Chapter 82: Dusty Flying Sword

Li Si didn’t look at the message at that moment. He cleared his mind and tried hard to remember, reflect on, and understand the state of cosmic breathing from that one second earlier. It was truly fascinating.

A full hour later, he calmly opened his eyes and felt wonderful.

This was the advantage of being a cultivator, and also the advantage of learning from heaven and earth.

The entire world was such a great teacher; there was really no need to seek other paths.

Thinking about how he almost went down the wrong path earlier, he couldn’t help but feel scared after the fact. That kind of extreme power, though very frightening, would definitely cause irreversible damage to his body.

Looking back now, if he hadn’t cultivated the Heaven-Turning Scripture, he might not have died, but all his bones, muscles, and meridians would have mutated. For example, his whole body might have instantly grown to two meters tall and weighed two tons. If it continued, he might have even grown horns on his head, scales on his body, and a tail behind him.

It made no sense to become a monster when he could remain a proper human.

Should he boast that his body was a monster’s body but he had a human heart?

“Though the righteous path has its flaws, those who follow crooked paths have all betrayed the human race.”

Li Si now clearly sensed that even though his body was so powerful, it hadn’t developed reproductive isolation from ordinary humans.

In this regard, Old Madam Ying Rushi was likely the same, since everyone cultivated the Heaven-Turning Scripture.

The words might be rough, but the reasoning was sound. This was even the simplest truth: those who betray their kind might prosper for a while, but they never come to a good end.

With this understanding, Li Si gained another layer of insight into the power of the Evil God.

The Evil God’s power was bizarre and indescribable, but if it could be quantified, could it also be considered a unique form of cultivation evolution?

Old Madam once told Senior Sister Jiang Ying about the Land of Infinite Vastness and the Land of Infinitesimal, the Mortal Realm and the Illusory Void—everything had to struggle to cross over, to strive for passage.

So, was this struggle for passage about individual lives, or a competition among races forming a myriad races striving, or even a contest among countless worlds?

Li Si thought about many things for a while. Although he was in excellent condition, he no longer felt like continuing his cultivation. He urgently wanted to communicate with Old Madam; only a True Immortal like her could point him in the right direction.

“At this time, she’s probably surfing the web in the Hall of Fate, right?”

Li Si smiled slightly. She still denied being an internet-addicted old lady. With the four major Formation Arrays established, she no longer had to worry about the Seven Emotions Tribulation and the Six Desires Tribulation for now, yet she still lingered in the Hall of Fate.

With a slight thought, Li Si’s mind, aided by his Statue Avatar, accurately entered the Hall of Fate in the Illusory Realm.

Actually, he had another way to enter the Illusory Realm.

That was through the Hundred-League Law Seal.

But that wouldn’t take him to the Hall of Fate; instead, he would appear in that vast ruined city.

It was strange. Was the Illusory Realm also layered like a thousand-layer cake?

It seemed the secrets there were even more numerous than in this Mortal Realm.

In an instant, Li Si’s mind attached to his own Divine Idol. His idol still had a blue face and fierce fangs, looking very menacing. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a huge pile of chat logs, mostly from Jiuxuanzi and Qingyunzi.

Ah, it seemed there was more than one internet-addicted old lady.

Li Si quickly scrolled through them.

Qingyunzi: Senior Sister Jiuxuan? You haven’t been here for eight days. Is everything okay in the village?

Jiuxuanzi: It’s fine. My area is surrounded by deserts, with few people around, so the Evil God Cult has a hard time finding us. But the environment is just too harsh. See, I have to come up again to ask for rain. Isn’t Shendanzi here?

Qingyunzi: This time you don’t need to ask anyone else. Give me the Purifying Water Gourd, and I’ll give you as much as you want.

Jiuxuanzi: What? No way, Junior Sister, did your village build the Heaven-Unity Water Formation Array?

Qingyunzi: Yes. My few junior disciples worked hard and built the village’s first-layer Four Symbols Formation Array.

Jiuxuanzi: Wow, Junior Sister, I can’t control my Dao Heart! That’s so exaggerated. I remember you were still complaining a month ago, begging that Old Man Kaoshan for support. How could there be such a big change?

Qingyunzi: To be honest, I’m also very curious. My luck this month has been too good. But, to be fair, Senior Sister Jiuxuan, Comrade Kaoshan is a good person. Don’t call him an old man.

Jiuxuanzi: Ha! Junior Sister, your tone sounds off.

Qingyunzi: What’s off about it? That Old Man Kaosh— I mean, Comrade Kaoshan is indeed a good person. Though he’s mysterious and sneaky, and we’ve never met face to face, at least he’s generous. He tosses out Divine Grace Baptism like it’s free. My three disciples received 17 Divine Grace Baptisms from him.

