194: ants and ants

The power of space suddenly surged, wrapping Zhang Sheng and Lu Shi Qi within it.

Light and shadow twisted before their eyes; by the time they regained their focus, the two had already appeared a million miles away!

However, their heartstrings remained tightly wound, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Zhang Sheng did not know that at the very instant they vanished from Tianxing City—

Above Tianxing City, several figures tore through space and descended boldly!

The pressure of the Star God Realm was like something physical, churning the wind and clouds.

The newcomers wore various styles of clothing; some came from great Sects, while others were guardians of neighboring major prefectures.

The air was so heavy it felt as if it were about to drip water.

One Star God's face was covered in frost, his voice bone-chillingly cold:

"The Song Kingdom Imperial Family! How utterly insane! Let's see how you'll clean up this mess!"

"I will certainly report this matter to the Lihuo Divine Palace, reaching the very ears of the Qian Kingdom's Emperor!"

An old man with white hair and beard hurriedly spoke, attempting to de-escalate:

"Brother Feng Yang, wait! This matter is complicated and confusing; it might very well be a trap set by those rebels from the World Awakening Alliance to frame us! The priority now is to heal those Cultivators below whose Origins have been damaged!"

"Old Ghost Zhao!" another Star God bellowed in anger, the fire in his eyes nearly erupting. "Do you think we are blind? How many times has something like this happened over the past thousand years?"

"Which time was it not your Song Kingdom Imperial Family gaining several Star Gods for no reason?! This time, you must give the world an explanation!"

Boom!

A crimson rift suddenly tore open in the sky!

A terrifying aura that made one's heart palpitate and seemed capable of freezing the Soul spread out, causing all the Star God experts present to tremble in their hearts!

A figure stepped out from it, his voice carrying a metallic coldness and unquestionable majesty:

"An explanation? Heh, my Song Kingdom isn't the only one that possesses the 'Blood-Sucking Essence-Devouring Grand Array'!"

"Until the truth comes to light, watch your mouths. Otherwise..."

The longsword in his hand hummed, a cold light flashing for an instant. "...this sword in my hand will show no mercy!"

Before his voice had even faded, he flipped his hand and took out a jade bottle.

The mouth of the bottle tilted slightly, and a drop of milky-white spiritual liquid fell—

Buzz!

The spiritual liquid expanded upon meeting the wind, instantly turning into a Timely Rain that covered the entire city!

A torrential spirit rain poured down, merging into the bodies of those dying Cultivators.

A miracle occurred!

The Cultivators who were on the brink of death with their Qi and blood exhausted actually felt themselves recovering rapidly!

Feng Yang's face turned ashen, but he could only suppress his anger:

"corpse! This matter is already known to the world; let's see how you can cover it up now!"

He exchanged looks with several other Star Gods from the Sects. Knowing they were outmatched, they flickered and tore through space to flee, leaving only distorted ripples behind.

corpse stood suspended high in the air, his gaze like ten-thousand-year-old ice as he indifferently scanned the ants below who had survived the disaster.

"Everyone," his voice was not loud, yet it possessed a strange piercing power that reached deep into people's hearts.

"Today's tragedy was not the work of my Imperial Family, but was instead a poisonous scheme set by the rebels of the World Awakening Alliance to slaughter you all and frame me! I hope you all can distinguish right from wrong and not be deceived by those wicked people."

The words seemed to possess magic, and a strong sense of agreement involuntarily welled up in the hearts of the surviving Cultivators!

"Thank you, My Lord, for saving our lives!" A Supernatural Power Realm Cultivator was the first to throw himself to the ground, kowtowing excitedly.

"The World Awakening Alliance is guilty of terrible crimes! I, Zhao Qiu, will never coexist with those rebels in this lifetime!"

Like a row of falling dominoes, the surviving Cultivators all knelt one after another, their tearful cries of gratitude echoing through the ruins.

Old Ghost Zhao appeared silently beside corpse and sent a transmission:

"Xuanliang Your Highness, why waste Spiritual Marrow to save these ants? Wouldn't it be simpler to just clean them all up?"

corpse's gaze was deep. "The news has already spread. Killing them all would only confirm our guilt. That trash Xuanqiao! He even messed up such a small matter!"

Old Ghost Zhao didn't dare respond to that and only whispered:

"His Highness Xuanqiao is currently being hunted, his fate unknown. Perhaps... he fell into the opponent's trap?"

"Hmph! He wants me to save him? Fat chance!" A flash of ruthlessness appeared in corpse's eyes. "If he delays Ninth Brother's attempt to break through to the Star God Realm, he cannot atone even with a hundred deaths!"

Having said that, his figure flickered and entered the crimson rift that had not yet closed, vanishing without a trace.

In the wilderness, the fierce wind whistled.

Carrying that "giant cocoon"—Lu Shi Qi—Zhang Sheng sped along without stopping for a day and a night until he was deep within the territory of Azure Mist Prefecture, only then stopping in a desolate place.

He remained vigilant, not daring to enter any city rashly.

Just then—

"Crack... Crackle!"

A crisp sound of shattering rang out abruptly, followed by a clear and resonant bird's cry that seemed capable of piercing the clouds, erupting from the giant cocoon!

Buzz!

The cracks on the surface of the cocoon shell suddenly expanded, and a blinding light mixed with pure spiritual energy like a tsunami violently surged out from the rifts!

The violent energy impact caused Zhang Sheng, who was close at hand, to subconsciously take half a step back, his pupils slightly constricting.

Crash!

The eggshell completely shattered, turning into countless translucent points of light that dissipated.

In the center of the light, Lu Shi Qi's figure was revealed!

He slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of fiery light seemed to pass through them.

He took a deep breath, and only then did the violent aura overflowing around him seem to be smoothed over by an invisible hand, slowly receding.

