Chapter 643 - 624: Insta-kill

In the Small and Middle Thousand Realms, Wang Meng’s Godhood could never fully manifest, as it was bound by the Laws. But here, for the first time, Wang Meng saw the true composition of his Godhood.

Wang Meng’s Godhood was composed of ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety Sumeru Spaces, brimming with a fundamental power—the very power that had given birth to his Three Great Laws.

The very wellspring of his power. Master Wang was momentarily mesmerized.

Typically, Cultivators from the Middle Thousand Realm would perform their Foundation Establishment here to obtain their own Fate Grid. After meeting certain conditions, these experts could ascend to the Grand Thousand Realm. Of course, some might become gods directly—it all depended on one’s personal destiny.

Wang Meng hadn’t truly performed Foundation Establishment. The Soul Gathering Hall had merely restored the Godhood within his body, and in the process, its power had been completely drained.

Wang Meng was thoroughly enjoying the experience, but the people outside were growing anxious and had no time to concern themselves with the strange events at the Soul Gathering Hall.

When Wang Meng emerged, five Cultivators immediately swarmed him.

"Little brother, how did it go? Did you succeed in your Foundation Establishment?"

Lim Wu asked anxiously.

Wang Meng nodded. Lim Wu and the others roared with laughter, exchanging glances. "Haha, this is wonderful news! Congratulations, Brother Wang! Come, let us take you to celebrate."

Wang Meng smiled and nodded, and the group left the Soul Gathering Hall.

The Garden of the Gods was a vast world, on a higher level than any Secret Realm Wang Meng had ever encountered. Here, he could clearly feel the fluctuations of the Laws. He also hoped to learn a few things from these men.

Though he had gained power, Wang Meng didn’t celebrate prematurely. ’The Dao Laws are all interconnected,’ he thought. ’Their first incursion into the Middle Thousand Realm failed to kill me and even led me here, but the next wave is sure to come.’

’And it will be even more ferocious.’

The five men chatted and laughed as they led Wang Meng from the Divine Hall. As they walked, the path grew more remote. The men gradually formed an enclosing circle, urging Wang Meng to walk faster.

Master Wang had already learned a fair bit from them. Naturally, any Cultivator who made it here would want to stay and cultivate, as this place held the key to godhood.

"Little brother, can you feel your Life Wheel spinning?" Lim Wu chuckled. "That rotation determines your time in this world. The stronger your cultivation, the longer you can stay. Since you just entered the Earth Wheel Realm, you won’t be able to last long."

"And what if I wanted to leave early?" Wang Meng asked.

Lim Wu and the others roared with laughter. "Little brother, don’t blame us. Only those who complete their Foundation Establishment have a chance to ascend. Every Cultivator here does whatever it takes to speed up that process, and snatching someone else’s Sumeru Grid is undoubtedly the fastest way. You can die in peace. We’ll be sure to fulfill your dream of ascension for you!"

The five men closed in on Wang Meng, not because they feared he would escape, but because the moment he died, his Fate Grid would scatter. They were all jockeying for the best position to grab the pieces.

This was no time for courtesy or yielding to others.

This was the cruelty of this world. The Middle Thousand Realm was simply more brutal than the Small Thousand Realm.

All five were masters at the seventh or eighth layer of the Earth Wheel Realm. Their cultivation was far higher than Wang Meng’s. There was no chance of escape.

"Heh, so what you’re saying is, the realm of one’s Life Wheel only determines the length of one’s stay, while the Fate Grid is the true source of power here," Wang Meng said with a smile.

"Smart kid. When you have enough of a Fate Grid, you retain its miraculous power even after you leave this place. But you don’t need to know any more than that. Kill him!"

The five Cultivators attacked simultaneously. In an instant, dozens of streams of Sword Qi blasted toward Wang Meng. They intended to obliterate his body completely, which would cause his Fate Grid to burst out with maximum force, preventing any of it from going to waste.