Jiuxuanzi: Seventeen Divine Grace Baptisms? Heaven! Does he not want to live? What is he after?

Qingyunzi: That’s exactly what I’m curious about.

Jiuxuanzi: Well, I guess he’s in for a rough time. He must have survived the first wave of attacks, right? The Evil God will drop the Blood Coffin Curse on him. When he’s trapped by the Blood Coffin, he probably won’t even feel like crying. Then there will be a second wave, a third wave of attacks. Let’s wait and watch him cry.

Qingyunzi: Maybe he’ll break the shackles and achieve the Supreme Forgetfulness.

Jiuxuanzi: Impossible. Unless his cultivation foundation isn’t based on learning from heaven and earth, this world is his biggest bond, his great teacher—just like us. Besides, if he dares to break the shackles, this world will immediately take back its decrees for him, and the Fortune of Heaven and Earth will no longer favor him in the slightest. The consequences are far worse than the Blood Coffin Curse.

Qingyunzi: Senior Sister, over the years, I’ve actually had some regrets.

Jiuxuanzi: Junior Sister, no. Even though you were qualified to go to the Land of Infinite Vastness back then, it’s also a struggle to cross over there, even more severe. You have no protection from the Fortune of Heaven and Earth, no worship from the fate of your race, and no like-minded companions to join hands with. Going there would only make you a stepping stone for others in their struggle. We all understood this, which is why we resolutely stayed to face the difficulties with this world. If we can’t overcome them, so be it. But if we pass this tribulation…

Qingyunzi: Huh? Comrade Kaoshan is here.

Jiuxuanzi: …

Li Si hid his mind in the Divine Idol, pretending he hadn’t seen anything. Well, most likely the two old ladies on the other side thought the same.

Outside, it was quiet. No more messages floated by. Had the group gone silent?

So awkward.

After thinking for a long time, Li Si finally typed with both hands—

Kaoshanzi: May I ask, how can the Blood Coffin Curse be broken? I’m willing to give ten stones of Magic Power as a reward.

Shendanzi: The Blood Coffin Curse itself isn’t a big deal. Cut the chains, and it’s broken. We’ve broken it hundreds or thousands of times before. But as the Evil God’s power gradually takes over this world, this Blood Coffin Curse becomes an open scheme. If you break it, you essentially break with heaven and earth. Breaking it makes you an outcast of the world.

So, my friend, you might as well act like it doesn’t exist. As long as you don’t move, the Blood Coffin won’t move. If you really can’t stand it, come to the Illusory Realm and chat with everyone. The above answer, please accept as the standard answer. I don’t ask for ten stones of Magic Power; just one stone will do as a token for my effort.

Jiuxuanzi: Shendanzi, my friend…

Qingyunzi: Kaoshanzi, my friend…

Tianjizi: What’s going on today? So lively? First, congratulations to Comrade Kaoshan on acquiring a Blood Coffin. What Shendanzi said is absolutely right—do not break it. If you break it, we won’t be able to chat anymore in the future.

Kaoshanzi: Then I’ll send a red envelope.

Li Si was very happy. He had met Shendanzi, Tianjizi, and Jiuxuanzi all at once. Last time, their generous help got him through the first crisis, so he had to repay them. This would also help continue their cooperation.

The Hall of Fate didn’t have a red envelope feature, but Magic Power could be traded directly, and it was simple and straightforward. Li Si directly drew from his own Magic Power, making packages of 5,000 points each, and casually sent them out. Each bundle of Magic Power automatically formed a small blue sphere; whoever touched it would receive 5,000 points of Magic Power.

Then these old men and old ladies naturally had countless ways to convert it into various resources or directly give it to their disciples.

In short, this was hard currency.

He sent out 50,000 points of Magic Power in one go. Though Li Si couldn’t see it, the Fate Forge could feed back specific information to him.

Qingyunzi grabbed two of your Magic Power red envelopes and obtained two stones of Magic Power.

Jiuxuanzi grabbed two of your Magic Power red envelopes and obtained two stones of Magic Power.

Shendanzi grabbed three of your Magic Power red envelopes and obtained three stones of Magic Power.

Tianjizi grabbed three of your Magic Power red envelopes and obtained three stones of Magic Power.

Then, there was another long silence, as if these four were all a bit at a loss.

In fact, that was indeed the case. Inside the Hall of Fate, Tianjizi looked at Shendanzi in surprise, Shendanzi stared strangely at Jiuxuanzi, and Jiuxuanzi glared back. Damn, my friend, your internet speed is a bit too fast. So unethical—please be kind.

