Chapter 464 - 339: All the Stars Surround the Moon

Chapter 464: Chapter 339: All the Stars Surround the Moon

"The Qi of the Heavenly Dao—the Fiend..."

Yu Changsheng contemplated this, his thoughts churning as the light in his eyes flickered with uncertainty.

"Have you figured it out now? In fact, this is the very reason you were able to defeat Qiu Xing and the others so easily."

"For one, after you integrated the Heavenly Dao Qi—even if it was just half a strand—it allowed you to move through this Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm like a fish in water. Your full combat potential was unleashed. In contrast, Qiu Xing and the others were all suppressed to some degree."

"On the other hand, the Blood Evil Qi in the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm is incredibly dense. Because you integrated that half-strand of the Heavenly Dao Qi—the Fiend—it has been subconsciously minimizing your energy consumption. Even though you aren’t familiar with it and can’t yet consciously control the Blood Evil Qi, it allowed you to feel little pressure even when summoning three Tier Three beasts at once. It even amplified the power of your Divine Techniques."

"Otherwise, back in the outside world, defeating Qiu Xing and his group so easily would have been difficult, even if you’d broken through to the Fake Pill stage."

Yu Changsheng nodded as the Profound Turtle continued to explain, and understanding gradually dawned on him.

He looked at the half Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus in his hand, a slight smile touching his lips.

’So there are all these extra benefits. Not bad. It certainly makes the risk I took worthwhile. No time to waste. I should refine this treasure now.’

Having made his decision, Yu Changsheng didn’t hesitate. He stretched out his hand, and the Void Fire appeared. He began to refine the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus using the same technique as before.

Practice makes perfect, and refining it a second time went much more smoothly. Before long, the remaining half of the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus was also refined into an elixir. It was identical to the previous one, blood-gold in color and looking utterly sacred.

Yu Changsheng’s index finger twitched. He swallowed, fighting back the impulse to consume the elixir, and stored it in his system’s inventory.

’Although I could break through to the Golden Core stage in a single instant, it’s safer to wait until the Secret Realm ends. The ascension to a Heavenly Dao Golden Core will likely bring on a Celestial Tribulation... No rush... there’s no rush...’

’Besides, I still haven’t claimed my first-place prize. The safest plan is to get my hands on that elixir reward first.’

Muttering this to himself, Yu Changsheng’s mind calmed, and he settled in to wait for the end of the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm.

「Two days passed in a flash.」

During those two days, the Celestial Slaughter List saw some fluctuations, but Yu Changsheng’s number one spot was impossible to challenge. The final rankings were set.

Then, at a certain moment, Yu Changsheng, who was in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes.

"It’s here. The Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm... is it finally ending?"

Yu Changsheng let out a breath and looked up at the firmament. The clouds gathered and churned, and a massive, blood-red vortex slowly took shape, rotating gently.

Across the entire Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm, no matter the floor, the earth began to tremble. Streams of Blood Evil Qi were pulled toward the sky, and the fabric of space visibly warped. Soon, the immense blood-red vortex replaced the sky itself, casting its shadow over the land. A terrifying suction force radiated from the vortex, engulfing all living things.

Yu Changsheng looked down to see the Evil Qi Token at his waist trembling gently. Pillars of blood-red light descended from the sky, enveloping different parts of the Secret Realm. One such pillar surrounded Yu Changsheng, and a powerful pulling force began to emanate from it.

The entire Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm erupted with a powerful force of expulsion. One by one, figures were drawn into the vortex in the sky and teleported away—some excited, some crying out in alarm, others with complex expressions of frustration.

However, things were different for Yu Changsheng.

’Perhaps... I can stay?’

A strange expression crossed Yu Changsheng’s face. As his body began to levitate, he reached out and touched the pillar of blood-red light enveloping him. The force coming from the world around him was not one of repulsion...

Instead, as the Blood Evil Qi surged, the sensation it gave him was one of... reluctance to let him go?

Amid this lingering feeling, Yu Changsheng knew with certainty that if he insisted on not leaving, he could stay.

’Forget it,’ he thought. ’This place is great, but there’s no point in staying. The sooner I get out, the better.’

Yu Changsheng shook his head, suppressing the thought. With an exhale and a faint smile, he actively cooperated, allowing himself to be drawn into the vortex in the sky.

The Blood Evil Qi swirled around Yu Changsheng, lingering as if reluctant to part with him.

His world plunged into darkness. After a dizzying moment of spinning, he opened his eyes again to find that the world before him had completely changed.

「Celestial Slaughter Square」

A similar blood-red vortex hung in the sky. As time passed, figures fell from it one by one, where they were received by their respective sects.

"Qian Chengren of the Seven Stars Sect... He’s back too... Sixth on the Celestial Slaughter List is very impressive. The rewards are quite good."

"Wen Hanhai from the Purple Rainbow Sect, a chosen one like him, is back safe and sound as expected. I knew he’d be in the top ten! Just as I thought, he’s fifth!"

...

Waves of discussion echoed across Celestial Slaughter Square as the crowd pointed and stared, creating a noisy clamor.

Some sects were jubilant while others were distraught, their expressions a mix of emotions. Only Zhu Zhengping, seated on the high platform, looked as impassive as ever.

’Cheng’Er and the others will be back soon,’ he thought. ’I wonder which of those three ended up with the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus. Not that it matters who got it. In the end, it will all belong to Cheng’Er... ’

’At most, I’ll just give the others some compensation. Only a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a Nine-Layered Spirit Platform can bring out the full potential of the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus. In their hands, it would be a complete and utter waste...’