Searching for a God in the Alley, Striking Down the Sun Outside the City

After leaving the Han Residence, Qiu Yan was in no hurry. Instead of returning by the same route, he strolled through the city, occasionally stopping in crowded places to observe the passersby, seemingly lost in thought.

As he walked, he gradually approached an alley.

This alley was not unfamiliar to Qiu Yan. Not long ago, he had seen a boy performing ventriloquism in the vicinity, and the boy left through this alley.

Qiu Yan also gave the boy a few copper coins, which contained a trace of the Li Trigram. This was not without reason, but rather a strategic move by Qiu Yan, who had sensed a Divine Path aura in the boy.

The power of the Li Trigram differs from other powers; it is close to nature. It is a law that our ancestors comprehended from the universe and expressed through symbols. Therefore, once the copper coin is stained, even the gods will not easily detect it unless they investigate it closely.

The boy carried the Li Trigram and spent the coins a few days later, but the Li Trigram remained in the purse, eventually leading Qiu Yan to discover the dramatic change that day.

"It's here. Although it's faint, it's almost impossible to find without careful attention. But after a thorough examination, we can still find that wisp of residual Divine Path aura."

Before long, Qiu Yan walked to the depths of the alley. This place was extremely dirty and smelly, and many beggars were hiding there. Ordinary people would cover their noses and walk away when they passed by.

But Qiu Yan seemed oblivious, walking straight to a low stool by the wall. He frowned slightly as he looked at the copper coins scattered around the stool legs.

Although a long time had passed and the copper coin was covered in dust, no beggar dared to approach and pick it up, which suggests the power and influence of the stool's owner.

"Hey, you scholar, what are you doing here? This isn't a place for you!" Several beggars nearby first looked him over cautiously, then couldn't help but speak up.

Qiu Yan ignored him, raising his hand as if to grasp something invisible in the air. He frowned, then relaxed. He turned around, and his gaze swept over the crowd of beggars who had gathered around him, causing them to stop in their tracks.

Qiu Yan shook his head, took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and placed them on the ground. He had left in a hurry this time and hadn't brought much silver with him; these pieces of silver were all he had.

Upon seeing the loose silver, the beggars' eyes lit up, and they all showed eager expressions.

Greed and yearning emanated from them. Qiu Yan clearly captured and grasped this, and said, "You are still in your prime. Begging can solve your immediate needs, but sitting around and eating your savings will eventually lead to exhaustion. You should think carefully, otherwise, if you live a life of ease and confusion after eating your fill, your minds will inevitably harden into stone." After saying this, he ignored the beggars and walked away.

As soon as he left, several beggars rushed over to snatch the loose silver coins, and each of them got a little.

"There are people like this who come all the way here just to give us money."

"If everyone were like this, I could just sit here and have a steady stream of silver in my bowl. So carefree and content."

"Yes, but what did he mean by what he was muttering just now?"

"Who knows? Judging from his appearance, he should be a scholar. These people are so bookish they've become foolish; they act the most stupidly. There's no need to overthink it."

"That's right, isn't that Doctor Gao's son just a bookworm? He treats us for free, and he's satisfied as long as we say a few words of thanks."

The beggars' chatter drifted on the wind and reached Qiu Yan's ears.

Shaking his head inwardly, Qiu Yan left the alley and walked towards the city gate without stopping. However, in one of his hands, he lightly flicked his fingers, and a faint Divine Path aura lingered within.

These auras were the remaining Divine Path energy in the alley, which he condensed with a single grasp.

However, even though it aggregates, the residue is so small that much of it dissipates over time, making it extremely sparse and difficult to extract useful information from it.

"If we can decipher the information, we might be able to find clues about that young deity and thus learn about the God of Revival."

Not long ago, the Li Trigram recorded the scene of the boy turning into the wind and disappearing. Soon after, strange changes occurred in the city, and the Ore-Mother Hall in Scholar Forest underwent even more changes. The resurrected deity was clearly aided by external forces.

These events may seem like coincidences, but when connected, Qiu Yan pieced together a thread that runs through the entire story.

This is why he made moves everywhere and cast a wide net, which allowed him to grasp information from multiple aspects, analyze and summarize it, and find the internal connections. Otherwise, knowing only about the strange changes in the city or seeing the resurrected gods would only provide partial information. Even with the blessing of the Li Trigram, it would be difficult to deduce the true nature of the events, and one could only get a vague result.

Qiu Yan often makes unintended moves in his actions. This is an experience he gained from his past and present lives. He knows that if you only discover opportunities but don't plan ahead, you won't be able to seize them and will only be left with regret and frustration.

He walked along, organizing his thoughts as he went.

Qiu Yan planned to use his Divine Sense to explore and analyze the Divine Path aura he possessed, rather than transferring it to his Divine Spirit Body. Although the Divine Spirit Body could achieve twice the result with half the effort thanks to the assistance of Incense Faith, the young deity gave Qiu Yan a strange feeling and possessed many strange abilities. If he rashly allowed his Divine Spirit Body to come into contact with it, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't cause trouble later. It would be better to let his Fleshly Body take responsibility.

