Chapter 425: Holy Crap, Who Is Kunyun?

The sun and moon shared the sky; mountains and seas ran parallel.

A luminous heavenly gate stood above the profound dome. On one side lay the absolute deadlands of Cosmic Deep Space, swirling with iridescent star-sand; on the other stretched magnificent rivers and mountains, where continents and vast oceans intertwined.

Dozens of streaks of escaping light flew into the heavenly gate, then scattered in perfect, unspoken agreement. Along the way, they deployed various methods to conceal their qi and obscure their karma. In the blink of an eye, they vanished between heaven and earth like a gust of wind, yet the spiritual qi environment of this entire realm still began to boil.

Naturally, Wang Ping was among them.

However, he was far more brilliant than the rest. He didn't even reveal a streak of light. Activating [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time], he slipped in completely unnoticed.

'Hitting a wolf with a hemp stalk—both sides are terrified,' he thought.

Wang Ping shook his head. Without a doubt, upon arriving in a place like this, given the Immortal Gate's usual style, bandit cultivators would inevitably spring up like weeds.

Under these circumstances, everyone worried about running into bandit cultivators, yet everyone also wanted to play the part of one. That was exactly why they had to split up and hide their karma. Only then could they act without worrying about the consequences. It was safe to say that the Incense-Draped Hall had now completely devolved into a lawless land.

"Not to mention, the environment here is also perfect for it..."

Wang Ping scanned his surroundings. He suddenly reached out and grasped a wisp of spiritual qi in his palm, only to find its properties completely different from the spiritual qi outside.

Heavy and chaotic.

He tried to absorb a little bit of it. Instantly, a trace of impurity tainted his magic power, and chaotic thoughts surged into his sea of consciousness.

"Hmph!"

Sensing this sudden change, Wang Ping immediately purged that wisp of spiritual qi. Without a doubt, this wasn't spiritual qi in the traditional sense.

Rather, it was more like the qi of incense and worship.

Having cultivated the [Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart], he was quite familiar with this sort of incense qi. The spiritual qi here was unmistakably an upgraded version of it.

'This is actually quite beneficial for me.'

Because of this unusual spiritual qi, even if Qi Refining practitioners entered this place, they couldn't cycle it to restore their magic power. They could only rely on taking pills for replenishment.

He, however, didn't need to go through such trouble. The [Great Ravine of No Return] connected to subterranean yin water, corresponding to the Heavenly River Destination qi manifestation. His magic power was inexhaustible. Compared to other cultivators, this was undeniably a massive advantage, allowing him to unleash devastating techniques to his heart's content without worrying about depletion.

Aside from that, there was another formidable aspect to this realm.

Wang Ping focused his senses for a moment, then grabbed a beam of heavenly light and casually tossed it into the nearby mountain forest. Yet, it only managed to snap a single large tree.

"Just as I thought."

With his current cultivation, even a casual strike was enough to completely level the entire surrounding forest. How could it merely cut down one tree?

"There are restrictions here."

"It's this incense qi. To outside cultivators, not only is it poisonous, but it also suppresses magic power and divine sense, preventing anyone from causing massive destruction."

Therefore, Qi Refining practitioners who could pluck the stars and snatch the moon when going all out in the outside world would probably only be able to destroy a mountain range or two in this realm at most.

Divine sense was also severely restricted.

Normally, a Qi Refining practitioner's divine sense could envelop a star, leaving basically nothing they couldn't perceive. But just now, Wang Ping had personally tested it.

A thousand li at most.

It wasn't that it couldn't go further, but if he continued to extend it, the backlash from the incense qi would drastically increase. The drain on his divine sense would be too immense, and the gains wouldn't make up for the losses.

This showed just how heavily the Great Rebellion restricted immortal cultivators.

It was a bit like immortal realms forged by True Monarchs, such as the Deity Transformation Realm and the Radiant Clarity Realm, which operated on a completely different set of rules than the outside world.

Wang Ping marveled inwardly, his understanding of the Great Rebellion undergoing a qualitative shift once again. First, the Human Emperor had ascended to the ultimate throne of heaven and earth, boasting the undeniable cultivation of a True Monarch. Now, there was this Incense-Draped Hall, which resembled an immortal realm. He suspected that when the Great Rebellion waged war on two fronts back then, the Human Emperor hadn't been their only True Monarch!

But this led to another question.

'Back then, the Great Rebellion's Purging the Stale Qi of the Six Heavens was accomplished through just five qi-ingesting practitioners. Such a monumental achievement only required five qi-ingesting practitioners?'

'Did no True Monarch make a move?'

Before Wang Ping achieved Qi Refining, his knowledge of the qi of heaven and earth was insufficient, so he hadn't felt much about it. It wasn't until he reached Qi Refining that he understood its true weight.

It was absolutely not something qi-ingesting practitioners could pull off.

'There might be a hidden story behind the Purging the Stale Qi of the Six Heavens... After all, the qi of heaven and earth is so magnificent. How exactly was it eradicated?'

Although Wang Ping had previously participated in the extermination of the Earth Yang Fire, they had actually just been patching up the foundation the Great Rebellion had already laid. He only had to carry out the physical steps. As for why it had to be done that way or what the underlying principles were, his current dao attainment wasn't deep enough to comprehend it.

'Hmm, let's change my face first,' he thought.

Wang Ping temporarily cast aside his investigations into past history. Instead, he smoothly activated a divine power, shifting his facial features until he once again wore Kunyun's face.

Although the last few times he had disguised himself as Kunyun he was exposed within a couple of days, Wang Ping had learned from those failures. He believed he could definitely keep it up much longer this time.

