Outside the Qin Residence, Sanyu Stone alley.
Two young men sat atop a massive boulder beneath the shade of a tree, one fat and one thin.
One of them said, “Judging by the time, Qin Huaichong should have succeeded long ago, right? Why hasn’t he come to report yet? I’m nearly bored to death waiting!”
The other said, “That fellow has always been slow and unreliable, but our plan this time was meticulous. There shouldn’t be any possibility of failure. Since Young Master Gu Feng told us to wait for news, let’s be patient a little longer.”
“Did Gu Feng say what we should do if I didn’t die?”
Gu Yi had somehow appeared behind the two men. Although he wore a faint smile, it was cold and sinister, like ice.
“Gu Yi?”
“You useless piece of trash actually survived?”
The two were greatly startled, but their expressions soon returned to normal, and they showed no fear whatsoever.
Although they were collateral-line descendants of the Gu Clan, both possessed the cultivation level of the Fifth Layer of Body Refinement. Naturally, they did not fear the useless Gu Yi.
“Upon seeing your elder brother from the main clan, you do not even offer a greeting. Are the two of you really so lacking in manners?”
“Trash Gu Yi, you bastard born by a mother but raised without one—how dare you put on airs in front of us?”
The two young men burst into unrestrained laughter, their faces filled with contempt.
A curve lifted the corners of Gu Yi’s lips. He moved instantly, seized both of them by the head, and slammed their skulls together with a crack.
Their skulls collapsed, their eyes bulging wide, and both died on the spot.
Gu Yi took a deep breath. To his surprise, a strand of gray mist drilled out of each of their bodies and was drawn into his nostrils.
He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them again. A trace of intoxication flashed across his face.
“Things that have no idea how to die.”
Gu Yi clapped his hands, clasped them behind his back, and slowly departed.
There was a lake south of Dinggong City called Xuanyang Lake.
Gu Yi followed the bustling main street southward through the city, moving slowly like an old man in his twilight years. Before long, he arrived beside the sparsely populated Xuanyang Lake.
It was already evening.
Gu Yi looked up. A full moon hung in the sky, surrounded by countless gleaming stars.
He stared blankly at the stars overhead, and profound, enigmatic light flashed in his eyes.
He was calculating!
After a long while, he exhaled slowly, lowered his head, and said in a deep voice, “If my guess is correct, this is a lower plane within Red Cloud’s star domain.”
Back then, the ten titled supremes divided the vast and boundless star domain into ten portions, each occupying one. Within these star domains were both Higher planes and lower planes.
The continent where Gu Yi was currently located had thin spiritual energy, and the person with the highest cultivation level on the entire continent was no more than at the Manifestation Sage Realm or divine bridge realm. It was undoubtedly a lower plane.
“Red Cloud, once I cultivate back to the Divine Soul Realm, I will come find you and Qingyang for an explanation! That day will not be far away…”
Under the night sky, Xuanyang Lake reflected the moonlight, its surface shimmering with ripples.
Gu Yi stepped toward the lakeshore without stopping. One step after another, he walked into the lake, and the water gradually submerged his body until it covered his head.
Extinction of Vitality!
Under the water, Gu Yi’s eyes shone like stars. He activated one of the arts within the Eastern Imperial Emperor Art. In an instant, endless black aura surged from his body. The black aura spread through the lake in all directions, and wherever it passed, all sorts of fish and crabs died, their corpses floating to the surface.
As those fish and crabs died, each released a tiny strand of gray mist. The black aura swept the mist toward Gu Yi, and with every breath he took, countless strands of gray mist were drawn into his body.
Extinction of Vitality—depriving others of their lives to strengthen his own physical blood-qi power—was Gu Yi’s unique method, the very one that had allowed him to dominate the myriad realms in the past. It was also one of the origins of his title, “Demon Venerable”!
However, his cultivation level was too low now, so the cultivation method could only affect these low-level lifeforms.
In an instant, countless corpses filled the entire Xuanyang Lake. The low-level lifeforms within the lake all became stepping stones on Gu Yi’s path of cultivation.