"Since that young man vanished like the wind and the resurrected deity appeared, there have been several disturbances in Eastern Capital City. Half a month ago, the city was ablaze with red clouds. In fact, even the Void-Driving Dao Lord was invited to help. But there has been no movement these days. It's hard to say that it might be related to that young deity. Although I want to investigate, I must proceed with caution and not be rash."

As Qiu Yan pondered this, his heart skipped a beat. To be precise, the Li Trigram within the Divine Spirit Body suddenly jolted, revealing a glimmer of omens.

"Oh? Someone is plotting against me."

Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, expanding his senses, and discovered two furtive figures in a corner not far behind him. Although these two had deliberately chosen to wear plain clothes, the fierce aura emanating from them was hard to conceal, and they were clearly not ordinary people.

With a quick thought, Qiu Yan realized who was going to make a move.

"It seems that prince hasn't learned his lesson. Well, this is a good Karma now, so as to avoid wasting energy on dragging things out. Besides, once I've passed the imperial Imperial Examinations and entered the second stage of the Human Path Experience, it's inevitable that I'll be targeted by a prince, which will only delay my progress."

With Heart Demon residing within Prince Yan, Qiu Yan Qiu Yan was fully aware of the other party's movements. He had even roughly guessed the identity of one of the two people accompanying Prince Yan. Considering the recent turmoil in the Eastern Capital's Divine Path and the cultivation world, he could naturally deduce that Prince Yan, due to various concerns, would make his move outside the city.

Knowing all this, Qiu Yan remained completely unafraid.

Not only that, he even quickened his pace, making it seem like he was leaving in a hurry.

"That person seems to have spotted us!"

The two men following behind were actually disguised guards from the Prince's mansion. They were skilled in martial arts and had excellent eyesight. Upon seeing Qiu Yan's movements, one of them immediately whispered.

Another person replied, "That's for the best. Didn't the prince instruct us not to follow him, but to create a sense of urgency and force him to leave the city as soon as possible?"

The person who had been whispering earlier lowered their voice and said, "I heard that this person is actually a master. Even though we're so far away, we haven't made a move yet, and he's already discovered us. He's truly hiding his abilities. We mustn't get too close, lest we suffer the consequences. It's difficult for him to make a move in the city, but if he suddenly attacks outside, neither of us will be a match for him."

"That's exactly right. We need to make him realize this, but we can't let him feel like he's in paradise. We need to find the right balance."

The two men talked as they went, hiding as they went. After seeing Qiu Yan walk out of the outer city gate, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. One of them turned and ran back to report the news.

On the other side, Qiu Yan walked out of the city gate. After a few steps, he suddenly felt the surrounding pedestrians quiet down, and the voices gradually faded away. He felt a sense of loneliness as he walked alone.

"Oh? They're starting? I just don't know how this Dao Arts is being used, it's completely without warning!"

Sensing the changes around him and in his heart, how could Qiu Yan not realize that he was already enveloped by Dao Arts, with a faint restriction on his body, separating him from the surrounding scenery?

One step, two steps, three steps...

As Qiu Yan walked forward, this feeling deepened, as if only the road beneath his feet existed, while the pedestrians and roadside scenery were all blended into the darkness.

The road is long and winding, stretching out to its farthest point, where it even appears distorted by the Blazing Sun.

The sunlight falls on my body, scorching my heart, making me irritable and my mouth dry.

But as soon as this feeling of irritability and dryness appeared in Qiu Yan's heart and body, a ferocious giant ape leaped out from its Heart Fire, opened its mouth and howled, then took a deep breath, its chest and abdomen bulging, and sucked in all the irritability and dryness.

These two feelings, one originating from the heart and the other manifested in the body, are merely sensations, capable of deceiving the real from the fake. Once swallowed by the Heart Ape, the sensations ceased, and Qiu Yan experienced no further abnormalities, either internally or externally.

"The Heart Ape devours distracting thoughts and feelings, similar to the Heart Demon, but it cannot control these distracting thoughts; it can only attach itself to the ape's skin and fur. I need to find time to study this; perhaps the two can complement each other."

The thought flashed through Qiu Yan's mind, but his movements remained unchanged. However, the swinging of his legs increased in speed, and he moved forward rapidly...

Sudden!

He suddenly looked up, then clenched his right fist and slammed it upwards!

Boom!

Qiu Yan's acupoints vibrated, and surging Qi and Blood gushed out, condensing into a Rhinoceros and a Rhinoceros Beetle under the control of his Martial Dao Will!

The two combined, twisting into one, and charged towards the sun in the sky!

The sudden impact of this attack, coupled with the terrifying aura emanating from the two condensed Qi and Blood, contained immense power. The impact created a crackling sound as it rubbed against the air, displaying a force that seemed poised to tear the sky apart and shatter the sun!

Strangely enough, the sun, which was originally very far from the earth, was distorted by this surge of Qi and Blood, and then it stretched out two wings and took flight!

ps:

I wasn't feeling well just now, so I lay down for a while. I just got up, so the update is a bit rushed. Sorry...