Of course, to ensure authenticity, Wang Ping layered another face on top of Kunyun's. Only then would it look like Kunyun operating under a disguise. He tinkered and adjusted for quite a while until he confirmed it was absolutely flawless. Satisfied, he finally made his move.

Boom!

Staring into the distance, Wang Ping suddenly sensed the clamor of a spiritual qi riot coming from a soaring peak in the sea of clouds a thousand li away. Clearly, people were fighting.

Unsurprisingly, someone had found a treasure.

As soon as the commotion started, several streaks of light immediately materialized from the void, speeding straight toward the peak, evidently planning to grab a share of the spoils.

Wang Ping, however, did not head over.

'The [Free and Unfettered Wandering] senses that area isn't very dangerous. Even if there are treasures, they're likely nothing to write home about. No need to expose my tracks for that,' he thought.

Wang Ping was very patient. Moreover, compared to the other treasure-hunting cultivators, he had a massive advantage: the [Free and Unfettered Wandering]'s danger perception. He could determine where treasures were hidden based on how dangerous the area felt to the ability. It was the ultimate treasure-hunting tool.

After all, the greater the risk, the greater the fortune.

Therefore, wherever there was danger, there was a high probability of finding treasure.

Wang Ping took a casual step forward. As the [Free and Unfettered Wandering] activated, the mountains, rivers, and earth seemed to actively recede behind him. Crossing close yet worlds apart took but a single thought.

Soon, he arrived at his destination.

This area felt the most dangerous to the [Free and Unfettered Wandering]. Yet, it wasn't atop a soaring peak in the sea of clouds; it was hidden deep within a forested valley in the mountains.

Looking ahead, he saw a stretch of incredibly dense white fog. Wang Ping recognized it at a glance: this was incense qi of an even higher density. To immortal cultivators, it was essentially a toxic dead zone. If they went inside, the drain on their magic power and divine sense would double; they would have to rely entirely on their mortal eyes to search.

"Heh."

Wang Ping stood outside the valley but didn't rush in. Instead, he crouched down to wait, twisting the [Profound One Calamity-Crossing Ring] to release his yin spirits.

"Listen up, here is my deployment plan."

Wang Ping split the dozen or so yin spirits into three groups.

One group was in charge of keeping watch and observing the surroundings. Another was tasked with setting up formations around the valley. The final group handled communications between the two.

His plan was simple.

Knowing there was a tiger on the mountain, he simply wouldn't go up the mountain. He only needed to confirm where the treasure was; he had absolutely no intention of hunting for it himself.

Rather than risking his neck searching inside, it was better to wait outside and lure others in to do the heavy lifting. Once they cracked all the traps inside, exhausted their trump cards, and walked out fully loaded, he would ambush them right at the exit. This way, he could avoid the risks entirely and still make a massive killing.

Why wouldn't he?

Wang Ping had it all planned out. Once the yin spirits finished their preparations, he would have a few of them intentionally create the commotion of a fierce battle nearby to draw people over.

Soon, however, the communications group relayed a report from the watch group.

"My Lord, a cultivator is approaching!"

"Oh?"

Wang Ping was a bit surprised. This valley was quite well hidden, and he had only found it relying on the [Free and Unfettered Wandering]. Who could possibly be as fast as him?

"Conceal yourselves!"

At Wang Ping's command, all the yin spirits immediately raised their hands and slapped themselves hard on the head, exploding on the spot and dissipating between heaven and earth.

Simultaneously, Wang Ping pushed [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time] to its absolute limit, practically transforming into a formless body as he lay patiently prone among the trees, waiting.

He was no brute. Although he planned on a massive killing spree, he knew this situation was different from when he slaughtered the Qi Refining practitioners in the [Eight Trigrams Furnace]. Every single Qi Refining practitioner who dared come here seeking fortune was highly capable, including some ruthless characters at the Qi Refinement Third Layer.

Thus, reading the situation was extremely important.

Considering this, Wang Ping had already made up his mind: if the newcomer was too powerful, he would immediately retreat. Worst case, he would just find another treasure site to lay his trap.

A moment later, a figure finally entered Wang Ping's line of sight. It was a cultivator with a plain face and concealed qi, looking completely ordinary.

'He's in disguise!'

Wang Ping narrowed his eyes. He watched as the newcomer found the valley, a look of pleasant surprise quickly flashing across his face before he unhesitatingly pulled out a formation disk.

"Seal the heavens, lock death, sever karma and fruit."

"Command!"

Infused with magic power, the formation disk flew into the air, projecting a massive array that enveloped the entire valley. The scenery outside the valley swiftly blurred.

'What a great formation!'

Wang Ping stared at the floating formation disk, his eyes turning a little red with envy. Compared to painstakingly laying down an array step by step, a formation disk was undoubtedly far more convenient.

As long as the array was pre-engraved, one only needed to toss it out at the critical moment to form a formation instantly. For this ordinary-looking cultivator to have such an item, he was definitely a fat sheep. At the very least, he most likely wasn't an ancient cultivator. Wang Ping just didn't know which faction he belonged to, or if he would recognize him...

A second later, Wang Ping got his answer.

"Phew... done!"

The ordinary cultivator seemed to heave a sigh of relief after using the disk to isolate the area. He then wiped a hand across his face, finally revealing his true qi and appearance.

Believe it or not, Wang Ping actually knew him!

'Hengxu...'

The wood-qi dao child of the Immortal Prescription Courtyard's Observing Eternity Realm, Hengxu.

'He actually reached Qi Refining?'

