Chapter 350: "He Created a Utopian World"

Chapter 350: "He Created a Utopian World"

"Stop! Stop right now!!!"

Jiang Buying's body darted away, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at the wisp of Shadow Veil in Chen Qiu's hand. He felt an overwhelming sense of deadly pressure from it!

He could clearly sense it!

Even though he had recovered to the Half-step Immortal Emperor level, he knew that if he were to come into contact with it, death was certain. It was a force he couldn't possibly resist.

The oppressive feeling it brought was far beyond what he had experienced in the Void. He had witnessed many people's Shadow Veil, but none had ever given him such a powerful sense of oppression as Chen Qiu's.

Chen Qiu, speechless, dispersed the Shadow Veil in his hand. His right hand surged with spiritual energy, grabbing the fleeing Jiang Buying and pulling him back in front of him, "Are you that scared? Can't you even bear to try and withstand it?"

"I dare not!"

Jiang Buying, having narrowly escaped death, stared intently at Chen Qiu and rasped, "Do you really have no malicious intent with that Shadow Veil of yours?"

"Who among the Half-step Immortal Emperors could withstand such a strike?"

"I truly can't."

"So, it's that powerful?" Chen Qiu looked down at the purple-blue mist in his hand and muttered, though he didn't think it was that impressive.

After a long while, he shook his head.

"I'm going into seclusion."

"See you next time."

Just as he said, he returned to the Cao Tian Palace to cultivate as quickly as possible, striving to reach the Immortal Emperor level. This was his top priority.

His current cultivation level was at the first level of Immortal Lord.

It was time to continue cultivating.

Cultivation was a time-consuming endeavor, especially at the Immortal Lord stage. Even for a prodigy, advancing through the minor realms required at least a hundred years, making it no easy feat.

Half an hour later, Chen Qiu checked his cultivation level—

-

"Cultivation Level: Peak Immortal Lord (100.0%)"

-

Indeed, in just half an hour, he had traversed the path that would take other prodigies a thousand years. He hadn't even needed to utilize his cultivation speed or the dense spiritual energy within the Cao Tian Palace.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu silently opened his eyes, ready to face the tribulation again. This time, he would be welcoming the Eighth Rank Heavenly Tribulation. The power of the Eighth Rank Immortal World seemed insufficient to condense such a tribulation, so after easily defeating the Spirit Transformation Puppet of the Eighth Rank Immortal World, he proceeded to the Ninth Rank Celestial Realm.

He was now just a step away from the Eleventh Rank Celestial Realm.

Currently, there was also the Twelfth Rank Celestial Realm, but the competition for it had not officially begun, and a new Twelfth Rank Immortal World had yet to emerge.

When he arrived at the Eighth Rank Immortal World, the tribulation clouds had just started to gather, only to dissipate again.

His cultivation level had reached—

-

"Cultivation Level: First Level of Saint Immortal (0.0%)"

-

Apparently, the accumulated power of the tribulation was insufficient to summon the Eighth Rank Heavenly Tribulation. Without saying much more, he returned to the Cao Tian Palace and resumed his cultivation.

Time passed quickly.

Another ten years went by, and within this time, Chen Qiu's cultivation reached the "Peak Saint Immortal" level. After breaking through, he would become an Immortal Venerable, and then an Immortal Emperor.

After emerging from seclusion,

his first action was to find Badan and the others. He obtained a sufficient number of white entry slips from them and learned that they had attracted the attention of high-ranking Immortal World forces due to their recent activities. He decided to pay a visit to these factions.

For a long time, no one would dare to have any designs on Badan and the others.

Due to Chen Qiu's influence, Badan, the Zhongzhou City Lord, and the Bai Family Patriarch, who had no prior connections, had formed a loyal interest group.

After acquiring enough white entry slips,

Chen Qiu fully crafted both the Golden Emperor Banner and the Pink Emperor Banner. Only the Seven-colored Imperial Banner was more challenging to find, and even the Pink Emperor Banner didn't provide a method to obtain it. However, he happened to have a way.

He effortlessly completed the Seven-colored Imperial Banner as well.

However,

as soon as he finished crafting the Seven-colored Imperial Banner, the remaining eight Emperor Banners suddenly flew out of his storage bracelet, emitting their respective glows and slowly rotating alongside the Seven-colored Imperial Banner.

The entire world suddenly transformed into a rainbow, with countless rainbow snowflakes falling from the sky, covering everything in sight.