The frenzied Sword Qi slammed into Wang Meng, sending sparks of True Essence flying.

The five Cultivators’ eyes turned bloodshot. Wang Meng had only just completed his Foundation Establishment, so his Fate Grid wouldn’t be large, but with talent like his, its quality was sure to be exceptional. Absorbing it would be a major boost to their own power.

When the barrage of violent Sword Qi subsided, Master Wang was still standing there.

The fierce bombardment had indeed chipped away some of his Godhood—of his ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety grids, just over thirty had been destroyed. But they were replenished in an instant.

Lim Wu rubbed his eyes. The five men stared at each other in disbelief. ’An illusion???’

’How is this possible???’

"Attack again!"

They all unleashed their full power. The Sumeru Spaces within their bodies began to mobilize the world’s Elemental Qi. Here, Elemental Qi couldn’t be moved by the Life Wheel; only the Fate Grid could command it. The more Fate Grids one possessed, the more powerful one was. Of course, this power held even more profound mysteries, but those were secrets known only to masters like the Three Immortals, Five Emperors, and Seven Extremes.

BOOM!

After another furious barrage, Elemental Qi erupted everywhere, yet Wang Meng remained completely unchanged.

Wang Meng nonchalantly brushed some dust from his clothes. "I have ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety grids. You just managed to destroy one hundred and twenty of them. My recovery, however, takes just over a second."

In that instant, the five Cultivators saw Wang Meng’s Primordial Spirit, a blazing golden sun of god-like power formed from countless Fate Grids.

The blood drained from the faces of all five Cultivators.

Wang Meng waved his hand, his movements casual and effortless.

Break.

The five Cultivators’ bodies instantly disintegrated. Clumps of Fate Grids flew out. With a wave of his hand, Wang Meng gathered them all, but it was a pity. Such a meager power offered no help at all to his Demigod Godhood.

By using his power, Wang Meng had exhausted the stability provided by his Life Wheel. The Power of Laws squeezed him out of the Divine Space.

Back in his room, Wang Meng felt his Primordial Spirit grow tranquil once more.

A predatory smile spread across Master Wang’s face. ’Things are starting to get interesting.’

Fatty Bai was happily bustling about. He had organized a banquet to announce the "resurrection" of the Bai Family. He couldn’t miss the chance to capitalize on the prestige of housing the Qilin Beast, and it was also an opportunity to thank those who had supported him.

Unlike the last Bai Family banquet, this time Fatty Bai was the true host, and he could see the respect in people’s eyes. Even if they didn’t know the full story, the fact that the Bai Family had seized the right to care for the Auspicious Qilin Beast from the Kun Family was a clear display of strength.

Fatty Bai was no stranger to this sort of thing. He might not be skilled in fighting and killing, but when it came to wining and dining guests, he was in his element.

As soon as the banquet began, Chairman Yang Qi of the Divine Artifact Pavilion arrived in person, openly displaying his support for the Bai Family.

Chairman Luo Shan of the Spirit Control Association also made an appearance. Although he left quickly, his presence at least represented the Spirit Control Association’s stance: they were not opposed to the Bai Family.

Fatty Bai was over the moon. He had hosted these two major figures before, but back then, the Bai Family had only been a supporting act. Now, they were the stars of the show.

The other families were filled with either jealousy or envy. However, some watched coldly from the sidelines—a group of families with vested interests, led by the Kun Family. They only made a brief appearance at the banquet. As he was leaving, Kun Yaoyang smiled at Fatty Bai. "Fatty, you should smile more while you still can."

Fatty Bai, of course, just smiled—even more brightly. That was the best way to deal with someone like him.

The moment he turned away, however, he strengthened the guard around the Qilin Beast, even asking the Divine Artifact Pavilion for assistance.

Normally, no one from Wang City would dare to harm the Qilin Beast, the city’s auspicious symbol. But Kun Yaoyang was a madman who didn’t play by the rules. The Bai Family had forcibly taken the beast from the Kun Family; heaven only knew what that maniac was capable of. Fatty Bai had to take precautions.