Wang Ping's eyes grew brighter and brighter. A newly ascended Qi Refining practitioner—they were about evenly matched... No, Hengxu was far beneath him, considering Wang Ping had already mastered five qi manifestations.

'A soft persimmon!'

At this thought, Wang Ping immediately felt the urge to give him a squeeze. Growing much bolder, he slowly crept closer under the cover of [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time].

"What a pity. The scriptures in the realm record that to pass through this Shiyang Temple, one must reveal their true qi. Disguises won't work."

Hengxu sighed. Had it not been for this rule, he wouldn't have exposed his true qi even if no one was around. But compared to the fortunes inside the Shiyang Temple, this slight risk didn't matter. Besides, there was no one around anyway. He just needed to reapply his disguise before leaving later.

"Time is limited."

Hengxu took a deep breath, feeling a sense of urgency.

He had a map. The moment he entered the Incense-Draped Hall, he had rushed straight here with pinpoint accuracy, even using secret techniques to boost his flight speed along the way.

That was how he managed to arrive first.

However, the Immortal Gate's other Qi Refining practitioners weren't pushovers either. Even though this place was deeply hidden, it wouldn't be long before someone else found it.

'I need to hurry!'

Not daring to dawdle, Hengxu immediately strode into the valley. In an instant, the incense qi condensed into white fog howled toward him!

Yet, seeing this, Hengxu did not panic. He reached into his sleeve and drew out a lightning-shaped tally. Thirty-six lightning patterns intertwined across its surface, forming a cloud script character. Layers of brilliant light pulsed across it, flickering intermittently as Hengxu raised it above his head.

"I am a Thunder-Descending Envoy of the Incense-Draped Hall. I request an audience with Judge Yang!"

The incense qi abruptly halted.

At the same time, standing directly in front of Hengxu to leech off the token's protection, Wang Ping's eyes lit up, his gaze toward Hengxu visibly shifting.

'Good heavens, truly worthy of an immortal realm dao child.'

'He came fully prepared!'

Rumble!

The next second, the incense qi blanketing the valley parted, revealing its true form—a resplendent, golden palace.

Hengxu immediately strode forward.

Wang Ping's eyes glinted, but he didn't rush to follow. Instead, he stood perfectly still and formed a hand seal, activating his divine power and viciously chopping at his own brow.

In a flash, Wang Ping's figure split in two. One radiated clear light, its qi identical to before; the other entirely lost all its cultivation, left with nothing but thick, vigorous blood vitality, before it took a step back and rapidly sank into the deep gloom, vanishing completely.

[Ascending Purity and Descending Turbidity Aspect]!

'A gentleman does not stand beneath a collapsing wall. I'll just have my pure aspect go in with Hengxu to take a look. My turbid body will stay outside—if anything goes wrong, it won't hurt me.'

Naturally, this entire process happened under the cover of [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time].

Wang Ping's cultivation was already a head above Hengxu's. By using his Dao Foundation Verification Art to reinforce the divine power's qi manifestation and going all out to hide, Hengxu remained completely oblivious.

Soon, he arrived at the palace gates.

He then repeated his previous trick, using the token in his hand to commune with the palace's profound gates. After a brief wait, the gates opened automatically, revealing a passageway.

"Whoa!"

Wang Ping couldn't help but gasp in admiration. He then turned to look at Hengxu beside him and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what exactly is this token of yours? How does it possess such miraculous power?"

[the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time]!

As the Dao Foundation Verification Art operated, all five qi manifestations buffed the divine power, instantly pushing this True Monarch-level Major Divine Ability to its absolute limit.

Therefore, the moment Wang Ping spoke, all of his qi, karma, and even his very existence hid themselves on a much deeper level. Hearing the question, not only did Hengxu fail to notice anything amiss, but the thoughts and ideas in his mind suddenly became manifest, compelling him to mutter aloud, "It's all thanks to this [Thirty-Six Thunder Token]."

"This object is a Spiritual Treasure belonging to the thirty-six Thunder-Descending Envoys under the Great Rebellion's Five Thunders Divine Firmament Palace. There are thirty-six in total, and each possesses peerless might."

"It also serves as proof of a Thunder-Descending Envoy's identity. Without this item, the only way into the Shiyang Temple is by force, which yields half the result for twice the effort and carries massive risks."

"Shiyang Temple?" Wang Ping asked again.

"It's this palace right here."

Hengxu pointed at the palace doors. "This was the residence of Yang Hao, the Lantern-Bearing Official of the Incense-Draped Hall. Back in the day, he was a tier-three qi-ingesting practitioner."

"I see." Wang Ping nodded, his curiosity piqued. "You seem well-prepared, Fellow Daoist. Could there be some rare treasure hidden here?"

"Quite the opposite, actually."

Hengxu smiled faintly. "The Shiyang Temple is an office, not a treasure vault. That Yang Hao was an ascetic cultivator; why would he keep rare treasures lying around?"

"However, he was a Lantern-Bearing Official."

"In this Shiyang Temple, there should be a treasure he once managed, known as the Pixiang Golden Lamp. It houses a special spiritual flame."

"And only the spiritual flame within the Pixiang Golden Lamp can melt the Guanyuan Golden Lock on the doors of the Incense-Draped Hall's main palace. That's where the true grand fortunes of the Incense-Draped Hall are. But secrets like this are only known within my Observing Eternity Realm; outsiders have no way of finding out."

"Ah, I see!"

Wang Ping clapped his hands, sighing in amazement. Hengxu suspected nothing; he completely viewed Wang Ping as a traveling companion, entirely ignoring all the anomalies.