In Zhang Sheng's perception, the spiritual energy within Lu Shi Qi's body was currently surging and galloping, having skyrocketed by more than tenfold!

That level of condensation and majesty far exceeded any True Fetus Realm Cultivator he had ever seen!

"Brother Zhang, words cannot express my gratitude! But I must break through immediately, I can't hold it back anymore!" Lu Shi Qi spoke extremely fast, and as soon as he finished, he turned into a streak of light and soared into the sky!

Rumble!

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for dozens of miles around seemed to be swallowed by an invisible giant whale, madly converging toward that figure high in the sky!

Lu Shi Qi's form rose higher and higher within the surging tide of spiritual energy, with raging flames rising all around him!

Screech—!

An even more shocking Phoenix cry resounded through the heavens and earth!

A giant phantom of a firebird with a wingspan that blotted out the sun suddenly unfolded behind him!

The phantom was composed of pure fire-element spiritual energy, its flames blazing fiercely, dyeing half the sky in a reddish-gold hue!

The firebird phantom opened its giant maw, madly inhaling and refining the fire-element spiritual energy of heaven and earth like a furnace. Its body became solid and clear at a speed visible to the naked eye, each feather seemingly composed of flowing magma, emitting a terrifying heat that could incinerate the entire world!

"Hiss... this guy's True Fetus Dharma Idol is simply too overbearing!" On the ground, Zhang Sheng looked up at the giant bird that almost seemed to set the heavens ablaze, unable to help but suck in a breath of cold air, his eyes filled with shock.

A moment later, that extremely condensed giant firebird let out a satisfied cry, suddenly retracting all its light and flames, turning into a reddish-gold streak of light that re-entered Lu Shi Qi's body.

High in the sky, Lu Shi Qi slowly descended.

He seemed to have undergone a complete transformation; not only was his aura as deep as the sea, but even his facial contours appeared more handsome and distinct, carrying an otherworldly air.

"Brother Lu, congratulations on stepping into the Divine Power Realm! The path to godhood is already beneath your feet!" Zhang Sheng stepped forward and offered his sincere congratulations.

"Brother Zhang, why the formalities between us!" Lu Shi Qi smiled brightly, deep gratitude in his eyes.

"If it weren't for you this time, I would have already perished! Godhood? Among a million Divine Power Realm practitioners, not even one might emerge. It's as difficult as reaching the heavens!"

His tone carried a sense of relief and exhilaration:

"However, my Foundation is finally completely stabilized! After suffering for eighty-one years in the True Fetus Realm and cultivating the 'Nine Tribulations of Nirvana' to Perfection, I could no longer suppress this spiritual power. Thus, it came naturally, and I broke through in one go!"

Lu Shi Qi looked at Zhang Sheng, a hint of slyness and exhaustion in his smile:

"Brother Zhang, I didn't lie to you; the 'Echo of Strong Luck' is indeed real! At the moment before forming the cocoon, I forcibly activated my Talent to grant you a 'Strong Luck' blessing. For that... I sacrificed ten years of my lifespan.

"You should have felt it, right?"

Zhang Sheng's heart trembled violently! The mask! The Medicinal Pills! All sorts of coincidences were instantly linked together!

There truly was such a Heaven-Defying Talent in this world!

"Brother Lu, this Talent... is truly unfathomable! Now that this hurdle is passed, your future cultivation will surely be a smooth path!" Zhang Sheng suppressed the stormy waves in his heart and spoke solemnly.

"Haha, I appreciate your kind words!" Lu Shi Qi laughed heartily, then said seriously,

"However, I must ask Brother Zhang to please keep this a secret for me." He reached out and took an unremarkable, dusty grey stone bead from his waist,

"Brother Zhang, my old New Prefecture has long since disbanded. This item is useless to me, so I'll give it to you as a small token of my appreciation."

Zhang Sheng took the stone bead; it felt slightly cool and rough to the touch. "This is?"

"Use your Mental Energy to probe inside and take a look," Lu Shi Qi gestured.

Zhang Sheng followed his suggestion and sent a wisp of Mental Energy into the stone bead—

Boom!

His consciousness seemed to be instantly pulled into a vast space!

Mountains and hills rose and fell, and rivers surged!

Ancient trees towered into the sky, lush with greenery!

Birds skimmed over the treetops, and giant fish leaped out of the water!

A miniature world spanning ten thousand miles slowly unfolded before his "eyes"!

"This item is called a 'star bead'," Lu Shi Qi's voice rang out with a hint of pride.

"It looks ordinary, but it was refined by a great expert using the inner world core of a fallen Star God."

"The space is vast and can accommodate living beings.

"The only drawback is that there is no Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi inside."

"During my travels in the early years, I tripped while walking and casually picked up the 'stone' that tripped me—hey, this was it!"

...Zhang Sheng's confusion grew even deeper. "When we were in Tianxing City, why didn't you hide in this bead to avoid the disaster?"

Lu Shi Qi's expression turned solemn, and he shook his head.

"At that time, my 'True Phoenix Nirvana Fetus' reached its ninth Nirvana Tribulation. That was a tribulation, but also a monumental Opportunity!"

"If I had hidden in this deathly silent space to escape, my path of Dao would have been severed, and I could never hope to glimpse the gates of Divine Ability in this lifetime!"

He looked at Zhang Sheng, his eyes incredibly sincere.

"Brother Zhang, your kindness to me is far from being repaid by a single star bead."

"It's just that forcibly activating my Talent to get us out of danger and blessing you with Strong Luck consumed too much. I won't be able to invoke good luck for you again in the short term."

"This debt can only be repaid later."

He took out a warm Jade Slip and handed it over. "This is my Communication Jade Slip, please keep it safe!"