Auspicious clouds appeared in the sky, and celestial music filled the heavens.

This breathtaking scene was imprinted deep within everyone's eyes.

Immediately after, a prompt resounded throughout all the continents!

"Heavenly Dao Proclamation: The Human Race cultivator, Cao Tian Palace Master Chen Qiu, is the first existence in all continents to possess 'All Grades of Entries'!"

"This achievement is unprecedented in history and will never be surpassed. It is a unique feat in the heavens and earth."

"This proclamation will echo throughout all continents."

"Mortals, take no action and merely observe!"

This Heavenly Dao Proclamation reverberated three times, echoing across all continents, from the Eleventh Rank Immortal World down to the First Rank Continent. Everyone heard this proclamation before Chen Qiu could react.

Another Heavenly Dao Proclamation followed—

"Heavenly Dao Proclamation: The Human Race cultivator, Cao Tian Palace Master Chen Qiu, is the first existence in all continents to possess 'All Sets of Heavenly Dao Entries'!"

"This achievement is unprecedented in history and will never be surpassed. It is a unique feat in the heavens and earth."

"This proclamation will echo throughout all continents."

"Mortals, take no action and merely observe!"

Chen Qiu listened to the proclamation ringing in his ears and looked at his cultivation speed. His eyes couldn't keep up with the rapidly increasing numbers. His cultivation speed was skyrocketing at an astonishing rate.

But it was already too late.

After all, he was just one step away from becoming an Immortal Emperor. Well, it wasn't entirely useless.

He turned his attention to the three pink entries he had just obtained.

The first one stated that the faster one's cultivation speed, the more powerful their spells and cultivation techniques would be.

The second entry indicated that the faster one's cultivation speed, the quicker their movement and agility would become.

The third entry suggested that the faster one's cultivation speed, the stronger their physique would be.

In addition to these, he had many pink entries. For example, the stronger his physique, the more powerful his spells and cultivation techniques would become, and so on. With each entry reinforcing the other, it was like stepping on his own foot and soaring into the heavens!

At this moment, his combat power had already surpassed the heavens. He felt that even if he broke through to the Immortal Emperor realm now, his strength wouldn't increase significantly.

This was already the limit.

But he soon realized that he was wrong, and terribly so.

Before his eyes, the nine Emperor Banners merged into one under the seven-colored auspicious clouds, forming the Rainbow Emperor Banner. Upon seeing this banner, he finally understood why those two Heavenly Dao Proclamations had no rewards; they were no longer needed.

They were completely unnecessary.

-

"Treasure Name": Rainbow Emperor Banner.

"Source of Acquisition": None.

"Usage Effect":

1. You can disable all entries possessed by anyone.

2. If anyone has the same entry as you, the damage you inflict on them will be doubled.

3. You will live forever.

4. It can guide you to my homeland.

-

Chen Qiu stared at the treasure's panel, feeling dazed. With this item, what's the difference between being invincible?

It can disable all possessed entries.

With just this one ability, he would be invincible in the world.

Of course, he couldn't defeat an Immortal Emperor yet. Even if he disabled all the Immortal Emperor's entries, the Emperor's sheer power might still be too much for him. After all, the Immortal Emperor commanded the power of death.

As the treasure fell into his hands, a sudden burst of information unexpectedly entered his mind.

It was a long, long time ago.

Back then, there was only one continent, the Nanong Continent. In those days, there were no entries, no Heavenly Dao Proclamations, nothing.

The Heavenly Dao of the entire continent was a cat.

This cat spent its days roaming the heavens and earth, enjoying a carefree life.

One day—

A dark shadow suddenly intruded into the continent, using its formidable power to divide the land into numerous pieces, naming them from the First Rank Continent to the Twelfth Rank Immortal World. This shadow split its subconscious into countless fragments, attaching them to these continents, thus forming the Heavenly Dao Proclamations.

It then dispersed its power, giving rise to the entries.

Every three million years, a Twelfth Rank Immortal World would emerge. Since all the strong cultivators in this world possessed entry power, when this shadow devoured the world, its injuries would recover swiftly.

The entire world had transformed into this.

The original Heavenly Dao of the Nanong Continent, the cat, fought against the shadow but was unfortunately defeated. However, since the cat was an immortal existence, it could only be destroyed by completely annihilating the Nanong Continent.

So, the shadow could only curse the cat, causing anyone who spent a long time near it to suddenly die. The cat was made aware of this, forcing it to live in loneliness and pain.

