Chapter 373.2: Do Old Men in the Upper World Not Bathe?

Qi Yuan appeared disgusted. It seemed civilization in the upper world wasn't much better either. Compared to the lower worlds, it was merely fifty steps laughing at a hundred. Once he reached the upper world, he would certainly rectify its social customs. Everyone would behave with civility! Old men and old women would bathe once a day!

When the time came, he'd open a bathhouse and make a fortune. Every elder was a potential White Moonlight, after all. The thought of them not showering unnerved Qi Yuan.

The patriarch dared not refute him. "I..."

At their cultivation level, who still bathed? Water was filthier than they were.

A look of surprise flashed across Qi Yuan’s face.

—Since you're not the mastermind, could it be someone else?

The old man kept trembling.

The Demon King was also terrified. It seemed being short truly did not mean being fierce!

The old man cried out his innocence, "I truly do not know! I don't even know what this Martial Arts Tournament you keep talking about!"

Internally, he cursed the Demon King to death.

Qi Yuan pondered.

—Was I mistaken?

The old man trembled incessantly. Not even the legendary Heavenly Venerable's Dharma Body in his sacred land was this huge! What kind of monster was this?!

At that moment, Qi Yuan also found himself in a difficult position. He was beginning to wonder whether he suffered from persecution delusions. Impossible. Being cautious was always good. Better to kill by mistake than let one slip away.

Just then, Qi Yuan recalled something else.

—Do you know the Demon Ancestor Lord?

He wanted to understand the background setting of this world. According to Black Deer, Dong Jun's dao companion was the Demon Ancestor Lord. According to the ancient demon in the ruins, after the demon ancestor disappeared, the upper world demons occupied the Myriad Demon World.

The old man shivered, his expression bitter. "I have heard of her. The Demon Ancestor Lord was a Heavenly Venerable."

Qi Yuan, on the other hand, was not surprised.

—A Yang Spirit? Who was her dao companion?

The old man froze momentarily before replying, "I've never heard that the Demon Ancestor Lord had a dao companion."

In the Origin Land, Black Deer and the others were stunned.

"Hmph, this demon is talking nonsense. The Demon Ancestor Lord's dao companion is Dong Jun."

"It must simply be ignorant."

Qi Yuan looked at the old man.

—Then, have you heard of Dong Jun?

The old man answered immediately, "I have not."

Qi Yuan seemed taken aback.

—Oh? Is that so? Do you know the origin of the Demon Ancestor Lord?

The old man hurriedly racked his brains. "Err..."

Faced with a Heavenly Venerable, he dared not conceal anything. Or rather, concealment was pointless. A Heavenly Venerable could simply probe his soul and obtain all answers.

"I once heard that the Demon Ancestor Lord was not a native lifeform of this world. Using a powerful divine technique, she severed the connection between heaven and earth, refusing to ascend to the upper world. Later, she disappeared, and only then did this world fall into our hands."

Generally speaking, Yang Spirits should never appear in the lower worlds. The appearance of one otherworldly Yang Spirit, the Demon Ancestor Lord, was already terrifying enough. Now, another had appeared. How could he not be frightened?

Then, in hope of intimidating Qi Yuan, the old man mentioned, "My name is Qian Li. I am an elder of the Thirty-Seventh Realm of Infinite Mountain. Our Infinite Mountain possesses a Step Three Heavenly Venerable."

If Qi Yuan knew his origins, perhaps he would spare him.

Yet Qi Yuan took it in a stride. ℴℴ𝘮

—Oh? Could he be the mastermind instead? I'll give you a chance. Call him down.

The old man's face instantly darkened. His expression turned bitter. "I am not qualified to meet a Heavenly Venerable."

Infinite Mountain possessed seven hundred realms. He was merely an elder of one of them. How could he possibly be qualified to meet such a legendary stature?

—How boring.

A flash of blood-red light swept across heaven and earth. The terrifying giant eye in the sky slowly closed. Every demon froze in place. When the giant eye opened again, all demons of the Demon Court, including the unbathed old man from the upper world, had perished.

