Among the many Dao-lineages left behind by the ancient Dao Ancestors, the titles of Pure Yang Son and Yanfuzhi (Son of Yanfú) were the two most perilous.
Their success rate for reaching mastery was abysmally low, while their mortality rate was astonishingly high.
For the Yanfuzhi, the danger stemmed from their own Dao Ancestor's deranged incarnation, the maddened manifestation of Yanfú himself.
A single misstep could draw the ancestor's attention, resulting in being dragged up the Mountain of Immortal Essence to be "tempered."
That "tempering," of course, meant endless torment, a calamity between life and death.
In short, the cultivation of a Yanfuzhi was nothing less than a lifelong struggle against Yanfú himself.
Only those who could withstand the ancestor's abuse had any future ahead of them.
At this moment in history, Yanfú's insane incarnation had been pacified by Wu Yan and the other elders, and he was in a relatively quiet phase, rarely disturbing his descendants.
In fact, Jing Qian had yet to experience his first "Name Summoning" by Yanfú, the initial and most crucial trial on the path of a Yanfú cultivator.
Within that lineage, every true heir took on the most wretched names imaginable, all in the hope of reducing the frequency of their ancestor's summons.
It was an old survival trick first discovered by the Dao son Gui Mao, and it actually worked.
Before him, the Yanfú disciples bore grand titles like Beiming (North Abyss), Hunyuan (Primordial Origin), Zhenmo (Demon-Subduer), or Xiefeng (Evil Wind), dignified and imposing.
But after Gui Mao's revelation, the names became things like Sees Ghosts, Cursed Life, No Eyes, Has a Disease, and No Money, ridiculous, self-deprecating, and entirely misfortunate.
By contrast, the situation for the Pure Yang Sons was no better.
Ever since the Pure Yang Heaven relocated to the Yingfutu Realm, the entire lineage had been steeped in misfortune.
Every true heir of Pure Yang carried with them overwhelming Calamity Qi; no matter where they went, disaster followed.
And to make matters worse, the sect's doctrines were purely martial and aggressive, with almost no methods for avoiding calamity at all.
Its disciples even welcomed tribulation, treating incoming disasters as the finest of spiritual tonics, the ultimate whetstones for their Dao.
Thus, generation after generation of Pure Yang Sons chose to face their calamities head-on to cut through them with their swords, breaking their fates by force.
Yet every time they shattered a calamity, they left behind new enemies and deeper karmic entanglements, adding even more weight to the sect's burden.
Over the centuries, as grudges piled up and hatred accumulated, the calamity cloud hanging over Pure Yang Heaven only grew thicker and darker, never once diminishing.
And so, each succeeding Pure Yang Son faced worse and greater tribulations than the last.
But rather than despair, the Pure Yang Sons thrived on it.
What was poison to others was nectar to them.
To sink into the sea of tribulation was terrifying indeed, but to rise from it?
That was transcendence, liberation, sheer ecstasy.
Every generation of Pure Yang Sons, whether they lived or died, relished the struggle.
None ever regretted it.
However, while each individual sought his own glory, the lineage itself suffered.
The more the calamity deepened, the fewer Pure Yang Sons survived
. Those who remained became stronger, but their numbers dwindled with every cycle.
By the time of Zhenmiao and Shang Xi, the new disciples couldn't even complete their foundational cultivation before being forced into premature tribulation.
The inheritance of Pure Yang Heaven was on the brink of extinction.
Without new heirs, there was no one to share or absorb the accumulated calamity.
Once all living Pure Yang Sons fell into tribulation, the destruction of the entire sect would only be a matter of time.
But that long decline finally slowed with Jing Qian's appearance.
Shang Xi, who should have perished, survived instead, breaking through an impossible heavenly barrier and ascending to Fourth Rank, Star-Seizer, completely changing his fate.
For Shang Xi, it was a turning point, what the sect called a Calamity Break.
Each time a Pure Yang Son broke his calamity, his cultivation soared, preparing him for the next, even greater one to come.
After Shang Xi's success, with Jing Qian's assistance, he even managed to alter Zhenmiao's fate.
At this very moment, Shang Xi was guarding Zhenmiao's rebirth, stirring great waves across the realms.
If Zhenmiao's reincarnation succeeded, that too would count as a Calamity Break, and this second prodigy of Pure Yang Heaven would begin a brand-new life.
Even Zhu Yun's tribulation had begun to turn in his favor, thanks again to Jing Qian's hand.