Then, the two of them walked side by side, crossing through the profound gates. Soon, the scenery inside the palace greeted their eyes—it was an otherworldly paradise.

Stretching out before them were halls built within the palace. A long bridge spanned the path, flanked by deep pools and lakes, its railings entwined with colorful-feathered, soaring red-crowned phoenixes. Past the bridge rose a towering set of profound cinnabar stairs, its pillars coiled with golden-scaled, sun-dazzling red-whiskered dragons, looking equally extravagant.

"Too luxurious..."

Wang Ping looked around, his eyes shining. This massive palace, the cinnabar stairs, the long bridge, the carved dragons and painted phoenixes—without exception, they were all forged from spiritual materials!

According to the standards of the [Taiping Sutra], these spiritual materials were at the very least Earth-Nourished Essences, and a few were even Heaven-Nurtured Spiritual Blooms.

What was a Heaven-Nurtured Spiritual Bloom?

Simply put, they were Qi Refining-tier spiritual materials capable of forging Spiritual Treasures. Yet in this palace, they were merely used as decorations.

'And you call this guy an ascetic?'

Wang Ping's expression turned odd. Of course, it wasn't impossible to explain away. After all, these were just spiritual materials, not Spiritual Treasures, which were only truly precious to Tribulation Transcending cultivators.

To a Qi Refining practitioner, they could only be considered not cheap.

They weren't quite rare treasures.

Sticking directly in front of Hengxu the entire way, Wang Ping quickly reached the top of the cinnabar stairs. There, nothing remained but a black desk and a Meditation Mat.

Four items sat on the desk.

A Golden Lamp, a long cinnabar scroll, a white-hair brush, and an inkstone. Aside from these, there was nothing else. It was clearly a workspace.

"That's it!"

Joy washed over Hengxu's face as his eyes locked straight onto the Golden Lamp. Wang Ping glanced over and noticed its bizarre shape; blinding white light surged from its wick.

"What an incredible spiritual flame..."

Wang Ping's gaze fell upon the blazing white light within the lamp, and his eyes instantly stung. At the same time, a gust of hot wind hit his face, actually giving him a burning sensation.

'It's not just under the jurisdiction of a single fire qi. Rather, one qi manifestation was extracted from the Heavenly Yang Fire and another from the Earth Yin Fire, then fused into this spiritual flame using profound magic power and tremendous divine abilities. The cultivator who forged this flame had to be at least at the third layer; otherwise, it would be impossible to wield two fire qis simultaneously,' he thought.

"This object is called the [Profound Yang Covering Illumination Fire]."

Hengxu carefully cradled the Golden Lamp. The manifest intent within his heart grew even stronger, and unable to hold back, he said, "Back in its day, this flame possessed terrifying prestige."

"The Lantern-Bearing Official, Yang Hao, used his lifelong dao attainment to forge this spiritual flame."

"He gathered qi manifestations from the Radiant Universal Illumination Six Harmonies Qi and the Discerning Truth and Illusion Illuminating Qi, refining them for a full forty-nine years before succeeding."

"One is the [Six Yang Sovereign Lord]."

"The other is the [Profound Illumination Light]."

"Two qi manifestations converged into one flame. If he could have added just one more fire qi, Yang Hao could have used this flame as his grand achievement, perhaps even finding hope to achieve the True Dao."

"This is too precious."

Wang Ping sighed in admiration, then reached out his hand. "Fellow Daoist, you can't just casually hold onto such a precious item. Why not give it to me? I'll keep it safe for you."

"Sure, sure."

Hengxu didn't feel anything was amiss. He immediately placed the Golden Lamp into Wang Ping's hands, warning, "This fire can only be controlled by the Golden Lamp. Make sure you store it carefully."

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist, I will definitely guard it as if it were my own treasure!"

After Wang Ping stowed away the Golden Lamp, Hengxu turned his attention to the other items on the desk. His gaze landed on the long cinnabar scroll, and a look of deep emotion crossed his face. "It's a [Thunder Palace Cinnabar Document]."

This time, without waiting for Wang Ping to ask, he actively explained, "In the past, the Great Rebellion used the Five Thunders Divine Firmament Palace to govern the masses and oversee all immortal affairs under heaven."

"The memorials submitted from all corners of the Cosmos to the Five Thunders Divine Firmament Palace were called Thunder Palace Cinnabar Documents. Minor, trivial matters were first reviewed and approved by the various bureaus here, while important ones were forwarded to the main hall... For instance, the fact that these are sitting here means they weren't considered very important."

'Not considered very important?'

Wang Ping felt a jolt of shock. He looked at the long cinnabar scroll and saw that the handwriting looked as if carved by swords and axes, even bearing remnants of qi manifestations. It was absolutely not penned by mortals.

'At least Dao-Entering level!'

'Cultivators at that level still had to submit memorials, yet these are considered the unimportant ones—what in the world would the truly important ones look like?'

The scroll contained a lot of text.

However, sitting right at the top was a short line of small text: a report of immortal cultivators causing trouble in the Western Regions, wreaking havoc on the Ancient Immortal-Piercing Road, and requesting instructions from the Divine Firmament Palace.

And the official reply to this report was only a single word.

[Execute]!

Rumble!

In an instant, Wang Ping felt a massive thunderclap boom in his ears. As he exhaled, actual lightning sparked out, triggering an autonomous response from the Heavenly Martial Campaign Profound Armor.

Clang clang!

The screech of clashing metal caused Wang Ping to sway on his feet. Luckily, the Heavenly Martial Campaign Profound Armor suppressed the thunder, or he probably would have been wounded by that alone!

