CHAPTER 68: ENDLESS SLAUGHTER

"Kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Qi Yuan unleashed the Endless Sea of Blossoms with his sword. Every shred of Flower Burial Fairy's battle insight had become his own. The entire platform was instantly filled with over a thousand towering figures. They were blood-red armored giants, each ten meters tall, with swords in hand. All their eyes locked on a single opponent.

A mutated beetle half a meter tall. It looked up at the endless giants looming overhead in utter bewilderment. One could almost picture a string of question marks floating above its head.

Qi Yuan leveled his sword at it and sneered. "Everyone knows you have to take out the biggest target first. Who told you not to keep a low profile? Walking around looking like such a dumb brute, you're basically the Hulk of the beetle clan!"

If that beetle could talk, it'd have snapped back. For someone who's ten meters tall, you're one to talk!

With a single command, the Qi Yuan giants thrust forward, their swords gathering into one unstoppable strike. The beetle was deleted. The forensics would've said its body was nothing but holes, without a scrap of intact flesh.

Qi Yuan exhaled, chest heaving. "Flower Burial Fairy's comprehension... I've gone even deeper into it."

By now, he had fought through hundreds of matches in a single day, constantly absorbing Flower Burial Fairy's combat instincts and cultivation insights.

"Right now, I can confidently say that no one understands Flower Burial Fairy better than I do." He strode toward the next trial. "Continue. Next match!"

Dragging his massive frame across the platform, Qi Yuan braced himself again. Having reached level 97, his strength was nothing short of terrifying.

"Even Dragon Judge only reached Level 99, the supposed Peak Divine realm. Then, is level 100 the gateway to something new? But wait, the Divine realm supposedly only spans from level 90 to 100. Isn't that way too short? When I fuse with Little Bride, I can push my power to 102, yet it doesn't feel like a leap into a higher realm."

The more he fought, the more questions emerged.

The Heaven realm stretched from Level 70 to 89. Was the Divine realm really just 90 to 99?

When he crossed from 89 to 90, he could clearly feel the breakthrough. Yet when his level was forced to 100 through Little Bride, that overwhelming surge of transformation never came. A chilling suspicion crept into his heart.

"Could it be that Pupil, Dragon Judge, and Feather weren't actually at Peak Divine realm?"

If they weren't, then why did they all believe they were? Unless someone stronger is tampering with their understanding... Or perhaps, they were deliberately being restrained, their breakthrough capped, like a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refinement realm tricked into thinking he is at Peak Qi Refinement realm. When he finally tries to build his foundation, the result would only be disaster.

Qi Yuan's expression hardened. This world might have an even bigger boss hiding in the shadows.

His gaze turned toward the Ascension Platform, its vast seats looming above. "Who was it that once watched from above? My current opponents have already reached level 80. How high did the strongest here climb?"

However, he quickly dismissed the thought. It didn't matter. The only path forward was more battle, more blood, more experience.

***

At the Five Elements Forbidden Zone...

Dragon Judge rose, gazing up toward the sky. There stood the Ancient Qichun Tree, towering over everything. "Who would've thought... in the blink of an eye, all these years have passed, and it's grown this enormous."

Feather also looked up. "You obtained the seed of that tree from the Five Elements Forbidden Ground? Then, you offered it to the Celestial God. Maybe it's grown so huge because it absorbed all the obsession of the Wedding Garment Empress."

Ten thousand years ago, after the Celestial God had fallen, alien demons overran the world. Their companions had either died or been crippled one by one. They'd only survived by retreating into the forbidden zones.

Skilled in divination, Feather foresaw that the alien demons would be weakest on the day of the lunar eclipse. And so, the plan for the Demon-Slaying Assembly three centuries later was born.

"It's a pity." Dragon Judge sighed. "The Four Forbidden Zones and two End Zones are all ancient and mysterious. Even us, who lived in the Five Elements Forbidden Ground for so long; and the Five Ancestors, its supposed masters, never uncovered its true secrets."

Feather asked softly, "The Garment division Master has probably descended to the mortal zones by now...?"

The mortal zones refer to where humans lived in the two End Zones.

"Our insights either have to be tempered in endless battle, or refined by walking through the mortal zone," Dragon Judge said. "For all her sharp tongue, Flower Burial Fairy's efforts weren't without meaning."

They all knew the truth. Her duel with the Garment Division master was to help him digest what he'd comprehended. However, it'd drained her greatly. She's been storing her strength and saving everything for the Demon-Slaying Assembly. Every bit of power spent now was harder to recover. None of them wished to waste strength. Yet, Dragon Judge's battle with Pupil was inevitable, written in stone. Otherwise, they'd gladly crawl out of their coffins to serve as sparring partners for the Garment Division Master.

"Do what we must, then leave the rest to fate. Three hundred years from now, we'll all rise together and slay the alien demons!"

***

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Qi Yuan woke with a jolt and found himself drenched in cold sweat. His clothes were soaked through and his forehead was clammy. On the bedside, the wooden cat puppet sat upright, eyes open, its red and black paint chipped with age.

He stepped out of the straw hut into the courtyard. Moonlight poured on him like cold silver, a chill seeping into his bones.

"Too much slaughter, and now the nightmares follow." He sighed. "I'm still too wholesome. They're only phantoms, after all."

With a wave of his hand, a water-mirror shimmered before him. His own reflection stared back—strikingly handsome, his eyes exuding a faint seductive gleam. Yet, his entire presence was steeped in killing intent.

"It's still too strong. If I tell people I got all this murderous aura from grinding a game, who would believe me? Plenty of players slaughtered billions of mobs in my past life and never exuded this."