As for Qingyunzi, she was relatively calm. After all, she had already indirectly witnessed how extravagant this Old Man Kaoshan was in the Mortal Realm. He gave out Divine Grace Baptism freely, and in large quantities—and that wasn’t just Magic Power, but Heavenly Merit fused with fate!

So she was actually a bit worried that this Old Man Kaoshan didn’t know how to manage his resources. If he squandered all his savings, how would he manage in the future?

Come to think of it, why did he not seem like an old man but more like a reckless young fellow? So impulsive, yet he clumsily pretended to be mysterious!

“Ahem!”

After a long silence, inside the Hall of Fate, Tianjizi was the first to speak.

Mainly because they had never encountered such a situation. A thousand years ago, they wouldn’t have cared for such a small amount of Magic Power. But now, after a thousand years, everyone was desperately poor.

So even though it felt bad, the feeling of grabbing these red envelopes was pretty good.

“Comrade Kaoshan, there’s no need for this. The situation is tough right now, and everyone is struggling. How about this—I still have one Tianji Array Rune here, and I’ll give it to you, Comrade Kaoshan.”

Tianjizi was a very straightforward guy. Although grabbing red envelopes felt great, his principles as a person could not change. Immediately, a rune surrounded by divine light drifted over.

When Li Si saw this Tianji Array Rune, he got a little excited. Damn, was this old man really that rich? Was he really that honorable? An array rune that could trap a Nascent Soul Realm expert was just given away like that.

Such an upright gentleman definitely needed to be protected! Well, even though he was probably a sneaky old guy in reality, as long as he had principles in these matters, it was fine.

Without another word, he tossed out ten more magic power red envelopes.

But before he could say they were specifically for Tianjizi, everyone outside had already started grabbing them. Hmm, this was actually kind of fun, and he couldn’t help it—mainly because today’s lunch was now secured.

Swoosh—

Qingyunzi grabbed one of your magic power red envelopes and obtained one dan of magic power.

Jiuxuanzi grabbed one of your magic power red envelopes and obtained one dan of magic power.

Shendanzi grabbed two of your magic power red envelopes and obtained two dan of magic power.

Tianjizi grabbed six of your magic power red envelopes and obtained six dan of magic power.

The four people outside started glaring at each other again!

No doubt about it, that old dog Tianjizi was really cunning. He had actually predicted that Li Si would send more red envelopes, so he prepared in advance and snatched six of them. Damn, with behavior like this, and he still called himself an honorable gentleman? Why not just change your name to Yue Buqun!

Then the second most scheming was Shendanzi. Qingyunzi and Jiuxuanzi, on the other hand, were more emotional, still stuck in the mindset of feeling embarrassed and unworthy from before.

In fact, even these last two envelopes were intentionally left by Tianjizi and Shendanzi for them, to save face. Right, we’re just playing a game—no need to be shameless and ruin the harmony. Come on, come on, Brother Kaoshan, keep sending red envelopes!

Of course, Li Si knew none of this. He was a bit confused and even felt a little guilty. Damn, these people were so unethical. Even if he hadn’t had time to speak, any fool would know these were rewards for Tianjizi’s array rune.

Just as he was about to righteously correct this mistake, Shendanzi outside stroked his snow-white beard and chuckled, “Comrade Kaoshan, you really mustn’t do this. We are all World Guardian True Immortals. Even though we haven’t met, we should be as close as siblings. I still have a pill furnace I once used here, and today I’ll give it to you, Comrade Kaoshan.”

After speaking, he waved his sleeve, and an ancient-looking pill furnace shrouded in black energy drifted over. This immediately made Qingyunzi and Jiuxuanzi frown slightly. This old man was good in every way, except he was ridiculously stingy. Giving away a pill furnace that was already tainted by demonic energy—it had no value left. If Kaoshan Patriarch really wanted to use it, he would have to expend a lot of fortune to purify it.

We can’t do something so selfish and harmful to others!

But before Jiuxuanzi and Qingyunzi could speak, Li Si was already moved to tears. Look, this was a true senior expert! I, Li Si, am endlessly grateful—you actually gave me a tainted magical treasure. Wow, no question about it, I have to send red envelopes!

Swish, swish, swish—Li Si sent out ten more magic power red envelopes in one go. Actually, he had planned to send twenty, but his hand speed just wasn’t professionally trained, so he couldn’t match the internet speed of those guys outside.

Qingyunzi grabbed one of your magic power red envelopes and obtained one dan of magic power.

Jiuxuanzi grabbed two of your magic power red envelopes and obtained two dan of magic power.

Shendanzi grabbed five of your magic power red envelopes and obtained five dan of magic power.

Tianjizi grabbed two of your magic power red envelopes and obtained two dan of magic power.