On the other side, Hengxu fared even worse. The thunder blasted him backward. He subconsciously pressed his hand to his brow, yet couldn't hide the bead of red seeping through.

"A miscalculation... I didn't expect there to be an Immortal-Executing Decree here."

Gritting his teeth, Hengxu hurriedly swallowed a pill and settled into meditation to adjust his breathing. His qi fluctuated wildly several times before finally stabilizing.

"Immortal-Executing Decree?" Wang Ping asked curiously.

"This shows the domineering nature of the Great Rebellion," Hengxu sneered. "Under the jurisdiction of the Five Thunders Divine Firmament Palace, immortal cultivators were not allowed to cause trouble. Trouble meant death."

"And the Incense-Draped Hall carried out those executions."

"After all, within the Five Thunders Divine Firmament Palace, the Incense-Draped Hall commanded earth-thunder orders, offered sacrifices to heroic spirits, and manifested the emperor's prestige. This kind of work was their main responsibility."

With that, Hengxu channeled his magic power, lifting the character [Execute] off the cinnabar scroll and carefully folding it up. "For example, this word [Execute] was written using earth-thunder as ink and the [Dao-Disseminating Brush]. Otherwise, a single word couldn't possibly contain such might."

"Its power is even considered diminished because the ink dried out."

Hengxu sighed. "If we could acquire some earth-thunder from the Great Rebellion era and relight this [Execute] character, it might truly possess the profound ability to slay Qi Refining practitioners."

Afterward, the two carefully sifted through the remaining cinnabar documents.

Aside from immortal cultivators causing trouble, there were also matters regarding sacrifices for heroic spirits and the promotion of strongmen and divine generals. As such, the official replies below shifted:

[Approved].

Compared to the word [Execute], this [Approved] was much more accommodating. Wang Ping could even sense a bit of the [Free and Unfettered Wandering]'s qi manifestation within it.

"This is also a good word."

Hengxu said excitedly, "As long as we have earth-thunder to light it up, it will definitely possess the marvel of 'everything is permitted,' opening a path of survival right through dangerous lands."

Finishing his sentence, Hengxu hurried to extract every last word, shoving a thick stack of them into Wang Ping's hands.

"Keep these safe, Fellow Daoist."

"Leave it to me," Wang Ping nodded solemnly.

Hengxu then looked at the two remaining items on the desk, the white-hair brush and the inkstone, and sighed. "This is the [Dao-Disseminating Brush] I just mentioned. As for this inkstone, it's called the [Earth-Thunder Pool]. Just as the name implies, it was a treasure used to store earth-thunder."

With that, Hengxu reached into his sleeve again.

This time, he withdrew a crystal-clear vial. Through the glass, Wang Ping could faintly see a pulsing mass of light inside.

And as his gaze settled on the light...

He vaguely seemed to see countless human figures. There was loyalty to the nation, fierce filial bravery, mountains and rivers receiving sacrifices, and blazing incense worship—all converging into the imagery within the light.

"This is...?"

Wang Ping's eyes flickered.

"This is earth-thunder!"

Hengxu sighed. "When unleashing lightning, the divine lord commands this thunder order. It can capture mirage dragons, summon ferocious wind and rain, and uproot trees. Fortune and disaster are determined by sacrifice. Words cannot fully express its imperial prestige."

"With the fall of the Great Rebellion, the Five Thunders Divine Firmament Palace vanished alongside the Heaven Defiance Palace, and such miraculous items practically went extinct in Cosmic Deep Space. Even though my Observing Eternity Realm had karmic ties to it back then, we only managed to preserve this tiny bit. We've kept it stored away until now, never daring to use it recklessly."

Having said that, Hengxu lifted the inkstone.

Next, he popped the vial open and poured the earth-thunder into the inkstone. Lightning crackled instantly, transforming into a thin layer of light that spread across its surface.

"It's done!"

Seeing this, Hengxu laughed aloud. "With this [Earth-Thunder Pool], my earth-thunder can continuously regenerate! I won won't have to worry about depleting it ever again."

This was a massive fortune!

One had to realize, he cultivated heavenly yang wood, the Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Azure Thunder Qi. If he could refine enough earth-thunder, it would immensely benefit his cultivation.

'If time wasn't limited and I could afford to linger here, just by patiently comprehending this pool of earth-thunder and refining a bolt of it every few days, it would take me a month at most to master my second qi manifestation in the heavenly yang wood Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Azure Thunder Qi!' he thought.

What kind of divine speed was this?

Ordinary Qi Refining practitioners often took hundreds, even thousands of years to master a qi manifestation, yet he only needed a month. Who in the Immortal Gate could rival him?

Given enough time, he could even push for the Five Qis Perfected state!

Not to mention that with ample earth-thunder, whether it was the [Dao-Disseminating Brush] or the newly collected [Execute] and [Approved] characters, all of them could unleash their true power.

How many more trump cards would this add to his arsenal?

At this thought, Hengxu couldn't help but sigh. "This trip..."

"Was absolutely worth it!"

As Hengxu trailed off, Wang Ping beat him to the punch, sighing with emotion. This caused Hengxu to turn his head, locking eyes with this unknown fellow daoist.

It didn't seem like anything was wrong.

"Great minds think alike!"

Hengxu guffawed.

But time was limited, so he didn't dare gloat for long. He immediately swept up everything on the desk like a whirlwind scattering clouds, and Wang Ping quickly stepped forward to help him out.

Seeing this, Hengxu was deeply moved. "Thanks!"

