Chapter 93.1: Hundred Nations Blood War, Qi Yuan's Impatience

In the marketplace...

Qi Yuan strolled purposefully. Now that he had a wife, his house couldn't stay empty. Some decorations were necessary. For several days in a row, he had frequented the market.

When he passed by a clothing shop, he stopped in his tracks. "Should I pick up a chest wrap for my junior sister while I'm here?"

He thought back to when he had made what he believed was a very emotionally intelligent comment, only for her to end up displeased. He understood why. He was excellent when it came to sweet talk, but a midget when it came to action. Every time he did take action, though, it warmed his junior sister's heart for an entire day.

Still, he hesitated. "She and I aren't that close yet..."

He decided to drop the idea and left the market.

In the crowd, Luo Jing's eyes glinted with murderous intent. He immediately followed. He tailed Qi Yuan quietly, searching for a good place to strike. When he saw Qi Yuan descend into a remote forested area, he was overjoyed.

This is it! The perfect place!

As long as he could capture Qi Yuan and force him to reveal what had happened inside the Celestial Dragon Realm, he could answer to Po Lang's master.

In the very next instant, he froze. "Where is he?"

Qi Yuan was nowhere to be seen.

His heart tightened.

Is this an ambush?

He immediately grew alert. Before he could react, a cold chill brushed across his neck. There was a flash of a blade. His eyes widened as he saw a hand reach into his abdomen and seize his Core. Another hand lifted his head.

Yes, the moment Luo Jing landed, his head and body had been severed in a single stroke.

Qi Yuan held his head in one hand and his Core in the other. He examined the head closely. "Aren't you from the Bright Palace?"

Before striking, Qi Yuan had read the man's aura, confirming his hostile intent.

Luo Jing's mind was in chaos. "Y-you... who are you?"

A Foundation Establishment cultivator had subdued a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator so easily? Impossible! Not even the top hundred prodigies of the Eastern Lands could do this! And certainly not so casually.

Was he a Nascent Soul monster in disguise?

Qi Yuan stared at him calmly. "Me? I'm that useless Qi Yuan you were so eager to catch."

He was thankful he'd kept his true strength hidden. If the Bright Palace had sent a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator instead, even he would not have survived.

After all, Qi Yuan had tested it in the Celestial Dragon Realm. He could defeat an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and fight evenly and possibly win against a mid stage. However, to defeat a late-stage, he'd have to reach mid-stage Foundation Establishment first.

To reach that level and make progress with the Qi Yuan Scripture, he would have to cultivate for years. Hence why he was desperate to enter the game again. He wanted to grow faster by grinding monsters.

Right now, he had too many hidden enemies lurking. The secluded Black Rooster Demon, location unknown. Po Lang's master, Lord Windrage. Lastly, the force behind the old king.

Even if they didn't yet realize Qi Yuan was their enemy—

he

knew. And that alone was enough to rob him of sleep. He had to grow stronger, fast.

"You can't be Qi Yuan! A mere Foundation Establishment can't possibly have this strength!" Luo Jing's face twisted as he pleaded, "Please spare me, Senior! I'll serve you faithfully as your slave!"

Qi Yuan said coldly, "I don't need a slave."

He was about to crush the Core when Luo Jing shouted desperately, "Spare me, Senior! I-I'm useful! I know things! The Bright Palace's plan for the Hundred Nations isn't simple. It's for the Hundred Nations Blood War! To awaken and raise a treasure to the Yin Spirit level!"

Qi Yuan's eyes narrowed sharply.

"I also know many secret arts..." Luo Jing babbled frantically, trying to prove his worth.

Without bothering to listen further, Qi Yuan crushed the Core. Luo Jing's aura vanished.

Then, he rummaged through the corpse, muttering, "Only a single Profound-tier technique?"

Afterward, he branded the body with the Divine Flower Society's sigil. The Divine Flower Society and the Bright Palace were bitter enemies. If someone from the Divine Flower Society killed a Bright Palace member, no one would question it. Nor would they link it to a small-town cultivator like him.

Still, even after killing Luo Jing, Qi Yuan felt uneasy. He logged into the chat group.

Qiyuann Sovereign: Fellow Seniors, do you know anything about the Bright Palace's plan for the Hundred Nations Blood War?

Rogue Immortal: Not sure. I just know they've been targeting the Hundred Nations lately.

Rogue Immortal seemed to be chronically online.

Great Sun Flame Emperor chimed in.

Great Sun Flame Emperor: It's not a good sign.