This cat.

Was named July Cat.

Before the curse was cast, July Cat had left a backup plan, dividing its power into two parts.

One part of its power formed the golden finger, "Player Kingdom."

July Cat was a transmigrator who had arrived in the Nanong Continent a long time ago and became its Heavenly Dao. Before the curse was cast, it condensed a portion of its power into the "Player Kingdom," which could summon more transmigrators to the continent.

It believed that its own kind would solve this problem.

The other part of its power became the Rainbow Emperor Banner.

The "shadow's" method of regaining its power was actually quite risky. By dispersing its power source, the entries, it was like scattering seeds, cultivating the strongest cultivators with these powers as excellent nourishment.

A very clever method.

The biggest flaw in this plan was—

If someone collected all the entries and happened to be a cultivator who had escaped from the Celestial Prison with the cultivation of an Immortal Emperor, to some extent, this person would become the new Heavenly Dao! Possessing all the power of the "shadow."

The shadow's main source of power was the entries, and countless entries were the manifestation of its divided abilities.

When July Cat was cursed, it heard the shadow's plan amidst its maniacal laughter and left behind the Rainbow Emperor Banner, splitting it into nine Emperor Banners. By refining these nine banners into a complete entity, one would possess the power to confront the Heavenly Dao directly.

And so—

Chen Qiu finally understood why those two Heavenly Dao Proclamations had no rewards.

There was only one situation where the Heavenly Dao Proclamation would inform everyone—when the scattered subconscious of the Heavenly Dao across the continents believed that a matter posed a threat to its main body. In this case, it would use word of mouth to convey the message to the Heavenly Dao's main body.

In such a situation, expecting a reward was impossible.

In other words,

The Heavenly Dao was now aware of his existence as a dangerous element and might have awakened prematurely.

However,

Chen Qiu silently gazed at the Emperor Banner in his hand, thinking that perhaps the Heavenly Dao's power had recovered significantly over the years, and this seemingly perfect Rainbow Emperor Banner still had significant flaws.

It lacked the Gray Emperor Banner and the Black Emperor Banner.

This meant that there were still methods and powers of the Heavenly Dao that he did not possess.

July Cat, a name he had heard before.

He never imagined that the cat was the original Heavenly Dao of the continent. He remembered it as a pet of a female disciple from a sect in the Xuan Tian Continent. There was a time when the female disciple and the cat had visited his Mocking Heaven Sect, but the disciple mysteriously died, and the cat disappeared.

"Let's prepare for the tribulation first."

Just then—

A crisp female voice sounded in his ear. Chen Qiu turned to see an orange cat walking with a cat's gait, looking a bit tired as it sat in the sky. It yawned and lazily said, "My memories have returned. I never expected you to be the chosen one.

"I've died at your hands countless times."

Chen Qiu looked up at the tribulation clouds above, a vast accumulation of which had already begun to slowly gather, signaling the imminent arrival of his "Eighth Rank Heavenly Tribulation."

"Hmph."

July Cat scoffed, turning her head away, "I don't feel like discussing this right now. Let's focus on your tribulation first. If the Heavenly Dao Proclamation sounds after you pass this tribulation, it means the Heavenly Dao hasn't fully awakened yet, and it must awaken a thousand years later."

"If the proclamation doesn't sound after you pass the tribulation, it signifies that the Heavenly Dao has officially awakened."

"A major battle is not far from your future."

"Alright."

This time, the tribulation clouds gathered quickly, and Chen Qiu didn't exchange many words with July Cat. Instead, he adjusted his body to its optimal state and gazed solemnly at the first heavenly tribulation about to strike.

Soon—

"Boom!!!"

Amidst the raging storm, the first heavenly tribulation arrived with a deafening roar!

After a few breaths—

A familiar Heavenly Dao Proclamation slowly echoed:

"Heavenly Dao Proclamation: Heavenly Dao Sensation, High Mountain Immortal Realm. The Human Race cultivator, Chen Qiu, leader of the Mock Heaven Sect, Heavenly Dao Sage, Heavenly Dao Villain, Protector Deity of the Human Race, and World-Defying Talent, has successfully passed through the Eighth Rank Heavenly Tribulation, the 'Envy Tribulation,' with astonishing means at the peak of Saint Immortal cultivation!

He is the first in the history of the High Mountain Immortal Realm to overcome the 'Envy Tribulation.'