However, Gu Yi’s cultivation level was far too weak at present, and the area affected by Extinction of Vitality was limited. After absorbing the lives of all the fish and crabs within a certain radius, he had no choice but to change locations and swim elsewhere.
On the eastern side of Xuanyang Lake, two people sat atop a natural boulder. One was an old man with a completely white beard and hair, yet he was spirited and possessed an extraordinary bearing. He held a fishing rod and appeared to be fishing.
Beside the old man sat a beautiful and adorable young girl in the flower of her youth. Her white dress spread across the boulder and swayed gently in the breeze.
Behind them stood a middle-aged man with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore ordinary clothes and had a resolute face. An imposing dignity that inspired awe without anger emanated from him; merely standing there, he was like a mountain or towering peak.
“Great-grandpa, you’re really something. Coming fishing late at night—if you want fish, I’ll take you to the best restaurant in Dinggong City for the freshest fish.” The girl yawned in boredom and looked at the old man with helpless exasperation.
The standing middle-aged man smiled faintly at her words and said, “Miss Xiaoxi, you don’t understand. His excellency the imperial preceptor isn’t fishing to eat fish.”
“If he isn’t fishing to eat, then what is he fishing for?” The girl blinked, clearly puzzled.
The old man smiled faintly and was about to speak when he suddenly felt the fishing rod in his hand sink. Delight appeared on his face, and he abruptly pulled back the Rod and reeled in the line!
“Did something take the bait?” The girl clapped her hands and called out brightly, “Go, great-grandpa!”
The old man was also somewhat excited. Judging from the weight, this fish was not small!
Moreover, this fish was thrashing especially vigorously. Even he, with the cultivation level of the Manifestation Sage Realm, was finding it somewhat difficult to hold on?
He circulated his cultivation method, reinforced his power, and gave a fierce pull, hauling up a huge fish.
At the fishhook, however, the black shadow was as tall as a person. The old man narrowed his eyes. “What kind of fish is this?”
Once the moonlight illuminated it clearly, all three pairs of eyes on the shore revealed astonishment.
Beneath the fishhook, where was there any fish? It was clearly a person!
Gu Yi pulled off the fishhook, looked at the old man, and said coolly, “Old Sir, what refined taste. Unfortunately, your eyesight isn’t very good!”
“Presumptuous!” The mighty burly man shouted and said sternly, “Kneel and apologize!”
Gu Yi glanced at the burly man, let out a derisive laugh, and said indifferently, “In this world, no one is qualified to receive a kneel from me!”
“What an arrogant brat who knows nothing of heaven and earth!” The burly man stomped hard, and his entire body shot toward Gu Yi like a cannonball. Around him materialized a cloud-riding azure dragon, a massive Black Tortoise, and a mighty White Tiger!
The azure dragon soared on the left, the Black Tortoise crawled beneath him, and the White Tiger roared on the right!
Gu Yi’s expression changed. “He’s actually a four symbols realm martial artist?”
Based on his understanding of Dinggong City, the strongest cultivation level in the city should be no higher than the violet palace realm or Embryonic Treasury Realm!
How could there be a four symbols realm expert here?
Moreover, he appeared to be an attendant? What identity did that old man have?
In an instant, thoughts flashed through Gu Yi’s mind like lightning. He had no time to dodge and could only brace himself and raise his fist to meet the attack.
Although the Four Symbols Realm was powerful, in his eyes it was still a weak realm. However, he was currently only at the Ninth Layer of Body Refinement. Fighting a true essence realm martial artist was already defying the heavens; contend with a four symbols realm martial artist was still far too difficult.
Fortunately, he had just absorbed the lives of many fish, in addition to those two collateral-line clan members he had encountered upon leaving the Qin Residence. His blood-qi power had been greatly enhanced. Resisting one move from a four symbols realm martial artist was therefore not entirely impossible!
The burly man thrust out his right fist. Accompanied by the White Tiger’s earth-shaking roar, the attack came with tremendous force, whipping up violent winds that uprooted willow trees and churned the lake into enormous waves!