Qi Yuan then appeared above the Demon Court. He had come here to see whether the Demon Ancestor Lord had left behind any traces. Unfortunately, after searching everything, he found nothing useful.

***

In the end, Qi Yuan did not stay in Brilliant Star for the banquet. However, he secretly took away a serving of braised pork knuckle rice. He didn’t want to get bored on his return journey to Arch Star. Thus, a serving of pork knuckle rice would be just right. By the time he finished eating it, he had once again returned home.

Xie Xinsu's fur stood on end as she let out a miserable cry. "Meow!"

Zero-One stood quietly like an elegant female butler. "Welcome back, Master."

Xiaomei immediately tensed up. Looking at the excessively handsome man before her, her heart raced wildly. Even now, she still couldn't accept that her younger brother was actually that colossal being in the sky.

Qi Yuan asked Xiaomei gently, "I'm back. I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

After all, she was his creditor.

Xiaomei quickly replied, "N-no!"

Qi Yuan asked tentatively, "I know. You came all this way because you want me to repay the money. Haa... Things are a little tight for me lately. Could those tens of thousands I owe you be repaid a little later?"

He still wanted to save money to buy land and build the Underworld. Repaying debts was temporarily out of the question.

The woman hurriedly said, "N-no! No need to repay it!"

Perhaps because she was too nervous, she was even slightly out of breath. She was beginning to suspect that this overly gentle, careful-speaking man before her was not the same existence that had swallowed a star whole.

Qi Yuan sighed. "There really are more good people than bad people in this world! Actually, I'm a good person too. Part of the reason I went to Brilliant Star and stopped them from canceling the Martial Arts Tournament was selfish.

"Above all, I didn't want traditional culture to die out with our generation. We can’t let the future Martial Arts Tournament audiences lose such an entertaining event. I am simply contributing to the Qin Yuan Kingdom's GDP!"

He felt somewhat guilty as soon as he finished speaking. After all, claiming it contributed to GDP sounded a bit ridiculous. Moreover, he had heard a certain story before.

Person A took out one hundred yuan and told Person B, "If you eat that pile of dog shit, I'll give you this hundred." Tempted, Person B ate the dog poop and earned one hundred yuan. Feeling cheated afterward, he offered Person A one hundred yuan to do the same. Unwilling to lose money, Person A accepted, earning the hundred yuan back.

In the end, both of them ate two piles of dog shit. Neither made a single yuan, yet they managed to boost the nation's GDP.

Xiaomei could only nod repeatedly to whatever Qi Yuan said. As for persuading him to leave and hide in the Heavenly Origin Sect? She absolutely dared not mention such a thing anymore.

Qi Yuan then said, "Alright, I need to return to the Origin Land. Bye. See you next time."

Then, he vanished, leaving as swiftly as he had arrived. He was still waiting to see the Wall of Dong Jun and learn what the legendary Spirit Martial God truly was.

***

Within the Mountain-Sea Scroll, the clear river reflected the bright moonlight. Upon the pristine lake, a lone skiff resembled a brushstroke in a landscape painting.

A woman stood at the bow, her eyes filled with endless confusion. She gazed ahead and asked slowly, "How much longer until we see the truth?"

Wang Yuanyu softly replied, "Perhaps ten years. Perhaps a hundred."

Countless scroll worlds had begun intersecting and connecting, resulting in countless massacres.

When Wang Yuanyu encountered Green Pearl, endless killing intent surged within her. She felt an impulse to kill the other woman. In the end, she suppressed her instinct and cooperated with Green Pearl. After all, she knew that once the truth was revealed, they would face a genuine catastrophe.

Joy and anticipation flashed through Green Pearl's elegant eyes. "I hope time passes faster."

"Aren't you afraid that when the worlds merge, you'll die and your dao will vanish? Perhaps, all falsehoods will perish from this world, leaving only one truth."

A trace of melancholy appeared on Green Pearl's face. "I am afraid. But I want to see Master once more and personally thank him."

The princess of the past had finally grown up. When her master disappeared, she never had the chance to thank him. That simple expression of gratitude had remained in her heart ever since.

"I also want Master to know that I didn't let him down!"