Iceberg Empress: The Hundred Nations region is peculiar. In the Eastern Lands' thirteen continents, nowhere else has so many cultivation kingdoms. The Bright Palace holds a broken treasure, the Emperor Dragon Shock Crown. They covet the Hundred Nations to trigger a massive war. The blood and life essence from those battles will feed the crown and evolve it into a Yin Spirit artifact.

The chat fell silent. All of them were shocked.

Such audacity. Such cruelty!

To ignite war among the Hundred Nations, slaughtering billions just to forge a single Yin Spirit artifact?

Qi Yuan had thought the Bright Palace merely plotted against the Great Shang Kingdom, but now it was clear their goal was all of the Hundred Nations. They had monstrous ambition!

Rogue Immortal fumed.

Rogue Immortal: The Bright Palace calls itself righteous, yet commits acts that defy heaven!

Great Sun Flame Emperor sighed.

Great Sun Flame Emperor: The Hundred Nations aren't officially part of the Eastern Lands. At worst, the Bright Palace will face public scorn, nothing more.

Iceberg Empress added her own view.

Iceberg Empress: If only the Divine Flower Society had more power in the Cuiyun Continent, we might be able to stop them. But our influence there is too small. The Bright Palace dominates, and some of them even secretly joined our ranks. The Hundred Nations don't even have a single Violet Palace realm cultivator. They can't possibly resist the Bright Palace. The rulers will just turn a blind eye. After all, it's the low-level cultivators and soldiers who die while the high-born profit.

The powerful would watch. The weak would burn.

Even she, the Iceberg Empress, was powerless to intervene from afar.

Great Sun Flame Emperor: Qiyuann Sovereign, you're from the Hundred Nations, right? Why don't you come to the Cuiyun Continent for a few decades? I'll take you to see the sacred peaks.

He wanted to get Qi Yuan out from the coming bloodbath. The Hundred Nations Blood War was not something a young prodigy could change.

Qiyuann Sovereign: Thank you, Great Sun Flame Emperor, but I won't go.

He then asked the Iceberg Empress.

Qiyuann Sovereign: If I'm Heavenly Dao class, and later form an Immortal Core... could I stop the Bright Palace?

His Heavenly Dao class could already slay Core Formation cultivators and even fight Nascent Souls. With an Immortal Core, could he fight Violet Palace realm cultivators?

Iceberg Empress: Impossible. Not even close. A Violet Palace cultivator has seen through the very essence of mana, the Origin. No matter how strong your Core is, you cannot rival them. Not only does the Bright Palace have several of them, there's also the Emperor Dragon Shock Crown. It was once a Yin Spirit’s weapon. The owner was slain, and the artifact shattered. Now, they mean to awaken it again with enough blood and essence. When several Violet Palace realm cultivators combine their power, they can summon a wisp of the Yin Spirit's projection. Even a single wisp could erase an entire kingdom from existence. No mortal can resist such power, not even Violet Palaces themselves. That is, unless another Yin Spirit cultivator intervenes. But this Blood War has already been tacitly approved by higher powers, even Yin Spirits will not meddle carelessly.

Her tone was one of helplessness. In this world, even Violet Palaces were still mortals. The Bright Palace's atrocity defied heaven, yet was sanctioned by heaven's highest. The Hundred Nations were simply the sacrifice.

Qi Yuan's heart grew heavy. Even when he had slain three thousand alien demons, even when he killed the true Great Sun, he could not erase a kingdom in one blow. But a Yin Spirit's projection could.

Qiyuann Sovereign: How long until the Blood War truly begins?

Iceberg Empress: Two or three years. By then, the Bright Palace would have seized all Hundred Nations. The war will rage for three centuries until the Crown absorbs enough blood and fate to become a true Yin Spirit artifact.

Qi Yuan murmured, feeling the pressure mount. "Two or three years..."

The Bright Palace would surely send their strongest into the Hundred Nations. He had already slain Zhu Lianhua, Po Lang, and now Luo Jing, earning their enmity.

As expected, getting stronger was of utmost priority. All it took to flatten the Great Shang Kingdom was one whim from the Bright Palace and one flicker of Yin Spirit power. Even his brilliance would mean nothing.

It's impossible to reach Core Formation by normal means in two to three years. If I use the game, I might just manage to form a Core. But even with an Immortal Core, I might still not stand against the Bright Palace.

The pressure was immense. He could already fight far above his level. A Foundation Establishment cultivator who could slay Nascent Souls, but to resist a Yin Spirit? Impossible.

Qi Yuan muttered to himself, "What kind of Core must I form to contend with a Yin Spirit cultivator?"