If not for Jing Qian's void-fire transfer, which helped Zhu Yun and Luo Tian divert a massive amount of True Sun Flame and created enough room for them to maneuver…
Zhu Yun would very likely have been truly burned to death inside the Great Black Heaven.
It could be said that the raging, surging Pure Yang calamity qi had begun to show an unexpected ripple the moment Jing Qian appeared.
But becoming a Pure Yang Son, especially after inheriting the Sect Master's mantle, meant Jing Qian could not escape the stain of calamity.
It was inevitable that a tribulation belonging to him alone would arise sooner or later.
And now, with Gu Lin descending in person and exerting his pressure over the whole Yingfutu Realm, this was undoubtedly the explosive outbreak of Jing Qian's own calamity.
But when he looked back at Pure Yang Heaven, he found that every senior he was closest to… was faring no better than he was.
Under the eruption of calamity, each one's situation was more miserable than the last.
Perhaps the calamity had sensed Pure Yang Heaven's weakness and intended to unleash a final, all-out reckoning, a single decisive strike to settle everything in one move.
As for Jing Qian, his seniors' tribulations had already erupted, while his own had only just begun to stir.
His condition was actually better than all of theirs.
Perhaps Heaven really intended for him to become the lifeline of all his seniors.
He adjusted his qi once more, gathered a strange illusion, and sent it to Ren Chong, Zhu Yun, and Shang Xi.
Then he spoke:
"Honored elders, I was fortunate enough, not long ago, to obtain within the realm a strand of sword-qi left behind by Ancestor Ren Chong.
This is the most useful treasure I currently possess.
I originally hoped that if any of you had a method to aid me in avoiding my calamity, I could save this sword-qi without using it on Gu Lin.
But now it seems all three elders are in circumstances even worse than mine.
Please look closely, perhaps there is a better way to use this sword-qi.
If it can help any elder successfully break their calamity, then this disciple will have contributed something."
The illusion Jing Qian transmitted was the scene inside the Sumeru dimension, where that strand of Ren Chong's sword-qi was trapped inside an eternal spatial loop, a Möbius ring Jing Qian had forcibly carved out and had already circled trillions upon trillions of times.
This sword-qi was unquestionably Jing Qian's strongest trump card, the greatest assurance he possessed against Gu Lin.
Now he presented it openly before the three great figures, hoping for any possibility of turning the situation around.
This was already the full extent of his sincerity.
The moment he sent it out, the three Sword-Lotuses began to flicker rapidly, busy, active.
Jing Qian instantly transformed into a "switchboard operator," relaying messages back and forth among the three ancestral powerhouses.
Before long, a fully interlinked, tightly constructed Calamity-Breaking Plan quietly took shape.
The plan devised by Ren Chong, the strongest and most well-versed among them, used Jing Qian's strand of Ren Chong's sword-qi as the starting point and linked the tribulations of all Pure Yang Sons together, letting each calamity interact and counterbalance the others.
If successfully executed, every one of them would undergo a crucial Calamity Break.
When that happened, the entire situation of Pure Yang Heaven would undergo a monumental shift.
In this plan, Jing Qian was nothing less than the formation's core, bearing an extremely important role.
He received immense approval from all three elders.
Shang Xi was full of praise, declaring that accepting Jing Qian as his disciple was the greatest achievement of his otherwise ordinary life.
Zhu Yun began wildly drawing big promises and grand rewards, vowing that if he succeeded in breaking his calamity, he would gift Jing Qian a major treasure to ensure an easy future breakthrough.
Ren Chong spoke the least, but his words carried overwhelming weight:
"Jing Qian, the entire inheritance of Pure Yang Heaven now rests upon you.
If you can unravel this dead knot and help us break our calamities, the benefits need not be said.
More importantly, you will give me the chance to rescue Yuan Yang.
If he too escapes his calamity, the accumulated calamity tide of Pure Yang Heaven will be reduced by a massive portion.
This matter touches everything.
You must be extremely cautious."
Truthfully, Jing Qian needed no urging.
Something this exciting was exactly the kind of thing he longed for.
A plan created jointly by four slaughter-happy maniacs would be considered a plague-ridden disaster to anyone else, but to Jing Qian?
One sentence: "Delicious."
He leapt out of Pure Yang Heaven into the mortal world and turned to Old White Ox:
"Old Ox, the trip to Fear Continent has changed.
Find another place to wait for me for a few days.
As for those tasty friends you mentioned, I haven't forgotten.
I'll definitely visit them myself.
Stay safe."
