Chapter 210 - 144: "With Full Force, Annihilate the Mortal Realm.
"..."
Shao Qiu sat at the foot of the City Wall, staring blankly for a long while at the deep pit in the rock face across from him before he spoke softly, "Qi Yue, I want to try and see if I can kill you."
"Can you let me try to assassinate you, just once? I want to see how good your defenses are."
"Don’t worry, I’ll hold back."
Qi Yue stood his ground, his expression indifferent. He didn’t say a word, didn’t respond, and didn’t even glance at Shao Qiu, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
"Hey."
Shao Qiu said with a hint of annoyance, "I’m talking to you. Can you stop with the cold and aloof act? A little while ago, you were screaming your head off when the Domain Lord had a cannon pointed at your face. Now you’re back to playing it cool."
"Everyone heard it, you know."
"..."
The corner of Qi Yue’s mouth twitched. His expression soured, unable to keep his composure. "You can try, but I won’t be holding back."
"Fine, it’s a deal. I promise I won’t use poison, you can count on that."
"And one more thing—"
Shao Qiu glanced up at Chen Fan, who was lost in thought on the City Wall behind them, and lowered his voice. "I heard you reached the Martial King realm through Tenfold Body Tempering. I want to do that, too."
"You?"
Qi Yue shook his head. "You’re not a Demon Cultivator, so you can’t use the Ten Thousand Swords Heart Slaying Body Tempering. If you take a Martial King Pill the normal way, the most you can achieve is Ninety-nine Percent Body Tempering."
"I have my own method. I’m planning on using the Ten Thousand Poisons Body Devouring Body Tempering. That can also lead to Tenfold Body Tempering, but it’s supposed to be... painful. I’m worried I might not be able to last. I wanted to ask you how you managed it."
"Conviction."
Qi Yue’s usual cold and aloof demeanor returned, his expression impassive.
"The moment you worry you can’t endure it, you’ve already failed."
"I’ve never heard of the Ten Thousand Poisons Body Devouring Body Tempering, but I’m sure the pain is no less than what I went through with my Demon Cultivator Body Tempering. The process is excruciatingly long. To make it through, you first need an incredibly high tolerance for pain."
"And... an unshakable conviction."
"A conviction you’re willing to die for."
"My conviction is revenge."
"Until I see it through, I will not die. I *cannot* die."
"I have my own conviction, too," Shao Qiu said, his face serious. "I want to make a name for myself. I want more people to know who I am. That’s my conviction."
"..."
Qi Yue turned to glance at Shao Qiu. "Deceiving yourself like that is just a way to talk yourself into suicide. That conviction is too weak; it won’t be enough to get you through Tenfold Body Tempering. There was once a Demon Cultivator who also wanted to achieve it."
"His conviction was a woman."
"He swore on his life that he would achieve Tenfold Body Tempering for a woman. He thought his conviction was unshakable."
"But unfortunately, his conviction wasn’t as strong as he believed. In the end, his Body Tempering failed, and his body exploded, killing him."
"This conviction isn’t weak to me," Shao Qiu insisted, his face a mask of earnestness.
"Even if that’s the case, you still need an immense tolerance for pain. I comprehended the Bamboo Slices left behind by a senior in the Yunling Pavilion. My meridians were shattered by Sword Qi over and over again, and that’s how I built my tolerance. Your body is too weak. You won’t be able to handle it. Normal injuries won’t do anything to increase your pain tolerance."
"You don’t have to worry about that."
Shao Qiu grinned. "I endured countless hardships before I turned seventeen, and during my first few years at the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land. When it comes to suffering, I might even have you beat."
Qi Yue stood in silence.
He had said all that needed to be said.
Everyone has their own destiny.
’He had no interest in hearing Shao Qiu’s story. Everyone has their own story. Each one just as exciting, and just as dull. They were all more or less the same. No real difference.’
...
Night fell, and an eternal darkness enveloped the continent. This was the world of the Ghost Objects.
’Mortal Realm...’
’What an arrogant name for a faction. Could it be a remnant from the Ancient Times?’
In the darkness, a shadowy figure sat upon a throne, a single hand propping up his chin in thought as his scarlet pupils flashed. He had never heard this faction’s name in the fragmented pages of the Ancient Texts, nor did he know what had truly transpired on the Ancient Battlefield.
He had no idea.
Ever since the Ghost King he had recently taken under his command died in the Jiangbei Wilderness, he had been continuously sending Fake Human Ghosts into Jiangbei to gather intelligence on the Mortal Realm. He had managed to learn some general information. The Mortal Realm was situated within Nameless Mountain, the former residence of "That One."
Its main City Defense Buildings consisted of over a hundred Level 5 Cannon Towers.
It also possessed a Nine-Five Dragon Carriage, a Vehicle capable of deploying a Heaven and Earth Chessboard for air-to-ground attacks. However, the cost of using it must be immense, as aside from the time it annihilated the Pill Sect, the Mortal Realm had not been seen using it since.
The camp likely had several Level 6 Cannon Towers as well.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to kill a Ghost King.
Just then—
A voice echoed from the depths of the darkened hall. "My King, when the next rainy season comes, I will personally lead a team to Jiangbei and annihilate the Mortal Realm."
"No..."
The shadow on the throne softly rejected the proposal. "This Mortal Realm is... odd. It rose to prominence during this rainy season, constructing over a hundred cannon towers in less than a month. That level of productivity far surpasses that of an ordinary Architect."
’They most likely inherited some kind of treasure.’
"Jiangbei was a major battlefield in the Ancient Times; it’s not surprising that something was left behind."
"We cannot afford to be careless."
"Besides—"
"Your power is a bit greater than the one who died, but not by much. If you go, you’ll likely die as well."
"The aura left behind by That One won’t last for more than a few years."
"We must have everything prepared within those few years. Otherwise, when the Undersea Ghost Tide makes landfall, the consequences will be more than either of us can bear."
At this, the shadow on the throne couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.
’That is the true Ghost Tide.’
’The true Ghosts.’
After a long pause, he spoke, his voice hoarse.
"We have lingered near Jiangbei for so long with only one objective. After the aura left by That One vanishes, but before the Undersea Ghost Tide makes landfall, we must be the first to set foot in Jiangbei."