Digging Up a Fat Man

The starry river glittered, the universe stretched boundlessly, and darkness coexisted with icy cold. Xu Changqing traveled alone, savoring this moment of peace.

As for his reputation, it no longer mattered. Who would care about such things?

As he neared the Human Race's Fiftieth Pass, he felt neither excitement nor anticipation, only calm. Several of the strongest Heavenly Prides of this era had gathered there, but to him, they were nothing special.

If this had been Ye Fan's era, reaching the pinnacle might have been extremely difficult. But in this era, though a few monstrous figures would emerge, they ultimately could not compare to the most glorious Golden Age.

During his journey, the Female Demon's reputation had gradually turned foul as well. Her name struck fear into many powerful beings with special physiques.

On the Emperor's Road, those experts were all discussing the Twin Demons of the Era.

"I still think Tun Tian is more formidable and terrifying. Her technique is incredibly strange—she can absorb the origin of Divine Bodies and even absorb her opponent's attacks for her own use."

"Though Wuqing is terrifyingly powerful, there is nothing particularly strange about him."

"Very few people have actually seen them fight so far. Those rumors are only rumors, after all."

"Recently, many people have seen Tun Tian searching for something. She has been visiting Secret Realms everywhere to gather all kinds of rare treasures and materials, and has even been digging up the great tombs of fallen Divine Bodies."

The various Imperial Passes were all discussing them, but no one had seen either of the two for a long time. People only knew what Wuqing looked like, while no one knew the appearance of the woman known as Tun Tian.

What they did not know was that Tun Tian, the person they were discussing, had run into serious trouble at that moment.

Dense runes swirled through the deathly silent starry sky. Within a lush ancient land of life, a Woman in White stood in an area surrounded by Dao Order.

Her face could not be seen, but her exquisite autumn eyes were visible. Mist clouded those deep eyes as she stared solemnly ahead.

Then she formed a seal with both hands, and a Great Dao Treasure Bottle appeared between them, billowing Chaos Qi. The bottle was pitch-black and covered in patterns, looking exceptionally eerie.

When its mouth was aimed at the runes, the runes were actually sucked inside. The great array then seemed to be gnawed away by something.

"This differs from ordinary great arrays. It is Source Heaven Technique."

The Woman in White had discovered the arrangement around her, and this Source Heaven Great Array was terrifying. If not for the uniqueness of her Dao technique, which allowed her to absorb the weak points of an array, she truly would not have been able to enter.

"Who is it?!"

"Who dares disturb this Daoist's slumber?!"

A furious shout suddenly rang out, shaking the starry sky. The Dao Sound was deafening. The next moment, the Source Heaven Technique erupted with unimaginable light, as countless runes blanketed the Woman in White.

The surrounding mountains and forests were elegant and beautiful. The peaks that pierced the clouds were black, and their arrangement was exquisitely designed, like ninety-nine dragons circling a pearl.

At that moment, all ninety-nine mountain peaks lit up together, and dragon roars echoed through the starry sky.

The Woman in White slightly raised a jade-like hand to shield her eyes. The entire world turned white, and she could see nothing.

A violent wind whipped her soft hair about, making her white robes flutter wildly. Her whole body seemed on the verge of being blown over by that terrifying gale.

Bang!

The ground suddenly exploded, soil flying everywhere as a black coffin shot out. Its lid was immediately blasted away by a powerful force.

A fat man in Daoist robes lay straight inside. His plump face was deathly pale, his eyes closed, his breathing somewhat heavy.

The next moment, he abruptly opened his eyes. Yet there was no coldness in them, only confusion and anger.

He leaped out of the coffin, waved a hand to disperse the white light, and looked ahead. A Woman in White was silently watching him there.

"So it was you, little girl, who robbed this Daoist's tomb?"

"I, Laozi, have robbed countless tombs, yet this is the first time someone has stolen my home."

"Ho, looks like you're an expert too. You secretly broke through the weak point of the Source Heaven Technique without triggering the array's counterattack. Luckily, this Daoist's array was a little better, or you really would have succeeded."

The fat man's face was flushed red, with a trace of anger on it. From time to time, he inspected his great array, and in the end, a pained expression appeared on his face.

