Chapter 87.1: Entering the Land of the Sunken Coffins, Murderous Intent Revealed

Kang Fulu's face was grim as he looked at the two corpses on the ground.

"They're from Qingyang Sect," he said in a low voice. "Just this morning, they came by to pay us a visit."

Qi Yuan remembered the pair, they were brother and sister. They had indeed visited that morning, bringing some spirit soup as a gift. It tasted quite good, if a little salty.

"This Dragon-Seizing Contest will be perilous," Kang Fulu said darkly. "To harm an ally of our Divine Radiance Sect, how dare they! Courting death!"

"This man's Dragon-Repenting Hand had reached perfection," Dong Xian said grimly, gazing down at the corpses. "All three were killed in an instant. Which prince could've hidden his strength this well?"

It didn't make sense. The royal heirs of Great Shang were, for the most part, mediocre. None of them stood out as prodigies. If they had, there would've been no need to invite outside cultivators to compete on their behalf. Yet now, a single prince had wiped out one of his brothers and two Foundation Establishment cultivators in one blow.

"Don't waste time guessing," Qi Yuan said lazily, hands tucked behind his head. "We'll run into the killer sooner or later. When we do, we'll just kill him."

That was how Qi Yuan preferred things in the cultivation world: less thinking, more punching.

Kang Fulu nodded, his tone calm but edged with resolve. "Then let's move. Deeper into the Celestial Dragon Realm."

***

Two days passed. Qi Yuan, Kang Fulu, and Dong Xian had made their way much further in. And there, they found six more corpses. They had died in the same way, struck down by the Dragon-Repenting Hand.

Kang Fulu's face turned ashen. "Again, that same technique... Six Foundation Establishment realm cultivators killed in an instant. Does the Great Shang royal family truly have such a powerful prince?"

Not even Kang Fulu could slain six Foundation Establishment cultivators in an instant. Furthermore, two of them were at the late stage, their power nearing the Core Formation realm.

Qi Yuan's eyes darkened as he looked at the bodies. "Whoever did this... is strong."

His eyes, however, saw more than others could.

[This is a normal Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. Killed by an abnormal Nascent Soul cultivator.]

The other five bodies yielded no useful information.

A Nascent Soul cultivator? How could one even enter the Celestial Dragon Realm? True Lord Taiguang was guarding the entrance himself. And to have reached Nascent Soul in just a hundred years? Even if they are an anomaly, that is beyond absurd!

Qi Yuan asked, "Among the royal family, are there any who've reached Nascent Soul?"

Dong Xian was taken aback but answered seriously, "Only two, but they are both Nascent Soul ancestors of our royal line. They passed away years ago."

The fall of the royal family had everything to do with the deaths of their two Nascent Soul ancestors. Without them, the royal's foundation had withered away and now, even the so-called royal guardians of Nascent Soul rank weren't of royal blood at all.

"I see," Qi Yuan said quietly.

Somewhere in this realm, a Nascent Soul cultivator had slipped in, hunting down Foundation Establishment realm disciples like prey. The thought left a faint chill in his chest. There was a conspiracy thick in the air.

Just then, Kang Fulu's sharp eyes flicked ahead.

"There's a battle up front," he said. "From the fluctuations, it looks like someone from Xuanfu San Sect. Let's go take a look."

Qi Yuan's eyes lit up with a flicker of anticipation. "Alright."

Could his white moonlight be there?

The three of them shot forward, streaking toward the sound of battle. Before they even arrived, Qi Yuan could already see sword qi tearing through the forest ahead. It lashed wildly through the air like a raging storm, and trees split clean in half.

"Geng Metal Sword Art!" Kang Fulu's expression turned serious. "One of Xuanfu San Sect's seven great sword techniques. No wonder it's strong."

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

They surged forward and found Lei Wen and Miao Li locked in combat with a man wearing a python-embroidered robe. Although it was a two-on-one battle, the robed figure didn't appear to be losing. It was an intimidating sight.

Dong Xian's eyes widened in disbelief as he blurted, "The Second Prince?!"

It was indeed his elder brother.

When has the Second Prince grown this strong, capable of trading blows with two true disciples of Xuanfu San Sect?

Lei Wen's voice cut through the clash. "Brother Kang, hurry! This man's been running wild through the Celestial Dragon Realm with the Dragon-Repenting Hand, he's already slaughtered at least three princes. Disciples from Lihen Sect and the Great Unity Hall fell to him too!"

