Laughable Is the Mortal World

The woman nodded and said, "That's certainly possible. Some things are related to the collapse of the Netherworld... There used to be a Wuqi Kingdom, a thousand miles from here. They didn't need to reproduce; when people died, they would bury themselves in the ground and rise up again after a few years, repeating the cycle. But after the collapse of the Netherworld, they lost their cycle, and once they were buried, they truly died..."

Liusu asked, "So the Wuqi Tribe has been wiped out?"

"Yes, it no longer exists." The woman smiled. "The cycle and eternity of life are the most difficult and mysterious things in the world. There are those who are born and do not die, which is considered jealousy of the heavens. They are destined not to last long."

At this point, Lianzu seemingly unintentionally kicked the dog squatting at Qin Yi's feet.

The dog bristled its black fur and stared at her, but she seemed to be just being nonchalant, saying to herself, "Actually, some things are quite interesting. Everyone wants to live forever, but back then, the people of the Wuqi Tribe all wanted to die."

Qin Yi said, "Are you tired of living?"

"Their strength is average, and they cannot live freely, so they have no long-term business. They are just trapped in one place, in a cycle that lasts for thousands of years... Others may envy them, but for them, it is also a kind of suffering."

"A besieged city," Qin Yi concluded. "Those outside want to get in, and those inside want to get out."

The woman paused for a moment, then smiled slightly, "Perhaps. In any case, even if this race doesn't perish on its own, sooner or later it will all lie on the research table under the research of those people from the Nether Emperor Sect. There's no escaping it. In the end, it's a kind of liberation."

Liusu said, "This kind of thing must have happened tens of thousands of years ago, how do you know so much about it?"

"We locals have records of this," the woman chuckled. "But I digress. What I'm trying to say is that the Pierced Chest Kingdom lack hearts. Before the collapse of the Netherworld, they might have survived thanks to some mysterious mechanism. After the Netherworld's collapse, they shouldn't have lived long... unless they all cultivated to the level of Radiant Sun or higher, allowing them to use other parts of their bodies to replace the heart's energy supply. So, these Phoenix-Beginning Qin Heart cultivators here don't have that ability, so why are they alive?"

Qin Yi tentatively asked, "So it is actually the life force bestowed upon them by their god, or a kind of symbiotic dependence, that once this true God of Pierced Chest dies, the race will perish."

"That's about it... Of course, that's just my guess. So things are quite complicated, and I don't want to easily entertain thoughts of killing or not killing." The woman stretched, revealing her beautiful figure. "The most crucial thing is... I can't beat their god."

Qin Yi: "..."

That last sentence is very realistic... Although she seems quite mysterious, it's not necessarily true that she could defeat someone of godhood, especially since it's not appropriate to recklessly barge into someone's home turf. Just like Qin Yi's secluded cultivation cave abode, if any Qian Yuan cultivator were to break in, they would probably die a horrible death.

The woman laughed and said, "By the way, you probably can't beat him either. So... do you still want to get involved in this troublesome matter? After all, it had nothing to do with you in the first place."

Qin Yi said, "If it's just hunting animals, I won't say anything; I'm not a petty animal rights activist. But they might be bullying us."

The woman nodded. "So you know it will cause trouble, but you still want to get involved?"

Qin Yi took a sip of wine. "If you really don't like something, then do something about it. Otherwise, what's the point of cultivating all that power? To be a turtle?"

The wine glass rested on the table, and the woman smiled slightly.

A commotion arose outside, seemingly the return of the King of the Pierced Chest Kingdom with his people.

Qin Yi turned his head to look, but when he looked at the woman again, he found that she was gone.

The next moment, a group of people burst into the tavern. An old man, hands behind his back, stared directly at Qin Yi with eyes as sharp as a hawk. "Gentleman Country ... In the Great Wilderness, it is Iron Law that different races do not interfere with each other. Do you not know this?"

Whoever set this Iron Law must have a lot of power...

Qin Yi muttered to himself, but replied aloud, "What did I interfere with? I saw the lovebirds first. Your people stole my bird; that's you interfering with me. Come on, tell me, you broke the Iron Law. How are you, as the king, going to compensate me?"

The old man was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting such a response.

His expression then turned ferocious. "Taking your heart as wine is my compensation!"

A group of people gathered around.

