Chapter 344 - 319: Became a Monk?
Led by Zhao Jia, the fifty Rapidly Cultivated Yang Gods erupted with Pure Yang Dao Rhyme, transforming into fifty scorching miniature suns. The blazing light instantly engulfed Zhao Xuanji and his remaining Emperor Dragon Qi!
"How dare you—!!!"
Zhao Xuanji’s eyes were practically splitting with fury and shock. The fading Dragon Qi and remnant Heaven and Earth Dao Rhyme around him surged wildly as he tried to resist.
He was at the Peak of Yang God, after all. When he unleashed his full power, his might was still astonishing.
A condensed, pale golden draconic Qi Force roared out to meet the first few attacks from the Yang Gods.
However, he was hopelessly outnumbered.
Especially when it was fifty against one!
Although the individual Cultivation of these Rapidly Cultivated Yang Gods was slightly inferior.
But Qi Yun had used the Dao Heart Demon Seed Secret Technique to secretly plant seeds of absolute loyalty within them, allowing their minds to be faintly connected.
Furthermore, through long-term training, they had polished their coordinated attack techniques.
Striking at this moment, their assault wasn’t chaotic. Instead, they vaguely formed an array as their Pure Yang Powers linked together, creating a colossal golden net that blotted out the sky and incinerated all things, descending right upon Zhao Xuanji!
"BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!"
Pure Yang flames and Emperor Dragon Qi violently collided and annihilated each other.
Zhao Xuanji charged left and right, his draconic Qi Force tearing apart several Pure Yang Chains. A phantom of the heirloom Jade Seal appeared in his palm, mobilizing his remaining National Fortune to suppress his surroundings.
For a moment, he even managed to repel several Yang Gods in close combat, displaying his profound foundation and the will to fight to the death.
But the disparity was simply too great.
The fifty Yang Gods were like tireless, absolutely obedient killing machines, their attacks a relentless tide.
Every time Zhao Xuanji repelled one, two more would take their place. Every Pure Yang Chain he tore apart was replaced by even more chains entangling him.
His Dragon Qi was rapidly depleting. The lingering Heaven and Earth Dao Rhyme was continuously burned away by the Pure Yang flames. His Bright Yellow Dragon Robe was charred and tattered in many places, and blood with a faint golden sheen trickled from the corner of his mouth.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhao Xuanji was already disheveled, his aura weak. The Dragon Qi around him had grown so faint it was nearly transparent, and the phantom Jade Seal was now covered in cracks.
His Cultivation, after all, had been forcibly raised by the [Will of Heaven].
Although his Cultivation was higher than Zhao Jia’s and the others’, he was far too inexperienced in both combat and strategy.
"PFFT—!"
Zhao Jia seized an opening, and a Pure Yang Fist Seal, condensed to the point of being tangible, slammed viciously into Zhao Xuanji’s back.
Zhao Xuanji’s body convulsed. He staggered forward as his Protective Dragon Qi completely disintegrated.
In the next instant, several Pure Yang Chains coiled around him like venomous pythons, tightly binding his limbs and neck.
Searing Pure Yang Power invaded his Divine Mansion, sealing away the last dregs of his strength to resist.
Zhao Xuanji was bound in mid-air, unable to struggle. He could only manage to lift his head, his bloodshot eyes staring death at Qi Yun, who had been calmly observing the battle from a distance.
His eyes were filled with boundless hatred, regret, and the tragic unwillingness of a dying emperor to accept his fate.
Qi Yun met his gaze, his expression devoid of joy or sorrow, his eyes as indifferent as if looking at an object about to shatter.
He gave Zhao Jia an imperceptible nod.
Understanding, Zhao Jia stepped forward. He reached out his fan-sized hand and, reflected in Zhao Xuanji’s wide, terrified, and despairing eyes, firmly gripped his neck.
There were no unnecessary words.
Only a clear and cruel—
"CRACK!"
The crisp sound of breaking bones was exceptionally piercing above the ruins, which had fallen deathly silent after the high-level battle.
Zhao Xuanji’s body suddenly stiffened. The light in his eyes extinguished as quickly as a candle in the wind, and his head lolled to one side at an unnatural angle.
The last wisp of pale golden Dragon Qi around him let out a mournful cry and completely dissipated.
The cracked phantom of the Jade Seal also shattered into motes of light with a POP.
The Great Cang Emperor had fallen.
Zhao Jia expressionlessly released his grip. The body, still clad in its tattered Dragon Robe, fell like a puppet with its strings cut, landing on the scorched, frozen earth with a dull thud.
Qi Yun’s gaze didn’t even linger on the corpse for a second.
He calmly raised his eyes, his gaze leaping over the ruins to the Celestial Vault far above.
At this moment, the scene in the Celestial Vault was far more breathtaking than the one below.
Shattered gold and azure light had completely mingled, transforming into a bizarre and chaotic vortex that covered tens of thousands of miles of the firmament.
The vortex spun slowly and terrifyingly. With each rotation, the very ground of the Cangque Realm trembled slightly, and the strings of cosmic law groaned as if under an unbearable weight.
This fierce battle was not one that could be decided in an instant.
Suns rose and moons set; stars shifted in their courses.
For ten full days and nights.
For those ten days, the celestial phenomena of the entire Cangque Realm were in complete disarray. Stars could be seen flashing during the day, while the nights were as bright as the polar day.
「Until dawn on the eleventh day.」
The vast, chaotic vortex high in the sky suddenly contracted inward!
An incomparably condensed essence of shattered-gold divine light brazenly pierced through the final layers of azure brilliance, shooting down from the vortex’s core!
The divine light was so fast it tore through space, arriving before Qi Yun in an instant.
Qi Yun’s pupils contracted, but he did not dodge.
Because he sensed the familiar aura of Desolate Halberd True Monarch within it.