He resolved that unless he learned to hide or dissolve it, he'd never step into public view. If he did, he had to conceal his identity. Afterward, he rummaged through the Black Mountain Sect's manuals for a method to suppress his aura. As a sect drenched in so much blood, surely they had such techniques?

After searching for a long time, he found three: The Grand Method of Clear Emptiness, The Netherworld Technique, and The Restraint Formula. Each had merit, but the first two were too high-level, requiring Foundation Establishment realm or higher. Worse, the second wasn't a main cultivation path, but a functional spell—one that could even reduce its user into a resource for some other being.

Qi Yuan muttered grimly, "This world has too many hidden traps. Can't practice cultivation arts recklessly these days."

That left the Restraint Formula, a technique usable even at Qi Refinement realm. It only hid his killing aura instead of dissolving it, but good enough.

[This is the Restraint Formula. If altered in 145 places, it may yield unexpected results.]

After hesitating, he followed the prompt his eyes revealed, adjusting the manual line by line.

When he finished, astonishment crossed his face. "My eyes really know me. This... this is perfect for me!"

The altered technique was unrecognizable. Now, not only could he mask his killing intent, he could even secretly project it onto others! If someone condemned him for being blood-soaked and demanded for his execution, he could brazenly point the finger back at them instead!

***

At the Ascension Platform...

Fused with Little Bride, Qi Yuan was locked in a desperate melee against ten Divine realm powerhouses. He had already climbed a hundred thousand steps. From here, every foe was at least at Divine realm.

Yet, in spite of being surrounded by ten level 91 experts, Qi Yuan showed no fear. His blood energy coalesced into armor, making him appear almost demonic.

"I've finally reached level 99."

His voice carried a strange, hellish edge, whereas his appearance was that of a man who'd crawled out from the abyss. With one swing of his sword, the ten fell, their remnants scattering like smoke.

With Little Bride, he could unleash the might of level 104. These newly minted Divine realm enemies were no match for him. Besides, he carried the experience of eighty-four Divine Realm warriors, their every skill now part of his own.

"From here on, I should integrate everything I've learned and make it truly mine. I mean, why not? My enemies' techniques can become my own as well. I still have twenty thousand battles to go. How many enemies is that? Twenty thousand Divine realm opponents? Two hundred thousand? Let's just hope the Restraint Formula

doesn't break under the strain."

And so, the slaughter continued. Time blurred, one day outside became a year on the Ascension Platform, then a century. The Divine General gave Qi Yuan no warning whatsoever, never imagining Qi Yuan would ascend so high. After all, every past challenger had been defeated, their blood dyeing the platform red.

***

Qi Yuan had no idea how many enemies he'd slain. Fifty level 93 Divine realm powerhouses stood before him. In the past, he'd have turned tail and fled without a second thought. Now, he felt not the slightest fear.

After tens of thousands of battles, his already terrifying strength had reached a new height.

Qi Yuan danced like a ghost among countless foes, his every strike seamless, flawless, yet hauntingly beautiful. His hulking, blood-clad figure only grew more monstrous, looking even more terrifying than the alien demons.

His eyes narrowed. "Still level 99, huh? I can't break through?"

Despite having lost count of how many Divine realm cultivators he'd killed, his XP bar froze at 99.

"Good thing the XP is still there."

The only comfort Qi Yuan had was that his XP was still accumulating. There was, however, a shackling, invisible seal preventing him from leveling up. Once he broke through that restraint, he could advance.

Qi Yuan wondered how high he could go. Level 110? Even more? There were still ten thousand steps left, and even more Divine realm foes awaiting within.

"This place is really my perfect grind spot!"

Then, he stepped away from the Ascension Platform. He'd slaughtered long enough for one session, it was time to log out.

***

Only half a month had passed in the real world. In that span, his internal Water and Fire Essence had finished refining. When the Water Essence was activated, rain fell over the entire Divine Radiance Sect. Only it wasn't ordinary rain, as the downpour was the color of blood, perhaps connected to Qi Yuan's killing aura.

Anyone drenched by that rain had nightmares. In their dreams, they saw a hulking crimson figure rampaging in all directions. That very being radiated pure terror. Many ordinary disciples couldn't sleep, some cried out, claiming they'd seen a demon in their dreams.

Foundation Establishment and Core Formation realm cultivators laughed at such talk. They scoffed, What's so scary about a dream? And when those frightened disciples described the demonic, blood-red figure, the senior cultivators only chuckled, Qi Refinement realm cultivators and ordinary mortals have such small minds! Anything can be labeled a "demon"!

Nevertheless, some seasoned Foundation Establishment and Core Formation realm cultivators were intrigued. They forced themselves to sleep to witness the vision, and when they finally saw that monstrous crimson figure, their reactions were no braver than the novices. Due to their deeper comprehension, the bloody figure shook them even harder, some nearly losing composure.

For several days, the Qi Refinement realm disciples dared not sleep at night. They cultivated without stopping, dark circles forming under their eyes. Things only settled back to normal five days later. News of the Divine Radiance Sect's strange occurrences quickly spread across the Great Shang Kingdom, drawing wide attention.

***

Qi Yuan wrapped an arm around Little Bride's slender waist and shifted into a more comfortable posture. Then, he opened his chat window and leisurely messaged Jin Li.

Qi Yuan: Haa... There are too many enemies in Heaven's End. Kill, kill, kill every day. I'm sick of it.

He vented a little negativity to her, something he rarely did before. After each great battle, he had to talk to Jin Li to ease his mind. Even on quiet days, he'd grown used to their chats. Jin Li listened with empathy—sometimes only listening, sometimes sharing her own story.

Qi Yuan: I think I can clear Heaven's End in half a month.