Wang Ping waved his large hand magnanimously. "Don't mention it!"

Immediately after, Hengxu turned around, preparing to leave. But Wang Ping stopped him. Reaching out, Wang Ping chipped every single carved dragon off the surrounding pillars.

Next came the floor tiles, followed by the black desk and the Meditation Mat. Wang Ping didn't spare a single one. Plus, with the [Taiping Sutra] automatically identifying spiritual materials, no treasure could hide from his piercing gaze. In no time at all, the entire palace looked as if a swarm of locusts had swept through, leaving nothing behind but bare, empty ground.

"These are all top-tier spiritual materials."

Seeing Hengxu staring at him in bewilderment, Wang Ping patted his bulging storage bag and gave an honest, good-natured smile. "It'd be such a shame to waste them."

Hearing this, Hengxu thought it over.

'Makes sense!'

The current Observing Eternity Realm was nowhere near as glorious as it used to be. They had been tightening their belts for years; it was only right to find new sources of income and cut costs wherever they could.

The two walked out of the hall.

Wang Ping repeated his trick, stowing away all the colorful-feathered, soaring red-crowned phoenixes coiled along the bridge, not even sparing the deep pools and lakes on either side of it.

Hengxu clicked his tongue in wonder as he watched.

'Too thorough!'

Soon, the two exited the Shiyang Temple. Bursting with satisfaction, Hengxu felt that the sky had never looked so clear, and the air had never smelled so sweet.

On the other side, Wang Ping started pondering a very important question.

'Exactly how much force do I need to blast Hengxu apart with a single strike without actually killing him, leaving him with just one breath yet unable to escape?' he wondered.

He was getting ready to reel in the net.

However, despite Hengxu being led by the nose this whole time—practically baring his soul to him—the core reason was their massive gap in cultivation, combined with the fact that Wang Ping hadn't leaked a sliver of killing intent. Otherwise, under the intense stimulation of a life-and-death crisis, [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time] wouldn't be able to stay hidden.

'So I only get one strike.'

Wang Ping never underestimated an enemy. Let alone the fact that Hengxu was, regardless of anything else, an immortal realm dao child. Even if his sect had fallen on hard times, he undoubtedly possessed a formidable trump card or two.

And once he let Hengxu use those trump cards, best-case scenario: Hengxu successfully escaped and broadcasted Wang Ping's deeds to everyone.

Worst-case scenario: Wang Ping wouldn't even be surprised if Hengxu counter-killed him. What if his trump card was a True Monarch's strike? It didn't even have to be a True Monarch's strike; a full-powered blow from someone at Mingyou's level—a perfected Qi Refinement Third Layer—would definitely leave him ten times dead with zero chance of survival.

Therefore, he had to strip Hengxu of all mobility in one hit.

But he couldn't kill him. Wang Ping saw a massive fortune upon Hengxu; if he died, that fortune might slip right out of Wang Ping's grasp.

'This balance is actually really hard to strike.'

While thinking, Wang Ping stood behind Hengxu, starting to circulate profundities. He mimed his movements, inch by inch stacking his divine power and qi manifestations onto his fist.

'[Netherworld Communication Profound Arbiter], Dao Foundation Verification, Magic Power Synchronization, [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time]... Is this a bit much? Feels like I might actually kill him.'

'I should drop [Netherworld Communication Profound Arbiter]. This Major Divine Ability obliterates lives; it's too vicious. I'll just use the "manifest" profundity of [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time] to actively reveal my identity while maximizing my stats, then pair it with Dao Foundation Verification and Magic Power Synchronization for one brutal punch.'

'There's no way he dies from that, right?'

Wang Ping tried aiming at the back of Hengxu's head, targeting his sea of consciousness, and took a practice swing. He still felt a bit hesitant. After all, he had never seen Hengxu fight anyone.

Therefore, he could only use others as a benchmark.

Take Yi Xuangong, for instance. He was a Qi Consumption Third Layer ancient cultivator who could barely trade blows with weaker Qi Refining Second Layer practitioners. How did Hengxu's strength compare to his?

Wang Ping roughly estimated that, leaving out external factors like Spiritual Treasures, this sneak attack punch of his should be enough to instantly critically injure Yi Xuangong.

At this thought, Wang Ping just spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Hengxu."

"Hmm?" Hengxu turned to look at this friendly, unknown comrade.

"How do you feel about your current combat power? Could you fight the weakest Qi Refining Second Layer cultivator? If they ambushed you, is there a risk you'd be beaten to death?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Hengxu burst out laughing. "Who are you looking down on!"

Then, he held up the token in his hand. "See this [Thirty-Six Thunder Token]? This treasure has an autonomous response ability."

"In other words, even if someone ambushed me and I didn't notice, this treasure would automatically protect its master. With it around, an ordinary Qi Refining Second Layer practitioner who broke through with just three qi manifestations would have a foundation far too thin. At best, they could fight me to a standstill. I wouldn't win, but it'd be enough for me to escape."

"It's that amazing?" Wang Ping gasped in awe.

"There's more!"

The longer Hengxu looked at this unfamiliar daoist, the kinder he seemed. The manifest thoughts in his heart simply wouldn't stop, and he proudly patted his chest. "I am also draped in grand achievement."

With that, he voluntarily opened his palm. A light of grand achievement slowly rose from his hand, revealing an imagery that was immovable, unshakeable, indestructible, and incorruptible.

"This is the [Lord of Winter's Chill]. It has the ability to firmly guard one's life and render external objects incapable of destroying it."

Brimming with confidence, Hengxu continued, "With its protection, even the most ferocious life-destroying techniques will have their power slashed by at least thirty percent upon hitting me."