Furthermore, he is the first across all continents to pass the 'Eighth Rank Heavenly Tribulation' at the Saint Immortal cultivation level. This proclamation will echo throughout the High Mountain Immortal Realm and all its subordinate continents.

He is specially bestowed with the unique Spiritual Artifact, the 'Envy Thunder.'

Mortals, heed not this as a rule, merely observe!

In the instant the proclamation sounded—

July Cat suddenly appeared once more in front of Chen Qiu, "Your luck is quite good. It seems the Heavenly Dao, though aware of this news, cannot force its awakening. The subconsciousness it scattered across this continent will still strictly execute these procedures."

"This way, you can acquire more means, and when facing the Heavenly Dao in the future, your chances of victory will increase."

"He's not that strong, actually."

"The main reason I couldn't defeat him back then was because he possessed the 'Entries,' a power I lacked, which allowed him to crush me. Now, you've acquired almost all the 'Entries,' which means you possess the same power he does."

"Except for the incomplete Black and Gray Entries, you're almost on par with him."

"The odds of defeating him are quite high."

"What does the Heavenly Dao look like?" Chen Qiu asked.

"I've never seen it."

July Cat shook her head, "It appeared as a dark shadow when it manifested, but I believe it wouldn't stay in the Void. After all, the Void isn't a suitable place for long-term habitation."

"It must be slumbering in some continent."

"Perhaps in a First Rank Continent, as there are fewer powerful beings there, making it safer for its slumber."

"The fact that it hasn't awakened in such circumstances implies that its slumbering state is its most vulnerable."

"In theory, if you can find it while it's asleep, you'll have a better chance of killing it. However..."

July Cat gave a dry laugh, "The number of First Rank Continents is immense. Even if you could destroy all of them at once, it's nearly impossible, let alone finding a slumbering person within one."

"With this cat hair, you can contact me anytime."

"Go and cultivate now. The Venerable Immortal cultivation is not enough; breaking through to the Immortal Emperor is the real task."

"Mhm."

Chen Qiu nodded slightly and vanished from his original spot. Half a watch later, he reappeared in a wasteland of an Eleventh Rank Immortal World, the highest-ranked Immortal World.

His cultivation had already reached the peak of the Venerable Immortal.

He didn't want to wait any longer.

Today, he intended to break through to the Immortal Emperor.

The Eighth Rank Tribulation from earlier hadn't caused him a shred of harm. The tribulation that only he had ever passed was like a mere itch to him, given that he now possessed nearly seventy percent of the Heavenly Dao's power and all the Entries. This tribulation could only tickle him.

"Boom!!!"

As heavenly thunder rumbled in the clear sky, the entire Eleventh Rank Immortal World suddenly filled with tribulation clouds. A hoarse, emotionless voice rang out amidst the tribulation.

"The Immortal Emperor Tribulation: a hundred deaths, one life! Are you sure you want to embark on the path to immortality?"

"Retreat now, and you can still become a Half-step Immortal Emperor!"

"Enjoying three-tenths of an Immortal Emperor's strength."

"Still able to dominate the world."

This hoarse, emotionless voice echoed in the ears of everyone in the Eleventh Rank Immortal World. Countless cultivators in secluded meditation were awakened by this voice, looking up in astonishment and awe at the boundless dark clouds above and the awe-inspiring sound.

It was a sound they had never heard before.

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu, suspended in mid-air, frowned slightly at the hoarse, emotionless voice in his ear. It was similar to the voice in the Heavenly Dao Proclamation, but not the same.

He had heard the proclamation countless times and could clearly distinguish the difference.

"No need to look, it's my voice. I forced out that sentence with a strained throat back then."

At some point, July Cat, perched on the void beside him, licked her paw lazily, "When I first became the Heavenly Dao, people were constantly being struck down by the 'Immortal Emperor Tribulation.' Out of compassion, I set up this voice prompt."

"You can think of it like the official game prompt you'd hear before playing a game, encouraging moderate gaming for brain health and warning against addiction."

"I hope fewer people will face the 'Immortal Emperor Tribulation.' What's the point of such high cultivation if it leads to harm?"

"I never expected that not only would it be completely useless, but it would also have the opposite effect. Many cultivators believed it was a test of their unwavering determination, and even those who were likely to retreat initially pushed through, resulting in an even higher death rate."

"Just as I was about to cancel this voice prompt, the mastermind behind it all appeared, and I didn't have a chance to make any adjustments."

