I Can Strengthen Infinitely

"Who will open it?" Soul Chaser and the others exchanged glances.

In the end, one Grandmaster could no longer hold back and reached out to touch the Heavenly Gate.

Buzz!

A low hum rang out; that person felt a surge flood his entire body, a thrilling sensation rising from the base of his spine up to the crown of his head.

His soul was utterly refreshed!

Just in that instant, this man went from Three Qi Facing the Origin to Five Qi Facing the Origin, Great Perfection. He was now but a single step away from the Three Flowers at the Top Realm.

The wonders of the Immortal Realm—truly incredible.

Excited, he pushed open the door, intending to step inside at once.

But right then, an accident occurred.

Bam!

The Heavenly Gate blasted open with a thunderous crash. The Grandmaster had no time to react as the gate rammed into him; his body shattered like a fragile mosquito, blood spraying everywhere.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The Heavenly Gate was opened again from within, and out walked an old man in black robes, a goat-like beard hanging from his chin.

"What place is this... Hm! Such thick miasma—this is... the mortal world!" Light flickered in the old man’s eyes.

The sudden, brutal death of their comrade left Soul Chaser’s group dumbfounded. None had imagined such a pitiful way to die.

"In the Immortal Realm, I am steeped in evil, hunted by all the immortals. But here in this world, I can breathe free." The old man let out a sinister cackle, then lowered his gaze to fix upon Soul Chaser and the others.

The moment his eyes landed on them, Soul Chaser’s group each felt a shudder go through them.

They knew full well that the old man’s gaze brimmed with malice—a clear sign he harbored evil intentions for them.

"Run!"

Without hesitation, regardless of whether fleeing from an immortal could ever succeed, none of them wished to die.

Staying meant certain death.

But could they escape so easily? Clearly not.

"Though your bodies are inferior to those of rogue immortals, they will suffice for my purposes." With a flick of his skeletal, skinny hand, the old man summoned a palm-sized black triangular banner.

This triangular banner exuded chilling Yin energy and vibrant green fumes. Its surface was marked with a skull, a sure sign of a demonic treasure.

With another wave, a torrent of ghostly spirits howled from within the banner, surging forth in a storm of Yin energy toward the fleeing Grandmasters.

The speed of those wraiths was tremendous, beyond belief.

In mere breaths—swish, swish, swish!

The ghosts drove themselves straight into the bodies of Soul Chaser and his fellow Grandmasters.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah~!"

Several agonized screams erupted as the Grandmasters, powerless to resist, curled into themselves and writhed on the ground like insects.

Their bodies shriveled rapidly, faces gaunt as bone, hair falling out, their skin turning a faint shade of blue.

"Uh!" "Uh!" "Uh!"

One after another, living corpses crawled up from the ground, their eyes dull and lifeless, no trace of spiritual qi remaining—they were now mere walking dead.

They had become puppets of that triangular banner.

"Come, come, come." With a wave of his hand, the old man summoned his new puppets, and the Grandmasters walked over like marionettes on strings.

This must be the mightiest puppet procession in all the world.

Gathering all his puppets into the triangular banner, the old man soared away atop rolling black clouds, vanishing from the scene.

...

When Qin Yuesheng returned to Chang’an, he learned that Sanhuang had already pacified the rebel forces in the east. Now, only the northern rebels remained, and those were beset by attacks from spirit beasts, barely able to fend for themselves—hardly a threat to the stability of the realm. It seemed Sanhuang’s power had reached unprecedented unity.

Upon arriving in Chang’an, Qin Yuesheng immediately reported all that had happened in the Northern Desert to Sanhuang, instructing him to gather martial artists and form an army comprised solely of them, using the northern front as a line of defense to block any spirit beast from entering the heartlands of the Central Plains.

But this alone was not enough. Qin Yuesheng had heard from Qin Killer that, beyond the Heavenly Gate, there might be other immortals yet to come; the mortal world was not as it once was.

Qin Yuesheng had to prepare, lest one day he be threatened again like by Wu’an Monarch.

"I must quickly achieve Great Perfection of the Three Flowers at the Top Realm. Only then can I truly fight an immortal," Qin Yuesheng thought to himself.

Once he reached Three Flowers at the Top, he could refine the Time Holy Wheel; at that point, his power would skyrocket, beyond imagination—like a rocket’s ascent.

"Good flowers, evil flowers—all must be understood. It appears I must venture beyond the Nine Provinces."

Qin Yuesheng ordered Qin Killer to stay behind and protect Sanhuang. With a simple farewell, he departed the Central Plains alone, heading for the westernmost edge—toward lands beyond the Nine Provinces.

Beyond the Nine Provinces, to many martial artists—including the former Qin Yuesheng—had always been a territory of peril.

Strange monsters lurked there, and events of madness defied all reason.

In the study hall of Qin Mansion, Qin Yuesheng had read many chronicles that described the dangers to the west and north of the Nine Provinces.

Bai Yue Sword Saint had even gone in person to the Northern Desert—and no news of him ever came back.

Qin Yuesheng’s current strength was such that not even ten Bai Yue Sword Saints combined could match him; with such might, venturing beyond the Nine Provinces would pose little threat.

As if traversing worlds in a single stride, Qin Yuesheng sped along at incredible speed. In only a few hours, he reached the western border—the wild, desolate mountains.

On the far side of the range, mist curled, thunder rolled—a warning to all not to enter lightly.

Standing atop a peak, his robes snapping in the wind, Qin Yuesheng exhaled, then tapped his toes and sprang forward, quickly vanishing into the endless banks of mist.

Inside the clouds, visibility was near zero. Nothing could be seen. With a clap of his hands, Qin Yuesheng sent out a mighty gust, scattering much of the fog and exposing the hidden scenery beneath.

Towering peaks rose to the heavens; atop each, bizarre stone formations abounded. Under the flashing, crackling thunderbolts, all appeared strange and menacing.

"Hmm, not as dangerous as I imagined," Qin Yuesheng mused, dropping onto one of the peaks and scanning the area.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Qin Yuesheng produced the Sky Demon Tiger Saber and pressed onward.

Just then, a bolt of lightning shot out, aimed straight at his back.

Qin Yuesheng’s reflexes were unrivaled. Instantly, he turned and slashed behind him, striking the source dead-on.

"Ah!" The monster shrieked, cut down at once by Qin Yuesheng—defeated without the slightest resistance.