Chapter 161: If He Wanted, He Could Swallow the Moonwatching Continent in One Bite
Zhang Yan, with his head full of white hair, looked at Zhao Ci and spoke earnestly, "The Moonwatching Continent has no future. The Demora Clan is unstoppable. You’d be better off becoming my disciple and joining the Canglan World."
"Senior, I swore when I was young that I would never take a master, and if I ever did, it would only be the greatest—the Faceless Sword God!" Zhao Ci's eyes were firm.
He had grown up hearing stories of the Faceless Sword God and deeply admired the legendary figure who had turned the tide of battle, single-handedly fighting three thousand extraterrestrial demons.
"Hmph!" Zhang Yan snorted coldly. "You’re short-sighted. The Moonwatching Continent's Dao is flawed; its strongest figures barely reach the Nascent Soul stage. The Faceless Sword God, no matter how powerful, was just an exceptional Nascent Soul cultivator. But I, in this lifetime, have hopes of reaching the Nascent Soul stage. If that so-called Faceless Sword God were to stand before me, what could he do against one of my primal spirit abilities?"
Zhao Ci remained silent. He knew he couldn't convince Zhang Yan otherwise.
"Oh, by the way, your third brother tried to secretly meet this so-called Blood-robed Sword God, but Hu Mang turned him into a human swine," Zhang Yan said lightly.
Zhao Ci’s hand froze, and the water in the basin rippled. It was as if a layer of mist clouded his vision.
His third brother... a righteous man, always willing to help others, who used to take him horseback riding as a child. Now, he had been mutilated, with his hands and feet severed, his eyes gouged out, his vocal cords pierced, and his ears punctured.
How could he not be filled with anger?
"My patience is limited. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer within three days, you might end up like your third brother," Zhang Yan said coldly.
He was tired of reasoning with this native of the Moonwatching Continent.
...
In the sky above, a flash of blood-red light streaked across.
Qi Yuan and his party of four landed on the city wall outside the capital of Chuang Kingdom.
Within moments, several terrifying auras approached.
Qi Yuan looked over and saw several Nascent Soul cultivators from the Canglan World.
Lazily, he said, "Where is the Demora Clan’s military camp? My sword is eager to strike."
At that moment, Zhang Yan stepped forward, a respectful smile on his face. "You must be the Blood-robed Sword God. I am Zhang Yan, the elder brother of Lady Mir, a messenger under the command of Sovereign Ye Qiong."
Qi Yuan paused, surprised.
Mir? Wasn't that the arrogant woman who had blocked his path to threaten him on the way to annihilate the Palace of Light, whom he had killed with a single strike?
Her brother?
Qi Yuan's expression grew peculiar—should he kill him?
But then he remembered that families shouldn’t be implicated for the actions of one member, so his killing intent faded.
He didn’t like the idea of exterminating entire families.
He also found it strange that Zhang Yan, knowing he had killed his sister, didn’t seem angry at all. Could it be... that Zhang Yan was a man of high morals and reason?
But then he quickly realized that the Moonwatching Continent's entrance opened only rarely. Zhang Yan had likely entered the continent a year before, so news of Qi Yuan killing Mir and destroying the Palace of Light hadn’t reached him yet., I just want to kill the Demora Clan. Give me the location, and I'll handle it," Qi Yuan said seriously.
He wanted to leave quickly, fearing that staying too long around Zhang Yan would tempt him to eliminate him.
"Senior, we can handle the Demora Clan ourselves. Please, attend to other matters," Zhang Yan said, raising his tone slightly. "We are here under the orders of Sovereign Ye Qiong, so we ask for your understanding."
He only regarded the Blood-robed Sword God as an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, so his respect was limited.
If he had known that Qi Yuan had destroyed the Palace of Light and understood Qi Yuan's personality—or insanity—he wouldn't have spoken so brazenly.
"I’m naturally inclined to help others, and besides, the Moonwatching Continent is my home. I can’t rely solely on others to protect it; I must do my part as its master," Qi Yuan said politely, remembering he had killed Zhang Yan's sister and trying to be courteous.
Zhang Yan’s smile deepened. "Your Majesty, please explain whether we need their help."