The moment the condensed divine light touched his palm, its brilliance abruptly receded.
It finally transformed into a filament as fine as a hair, about three inches long and a noble purple, which gently coiled around his index finger.
The purple filament was cool to the touch yet heavy as a mountain, and it emanated an indescribable Supreme Dao Rhyme.
Almost at the same time, Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s voice—slightly weary but still domineering—rang directly in his ear, with only a single word:
"Go!"
Qi Yun’s Heart and Spirit trembled as he understood instantly.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took one last look at the tumultuous land of Cang Que, which was still trembling slightly under the aftershocks from the Celestial Vault.
He took a step forward, pouring his Magical Power into the [Six Realms Heaven] he held without reservation.
"VMMMM—!"
An unprecedentedly brilliant, deep-blue light flared. A stable and profound homeward passage instantly opened before him. From the end of the passage, he could faintly sense the familiar, vast aura of the Profound Yellow Realm.
He activated the [Six Realms Heaven].
Qi Yun gave a sharp flick of his sleeve.
The fifty Yang Gods, including Zhao Jia, who stood solemnly behind him, were instantly swept up and temporarily sealed within the Daluo Realm Heaven.
Then, his figure transformed into a Flowing Light and plunged into the deep-blue passage without a second thought.
The passage flashed with light, then rapidly shrank and closed.
Finally, it vanished completely from above the scorched ruins.
The cold wind wailed, kicking up dust from the scorched earth.
Upon the ruins, only Zhao Xuanji remained, his imperial crown askew, his Dragon Robe stained with dust, his vacant, gray eyes staring straight ahead...
...
「Wuji Holy Sect Forbidden Ground, Cross-Boundary Ancient Array Platform.」
A deep-blue radiance suddenly flared, illuminating the area.
The light flowed like mercury, spinning rapidly in the center of the array platform before contracting.
At last, it revealed a tall and straight, deep-blue figure who looked slightly travel-worn.
Qi Yun stood in the center of the array platform, the familiar, solid ground of the Profound Yellow Realm beneath his feet.
With every breath, he inhaled the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism, which was far vaster and more majestic than that of the Cangque Realm, and a much better match for his own Dao Foundation.
The omnipresent intent of the Profound Yellow Dao that permeated the air was like a warm tide, gently washing over his slightly weary Divine Soul and physical body.
He gently rubbed his temples, which were slightly sore, and slowly exhaled a long, drawn-out breath of Muddy Qi.
This breath of Muddy Qi seemed to carry a trace of the ashes and smoke from the calamity in the Cangque Realm. Once it was three feet from his body, it was swiftly dissolved by the Profound Yellow Spiritual Mechanism, vanishing without a trace.
The fine lines at the corners of his eyes involuntarily smoothed out and relaxed, revealing a profound sense of relief after having weathered the storm.
"I’m finally... back."
He muttered to himself, his voice echoing softly across the desolate, empty forbidden array platform.
Without much sentimentality, Qi Yun stepped off the array platform.
His body didn’t seem to move, but a clear light flashed beneath his feet. In the next instant, he transformed into a swift yet restrained divine light, tearing through the thin clouds above the forbidden ground and speeding directly Northwest toward his Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.
The cyan mountain was still there, the ancient pines as verdant as ever.
The Spirit Mountain peak where the Daoist Temple was located was wreathed in clouds and mist, with clear springs trickling down. It seemed no different from when he had left.
But when Qi Yun retracted his Escape Light and landed on the platform before the temple—paved with bluestone slabs worn smooth by time—he keenly sensed an unusual silence.
It was too quiet.
Only the rustling of the wind through the pines and the distant tinkling of a spring flowing over rocks could be heard, which only made the silence seem more jarring.
An imperceptible frown touched Qi Yun’s brow.
He didn’t immediately release his Divine Sense to perform a crude sweep. Instead, as if returning home on an ordinary day, he clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked through the temple gate.
Everything inside the Daoist Temple was neat and tidy, not a speck of dust in sight. Clearly, daily maintenance hadn’t stopped; it just lacked a human presence.
He walked to the center of the courtyard and stopped beneath the thousand-year-old plum tree.
An aura belonging to a Foundation Establishment Master—profound and vast, yet naturally blending with the surrounding Heaven and Earth—silently spread out like ripples on water, enveloping the entire Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.
「A few breaths later.」
"SWOOSH—!"
A streak of black light shot out from the depths of the Daoist Temple, fast as lightning, but it came to an abrupt halt just before reaching Qi Yun.
The light receded, revealing a middle-aged man in a black robe. His face was stern, but his eyes held a trace of excitement and reverence.
It was none other than Ling Master, who had been "fished out" from under Black Mountain Master by Bai Yuntian all those years ago and later subdued by Qi Yun.
"My Lord!"
Ling Master landed and immediately bowed deeply, his voice low with excitement.
"You’ve finally returned!"
Qi Yun gave a slight nod, accepting the bow. His gaze swept over the empty courtyard as he asked, "Where are Situ and Wu Changsheng?"
Normally, when he released his aura upon returning, the two of them should have sensed it immediately and rushed to greet him.
Hearing this, the joy on Ling Master’s face faded slightly, replaced by a look of realization and gravity. He hurriedly reported:
"Reporting to my Lord, during the years you were away, a major event occurred outside the Sect. The Nanyin Dynasty is in chaos."
"Nanyin?" Qi Yun raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
"The current Nanyin Emperor suddenly announced he was abdicating to become a monk.
Now the entire Nanyin Dynasty has been transformed into an Earthly Buddha Country.
The south is in complete turmoil now.
Situ and the others all went to watch the show."
"The Nanyin Emperor... became a monk?" Stunned for a moment, Qi Yun’s face showed his surprise.
...