Huh, this wasn’t right. You guys weren’t playing fair! These were red envelopes I was sending to Shendanzi…

Li Si fell into deep guilt. Whatever, Qingyunzi is my master, Jiuxuanzi is my martial aunt, and Tianjizi—I already owed him red envelopes anyway. At most, I’ll send ten more.

In short, Tianjizi and Shendanzi were such respectable and lovable old men—noble in character, serene and far-sighted, virtuous and venerable with age!

Compared to them, it seemed my moral cultivation still needed more work.

Just as Li Si was about to send ten more red envelopes to thank these kind and respectable senior experts, outside, Jiuxuanzi first shot a fierce glare at Tianjizi and Shendanzi. But those two ignored her, taking out their tools to get ready to grab red envelopes. After all, you send a wave of red envelopes, we give you something in return—fair exchange, no losses on either side.

“Comrade Kaoshan, you don’t need to send any more of those red envelopes. The situation is indeed difficult now. I have a flying sword I forged in the past here. Although it’s covered in dust, it’s still extremely sharp. If you don’t want it, Comrade Kaoshan, you can give it to your disciples.”

After speaking, Jiuxuanzi casually waved her hand, and an elegant-looking but rust-covered sword flew out. When Li Si received this sword, he was completely stunned. This lady’s backing was seriously strong!

“Obtained Dusty Flying Sword, Acquired Spirit Treasure. Requires 1000 portions of White Fortune to purify before it can be used normally. Alternatively, it can be controlled with the Artifact-Control Incantation. Extremely sharp, able to cut through anything.”

“Friendly reminder: The flying sword is covered in dust and has lost its self-protection ability. It is easily tainted by demonic energy, evil qi, or foul energy. Once tainted, the flying sword will self-destruct, so use with extreme caution.”

Li Si was momentarily dazed and forgot to send red envelopes.

Outside, Shendanzi and Tianjizi had both prepared to grab red envelopes, but now they knew their clever plan had been ruined by that little girl Jiuxuanzi. They figured Kaoshanzi on the other side must be angry now.

Oh well, it’s not good to take advantage of others too much. Tianjizi and Shendanzi exchanged a glance, and without a word, they each logged off.

Qingyunzi, however, felt a bit sorry—not because she pitied Li Si’s red envelopes, but because of Jiuxuanzi’s flying sword. “Senior sister, the future is unpredictable. That Dusty Flying Sword of yours might still be salvageable. It’s the Acquired Spirit Treasure you used from Foundation Building all the way to Great Ascension. Even covered in dust, it’s still something you cherished.”

“The situation has already collapsed to this point, so talking about it is useless. Besides, I don’t have any disciples who could use it over there.”

Jiuxuanzi smiled freely. She was the Spirit Sword True Immortal and had used countless flying swords in her lifetime, but most were destroyed in war or corroded by demonic energy. Only this one was truly dear to her heart. Giving it away today was just to seek fairness. To be honest, she was already starting to regret it a little.

But she had a carefree nature, so she crushed that bit of regret with a single sword intent. Just as she was about to leave, Li Si sent red envelopes.

Hmm, grabbing red envelopes was so addictive.

Instinctively, Jiuxuanzi and Qingyunzi both started grabbing. Since there were only two of them, they each got half. Then, they felt it wasn’t right and were about to speak up when—swish—Li Si sent more red envelopes.

Alright, might as well grab them first. Grabbing red envelopes really was satisfying.

Still, they each got half.

Fine, that should be enough. But today, Kaoshan Patriarch seemed to have gone crazy—swish, another ten magic power red envelopes.

Well then, we’ll grab them first, and at most we’ll return them later…

Swish, swish, swish!

The screen was flooded with red envelopes!

Then, Li Si logged off as if fleeing. He felt he had made a huge profit and was afraid Jiuxuanzi would change her mind. Damn, this lady was really something else!

High mountains and flowing waters—a true friend is hard to find. When we meet again someday, I will repay you generously. Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye today.

Damn, that was too exciting. From now on, no matter what, I’m not coming to the Hall of Fate again. An Acquired Spirit Treasure!

I don’t care who it is!

Inside the Hall of Fate, Qingyunzi and Jiuxuanzi’s minds went blank—they only knew to grab red envelopes. They did know to split them evenly, though, so they wouldn’t fall out over it. But after they finished grabbing and saw they each had twenty-five dan of magic power in their hands, plus what they had earlier, it was quite a substantial amount—it felt like a dream.

They were very aware that in the current environment, magic power had to be recovered by drinking Great Soul-Returning Broth. This much magic power was an incredibly generous gesture.

“Senior sister, that old man Kaoshan didn’t fall for you, did he?”

Qingyunzi suddenly blurted out this sentence.