"So, going by your hypothetical, the weakest Qi Refining Second Layer practitioner couldn't possibly kill me—they wouldn't even be able to heavily wound me. They would have to be at least three or four times stronger, armed with a Spiritual Treasure, and launch a sneak attack from the shadows to even have a chance. Otherwise, worst comes to worst, I could still activate a life-saving divine talisman..."

Hearing this, Wang Ping nodded.

"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."

As his voice fell, Wang Ping stacked the [Netherworld Communication Profound Arbiter] he had just dropped right back on, then hoisted the [Profound One Calamity-Crossing Ring] above his head...

"Oh, wait, no."

Using a Spiritual Treasure carried a risk of killing him.

He only wanted to critically wound him.

Realizing this, Wang Ping put the [Profound One Calamity-Crossing Ring] away and drew the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade. After weighing it in his hand, he finally gave a satisfied nod.

Hengxu, who had watched this from start to finish, blinked in utter bewilderment. "Fellow Daoist, what are you doing?"

In response, Wang Ping just gave a faint smile. "Relax, the dizziness is only temporary."

"Huh?"

In a split second, an intense sense of crisis tore through the thick fog deep within Hengxu's sea of consciousness. But by then, his vision was entirely filled by a profound stone.

The [Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone]!

Bang!

As the stone smashed into him, Hengxu instantly comprehended a massive volume of utterly meaningless ancient cultivator knowledge. Before he could even recover from it, a deluge of chaotic thoughts followed closely behind. The seventh scripture scroll, Golden Sea Desiccation!

Wang Ping had used this scripture scroll many times before, and the chaotic thoughts it dragged out were practically covered in a thick patina by now. This time, however, he held nothing back, slamming all of them straight into Hengxu's sea of consciousness.

This left Hengxu frozen dead in his tracks.

Immediately after, Wang Ping swung his blade!

Shing—!

The blade frightened ghosts and gods alike. Amidst its ring, a ghostly domain rapidly expanded, and the rolling waters of the Yellow Springs reflected the life-destroying Light of Mystic Past Karma.

Squelch!

Devoid of any ability to resist, Hengxu was cleaved right through by Wang Ping's blade on the spot. A diagonal gash instantly tore him open from his left shoulder down to his right abdomen.

Following that, the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys inside Hengxu's dharma body tumbled out as blood gushed like a fountain. The Light of Mystic Past Karma erupted within him, surging through his limbs and bones and unleashing its life-destroying might to the extreme. Even more fatal were the layers of shattering void surrounding the blade strike.

One Layer of Heaven Severed!

It was an incredibly bizarre sensation. To Wang Ping, it felt as though, at the exact moment he swung his blade, he stood upon a much higher vantage point than Hengxu.

The blade light chopped downwards, akin to standing on a mountain peak and throwing a rock to the foot of the mountain. Even if it was just a pebble, it would pack terrifying power when it hit the ground.

Therefore, the blade light's power multiplied.

But this state didn't last. A second later, he dropped out of it. His pure aspect began to crack inch by inch, clearly incapable of withstanding this level of outburst.

However, Wang Ping had no heart to worry about his own injuries. He quickly dropped to one knee and caught Hengxu, who had nearly been sliced in half by his blade.

Only then did Hengxu snap out of the chaos caused by the [Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone] and the Golden Sea Desiccation. Yet, his magic power had completely drained away along with his dharma blood, and his sea of consciousness had been sliced wide open by Wang Ping's blade. His divine sense was withered; he couldn't muster even a sliver of strength.

"Brother, hang in there!"

Supporting Hengxu, Wang Ping was a little panicked.

'Crap, did I mess up the force? Was Hengxu just posturing earlier, and I took him seriously and broke his bluff?'

Watching Hengxu's qi grow weaker and weaker, Wang Ping felt as if a fortune already in his grasp was about to grow wings and fly away. He grew frantic. "Please, don't die!"

Quickly, Wang Ping yanked off the storage bag tied to Hengxu's waist. After digging out a huge pile of pills, he shoved them whole into Hengxu's mouth.

Then, he casually stuffed the storage bag into his own robes.

Hengxu: "..."

The pills melted the moment they entered his mouth. Wood qi was inherently life-giving. Hengxu, whose consciousness had begun to slip away, shuddered violently, regaining a bit of clarity.

Only then did he realize his situation was absolutely dire. The other party hadn't even used Dao-Debate; he had practically pulverized his Dao Foundation with sheer brute force. Hengxu hadn't even had the time to deploy his Spiritual Treasure. Relying solely on the [Thirty-Six Thunder Token] and the [Lord of Winter's Chill], there was no way he could block that blade strike.

In this moment, Hengxu had only one thought left in his mind.

'As long as I can activate that...'

He spurred on his remaining divine sense, desperately trying to trigger the life-saving divine talisman in his sea of consciousness. But a second later, a profound stone crashed down with a massive boom.

The [Thirty Qi Dao-Evolving Stone]!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Ping smashed it down repeatedly, beating Hengxu's head into a lumpy mess. His divine sense completely collapsed, leaving him powerless to activate the talisman.

"Phew..."

Wang Ping wiped the sweat from his brow. Seeing that Hengxu had caught his breath and hadn't died on the spot, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued his operation.

First was the Profound Nether Pot; he stuffed Hengxu's body directly inside as the first layer of suppression. Then, he applied a second seal with the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron. This double insurance guaranteed that once Hengxu was locked inside, he couldn't use a single speck of divine sense or magic power, left with nothing but his bare consciousness.