"Is it him?" Kang Fulu flared with anger. "So he's targeting our allies on purpose, let me show you my strength. I am the Sect Master’s son-in-law and the Five-Light Peak master's personal disciple!"

With a flick of his whisk, Kang Fulu charged into battle. He unleashed his strongest technique. “Five-Light Saint Arts!”

Qi Yuan, however, stayed where he was. Lei Wen hadn't called for his help, and besides, with Kang Fulu now joining the fight, that Second Prince clearly didn't stand a chance. A Heavenly Dao class cultivator couldn't just strike recklessly. One had to maintain a certain level of class.

Once Kang Fulu joined in, the tide shifted instantly. The Five-Light Saint Arts merged with the Geng Metal Sword Art and flooded the forest with radiant chaos. Trees were sliced apart and sent flying, and waves of multicolored light rippled through the air.

Qi Yuan watched from the sidelines, growing increasingly bored. Dong Xian, on the other hand, was pale and trembling. Cold sweat traced down his temples as the battle raged before them.

"

Haa

... as expected, battles are just so dull without music," Qi Yuan muttered, sounding genuinely disappointed.

He thought back to all the anime he'd watched, the endless stream of short clips online. Half of them weren't even that good, but once the music kicked in, everything changed. The atmosphere, the tension, the feeling. Suddenly it was all fire and passion, enough to make blood boil or stir the heart with melancholy.

Dong Xian could only stare blankly, completely at a loss.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan reached into his storage pouch and fished out a jade slip.

"Good thing I saved a few tracks," he murmured.

He'd just provide the soundtrack himself.

Moments later, music filled the air. The fight instantly seemed far more compelling. The clash of blades now had rhythm; even the bursts of spiritual light seemed to move in sync with the beat. Qi Yuan found himself watching with renewed interest.

"I'm a Heavenly Dao class cultivator," he mused seriously. "From now on, every battle I fight deserves its own BGM. That's the proper standard of my style."

After all, background music shaped the heart of the invincible. If he had soundtrack when he faced nearly three thousand alien demons, maybe his wounds wouldn't have hurt quite so much.

The battle was already nearing its end. Miao Li suddenly caught sight of Qi Yuan off to the side, calmly playing music from his jade slip. Everyone else was fighting for their lives, and he was setting the mood!

Kang Fulu, however, was invigorated. "Excellent tune!"

The rhythm surged through him like a battle hymn.

At last,

someone who understands my spirit.

With renewed fervor, he flashed forward. The Five-Light Saint Arts struck squarely against the Second Prince's chest.

"Die!"

The overwhelming surge of power slammed into the prince, flooding him. Blood streamed from all seven orifices as his aura plummeted. However, instead of fear, a twisted grin spread across his face.

"You... dared to insult the royal bloodline," he rasped. "All of you... will die."

A crimson blossom materialized in his palm, the color of fresh blood. He crushed it, snuffing out his life force completely.

Qi Yuan's eyes widened. "Damn it, that's a huge loss!"

Just before it shattered, his gaze had locked onto the flower, and a prompt flickered before his vision.

[Soul Thought Flower. When crushed, it transmits everything the dead man saw in his final moments to the one who holds the master bloom. Even when intact, it can still transmit brief fragments. A primary spirit herb for refining the Soul-Split Pill that can strengthen the soul.]

Qi Yuan flickered and vanished, reappearing beside the Second Prince's corpse. Crouching down, he scooped up the shattered fragments of the flower, a faint look of regret in his eyes.

Miao Li shot him a glare, her expression tight with resentment.

"Junior brother, did you find something?" Kang Fulu asked, stepping forward.

Lei Wen stood nearby as well, curiosity written all over his face.

"This thing's called a Soul Thought Flower," Qi Yuan explained evenly. "When crushed, it transmits everything seen by the dead to whoever holds the master bloom. Which means the Second Prince wasn't acting alone."

A shadow passed over Kang Fulu's face. "So there's more to this than we thought."

Miao Li scoffed lightly. "Even if he had accomplices, could any of them be stronger than the Second Prince? Hardly a threat." Lei Wen nodded in agreement. With True Lord Taiguang guarding the entrance, no one powerful enough to cause trouble should've been able to slip through unnoticed. And certainly not in large numbers.

Qi Yuan straightened, brushing the dust from his robes. "Senior Brother, I think I'll be going my own way from here."