With that, Jing Qian flickered and slipped into the Void Realm.
Inside, Good Corn and the cat spirit were bustling around, buried in work.
Jing Qian walked straight to Good Corn, who was surrounded by dragon teeth and dragon scales, refining one Void Divine Court Dimensional Ring after another.
In just this short time, they had refined over a hundred.
And every single ring was soaked in dragon resentment.
Jing Qian said:
"Little Mi, put that down for now.
I have a great job for you
I need you to make a trip into the void."
Good Corn jumped up instantly.
"Master, you've finally found the big fish?
Don't worry, I smell amazing.
I'll lure it so hard it won't be able to keep its eyes open!"
Jing Qian shook his head.
"There is a fish, but if we reel it in, neither of us will be able to swallow it."
"Someone is giving me a pot of excellent porridge.
I need you to go fetch it for me."
"And deliver some items in return."
"Also have Ghost Phoenix and Ao Hua help.
I'll need both their immortal-essence reserves."
Good Corn scratched its corn-shaped head.
"Ghost Phoenix is pretty and obedient, and we get along great.
Ao Hua tried to kill itself two days ago, but I pressed it down.
If we need it again now… We'll have to promise some benefits."
Jing Qian nodded.
"There will be plenty of porridge.
Give it a bowl."
"Go quickly, bring back all their immortal essence."
"Yes, Master!"
Good Corn disappeared into the cave paradise to fetch the dragon and phoenix.
Jing Qian then sat down cross-legged and, using his newly evolved Three-Lives-Three-Worlds Immortal Eye, began twisting together a fishing line thicker than any that had ever existed.
Now that his Three-Lives Eye had successfully ascended to First Grade and been perfectly refined, its power for fishing in the void had risen to an entirely new level.
Using Entwining Karma to weave the fishing line again produced results completely different from before.
Once he had finished weaving the line, Good Corn wobbled out, looking as if it had overeaten, swaying left and right.
It had borrowed all of Ghost Phoenix's and Ao Hua's stored Immortal Spirit Qi, now carrying nearly thirty strands of it, an astonishing amount of power.
Then, like an obedient little pet, it scooted up to Jing Qian, letting its master firmly tie the fishing line around its body.
This time, Good Corn would be both the bait and the hook!
Next, Jing Qian summoned Mo Piner. Good Corn solemnly extended a root, wrapped her into a small ball, and hung her at its waist.
Mo Piner whimpered and sobbed just after a dramatic life-and-death farewell with the flesh-worm, but the corn stalk didn't care at all.
After finishing the preparations, Jing Qian finally said:
"Xiao Mi, I've explained everything to you already.
This entire operation depends on you, don't you dare mess it up!"
Good Corn raised its head, full of absolute confidence:
"Don't worry, my lord!
This is the innate talent of our Corn Clan!
We never drop the ball!"
With that, Jing Qian completed all preparations according to the Tribulation-Breaking Plan, opened the void-pathway without hesitation, and shoved Good Corn directly into the intersection of time and space.
Good Corn plunged in like it was returning home, freely roaming through the incomparably dangerous void, heading toward an infinitely distant destination.
Jing Qian carefully controlled the fishing line, his Three-Lives Eye opened to its fullest, tracking Good Corn with all his power.
This bizarre "void-fishing session" was, for him, a completely novel experience.
Meanwhile, in the Great Black Heaven…
Zhu Yun's mana was nearly depleted, yet he still hadn't reached the sunlit side to hide behind the great sun.
Using his Longevity Immortal Sword Embryo, he shielded both himself and Luo Tian, no longer retreating.
But this also meant falling into complete passivity, waiting slowly for death.
The pressure from the Shadow Demon Emperor grew more intense, nearly engulfing Zhu Yun within its vast shadow.
These two invaders had ravaged the Great Black Heaven for thousands of years, causing unimaginable damage.
Now, at last, it was time to end it.
Even the Shadow Demon Emperor was a little excited.
Under the sword-light, Luo Tian spoke apologetically:
"Zhu-ye… this one's on me.
I didn't expect the enemy to arrange such a trap; it delayed our escape."
"Even though we managed to cook the treasure porridge, we're not going to survive long enough to enjoy it."
"In a moment, I'll self-detonate my Spiritual Construct to try and break the encirclement.
You think of a way, just run…"
Zhu Yun snapped:
"Stop talking nonsense and just watch!"
Luo Tian froze, then quickly circulated his divine sense to examine the surroundings.
A strange fluctuation in space immediately caught his attention.