Gu Yi faced him with cold eyes. His right fist collided head-on with the burly man’s fist, while his left hand formed a strange hand seal and struck the crown of the White Tiger’s head, which existed between illusion and reality!
Boom!
Gu Yi staggered backward several steps before finally dispelling the force of the other party’s punch.
The burly man stared in shock at his own fist, then looked toward the White Tiger. The White Tiger had completely lost its former ferocity; it sat obediently on the ground, both startled and frightened!
The burly man: “…”
The old man: “…”
The girl: “…”
They had never seen or heard of such a thing before. It was simply too bizarre!
The old man gave a light cough and said, “Liu Fang, stand down.”
The burly man withdrew his cultivation method, bowed, and retreated to one side.
The old man looked at Gu Yi, his eyes filled with astonishment. “In my more than one hundred years of life, this is the first time I’ve seen someone cross four major realms and resist an undamaged opponent head-on. What surprises me most is that you actually subdued the Four Symbols! Little friend of the body refinement realm, you are quite impressive!”
Gu Yi shook his numb, aching right hand and gave a bitter smile, thinking, “Unfortunately, all the blood-qi power I absorbed just now was exhausted by that exchange. Still, it’s fortunate he did not fully unleash the strength of the Four Symbols Realm. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome…”
He approached the group and said, “Old Sir, a hundred years is but the blink of an eye. How much can you truly understand about this world?”
“Cough, cough!”
The old man coughed again before slowly nodding. “Yes, after living for more than a hundred years, the longer I live, the more I realize how little I know…”
Gu Yi frowned and said frankly, “In my opinion, you probably do not have long to live.”
The girl’s expression changed, and she shouted, “You’re far too ungrateful! Stop spouting nonsense!”
The burly man also furrowed his brows deeply, furious beyond measure.
The old man waved his hand and laughed carelessly. “Your judgment is correct. I’m an old man with one foot in the grave. I really am about to die.”
Gu Yi slowly nodded. “I’m simply too busy. Otherwise, I could refine a furnace of life extension pills for you, and letting you live another few decades would not be a problem.”
“However, life and death are ordained by fate. I advise you to take it lightly, because dying a few decades earlier or a few decades later makes no difference. Unless one cultivates to the Deity Realm, lifespan is fair to everyone. It is equally brief for all.”
After speaking, he shook his head slightly and turned to leave.
In his previous life, it was because he sought immortality that he fought through countless obstacles and cultivated his cultivation level to the summit of the myriad realms and heavens.
Yet had he not nearly died in the end?
Looking back on the past, how many memories were truly worth clinging to?
“Young friend, wait!”
The old man’s expression changed dramatically, as though he had heard something inconceivable, and he called out to Gu Yi.
Gu Yi turned to look at him and asked, “Is something wrong?”
The old man’s expression was solemn, with a trace of excitement in his voice. He asked, “What realm is the Deity Realm you just mentioned?”
“You don’t know about the Deity Realm?”
Gu Yi frowned slightly and said, “At the beginning of the martial artist’s path, the realms are divided into the body refinement realm, True Essence Realm, violet palace realm, Embryonic Treasury Realm, Four Symbols Realm, five luminaries realm, Manifestation Sage Realm, and divine bridge realm.”
“Below the divine bridge realm, all are realms of ‘humans.’ Once one crosses the Divine Bridge, one reaches the realm of ‘gods.’”
“The Divine Realm is divided into the Deity Realm, true god realm, Great God Realm, Divine Soul Realm, and the legendary immortality Realm, which is beyond reach.”
In his previous life, Gu Yi had been at the Divine Soul Realm, so he naturally knew these realms like the back of his hand.
Although this was a lower plane, he still had not expected that an old man who appeared to possess such status would not even know about the Deity Realm.
“The Divine Realm, the Deity Realm…” The old man fell into a daze, muttering to himself.
Even the burly man and the girl sank into deep thought.
Gu Yi glanced at the three of them, shook his head slightly, and turned to leave.