Carrying Fire to Shift the Stellar Continent, Riding Clouds out of Ding Lake!

In the dim cosmos, the light of twelve fixed stars spread across heaven and earth, illuminating the vast sky as they slowly traveled along their predetermined paths, as though they would never be extinguished.

Yet at the very moment You Xuexin was slain by Wang Ping.

One of the starlights suddenly rippled slightly, like a stone falling into a lake and stirring faint waves before sinking into the depths of the stellar radiance.

What came into view was a magnificent continental landmass.

It was surrounded by sea on all sides, with towering mountain ranges, crisscrossing rivers, and countless scenic wonders and ancient sites. Streaks of escaping light traveled back and forth, making it look every inch an immortal sacred land.

Yet at that very moment, thunder suddenly rang out from the continent's northwestern corner beneath the bright blue sky. There were no clouds or rain, only the rolling roar of thunder sweeping through the air, growing ever more violent. Beasts on the ground fled in panic, birds took flight across the heavens, mortals knelt and kowtowed, while cultivators looked around in bewilderment.

"What's going on?"

The young cultivators looked at one another, not knowing what had happened.

Only a few veteran cultivators revealed expressions of realization at the sight.

"Heaven has sounded its thunder, yet no cause can be seen. Most likely, a Qi Refiner has been disturbed and given rise to anger. Heaven and earth have answered his will, which is why this thunder has struck beneath a clear sky."

"Looking at the source of the thunder... is that Sun-Moon Lake?"

As they spoke, one young cultivator clapped his hands.

"I remember now. Martial Uncle Mingyou of Sun-Moon Lake is nearing the end of his lifespan. He must have sensed, while meditating, that his days were few, and so sudden anger arose within him..."

"Shh! Watch your words!"

Before he could finish speaking, the senior brother beside him fiercely covered his mouth. He used so much force that he nearly tore the young man's mouth apart.

"Are you tired of living!?"

The senior brother who had covered his mouth snapped, "Martial Uncle Mingyou cultivated Insight into Truth and Falsehood, Illuminating Qi back then. If you spout nonsense, he can see you with a single thought!"

The young cultivator showed fear as well. "I-is it really that powerful?"

"Rubbish. Whose disciple are you? How do you not know even this?"

"Uh, I haven't taken a master yet. I'm still an Inner Sect Disciple..."

"Oh, Inner Sect. Then it's no surprise."

Before his words had even faded, the senior brother who had covered his mouth took a disdainful step back, washed the hand he had used with Dharma Power, then turned and left.

Leaving the young cultivator standing there in utter disarray.

Similar chaos appeared elsewhere across the continental landmass. Many people raised their heads and gazed toward the source of the thunder beneath the clear sky.

Sun-Moon Lake.

Though it was called a lake, it was actually enormous—a sea within the land. Its waters were divided into black and white, like an ancient ink-wash painting.

At the center of the black-and-white waters, where yin and yang divided, stood a small island. A thatched hut had been built upon it. At that moment, someone stepped out from the hut, dressed in black-and-white robes, wearing a fishtail crown, and holding a whisk. Though he wore formal attire, he looked like a youth.

He stood there and looked up at the heavens.

Centered on the thatched hut, thunder snakes coiled across a radius of ten thousand li. Thunderbolts rolled through the sky, while dazzling rosy clouds rippled, causing water and sky to reflect in the same hue.

The youth stared fixedly at the colored clouds in the sky. His eyes seemed lit by brilliant lanterns, flickering between light and dark. Then he lowered his head and slowly sighed.

"Xuexin is dead."

His voice stood in stark contrast to his youthful appearance—aged and heavy with the air of twilight years.

"She died on the way while escorting the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformation Divine Talisman. Deliberately sending this object over could be considered filial devotion, but she ultimately abandoned her post without permission."

The rosy clouds rippled faintly, their colors shifting.

The youth frowned at the sight, his tone growing heavier. "No matter what, she cannot die yet. I need her to continue watching the Eight Trigrams Furnace for me."

Only after the rosy clouds froze in place did the youth nod slightly. "Good."

Immediately afterward, he shifted his gaze to the other side of the heavens, locking his eyes onto one of the stars before lightly pushing the fishtail crown atop his head.

Rumble!

In an instant, a three-colored celebratory cloud interwoven like mountains and peaks rose from the ground. It first shot straight into the clouds, then spread open and supported a splendid canopy.

The canopy touched the sun and moon above and pressed down upon rivers below. Lightning wandered around its edges, and the sounds of heavenly drums occasionally echoed forth. Now it stretched across the firmament, seated at the center of heaven and earth. With a single breath, it stirred the spiritual qi of east, west, south, and north, drawing it surging forth in competition as myriad rosy lights reflected around it.

Then the celebratory-cloud canopy soared upward.

In moments, it smashed through the Thirty-Three Heavens and entered the cosmic starry sky. The stars flickered in succession wherever it passed, heaven and earth shook, and it vanished in a flash into infinite distance.