He used a Dao technique with both hands and withdrew the great array.

Then, using some unknown method, he actually stored all the surrounding black mountains within his sleeve. Standing in midair, he looked at the Woman in White with an indescribable emotion in his eyes.

The Woman in White had not spoken at all. She merely watched the fat man in the air quietly, wariness showing in her eyes. An extremely intense killing intent radiated from her body, as if she were ready to strike at any moment.

Yet the fat man paid her little attention. Instead, he frowned and pinched his fingers, as though calculating something. At last, his brow relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, good. The timing is not too far off. It's only ten-odd years early, so it's not a problem. Being born ahead of time is fine too."

"It's just a pity I did not enter the Primordial Ancient Mine."

Then he turned his gaze back to the Woman in White. A mischievous look appeared in his eyes as his round eyeballs rolled about. "Tell me, you robbed my tomb, disturbed my cultivation, and caused my cultivation to regress by more than ten years. How are you going to compensate me?"

"This Daoist happens to lack an assistant and a maid. Why not serve as one?"

The Woman in White frowned. In her eyes, the fat man's gaze was somewhat lecherous. He wore a smiling expression, as though he had already set his sights on her.

She said nothing. She simply took several precious Divine Medicines from her Sea of Bitterness, tossed them straight at the fat man, and left.

But the fat man was not pleased. He put away the Divine Medicines, flashed forward, and appeared directly before the Woman in White. Spreading his arms, he blocked her path.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you dismissing a beggar? More than ten years would have been enough for me to become a Great Sage. These few Divine Medicines are not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!"

"I'm telling you, hand over something good right now, or I will make a move."

The Woman in White's eyes gradually turned cold. She glanced at the fat man in Daoist robes and found him very unusual. His Primordial Spirit Aura was strange. Though his entire body brimmed with vitality, an icy chill surrounded him, making him seem like a living corpse.

Moreover, in her judgment, his Physical Body was terrifying.

Even so, the fat man's cultivation was only about equal to hers.

Without further hesitation, the Woman in White extended her jade-white palm and lightly struck at the fat man in Daoist robes. Since she could not avoid him, she would kill him.

Great Dao patterns spread across that jade-white palm, while Chaos Qi surged forth. It was as though All Heavens and Myriad Worlds were flowing backward within her hand, terrifying to the extreme.

This strike made heaven and earth tremble. The Woman in White had used all her strength.

Boom!

In an instant, heaven collapsed and earth cracked, ghosts wailed and gods howled. This entire place exploded, space shattered, and profound darkness was revealed.

She was not afraid of the fat man's Source Heaven Technique. She had her own trump cards. Otherwise, how would she dare seek out the ancient tombs of powerful experts or escape from the hands of those experts?

The fat man in Daoist robes was a little dumbfounded. Why had she suddenly attacked? He had merely wanted to scam some benefits from her. Was that really necessary?

Ruthless, taciturn, and utterly unreasonable—this was the fat man's first impression of the woman.

But he was no pushover either. He had originally planned to sleep until he became a Great Sage before emerging, then secretly attain the Dao. Yet someone had dug him out instead.

He was now filled with anger.

The fat man in Daoist robes also dropped his playful grin, a solemn expression appearing on his face. In a righteous tone, he declared, "Today, I, Duan De, shall subdue you, Female Demon!"

Boom!

His palm collided with the Woman in White's palm. Boundless holy light erupted in an instant, illuminating the universe as heaven and earth were torn apart.

Bang!

Duan De was sent flying, his face filled with disbelief.

Damn it, this made no sense.

How could she be so strong?

PS: The original work mentioned that over two hundred thousand years ago, when the Ruthless Empress was establishing a Dojo, an inexplicable trace of aura appeared. An Ancient Emperor said, "Could it be that an ancient Heavenly Venerate was buried on this Ancient Star... and was discovered?"

I also looked up some information online. That was Duan De's Fourth Life, and it was highly possible that he had dealt with the Ruthless Great Emperor.

And since the Ruthless Great Emperor devoured all things to perfect her own path, it was highly possible that she had dug up Duan De. That was why they had dealings with each other.

By his Fifth Life, Duan De had been unwilling to speak much about the Ruthless Great Emperor.