The man in the dragon robe was old, frail, and had a look of helplessness in his eyes. He finally spoke, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but we can handle the Demora Clan ourselves."
Beside him, Zhao Ci felt a pang of disappointment, and the girl’s face also darkened visibly.
Zhang Yan smiled. "Blood-robed Sword God, Senior, please leave now."
Qi Yuan glanced at the old emperor. "If you’re being threatened, just blink."
The old emperor was startled. Normally, he blinked frequently, and hearing this, he blinked a few times.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan’s expression turned to rage. "How dare you threaten the emperor!"
Instantly, Qi Yuan’s anger was directed at the dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators present.
Before, they might have been formidable opponents, but now, to him, they were nothing.
Qi Yuan’s sudden outburst shocked everyone present.
Even True Lord Dazhi couldn’t help but say, "According to my studies of the law, threatening the emperor is a crime punishable by death for nine generations. Oh dear, your mothers... are gone."
The Nascent Soul cultivators’ expressions shifted.
Zhang Yan, trying to maintain control, repeated, "Blood-robed Sword God, Senior, we are here under the orders of Sovereign Ye Qiong. Please reconsider!"
"True Lord Dazhi said that threatening the emperor is a crime punishable by death for nine generations. Your sister is Sovereign Ye Qiong's servant, and Sovereign Ye Qiong is barely part of your nine generations, so he’s in trouble too," Qi Yuan said, pressing his advantage.
He finally had a reason to convict Sovereign Ye Qiong.
This put him squarely on the moral high ground.
Qi Yuan’s words made the Nascent Soul cultivators’ faces pale. They couldn’t understand what he meant, but they all felt that this man was bold to the point of madness.
However, despite their discomfort, they didn’t dare confront a Nascent Soul cultivator head-on.
"Senior, we’re not stopping you from killing the Demora Clan. It’s just that... Senior, you’re already a Nascent Soul cultivator. If you recklessly slaughter the Demora Clan here, their Nascent Soul cultivators will likely come to hunt you down. You should be careful!" Zhang Yan said, subtly threatening him.
"Don’t change the subject. Death for nine generations, execution! Execution!" Qi Yuan shouted, his voice thunderous.
He drew his blood-red sword, its killing aura soaring.
Zhang Yan’s face turned grim. "Senior, are you serious?"
[This is a somewhat mysterious woman, her cultivation at the Yin God stage, having taken the first step of the Heaven Traversal Path.]
With this information confirmed, Qi Yuan realized that this Yin God was not from the Moonwatching Continent but from the Canglan World.
"Who are you, an Eastern Earth Sovereign? What do you want from me?" Qi Yuan asked.
The white-clad woman looked at Qi Yuan and shook her head. "I am not an Eastern Earth Sovereign. I’ve come to persuade you to stop killing the Demora Clan."
"Oh?" Qi Yuan was intrigued, growing more curious about the woman’s identity.
To be honest, this was the first Immortal he had encountered.
"On the Moonwatching Continent, there are five Immortals within the Demora Clan, two of whom have reached the second step of the Heaven Traversal Path. If you continue to slaughter the Demora Clan, they will eventually notice you. It won’t be long before they emerge to hunt you down," the white-clad woman explained, her voice calm.
Qi Yuan remained confident. "When they do show up, we'll see who hunts whom!"
By that time, he would have fully regained control over the Dao of the Moonwatching Continent. His power would soar, and he doubted that those five Immortals could defeat him.
Not to mention that by then, his spiritual energy might be fully restored, and he still had his stellar core.
The white-clad woman’s face remained impassive. "You are indeed strong, but facing those five Immortals... the outcome is uncertain."
"I have confidence in myself."
The white-clad woman sighed softly. "I see... why does this matter concern you?" Qi Yuan asked.
He didn’t believe that an Immortal would care so much about him for no reason.
"I snuck into this realm to accomplish something important," the white-clad woman said. "If you keep provoking those five Immortals, it might ruin my plans."
"Well, I apologize for that," Qi Yuan replied sincerely.
The white-clad woman looked at him for a long time before finally speaking again. "Do you know about the impending calamity?"