A familiar wave of spatial energy drilled directly into Luo Tian's mind.
Someone from home had arrived!?
At the edge of the battlefield, a shaky little corn sprout tied to a long tether suddenly poked out of a quietly opened void wormhole.
It was Good Corn's first time traveling through the void.
Its little corn-brain felt like it was being shaken into mush.
Fortunately, it lived up to its reputation and appeared right in the Great Black Heaven.
Instantly, its presence caught the attention of the Shadow Demon Emperor.
The Emperor was a First-Grade transcendent, his Dao-heart incomparably firm, normally unshakable.
But the moment the little corn sprout emerged, an irresistible fragrance drifted from its body.
The Shadow Demon Emperor felt down to its very core that the key to its further ascension lay within that scent.
As if bewitched, it immediately lunged toward the corn sprout.
Meanwhile, the little corn dangled in midair, twisting its body, performing a seductive little dance.
Whether Good Corn or True Corn, their origins were strange and mystical; they were naturally perfect bait.
After crossing the endless void, all the void energies it passed through clung faintly to its body.
When these energies mixed and descended into the Great Black Heaven, they formed an irresistible glow, drawing in cultivators like moths to a flame.
The farther Good Corn traveled, the stronger the glow and the more terrifying its allure to powerful beings.
Even a First-Grade being like the Shadow Demon Emperor found itself irresistibly drawn in.
And just as it was about to swallow Good Corn whole, a delicate ghostly silhouette appeared beside it.
Mo Piner, bracing herself against the oppressive aura of a First-Grade demon, trembled violently, nearly collapsing.
But she forced herself to stay composed, using the Sumeru Destiny Jing Qian lent her to tear open a slit in the void.
Far away in the Ying Futuo Realm, Jing Qian had been waiting precisely for this opportunity.
He reversed his long-cultivated Sword Ring, directing the Ren Chong Sword Qi stored within straight into the void rift Mo Piner created.
A terrifying killing strike blasted through the void and silently appeared before the Shadow Demon Emperor, striking its brow with unavoidable speed.
This First-Grade demon would never have believed the tiny ghost girl before it could unleash such a world-shattering sword strike.
This was authentic First-Grade killing power!
It felt its entire soul ripped open, its body and spirit grievously wounded like never before.
A good blade must strike the hardest target!
Using Ren Chong's sword qi on a mere Second-Grade would have been wasteful.
But using it on a First-Grade demon that was perfect.
With Mo Piner acting as a precision-guided beacon, the entire battlefield shifted violently.
Jing Qian's remote strike succeeded brilliantly.
The Shadow Demon Emperor reeled, unable to recover!
On the other side, Zhu Yun ignited his remaining power.
Strike while the enemy is wounded, his Longevity Sword Embryo turned into a streak of blue-white light, following the crack Ren Chong's sword had carved into the demon's head.
He drove the blade in with everything he had and sliced off half the Shadow Demon Emperor's skull!
Severely wounded, terrified of another sword strike, the First-Grade demon immediately dissolved into a streak of shadow and fled deep into the dark side of the Great Black Heaven.
Though Zhu Yun couldn't kill it outright, the Emperor would need many years to recover from such a devastating blow.
For Zhu Yun, this First-Grade demon's half-skull was a priceless trophy.
More importantly, he had survived his death-tribulation, crushed the enemy's offensive, and earned himself a new era of growth within the Great Black Heaven.
When they met the Shadow Demon Emperor again
Zhu Yun would already be a different person entirely.
The first stage of the Tribulation-Breaking Plan had been successfully executed!
As the one who initiated everything, Jing Qian had contributed a precious First-Grade Sword Qi, and naturally, he also received a substantial reward in return.
Luo Tian poured the Demon-Shadow Immortal Fate Cauldron Porridge from his pot into a crimson treasure bottle and tossed it entirely into Good Corn's arms.
Zhu Yun also reached into his robe and took out thirty crisp bamboo leaves, neatly stacked, stuffing them into Good Corn's hands.
Each bamboo leaf was a Sacrificial Charm Zhu Yun had idly crafted during his years of imprisonment in the sea of flames. Each contained one of his full-power sword strikes. Their nature was identical to the petals of the Sword Lotus, and their power should not be underestimated.
Although Zhu Yun's sword-qi couldn't compare to Ren Chong's, he made up for it in quantity plenty to go around.
Used wisely, they could help Jing Qian handle several troublesome enemies.
