Chapter 709: Severing the Void

In Taotie City, Huyan Bin knelt before his father as he said earnestly, "Chu Liang was taken by the two Demon Kings of the Far West, and Venerable Wen Yuan has already gone after them. Daoist Yan will likely head there too. To rescue Chu Liang, the powerful cultivators of the Mount Shu Sect will probably move out in full force and even rally allies from the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten.

"Father, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Previously, due to a series of disastrous decisions, Huyan Dong had been punished by his father. He was grounded at home and instructed to reflect on his mistakes. Out of sheer boredom, he obtained a Circle of Immortal Friends Token from Red Cotton Peak and soon became captivated by it.

Information from across the nine provinces was instantly shared on the Circle of Immortal Friends as soon as someone posted. Rumor had it that a private messaging feature was in the works, which would make communication even more convenient.

But the excitement was short-lived, quickly replaced by a sense of despair. After all, the item he had marveled at was a product made by their rival.

The more convenience this item offered, the more it highlighted the greatness of Red Cotton Peak. If every cultivator in the immortal realm owned one of these tokens, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the consequences.

Red Cotton Peak had invested so much into this item that it couldn’t possibly remain just a messaging tool, though even that function alone was already impressive enough.

If cultivators could order things from thousands of li away without ever leaving their homes, who would still bother coming to Taotie City?

Nevertheless, there was no use in panicking. Taotie City had three strategies to consider right now.

The most ideal strategy was to create a better product and win the public's favor back from the Mount Shu Sect. The second-best was to create at least an identical product and compete fairly. The worst option was to kneel and beg Mount Shu to stop bullying them.

Huyan Bin thought the worst strategy was simpler and rather feasible. However, since his father was trying to have a second child to replace him, he had no choice but to work toward the second-best option.

He had made some efforts, gathering intelligence through his subordinates. Although they hadn’t uncovered the core formation that made up the Circle of Immortal Friends, they did discover that this divine formation used by the Mount Shu Sect seemed to originate from the Dark King Sect.

Over the past few days, Huyan Bin had spent considerable effort contacting the higher-ups of the Dark King Sect, hoping to acquire the technology directly from the source. Just as he was preparing to meet them today, he heard a piece of news that filled him with glee.

Qi Lin'er from the Penglai Supreme Sect had ambushed the couriers of Red Cotton Peak, and in response, Chu Liang rushed to Penglai to challenge Qi Lin'er to a battle to the death. Chu Liange actually won and killed Qi Lin'er!

Though Daoist Cangshen tried to bring Qi Lin'er back to life with the East Sea Chrono Wheel, he failed. In his fury, he tried to kill Chu Liang, only for the two Demon Kings to intervene and save him.

The events left Huyan Bin stunned, as though everything was part of a strange, unreal fantasy. But upon deeper thought, his eyes filled with tears of happiness.

He exclaimed inwardly,

The Penglai Supreme Sect! My real father!

When everyone believed the Penglai Supreme Sect was merely exploiting Taotie, taking money without delivering, they were wrong! It turned out they had been putting in the effort all along!

That Qi Lin'er, who seemed so annoying back then, ended up stepping up when needed—even though it cost him his life in the end.

Huyan Bin was so moved by what Qi Lin'er had done for Taotie City that he almost blurted out, "Good death."

If Qi Lin'er hadn’t died, how could the Penglai Supreme Sect and the Mount Shu Sect have turned on each other?

Without wasting a moment, he rushed to Huyan Dong to explain just how rare this opportunity truly was.

"Red Cotton Peak may appear prosperous, but destroying it would take no more than a single night!" Huyan Bin declared confidently. "All of Mount Shu’s powerful cultivators have been deployed. If we send a team to demolish Red Cotton Peak now, it will be wiped from existence. Rebuilding it would cost them a great deal of time and money, and that’s where our opportunity lies!"

"And who will carry this out?" Huyan Dong asked gravely.

Taotie City had some forces, but it certainly couldn’t take action directly. After all, the cultivators of the Mount Shu Sect had left their home base, but they hadn't died. They would surely seek revenge once they returned to Mount Shu.