Qin Yi glanced at them and noticed that these several Cloud-Soaring beings were quite powerful.

This old man himself was also at the peak of the Cloud Ascension Realm. To put it bluntly, this tribe was similar to a sect where everyone cultivated the Mindless Method. Understanding it this way clarifies the concept of a "nation".

"In the end, it all comes down to who has the strongest fist?" Qin Yi's voice trailed off as he vanished from sight.

Several binding Law Technique landed in empty space, Qin Yi had already appeared behind the old man, placing his palm against his back. "So it's a dog's heart... Will it cause any problems if I take it out?"

The old man stood frozen, but instead of backing down, he shouted sternly, "I am the Pierced Chest King! If you dare to harm me, the High God will surely be wrathful! You are welcome to try!"

"He has a bit of a king's spirit." Qin Yi reached out and pulled out a dog's heart.

The old man groaned, his face turning pale rapidly, but he said nothing and remained perfectly healthy.

The heart in Qin Yi's hand was still beating.

"This is quite interesting. It's a cultivation technique that allows one to survive by transferring other organs to replace the heart," Liusu said with a smile. "Learn this technique so you can survive if you get injured somewhere in the future."

Qin Yi didn't know how to respond, so he simply said to the old man, "Look, I've bullied you, where are your gods?"

The old man was also very surprised at this moment.

Normally, such a thing as an outsider bullying someone would have already incurred divine wrath, but I don't know why this time it's so calm and peaceful, without any commotion.

Qin Yi remained silent, as if waiting for divine wrath.

He was actually waiting for the woman to do her work. He knew that by drawing the main force away from his side, it would become much easier for the woman to rescue people.

Sure enough, a short while later, chaos erupted outside, with someone yelling, "Stop!"

Then came the flapping of birds' wings, the frantic scattering of animals, and the shouts and running of human men and women, interspersed with "Thank you for saving me." Qin Yi probed outside with his Divine Sense and saw dust rising in the suburbs, with countless birds and beasts being released from their cages and escaping. Most importantly, there were indeed humans among them.

The initial assessment was correct. Since they were capturing all kinds of creatures in pairs, even the Black and White Balls, it was no surprise that humans would be included as well.

There were all sorts of different races, including those with three eyes, one hand, forked tongues, long heads, and feet with reversed growth... The common point was that they were all in pairs, seemingly passing through the suburbs, and were inexplicably arrested.

They were all released and fled for their lives. The woman blocked the intersection and casually slashed at the road.

Countless people from the Pierced Chest Kingdom wanted to chase after her, but not a single one could cross the boundary she casually drew.

To draw a line in the sand and imprison oneself!

The woman drank her wine with her head tilted back amidst the smoke and dust, oblivious to the thousands of troops surrounding her.

"Hey!" Liusu picked up Little Bone and tapped him on the head. "Are you awake?"

"I haven't lost my soul, why would I need to go back?"

"Then why are you staring at her like that?"

"It reminds me of some classic movies and TV shows... This one is a bit like Dongfang Bubai."

"... What's that?"

"The world is full of laughable things, infatuation is the most pointless, it's better to be arrogant..." Qin Yi hummed casually, "Do you feel anything?"

"No, you're cooperating to save some people, how is that considered 'friendship'?"

Qin Yi: "... That was just lyrics, the imagery. Do you even know what imagery is?"

"I think you're just lusting after her body, you're despicable."

"..."

The Pierced Chest King with his heart pressed down, was speechless.

Who are these people? They're causing chaos in someone else's country, and now they're even singing!

The most amazing thing is that the High God really didn't react at all!

What's going on? Not to mention that their own country has been turned upside down and the king has been held hostage with his heart in his throat, aren't those pairs of creatures things that the High God themselves value and sent everyone to capture?

They've all gotten away, why haven't they said a word?

In the distance, nestled in the mountains, a woman with pure white wings asked the giant, "Isn't that your kingdom? Why don't you care?"

"We can't tell the cultivation levels of that man and woman..." The giant rested his chin on his right fist and said slowly, "Let's be patient for now and wait until they're alone before we make our move."

"Why are you catching those pairs of creatures?"

"I refine my own Gu, it's none of your business..." The giant grinned. "But if that man and woman were a couple... their hearts, once refined, might even be useful to Wuxiang."