"I know a little," Qi Yuan admitted.
In truth, he knew next to nothing.
"The Great Catastrophe is coming. Even we Immortals might not survive. Even if we escape to the Moonwatching Continent, it will only buy us some time before our cultivation is severely reduced," the white-clad woman lamented, her voice tinged with worry about the future.
"Go on," Qi Yuan encouraged.
"Currently, I’ve found a way to escape from the Canglan World, to completely avoid the calamity. If you’re willing to help me with one task, I’m willing to share that path with you," the white-clad woman offered sincerely.
She didn’t trust any of the Immortals from the Canglan World, not even the Blood-robed Sword God. But since he was rampaging through the Moonwatching Continent, endangering her plans, she had no choice but to reveal herself.
Qi Yuan furrowed his brow. "Is the Great Catastrophe that powerful?"
The white-clad woman nodded. "If It wished, It could swallow the Moonwatching Continent in one bite."
She didn’t mention the latter part.
The Dao of the Moonwatching Continent was flawed, making it an easy target. If the Dao were intact, even the strongest beings would struggle to consume it. Only a lower-level world’s Dao might be within reach of ordinary Immortals, while stronger Dao might even baffle the likes of a Yang God.
Qi Yuan was taken aback. "It’s that strong!"
The Moonwatching Continent was vast, at least as large as several kingdoms combined. To think that it could be swallowed in one bite! This was beyond Qi Yuan's comprehension.
His confidence was momentarily shaken.
"If It’s that strong, could It swallow the sun as well?" Qi Yuan asked, his voice hesitant.
If the being was powerful enough to devour the sun, then he was definitely not ready to face it.
A being that strong was beyond his understanding.
The white-clad woman chuckled at the notion. "Are you joking? A being capable of reflecting the myriad realms, at least at the level of a Great Sovereign, couldn’t possibly devour the sun."
Qi Yuan felt relieved hearing that.
But he still harbored some anxiety.
After all, his stellar core was in another universe. When would he be able to bring it here?
"The Great Catastrophe is only a few centuries away. You should start preparing to leave this realm, or else... well," the white-clad woman sighed again.
"Could the Great Catastrophe arrive sooner?" Qi Yuan asked.
"No," the white-clad woman replied with certainty. "It’s in a state of stupor."
Qi Yuan’s sense of urgency lessened once more. "That’s good. A few hundred years should be enough time for my stellar core to devour a few more stars, and by then, my daughter might have even surpassed me in power. I’m not worried!"
The white-clad woman furrowed her brow.
She had heard that the Blood-robed Sword God was a bit mad, but she had hoped it was just a temporary condition. To her dismay, he seemed to approach even such a critical matter as the Great Catastrophe with nonchalance and madness.
This was a catastrophe that threatened the entire Canglan World, and here he was, treating it so lightly.
"Are you sure you won’t cooperate with me to leave this realm?" the white-clad woman asked again, seeking confirmation.
"The Canglan World is my second home, and the Moonwatching Continent is my third home. I have no plans to leave for now," Qi Yuan replied earnestly.
The white-clad woman’s face showed a trace of disappointment. "If that’s your choice, then please proceed cautiously. Try to avoid revealing your Immortal-level power too soon."
"Alright," Qi Yuan agreed. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Senior, may I ask you a question?"
It was rare to encounter an Immortal, so he wanted to gather as much information as possible.
"Oh?"
"Well... I’m a Dao Foundation cultivator using the Dao of the Moonwatching Continent as my foundation. If I fully reclaim this Dao, how powerful would I be?"
The white-clad woman’s expression grew peculiar. "I’ve never heard of such a Dao Foundation. But... any Dao that is born within a world requires at least a Great Sovereign to contend with it. Even a small world’s Dao cannot be easily manipulated by ordinary Immortal Sovereigns—it takes a Great Sovereign. Worlds vary in power, and so do Great Sovereigns. Not all of them can control a world’s Dao. Some powerful world Daos are beyond even the reach of a Yang God."
Qi Yuan was stunned and eagerly asked, "So how strong would I be?"
The white-clad woman smiled wryly. "That’s something I can’t tell you."