At almost the same moment, the youth vanished as well.

Thus it was said: carrying fire to shift the stellar continent, riding clouds out of Ding Lake!

Space shattered, Heaven in a Pot collapsed, and the flying boat fell from the void, crashing heavily onto a mountain peak.

"This is bad, bad, bad!"

On the damaged flying boat, the man surnamed Lin wore an expression of utter terror. A jade pendant in his arms had suddenly shattered. It was a secret treasure he had specifically acquired before setting out.

It could sense fluctuations in the qi of heaven and earth. If any one of the Twenty-Four Seasonal Qis underwent a change, he would detect it through this treasure.

Just moments ago, Insight into Truth and Falsehood, Illuminating Qi had fluctuated. The fluctuation had been so immense that it directly shattered the jade pendant, proving that he was the cause. Thinking of You Xuexin's master, that one who had long resided at Sun-Moon Lake... the terror in the man surnamed Lin's heart could no longer be contained.

"H-he's coming!"

"How is this possible... He discovered that You Xuexin had died? With a Qi Refiner's divine abilities, he can escape by riding the qi of heaven and earth. He'll be here very soon!"

The more the man surnamed Lin thought about it, the more terrified he became.

For a moment, he could not even spare a glance at the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformation Divine Talisman right before him. He directly took out a talisman from his robes and ignited it with Dharma Power.

"No, I have to run first..."

The next second, fire exploded. This was a divine-ability talisman inscribed with the divine ability Fire Escape, and it enveloped the man surnamed Lin.

Then his figure vanished amid the flames. He had clearly escaped to another place, leaving behind only a group of marauder cultivators consumed by frenzy.

Until three breaths later.

Every marauder cultivator froze in place. Amid them, the youth appeared out of thin air, still holding the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformation Divine Talisman in his hand.

That magnificent celebratory-cloud canopy also appeared above the vault of heaven alongside the youth.

Looking up, one could see three colors woven together within the clouds, water and fire existing in harmony. To the countless living beings beneath its cover, it was "heaven" at that moment.

"Azure Heaven above..."

With a thud, every marauder cultivator knelt in perfect unison, gazing up at the celebratory-cloud canopy with devout expressions. Then, amid their worship, they turned to ash.

"He ran?"

The youth looked around and quickly spotted the Six-Desire Demon Banner standing steadily nearby, as well as You Xuexin's soul floating in the air, lost and without support.

Yet though it was said to be You Xuexin's soul, her cultivation had been insufficient. Once her soul left her body and was rashly exposed between heaven and earth, its true spirit had long since dissolved into the spiritual-qi environment and entered the natural cycle of heaven and earth. It possessed not the slightest consciousness and was, at most, a wandering ghostly yin aura.

In other words, he had arrived too late.

"Interesting."

The youth sneered, then extended his hand toward the empty scene before him. It was as though he had grasped some invisible object and slowly turned it.

Whoosh!

The sound of rushing rivers suddenly rang out between heaven and earth. The myriad scenes that had originally been clear and visible became blurred and hazy at that moment.

Then, all the marauder cultivators who had just been reduced to ashes revived within that misty scene. Everything began flowing backward toward the past. Before long, flames flashed forth, and the man surnamed Lin, who had just escaped death, was dragged back. He was still standing in the same spot!

Yet this was still not the end.

Time continued flowing backward. Finally, You Xuexin's soul changed. The true spirit of her soul, which had already entered the cycle of spiritual qi, was forcibly drawn back out.

Her soul thus regained its spirituality.

Then it sank downward.

At the same time, her body, which had turned to ash, rapidly reassembled. Her full, delicate form manifested anew, her soul entered it, and her halted breathing was reignited.

"Gasp... hah!"

The next second, You Xuexin abruptly sat upright, her eyes full of confusion. The hazy, unreal world around her also became clear once more.

"This is..." You Xuexin turned her gaze and quickly saw the youth. Her pretty face first froze, then, as though she had realized something, drained white in an instant. Finally, she slowly turned and prostrated herself on the ground. "I have troubled Master to personally descend into the mortal world. Please punish this disciple."

Her trembling voice carried both fear and excitement.

She was afraid because her life and death had disturbed the youth, and she feared he would punish her. Yet she was excited because she was shaken by the divine ability he had displayed.

"Heaven-Reversing Sun-Dial Instrument!"

"That's right. It must be this Great Divine Ability. Otherwise, it would be impossible to pull me back after I had already died, after even my soul's true spirit had entered the spiritual-qi cycle."

People often said time could not flow backward and the years would never turn back.

Yet to the Immortal Sect's Qi Refiners, even precious time had to obey their will and bow its head before their great power!

"Rise." The youth's voice was faint and distant.

"It is of no consequence. This place is no longer too close to the mortal world, and I have some connections within the Divine Weapons Institute as well. They will not make too much of it."