"No... wait,"

Hengxu watched in utter terror. He was fairly experienced himself, so he naturally recognized that Wang Ping's sequence of actions would doom him, ensuring he would never see the light of day again.

"Fellow Daoist from Deity Transformation... we have no enmity..."

"You've got the wrong guy!"

Wang Ping hurriedly leaned his face in closer so Hengxu could get a good look. "Did you forget? I'm Kunyun! I have absolutely nothing to do with the water qi dao child."

Hengxu: "..."

'Do you think I'm an idiot?'

'Who else but a pure water qi cultivator could pull off a sequence of moves like that?'

'You devil, I'll take you down with me!'

In a split second, Hengxu attempted to self-detonate. Unfortunately, the seal was already complete. All of his efforts were ruthlessly suppressed, and he vanished into the depths of the Treasure Cauldron just like that.

"Done!"

Wang Ping chuckled merrily. He knew Hengxu didn't believe him, of course, but with [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time] at work, Wang Ping was hidden, Kunyun was manifest, and no karma would stick to him.

Whether he believed it or not, Wang Ping certainly did.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Incense-Draped Hall.

A mass of auspicious clouds swept across the sky. The spiritual light was dazzling—a single glance proved it harbored great fortune—yet not a single cultivator dared to blindly approach its location.

After all, this group was not to be trifled with.

They were Qi Refining practitioners from the Protector Courtyard, one of the Immortal Gate's Three Great Academies. Leading them was the earth-qi Xiaoling Dao Child under the jurisdiction of the Profound Origin First Yang True Monarch: Chen Yuanfu.

"Dao Child, are we truly not going to search for fortunes?"

Beside Chen Yuanfu, a Qi Refining practitioner asked hesitantly. "The Incense-Draped Hall is so huge. By the time we find Dao Child Hengxu, it might be too late."

"What do you know?"

Chen Yuanfu shook his head. "The Immortal Prescription Courtyard only sent Hengxu this time. He definitely harbors a massive secret, and he came here specifically for the Incense-Draped Hall!"

"Wood qi commands lightning."

"And the Incense-Draped Hall was once part of the Five Thunders Divine Firmament Palace. I'm guessing he holds corresponding intelligence that can lead him to the greatest fortune within it. As long as we find him, any other fortune is just a drop in the ocean. Think long-term, don't be so narrow-minded."

"But how are we going to find him?"

"I prepared for this, naturally." Chen Yuanfu smiled, then reached into his robes and pulled out a book. Its cover bore four golden characters:

[Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals].

"This treasure can observe immortal cultivators and illuminate karma. Paired with my [Immortal Invocation and Divination] art and using his qi as a tracker, it's more than enough to pinpoint Hengxu's location."

As he spoke, Chen Yuanfu twisted a hand seal, extracting a wisp of Hengxu's qi. This was exactly why he had gone out of his way to greet Hengxu before entering the Incense-Draped Hall. The small talk was fake; taking his qi was his true goal. Now, he sent it into the [Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals].

Immediately, it began deducing.

However, a second later, he froze in place.

"Hm?"

Chen Yuanfu blinked, somewhat surprised. "Hengxu... is actually critically injured? His qi is extremely feeble and hard to track. Who did he run into?"

For a moment, the earth-qi dao child's expression shifted slightly.

'Someone actually beat me to him!'

This sudden twist brought a look of hesitation to Chen Yuanfu's face. Even with the [Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals]'s deductions, he hadn't managed to catch Hengxu immediately.

Who could possibly be faster than him?

It couldn't be that they just got incredibly lucky and Hengxu delivered himself to their doorstep, right?

Regardless, with this accident befalling Hengxu, his own plans might have to change. He needed to shift his focus to the person who critically injured Hengxu.

"Since Hengxu was critically injured, his fortunes might have been taken as well. Who was it? To actually render him incapable of even escaping..."

Chen Yuanfu thought it over and immediately began deducing along the lines of karma.

"Who critically injured Hengxu?"

Of course, despite the question, he actually already had his suspicions. After all, there weren't many people in the Incense-Draped Hall capable of critically injuring an immortal realm dao child.

Furthermore, Hengxu was an immortal realm dao child. Even if the Observing Eternity Realm had lost their True Monarch, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Even if an ordinary cultivator had the ability to heavily injure Hengxu, they would likely be unwilling to offend him so easily. Therefore, anyone who dared to actually make a move was ninety percent likely to be a cultivator with a background equal to Hengxu's.

"First, cross off those outer-path ancient cultivators."

"Next, the most likely culprit is that water qi yin spirit, Yunlong. The demonic path has always been completely lawless. With his strength, it would be a piece of cake."

Naturally, nothing was absolute.

Because there was actually no enmity between the Deity Transformation Realm and the Observing Eternity Realm. They even shared a bit of history; even the demonic path might have some reservations.

The fire qi demonic path—if it was Mingde from the Radiant Clarity Realm who struck, that would also make perfect sense.

Aside from water and fire, Mingyou had always been utterly audacious, stopping at nothing for the sake of his dao. Since the Observing Eternity Realm's True Monarch hadn't appeared for a long time, it wasn't impossible that he dared to act.

"It couldn't possibly be Tianxing."

Name after name surfaced in Chen Yuanfu's mind.

While he was thinking, the [Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals] already provided the answer. Blazing with light, it reflected destiny, revealing the corresponding karma to Chen Yuanfu.

Then, Chen Yuanfu froze.

Looking at the name finally revealed on the [Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals], for a moment, he actually failed to process it: "Holy crap, who is Kunyun?"