In the end, the banquet concluded on a high note, with both host and guests thoroughly pleased.

Fatty Bai was exhausted but exhilarated. He spread a blanket beside the Qilin Beast and fell asleep. If he weren’t afraid he couldn’t handle the beast’s power, he would have loved to share a bed with it.

「Early morning...」

Wang Meng had just woken up when he heard the sound of Fatty Bai’s frantic footsteps approaching, followed by a series of urgent knocks on his door.

"Boss... It’s bad! Something’s happened!"

Wang Meng wiped his face and opened the door to find Fatty Bai—who had been all smiles the day before—with a look of utter panic.

"Don’t panic. There’s a solution to everything. Tell me slowly." Wang Meng had been so preoccupied with the Divine Space that he had almost forgotten about Fatty Bai.

"The Qilin Beast... I think the Qilin Beast is dying..."

"Dying? It was perfectly fine. How could it be dying?"

"I don’t know..." Fatty Bai was so frantic he could barely get the words out.

Wang Meng considered for a moment, realizing the situation was more serious than he’d thought. "Let’s go have a look."

Fatty Bai nodded frantically and, with his head down, bolted toward the courtyard where the Qilin Beast was housed.

After just a few steps, Wang Meng saw Zhan Yingluo hurry out from a nearby courtyard. "I heard everything," she said. "I’ll go with you."

Soon, the three of them arrived at the courtyard where the Qilin Beast was being kept.

In the center of the courtyard, under a lavish canopy, the Qilin Beast lay, barely breathing.

The Qilin had fiery red, dragon-like horns. But now, those horns were emitting a strange, inky light, and their color had changed to a sickly liver-brown.

Wang Meng’s brow twitched. ’Liver-brown isn’t right,’ he thought. ’If it were seriously injured or dying, its horns should be a sallow yellow.’ Just as he was about to step forward for a closer look, a sudden uproar erupted outside the gate!

"Out of the way, out of the way! Impossible! How could a Five-Transformation Qilin Beast fall ill! Let me see!"

Hearing this, Fatty Bai’s face paled. He whispered to Wang Meng, "It’s the Pill Immortal Alliance."

In the blink of an eye, the courtyard gate was shoved open.

It wasn’t just people from the Pill Immortal Alliance who had rushed over. Representatives from the four great families were there too: Zhe Wulei, Kun Yaoyang, Muhe Xiaoyu, and Jiang Jiedao were all present.

Wu Yuan was at the forefront. When he saw the state of the Qilin Beast, his expression changed drastically.

Seeing Wang Meng inspecting the Qilin, Wu Yuan instantly let out a bellow. "Wang Meng! What are you doing? Are you trying to kill the Qilin Beast?!"

The other two Pill Masters looked furious as well. "Get out of the way!" one of them shouted. "All you bystanders, scram!"

Wu Yuan stepped forward and inspected the Qilin Beast’s teeth, horns, tail, and hooves. Then, he cast a diagnostic spell. A pure white light flowed from his hands like quicksilver, settling upon the Qilin Beast’s horns.

SIZZLE...

Suddenly, the brown horns made a hot, sizzling sound. The pure white light instantly turned as black as ink! Not only that, but the black light surged back up, striking the Pill Master who had cast the spell. He let out a strange cry and violently shook his hand several times before finally flinging the dark energy away.

At this sight, everyone’s expression changed dramatically.

Muhe Xiaoyu cried out in alarm, "Such a potent poison... could it be..."

The other Pill Master suddenly yelled, "Blackening Sickness! It’s the Blackening Sickness! What have you been feeding this Qilin Beast?!"

The more powerful a True Essence Beast, the more delicate its constitution. One could speak carelessly, but one could not feed them carelessly. If they ate something that conflicted with their nature, the result could be fatal.