After saying that, the youth glanced again at the Six-Desire Demon Banner beside You Xuexin. Wherever his gaze fell, the demons within the banner and the Six-Desire Demon King had nowhere to hide and could only let him inspect them. After a moment, the youth said quietly, "This Dharma Treasure was the cause of your death."

"You refined it yourself, didn't you?"

"Your refining technique was rather crude, causing the main soul to lose control and go berserk during the sacrificial use. It already bore resentment toward you, so its backlash against you was only natural."

"Ah? This..."

You Xuexin froze upon hearing this. But on second thought, her master's judgment could not possibly be wrong, and regret quickly appeared on her face.

Yet soon after, she frowned.

"Please forgive this disciple's presumption... How exactly did this disciple die?"

She could not remember.

That should not have been possible. Time had clearly been reversed, so she should have remembered her own death. Yet when she recalled it now, her memories were strangely blurry.

She only remembered that her death had seemed rather abstract.

Why was that!?

You Xuexin was immediately horrified. She looked up, only to see the youth frowning as well. He then shook his head. "It should be that little thief's method."

"His Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Method contains supreme mysteries. If he killed you with this method, it is only natural that you would not remember. It is also understandable that I found no clue even after reversing time. That little thief loves nothing more than erasing cause and effect. Being able to drag back one small shrimp is already an unexpected delight."

After saying that, the youth looked toward the man surnamed Lin, who had been dragged back.

The man surnamed Lin said, "Huh?"

Even now, he had not recovered his senses. His awareness still lingered in the joy of having escaped alive with a Fire Escape divine-ability talisman, and his face was full of bewilderment.

To him, only an instant had passed, yet it also seemed as though he had crossed tens of millions of years.

The next instant, as the youth's gaze settled on him, he finally regained the right to think. He slowly woke, his eyes falling upon the youth.

Yet in his eyes, the youth's figure was completely shrouded by an overwhelming aura that could not be resisted, vast as mountains and seas. A single glance made his liver and gallbladder split apart.

"S-so I still couldn't escape..."

Thud!

The man surnamed Lin knelt on the spot, smashing his forehead heavily against the ground. He did not dare use Dharma Power to protect himself, even deliberately tearing open his flesh. In moments, blood poured out like a stream.

"May Master forgive my sins!"

"An Inner Sect Disciple who has not entered the True Disciple line—what right do you have to call me Master?"

The youth's tone was calm. With a single glance, he saw through the man surnamed Lin's soul, yet likewise found no useful information. He immediately swept his sleeve in impatience.

The next second, the man surnamed Lin and the marauder cultivators who had been revived along with the reversal of time fell to the ground again. Then their bodies collapsed into nothingness.

You Xuexin could not help swallowing at the sight.

"Master..."

Her gaze narrowed slightly as she saw the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformation Divine Talisman in the youth's hand. As though recalling something, she immediately explained in a low voice.

"Congratulations, Master, on obtaining this treasure. This disciple asked about it beforehand. What it records is the Life-Stealing Thief, which can steal and occupy Life Essence. So long as Master cultivates this method, you can use it to replenish your lifespan. In the future, you will no longer need to heed the Divine Weapons Institute and the Immortal Formula Institute, nor be restrained by them."

"Life-Stealing Thief..."

Hearing this, the youth examined the jade slip in his hand again. The strange demonic allure that could drive cultivators mad was completely incapable of shaking his Dao heart.

"...It is nothing but a chicken rib."

"That little thief knows how to scheme. The things that fall outside the sect are all incomplete fragments. They possess only the power of spells, inferior to divine abilities, and are even less comparable to the qi of heaven and earth."

"This is useless to me."

After saying that, the youth crushed the jade slip directly, then looked at You Xuexin. "You should not have accepted this task. Though it came from filial devotion, you made a clever move only to spoil it."

"Go back. Do not entertain any other thoughts. You have only one thing to do now: watch the Eight Trigrams Furnace for me at the Divine Weapons Institute, refine the Dharma Treasure for extending my lifespan as quickly as possible, then bring it back to me. Once the matter is done, you will naturally have an opportunity to cultivate a Great Divine Ability."

You Xuexin hastily kowtowed. "This disciple accepts the order!"

The youth nodded, then casually added, "As for your Six-Desire Demon Banner, though it was refined rather crudely, it may not be beyond saving."

"This time guarding the Eight Trigrams Furnace will be an opportunity."

"Find a good time, throw it into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and patiently temper it for a dozen or so years. It may perhaps undergo a complete rebirth and advance into a Dharma Treasure."

"Thank you, Master, for your guidance!"

Within the Peace Scripture's space.

Wang Ping sat on the high platform with lingering fear in his heart, watching the lights rise and fall, brighten and dim upon the towering book before him. Only after a long while did he let out a deep breath.

At that moment, though he had a bellyful of words, they ultimately condensed into a single exclamation.

"Fuck me... this is Qi Refinement?"

Is something wrong with this immortal cultivation system!?