"This voice prompt hadn't sounded in a long time. The mastermind needed more Immortal Emperors as nourishment, and he didn't want to see a high death rate from the Immortal Emperor Tribulation. So, many heavenly treasures for tribulation crossing appeared, including a way for everyone to become an Immortal Emperor through a certain rule, which would significantly reduce the mortality rate of the Immortal Emperor Tribulation."

"By using a clever method, he could have more Immortal Emperors."

"Although it's like forcing the growth of seedlings, the mastermind wanted to ensure the strength of each Immortal Emperor. Weak ones wouldn't be useful to him, so he set a rule that only one Immortal Emperor could exist for each rule."

"This way, he reduced the death rate of the Immortal Emperor Tribulation, increased the number of Immortal Emperors, and ensured their strength."

"All these are just underhanded methods."

". . ."

Chen Qiu looked up at the tribulation clouds gathering overhead and suddenly spoke up, "It seems like his Heavenly Dao is much more professional than yours. At least these measures seem far more effective than your voice prompt."

"Hehe."

July Cat, who had been explaining, suddenly let out a cold laugh upon hearing this, "Are you talking nonsense? We're on the same side, aren't we?"

"And I do have compassion for the people, so I didn't resort to these underhanded methods. He doesn't care about that; all his measures are to make people stronger and then use them as nourishment."

"I know."

Chen Qiu calmly nodded, "What I mean is, his entire process, like gaining an entry for breaking through a realm or entering a mystic realm, actually creates many fair competition opportunities. He provides everyone with a path to rise."

"His purpose is undoubtedly wrong and misguided."

"But his methods are indeed professional and suitable for most people."

"For many, enhancing their strength is the most crucial thing. You care about the lives of the people, but they care more about their future."

"Did everyone in the Nanong Continent, where you were before, have the chance to rise from the bottom?"

"Well..."

July Cat hesitated for a long time before shaking her head, "Impossible. An ordinary person would struggle to obtain even the most basic Cultivation Pills, let alone have the opportunity to rise. During our time, cultivation talent was essential. Without it, one couldn't hope to cultivate immortality."

"Factors like talent and family background determined how far one could go."

"That's right."

Chen Qiu spoke softly, "So, although this mastermind is our common enemy, we must admit that there's much we can learn from him. If I had crossed over to the Nanong Continent, I doubt I could have achieved my current position."

"In a way."

"He created a utopian world."

"In this world, everyone has a chance to rise from the bottom, no matter how slim. As long as the opportunity exists, even if the path is narrow, the world is still moving forward."

"What do you mean?" July Cat furrowed her brows, "Why are you talking about this right before your Immortal Emperor Tribulation?"

"What I mean is..."

Chen Qiu paused before continuing, "If we ultimately win, perhaps we can continue his system."

"Hmm..."

July Cat pondered, "That's not impossible. If you succeed, the power of entries in this world will be permanently passed down. Mystic Realms and Heavenly Dao Proclamations will still exist."

"But I still don't understand why you're saying this at such a critical moment."

"Just some thoughts."

Chen Qiu slowly twirled the Heaven's Wisdom Umbrella in his hand, gazing at the fully formed tribulation clouds and the impending first tribulation lightning, and he smiled lightly, "This mastermind must have come from a poor background."

"He clearly understands that the poor would rather fight for a chance in a relatively fair environment, even if it means death, than live a miserable life without any hope of improvement."

"Hence, the creation of mystic realms."

"He knows that the poor need a bit of luck to change their fate."

"That's why he made it so that a random entry is drawn for each major realm breakthrough."

"I have to admit I'm a bit impressed by him. If we weren't enemies, we might have been good friends."

"On the other hand, your Heavenly Dao, while seemingly compassionate, is ineffective and hasn't positively impacted the continent's development."

"Hey! Hey! Hey!!!" July Cat, almost on the verge of a breakdown, looked at Chen Qiu in disbelief and shouted, "What are you talking about? Who's side are you on?"

At that moment—

A voice suddenly echoed in their ears.

"Is that what you truly think?"

A black mist, shrouded by a cloak, hovered above them, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

Upon seeing this person, July Cat's mouth snapped shut, and without hesitation, she dove into Chen Qiu's Daoist robe, clearly terrified.

The figure in black stared at Chen Qiu, his voice devoid of emotion, "Did you speak those words because you knew I was here, or do you genuinely think that way?"

His face was hidden.

No limbs were visible, only the black mist swirling beneath the cloak and the oppressive aura emanating from him.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end