"I’ve arranged to meet with a senior member of the Dark King Sect today. They’ve suffered at the hands of the Mount Shu Sect before, and if we’re willing to pay the price, I am sure they won't mind taking revenge," Huyan Bin said with a sinister smile.

"The Dark King Sect…" Huyan Dong thought it over before nodding. "It’s certainly feasible."

He thought it over again and added, "But diabolical cultivators are ultimately unreliable. I’ve recently made contact with another group. They might prove to be a more dependable ally."

Huyan Bin looked up and asked, "Father, are you referring to those… rebels of Mount Mang?"

…

I genuinely admire how resilient you humans are. Still, we did save your life. Yet, you leave no room for negotiation. That’s a bit excessive.

"Even if we were to resurrect the Demon God, we wouldn’t invade the nine provinces. Our goal is to claim the Western Regions, along with the Far West, as our territory and rebuild the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. The human race can continue to live in the nine provinces, coexisting with us in peace.

"If you still refuse to release the Heaven-Devouring Bug, your death will be inevitable. And after you die, we’ll surely find a way to locate the Heaven-Devouring Bug.

"..."

Caiyi's soft voice echoed in his ears, but Chu Liang couldn’t respond at all.

At this moment, he was buried a hundred zhang deep underground, surrounded not by ordinary soil but by the impenetrable black meteoric rock of the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings. This very material was used to refine the Black Meteoric Iron, and with enchanted formations, it would become incredibly hard, beyond what anyone could imagine.

His five senses were nearly sealed, and he couldn’t breathe in any air. Chu Liang could feel his life slipping away, and the pain was unbearable and intense.

This was the immortal art known as Buried Alive in Dense Earth. Its purpose, beyond simply imprisoning someone, was to make them die in an incredibly terrifying way.

At this moment, it seemed Chu Liang had no option but to give them the Heaven-Devouring Bug, but he didn't.

With the black stone mask still on, he was unable to connect with anything outside. He couldn’t release foundational qi or project his divine sense. However, as the scent of the incense in the Demon God Temple faded, he regained the ability to circulate his qi internally and attune himself to the Great Dao.

He focused on the Great Dao of Severing the Void, which he had only recently comprehended.

The best time to let understanding sink in was always right after advancing to the next realm, but Chu Liang hadn’t had the time to let it settle. Now, stuck in the earth, he finally had some "free time."

The Great Dao of Severing the Void was all about the momentum to sever everything in the world with one strike. Though he had comprehended the complete Dao and reached the sixth realm, he still felt his comprehension was incomplete.

For the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination, the sword qi was the most essential. But for the Great Dao of Severing the Void, sword intent held the utmost importance. As Chu Liang thought about this, he recalled the figure he had seen in the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams—one that stood against the world and severed the Vault of Heaven with one strike.

Can I do it too? Must I have a sword to execute the Great Dao of Severing the Void? Could this strike truly severe all things?

Whoosh!

With this thought, a strong and resolute sword intent surged within Chu Liang’s heart.

He felt an abyss behind him. And now, he would either die here or achieve a breakthrough.

This is the best time to strike! If not now, then when?

In that moment of enlightenment, his divine sense sparked to life. He felt this supreme sword intent in his heart, and as he focused his energy, he released it explosively.

Shiiing!

Chu Liang couldn’t move his limbs, but with just the flash of his gaze, an overwhelming sword intent at the seventh realm erupted like a celestial river crashing to the earth!

With a single strike, he tore a crack in the earth imprisoning him underground!

Aboveground, Caiyi was astonished.

He has just ascended to the seventh realm, and he can already break my immortal art?

All Chu Liang needed was a single crack. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly raised his hand to shatter the mask on his face. Then, with a single thought, distant winds appeared, pulling him away.

Boom!

In an instant, he vanished and reappeared atop the familiar throne of the Dragon God!

The Blue Dragon’s Hidden Realm!

Bam!

Chu Liang crashed heavily to the ground. Breaking out of that earth prison had drained every bit of his spiritual energy. and he couldn't get up.

Yet, as he rolled onto his back, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Is this really the power of the seventh realm? This isn't bad at all.

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT