Spirit Realm

Qin Lie was a frequent visitor of Terminator Sect, so a gatekeeper sent news of his arrival immediately after he showed up.

Not long after, as usual, Shen Yue came over to greet him.

“I’m looking for Uncle Xu and Aunt Tong.”

Qin Lie’s expression and smile were a little forced when he saw Shen Yue again.

It was because he had politely turned down Terminator Sect’s offer to arrange a marriage between him and Shen Yue earlier. He felt a little guilty because of it.

Shen Yue looked calm and collected, though. She smiled gently and said, “Allow me to take you to them.”

Qin Lie followed her quietly.

He didn’t say a word along the way. Shen Yue was the one who brought up the recent news.

The three great ghoul races hit rock bottom after the battle at the Setting Sun Islands. All the Silver rank forces worked together to hunt them down and killed many of their brethren.

The spatial passages at Prism Continent were also destroyed by Terminator Sect so that they couldn’t escape back into the chaotic streams of space.

As of late, the ghoul races vanished, hiding in an unknown location.

Peace slowly returned to the Land of Chaos.

“The Forefather hasn’t come out yet?”

Qin Lie still couldn’t find something to say after Shen Yue told him the latest news of the Land of Chaos, but he didn’t want to maintain his silence for too long either. So, he threw the question out casually.

“No, not yet.” Shen Yue shook her head slightly as a hint of worry entered her bright eyes. “There’s no telling when he’ll exit his seclusion either. The ascension to the Void Realm is a lot more dangerous than the ascension to the Imperishable Realm. There are far, far too many experts who perished trying to achieve a breakthrough, such as our former sect master…” She sighed quietly.

“Don’t worry, the Forefather is the number one cultivator in the Land of Chaos. He will definitely overcome this obstacle safely,” Qin Lie consoled her.

“Of course. We both wish that the Forefather will emerge safe and sound,” Shen Yue replied with a faint smile on his face.

The duo chatted as they walked. A while later, they arrived at the valley where Xu Ran and his wife were cultivating.

Shen Yue never brought up the matter of the engagement.

“I have something else to do, so I won’t be accompanying you inside.” She bowed slightly and bid him goodbye at the valley entrance. Then, she left while looking a little lonely.

Qin Lie didn’t go into the valley immediately. He watched her go further and further away with a complicated expression on his face.

He could sense that a gap had opened up between Shen Yue and him even though she didn’t say a word about the engagement.

He knew that Shen Yue was already starting to drift away from him of her own accord.

“Shen Yue is just as good as Song Tingyu is in every way.” Xu Ran suddenly appeared and stood beside him. “Had she been in Song Tingyu’s position, she’d have done just as well. In fact, her background, cultivation, and intelligence even exceed Song Tingyu’s slightly.”

Qin Lie smiled wryly. “There are plenty of other people who are better than Tingyu. Does that mean I should accept all of them?”

Xu Ran laughed loudly. “If you and those women don’t mind, then why not?”

“Oh really?” Tong Zhenzhen interrupted. “There are plenty of people who are better than me too, aren’t there?”

Xu Ran’s face stiffened before he followed up with a declaration of great determination, “Never. No one is better than you in my heart!”

Tong Zhenzhen let out a snort before telling Qin Lie, “I support your decision. Don’t you listen to this old fool’s nonsense, you hear!?”

Qin Lie hastily clasped his hands in thanks.

Xu Ran laughed drily in response.

“So why have you come to us?” Tong Zhenzhen asked.

“I just returned from the Nether Continent.” Qin Lie jumped straight into the heart of the matter. “You were right last time. The Vermillion Bird Race and us do share an enemy!”

“Us?” Tong Zhenzhen’s eyes flashed. “Who exactly do you mean by… us?”

“The three great races of Nether Realm. Flaming Sun Island,” Qin Lie kept quiet for a moment before adding, “and the Qin Family!”

Xu Ran and Tong Zhenzhen shook abruptly.

A while later, Tong Zhenzhen inhaled deeply before exclaiming with odd-looking eyes, “I knew it!”

“Please keep this a secret,” Qin Lie requested.

“Of course. We will guard this secret zealously considering the amount of trust you have put in us!” Tong Zhenzhen said seriously. “With the Qin Family supporting us from the shadows, I am certain that I can convince the Rank Nine Vermillion Bird and our scattered clansmen to unite against Blue Flame Manor! Six Ways Alliance will never interfere with the early stages of the war unless Blue Flame Manor is on the brink of annihilation. Those experts will only interfere if Blue Flame Manor falters! When that happens, I hope that the Qin Family can step up and stop them from acting recklessly.”

“I dare not guarantee that the Qin Family will act.” Qin Lie frowned. “I haven’t communicated with my grandfather yet.”

“Was your grandfather the one who pulled the strings behind Sky Mender Palace’s withdrawal of Nether Realm’s punishment? And was it your grandfather who saved Nether Realm three thousand years ago?” Tong Zhenzhen asked seriously.

“That’s right,” Qin Lie answered.

“Then that is enough.” Tong Zhenzhen smiled and relaxed. “The three great races of Nether Realm are probably very important pawns in your grandfather’s scheme. There is no way he will discard them.”

“This means that the Qin Family will stop Six Ways Alliance if they attempt to aid Blue Flame Manor! He must have predicted that Nether Continent would clash against Blue Flame Manor considering that he asked Sky Mender Palace to withdraw their judgment, so he must have other secret plans to protect Nether Continent too.”

“The return of the Nether Continent’s three great races is probably a smart move by the Qin Family in their attempt to return to the Central World. He would not allow the the three great experts of Nether Realm to be eliminated before he could take revenge against them.”

Qin Lie looked surprised. “Why are you so sure that the Qin Family will appear?”

“Surely you know what your grandfather is capable of, don’t you?” Tong Zhenzhen asked with a smile.

Qin Lie’s eyes turned dim.

It was only then Tong Zhenzhen came to the realization that the rumor Xu Ran had heard was true—Qin Lie had lost his memories of the past.

She added, “I can promise on behalf of the Vermillion Bird Race then we will return to the Vermillion Bird Realm the moment Nether Realm and Blue Flame Manor engage in an all-out war! We will ensure that no Blue Flame Manor experts remaining in Vermillion Bird Realm will escape alive! Lord Tong Yan herself will head to Blue Flame Manor and battle against Cai Can!”

“Very well!” Qin Lie nodded strongly.

“Have you dealt with the problem of the Ghost Eye Race?” Tong Zhenzhen then asked in concern. “From what I have learned, the Ghost Eye Race’s current chief, Gray, doesn’t acknowledge the Ling Family as the Dark Nether Race. If they refuse to cooperate, the Ling Family, Horned Demon Race and Dark Shadow Race will be put in a very difficult spot.”

“Gray has already sworn his allegiance on behalf of the Ghost Eye Race,” Qin Lie said calmly.

Tong Zhenzhen was caught off guard by his answer. Staring at him deeply, she suddenly said, “I have heard of your reputation from three hundred years ago. To be honest, your former reputation is… bad. But today, you truly deserve the title of the Qin Family’s third generation.”

……

To the east of the Heavenly Slaughter Continent.

There were a lot of islands scattered across the sea surface like stars.

A near hundred-meter tall evil god avatar with blue brown screen, a pair of wings, and a sinister-looking bull horn was flapping its wings swiftly across the sea surface.

Gao Yu and Jia Yue were seated on the evil god’s shoulder. They frequently looked behind them with a look of anxiety on their faces.

Behind them, a lot of eastern barbarians, riding on all kinds of spirit birds or flying spirit artifacts, were chasing after them in no particular hurry.

Many Black Voodoo Cult and Illusory Demon Sect islands were plundered by the eastern barbarians because they happened to be in their path of pursuit.

“Something isn’t quite right,” Gao Yu said with frosty eyes and a dark look on his face. “Their numbers are growing, but they’re moving slower and slower for some reason.”

“It shouldn’t be hard for them to capture us.” Jia Yue was puzzled as well. “Not only is the White Barbarian Tribe chasing after us, the Scarlet Barbarian Tribe and Black Barbarian Tribe have joined the fray too. I even noticed a few Imperishable Realm clan elders among them. We can’t possibly deserve the attention of those old bastards, can we? Not to mention that the white barbarians’ business is none of the black barbarians or the red barbarians’ business. What in Spirit Realm is going on?”

“I think they’re seizing the opportunity to start a war,” Gao Yu said coldly.

Jia Yue abruptly reacted, “I think you’re right!”

The eastern barbarians and the nine Silver rank forces of the Land of Chaos would clash against each other every once in a while.

In the past, the Silver rank forces of the Land of Chaos were normally the ones who ganged up against the eastern barbarians first.

The eastern barbarians lived at the sea farthest east of the Heavenly Slaughter Continent. Countless islands were littered across that part of the sea, covered in unnatural fog year after year. There were plenty of forbidden realms in that place, and all human Silver rank forces who ventured deep into the eastern barbarians’ territories would normally return in defeat.

Whenever the Silver rank forces of the Land of Chaos suffered huge losses from internal strife, the eastern barbarians would seize the opportunity to attack them.

Heavenly Slaughter Continent’s Illusory Demon Sect and Black Voodoo Cult had many islands on the sea that stood between them and the eastern barbarians.

These islands were the eastern barbarians’ first targets. They would plunder those islands and rob all of their mined resources for themselves.

For many years, the reason Black Voodoo Cult and Illusory Demon Sect didn’t engage in an all-out war despite living in the same continent was because they had a common enemy, the eastern barbarians.

Today, the three great ghoul races were no longer ravaging the Land of Chaos, Illusory Demon Sect had lost much of its strength due to the invasion, and Black Voodoo Cult was largely weakened because of Qin Lie, Jiang Zhuzhe and Xue Li’s combined attack.

Seeing that there was an opening for them to slip in, the eastern barbarians decided to invade the Land of Chaos under the pretense of capturing the traitors.

“I heard from Aunt Bai Li that your brother, Qin Lie, is doing really well at the Land of Chaos. Do you think he would dare take us in?” Jia Yue suddenly asked.

“I don’t want to trouble him.” Gao Yu shook his head stiffly.

“You’re almost at the end of your rope, but you’re just as stubborn as before.” Jia Yue shot him a glare before saying, “You helped him a lot back at the Graveyard of Gods, didn’t you? Maybe you’re the only one who thought of him as a brother. Maybe he doesn’t care about you at all.”

“He’s not that kind of person.” Gao Yu frowned.

Jia Yue suddenly said with a downcast expression on her face, “It was because of you that my father lost his seat as clan chief and my mother was exiled from the White Barbarian Tribe. I was originally the pearl of the white barbarians, but now I have no choice but to escape to the Land of Chaos with you. You promised me that you’d take revenge for me.”

“As long as I’m still alive, I will return to the White Barbarian Tribe and kill all those people who framed your parents!” Gao Yu said.

“But I’m afraid we won’t survive long enough to see that day.” Jia Yue smiled bitterly. “Also, don’t forget that you’re just one person. How can you possibly fight against the entire White Barbarian Tribe? And don’t forget about the Scarlet Barbarian Tribe and Black Barbarian Tribe, they’re all one and the same. Do you think you can beat all of the eastern barbarians alone?”

Gao Yu fell silent.

He suddenly noticed that he had been alone from the beginning until now.

He had neither patrons nor background. In fact, the only person he could call a friend was Qin Lie.

“Maybe there is someone out there who is so strong that they can do anything they want and fear no one in this harsh world.” Jia Yue sighed. “However, even the Genesis Realm experts in the Central World have the backing of their forces and families. Even they have to connect with other martial practitioners of the same realm to avoid being ganged up on and killed.”

“The reason I wanted you to come to the White Barbarian Tribe was so that you wouldn’t need to cultivate alone. I didn’t want to see you unable to gather the spirit materials necessary to construct your Soul Altar when you are about to reach the Imperishable Realm in the future.”

“Unfortunately, Jiang Zhuzhe’s betrayal means that the eastern barbarians will never trust anyone of the Land of Chaos ever again.”

“We have failed as well.”

A pause later, Jia Yue said, “Gao Yu, we must rely on someone if we are to survive this.”

Gao Yu stayed silent for a moment. Finally, he said, “If we arrive at the Land of Chaos in one piece, I will seek out Qin Lie and see if he can… help us.”

“Right now he’s no longer that poor guy who had nothing to lose back at Graveyard of Gods. He controls Flaming Sun Island and possesses a considerable amount of power in the Land of Chaos.” Now that Gao Yu had agreed, Jia Yue was actually worried about whether Qin Lie would even lend them a hand. She smiled bitterly as she said, “I fear that he has forgotten all about you already.”

Gao Yu was also frowning.

It had been many years since they last saw each other, and the current Qin Lie was the most dazzling person in the entire Land of Chaos. Even he wasn’t sure if he still remembered their friendship from way back.

That was why he didn’t say anything.