something important to discuss, wouldn't it make me look better?"

"Never mind, then."

Chen Qiu didn't seem to mind. He took out a storage bracelet and tossed it onto the table, "I do have something to discuss. This storage bracelet contains the body you've always wanted. I'm returning it to you today."

"Huh?"

Jiang Buying froze in his place. After a long pause, he finally reacted and picked up the storage bracelet. He probed it with his divine sense and found his own body inside. After another silent pause, he raised his head to look at Chen Qiu.

"To be honest, even until now, I haven't decided whether to reclaim my body and restore my cultivation. If I restore my cultivation, it means I must stand on the same side as you, opposing the Heavenly Dao."

"If I don't restore my cultivation, I can continue living in a daze for tens of thousands of years."

"That's why I let Miss Bai go at the time."

"I didn't expect you to return my body willingly. It seems you've started building your team for the battle a thousand years from now. Is this your formal invitation for me to join your team?"

"It's a huge gamble."

Jiang Buying weighed the storage bracelet in his hand with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Do you really trust me so much? Aren't you afraid that I've been lulling you all these years, and once I get my body and restore my cultivation, I'll turn on you?"

"To be honest, I'm a bit touched."

"Perhaps this is the meaning of companionship. Is this your formal acknowledgment of me? I'll give your recruitment serious thought."

"Stop!"

Chen Qiu, expressionless, raised his hand to stop Jiang Buying's nonsensical thoughts, "You're overthinking it. I don't mean to recruit you, nor do I fully trust you. I just think I can handle a Half-step Immortal Emperor."

"A Half-step Immortal Emperor is hard to find."

"I'll return your body, and we'll have a proper fight. My strength has grown so fast over the years that I've lost track of my own abilities."

"If I can't even beat a Half-step Immortal Emperor, then surviving the Eighth Rank Heavenly Tribulation will be even more difficult."

"You want to restore your strength, right? Do it quickly; I'll wait for you."

". . ."

Jiang Buying looked at the storage bracelet in his hand, his face filled with mixed emotions. After a long pause, he rasped, "Do you know how many realms separate a Half-step Immortal Emperor and the first layer of Immortal Lord?"

"A Half-step Immortal Emperor is just a peak Venerable Immortal."

"Do you know the cultivation methods of a Venerable Immortal?"

"Do you know that I'm also an Immortal Emperor, but someone took my spot? As long as that person steps down, I can become an Immortal Emperor at any time. And you should know that among Half-step Immortal Emperors, my strength is absolutely exceptional; I'm not some unknown."

"Although I admit you're extraordinary, isn't it a bit overconfident to fight against me after I restore my strength?"

"I'm afraid I'll bully you."

"No," Chen Qiu shook his head seriously, "Don't hold back. To test my true strength, I'll use all my power. If you hold back, you might really die."

"I understand."

Three days later.

Jiang Buying, having regained his body and fully restored his cultivation, stood in the air above a forbidden area in the Eighth Rank Immortal World, the Lotus Immortal Realm. This area was an extremely vast desert filled with toxins and was uninhabited.

It was a great location for duels, often chosen by powerful cultivators for their battles.

The size of the Eighth Rank Immortal World was many times larger than the Mystic Heavens Continent. This single forbidden desert was already several times larger than the entire Mystic Heavens Continent.

"Huff."

Jiang Buying, suspended in mid-air, took a deep breath. With his back to Chen Qiu, he felt the abundant power within his body and murmured, "After so many years, I'm finally back."

"Although it's a bit unfair to you, but since you asked, I'll let you witness the power of a Half-step Immortal Emperor."

"I'll give you three moves; this way, it won't be too one-sided."

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Buying suddenly felt the sky darken. He turned to see that a raging storm had arrived, and the sky was filled with dark clouds. A powerful aura of death was rapidly condensing behind him, giving him an intense feeling of impending doom.

"Wait!"

His face paled instantly, and he turned around in shock. Then, he quickly shot away, screaming in terror, "Wait, Chen Qiu, Chen Qiu, it's me, Jiang Buying!!!"

"Stop for a moment, let me catch my breath!!!"

"I was wrong, Qiu, Qiu, I'm truly sorry!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end