And once everything was handed over, the fishline tied around Good Corn's waist suddenly tightened, yanking it back toward the depths of the void.
Good Corn had rendered tremendous service and returned in triumph.
Except… either it forgot, or it was following Jing Qian's instructions
It left Mo Pin'er behind in the Great Black Heaven.
The little "whimpering gremlin" could no longer go home. After a moment of total mental collapse, she tried to activate her Sumeru destiny to slip into the sub-dimension.
But then she discovered
Her Sumeru destiny had been sealed.
She called to the heavens and the earth, but no one responded. In the end, she turned into a streak of light and hid herself somewhere deep within the shadows.
Back in the Void Realm
Good Corn had returned victorious. Its entire posture radiated smug supremacy.
It handed the crimson porridge bottle and the bamboo leaves to Jing Qian, then proudly waited to be "rewarded."
The porridge in Jing Qian's hand, Demon-Shadow Immortal Fate Cauldron Porridge, was unimaginably potent, an ultimate cultivation elixir.
He uncorked the bottle and checked the contents: not one more, not one less.
Thirty servings.
No matter the cultivation level, a single sip would instantly increase one's Life Measure by 1.5 taels and condense a Heavenly Fate.
It was one of the rarest medicinal treasures handed down through the Stove-King lineage.
Jing Qian separated a portion and tossed it to Good Corn.
Good Corn knew its value. It wrapped the serving with its roots and scuttled into a corner of the Void Realm to refine it.
Then Jing Qian flicked out another portion and tossed it to the little black cat Qi Li, who had been staring at him with shining eyes.
Qi Li lapped up the immortal porridge; endless vitality erupted within its body, and it immediately collapsed onto the ground to cultivate furiously.
Jing Qian separated two more servings, sending them respectively to Ao Hua in the Kunpeng Sea and Ghost Phoenix in the Blood River Cave Heaven.
These two great Bu-Tian experts had contributed greatly; they too received a precious dose to advance their cultivation.
Finally, Jing Qian softened a little, sending one serving through the power of Sumeru to Mo Pin'er's location in the Great Black Heaven, at least giving her a bit of comfort.
After calculating everyone who could properly refine the porridge, Jing Qian saw that all contributors had received their share.
He did not hesitate further; he grabbed the bottle and took a huge gulp.
Instantly, overwhelming vitality surged through his entire body.
Just one mouthful refined from the remains of hundreds of thousands of Shadow Demons costs an astronomical amount to produce.
After swallowing that one mouthful, Jing Qian's Violet-Pupil Life Essence cultivation instantly skyrocketed by ten thousand.
Soon after, a brand-new Heavenly Fate began to condense within him.
Jing Qian's power surged yet again.
Meanwhile - Outside the Yingfutu Realm
On the meteorite where the three great cultivators sat meditating, all three suddenly opened their eyes.
Gu Lin spoke first:
"The heavenly envoy is here. You two come with me to greet him.
Then we will pay a visit to the 'friends' in the Yingfutu Realm."
Blood River and Three Poisons simply nodded and followed him. They flew forward and waited on the only path leading to the Yingfutu Realm.
Before long, a void divine ship sailed through the ether.
The ship was forged from boundless primordial energy, magnificently luxurious, clearly belonging to someone extraordinary.
When its captain spotted Gu Lin, the ship stopped.
A handsome, noble-bearing young warrior stepped out and spoke:
"Lord Gu Lin, I bear a decree from Her Majesty the Empress,
here to mediate the grievances between the Yingfutu Realm and your Ancient Gu-Lin Sea."
"Please come with me to meet Ying Tian's bloodline kin."
When he mentioned Ying Tian, his expression grew solemn.
Then he returned to the divine ship and led the way toward the Yingfutu Realm.
Gu Lin and the other two finally saw the one they had been waiting for.
They followed closely behind.
Millions of miles vanished instantly before their speed.
The divine ship halted just outside the realm membrane of the Yingfutu Realm, directly above Tiangang Tower.
The young martial envoy appeared again and projected a message into the realm:
"I am Feng Yu, bearing the Empress' decree.
Where is the Ying Clan's Human Emperor?"
His voice had barely faded when Ying Kun, along with Ying Hao, manifested before them, clearly having anticipated this.
Ying Kun offered no courtesy. Instead, he questioned sharply:
"Why dredge up old matters and reopen disputes between our two realms?"
"And why is a member of the Feng Clan delivering the Empress' decree?"
"Our Ying Clan's affairs do not require your Feng Clan's meddling!"
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