qi yuan''s expression was one of fervor, even bordering on... ferocity. it was as if a cat had spotted a mouse.no?v(el)b\\jnn

this reaction left hong mei and zhao yan utterly dumbfounded. after all, just hearing the description from the master of the learning academy, they knew how powerful, terrifying, and even despair-inducing the enemy they were facing was.

an enemy that was not only strong but also unkillable. how could one fight such an enemy? how could one kill them?

the master of the learning academy also looked hesitant, his eyes filled with confusion. in the past, many prodigies had asked him about the existence of the black heaven and black earth. those who heard his descriptions were all filled with despair and gloom.

none had ever reacted with the kind of fervor that qi yuan was displaying now. it was as if qi yuan wasn''t from the divine wood universe but rather one of the black heaven and black earth entities.

"such a white moonlight, truly a rare gem," qi yuan muttered, almost salivating at the thought. his expression made even the usually calm master of the learning academy look puzzled.

however, in the next moment, the master''s expression changed slightly. "the specter gods... are here."

he wasn''t panicking, merely expressing regret, as if reminding qi yuan to flee.

"specter gods?" qi yuan narrowed his eyes. "what specter gods? these are my dear, beloved white moonlight!"

qi yuan stood up from his reclining chair and looked up at the sky. in that instant, the world darkened. a massive shadow replaced the light of the vast earth.

in yunxue city, many citizens instinctively looked up at the sky. when they saw the colossal figures, some froze in place, while others fell to their knees, kowtowing and crying.

"the specter gods have descended!"

"i told you, those rebels should have just lived peacefully. now they''ve angered the specter gods!"

"we''re doomed!"

in the sky, ninety-nine specter gods had gathered. the smaller ones were merely a few hundred feet tall, while the larger ones spanned dozens of miles. their presence blotted out the sky, giving the impression of a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers descending. however, comparing them to heavenly soldiers would be an overstatement.

no one knew, not even yuan, the strongest in the divine wood universe, that in the core region of the black heaven, even the yang gods were merely foot soldiers.

qi yuan looked at these specter gods, his gaze settling on the familiar dark-eye specter god. "you''re still alive!"

dark-eye shuddered at the sight of qi yuan, but with so many specter gods behind him, he felt emboldened. "a mere human, what do you know of lord qi huang''s greatness? you killed me, but with lord qi huang here, i can be revived at any time!"

dark-eye specter god spoke arrogantly. the other specter gods also scrutinized qi yuan, their expressions filled with malice.

as for the master of the learning academy... in their eyes, he seemed to not exist at all.

qi yuan''s joy grew even more intense. these were experience points. he couldn''t let them escape. he pondered deeply, trying to come up with a way to lure these specter gods down. but no matter how much he thought, he couldn''t find a good method. even if his acting skills were top-notch, he could only give them the impression that they were close to killing him. but without a "stupidity aura," they would surely flee after dying a few times.

"to think you wouldn''t run upon seeing us. it seems even a withered myth has some confidence," said qi huang, his body covered in white tendrils, his face as confident as ever.

"why should i run?" qi yuan replied calmly. in truth, he was ecstatic. especially since his left eyebrow was twitching wildly. it was twitching so fast that it seemed almost still. qi yuan knew this was a sign of great fortune.

"indeed, with the strength of a myth and the favor of destiny, you have the right to be unafraid," qi huang said indifferently. in any other world in the occupied regions, a gathering of specter gods might not be enough to take down qi yuan.

"unfortunately... you''ve met me!" qi huang''s eyes flashed with a sharp light.

qi yuan suddenly felt an immense force pulling at him. the force was extraordinarily powerful. his left eyebrow twitched again. without hesitation, qi yuan shouted, "what is this? don''t pull me in!"

despite his words, qi yuan didn''t resist. in fact, he seemed to be actively diving into the treasure.

kai chi specter god, seeing this, flattered, "as expected of a specter god from the black heaven and black earth. lord qi huang''s treasure can capture a myth so easily."

the other specter gods chimed in, "even a myth is powerless against it."

qi huang felt pleased. the treasure''s effect was even better than he had anticipated.

"alright, let''s enter the treasure. we shouldn''t keep the human waiting," qi huang said. with that, the nearly hundred specter gods entered the treasure.

inside the treasure, qi yuan stood quietly. the space was ethereal, almost like a vacuum, with occasional asteroids or remnants of stars floating by. when qi huang and the ninety-eight other specter gods entered, qi yuan''s face showed a hint of wariness.

"is there no way out?" his voice trembled slightly, as if he were a little scared.

before qi huang could speak, kai chi specter god said, "this treasure was gifted to lord qi huang by his uncle. even a yang god cannot escape once inside."

qi huang nodded in satisfaction and added, "even a second-layer yang god cannot escape." it seemed he felt kai chi had undersold the treasure''s power.

"so powerful? does that mean... we''re all trapped here?" qi yuan looked genuinely fearful, as if he were probing for information.

"hmph, this treasure has its own spirit... only if you die, or if we all perish... will we be able to leave," qi huang didn''t mind explaining to a dead man. this behavior was like a jungler not attacking the enemy''s base, instead taunting in front of their fountain, waiting for the enemy to respawn, all while showing off his skills.

"if i don''t die, you can''t leave?" qi yuan''s eyes widened, looking... fearful and anxious. his nose didn''t grow longer, which meant the other party wasn''t lying.

"hmph, now you''re scared, aren''t you?" dark-eye specter god sneered.

"look at him, a myth trembling like this, worse than a mortal!"

"he''s still a myth, don''t underestimate him!"

"right, lord qi huang''s specter essence is abundant, but we shouldn''t waste it."

"it''s fine, wasting a little is nothing. i have plenty of specter source, and plenty of uncles," qi huang said confidently.

hearing this, qi yuan suddenly burst into laughter. "hahahahaha..."

the other specter gods, having revived, looked at qi yuan in astonishment. qi yuan now appeared to be on his last breath, seemingly severely injured.

"but we''re all at full strength. the advantage is ours!" qi huang said triumphantly.

kai chi stepped forward. "lord qi huang, i wish to finish him!"

having been slain by qi yuan with a single sword strike earlier, kai chi was filled with resentment.

"he''s favored by destiny. even with only a breath left, you wouldn''t be able to kill him," qi huang said generously. "i''m in a hurry. let''s self-destruct again."

the other specter gods, seeing this, didn''t hesitate.

they self-destructed once more.

"ahhh!"

"it hurts so much!"

"mom!"

qi yuan continued to wail, his aura seemingly on the verge of extinction.

when the revived specter gods looked at qi yuan again, they all felt a chill.

"still not dead with just a sliver of health left? is he invincible?"

qi huang narrowed his eyes. "is this the power of one favored by destiny? let''s self-destruct again. twice isn''t enough? how about three times, five times, or even ten times?"

his specter source was enough to revive even a world lord-level specter god multiple times.

"even one favored by destiny must kneel before me!" qi huang declared confidently, exuding an aura of dominance.

hr

yunxue city.

the master of the learning academy watched as the specter gods and qi yuan disappeared, his expression complex.

zhao yan clenched his teeth. today''s events had been overwhelming, each one beyond his imagination.

"sir qi... shouldn''t die here," the master of the learning academy sighed softly.

he made a decision.

a bronze mirror appeared, emanating a mysterious aura. within the mirror, a broken warship was reflected. dried blood stained the battle flag, and large, black holes dotted the ship, seemingly bottomless. the deck was littered with divine artifacts and ancestral divine artifacts. upon closer inspection, one could see that the ship was covered in scars, as if it had been through countless ancient battles.

the scene shifted, and a majestic figure appeared in the mirror. his robes and armor were tattered, his long hair disheveled, and blood dripped from his shoulders.

"yuan... i need your help."

the person in the mirror was none other than yuan, the strongest in the divine wood universe. a second-layer yang god, at the peak of the great supreme truth realm.

"what is it?" yuan''s voice was deep, carrying the weight of eternity.

"in the quijin realm, i''ve found one favored by destiny. his talent... is extraordinary. he''s just one step away from becoming an ancestral god. if he can break through, he might... reach your level in the future," the master of the learning academy said.

yuan''s handsome face showed a bitter smile. "is he in danger?"

"yes," the master replied.

"within ten years, two ancestral gods will head to the quijin realm to bring him to the tai star domain."

the image in the mirror faded.

the master of the learning academy let out a sigh of relief. "i hope he can hold on for ten years. after that, anything is possible."

the master turned to hong mei, his gaze filled with nostalgia. "it''s time for us to leave... the quijin realm."

hong mei was stunned. she looked at zhao yan, her eyes filled with reluctance. "teacher, i..."

the master shook his head. "he''s different from you. he belongs to the quijin realm. let''s go."

hr

time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

the quijin realm''s situation had become somewhat peculiar. the specter gods had disappeared, and the rebel forces had made significant gains, capturing many cities. battles raged everywhere.

compared to other cities, yunxue city was unusually quiet.

chen kangbao stuffed a bun into his mouth. "don''t worry, the young master is a god descended from heaven. even if the world ends, he''ll still be around!"

beside him, shen lingxuan''s cold face showed a hint of hesitation.

at that moment, outside the quijin realm, a man in blue appeared. his face was filled with a fierce fighting spirit.

"so, qi yuan, you''ve been hiding in the quijin realm to avoid my challenge."

"unfortunately, i''ve found you!"

"soon, you''ll know who the true strongest at the fifth step of the yin god realm is!"