Chapter 387.2: My Senior Brother Is Super, Super Amazing!

Qi Yuan said casually, "Whether you knew him or were swindled by him is none of my business. I came here today to collect a debt."

Those words struck everyone like a thunderclap.

Wang Yunteng immediately said, "Please, Senior, give us some time! We’ll deliver one billion fifty million spirit stones to you without delay!"

At this point, surrendering the family fortune was the only path to survival. They were oddly grateful. After all, The Blood-Clothed Sword God hadn't exterminated their clan and only demanded spirit stones.

Qi Yuan nodded, staring alternately between the couple with an expression of utter serenity. "You two are a perfect match. Remain locked together, no matter what. Never break up."

Everyone was somewhat baffled. There was something strange about those words...

Wang Yunteng blinked, momentarily at a loss. Then, he reached into his storage pouch and produced a lock. He immediately used it to chain himself and Qiong Yunting together. "Senior, rest easy. I’ve discarded the key. We are permanently locked together."

Qi Yuan briefly stared at them. I never knew cultivators could be so entertaining. They actually locked themselves together?

He added helpfully, "Also, remember to clean your ears. Otherwise you'll lose your hearing."

Qiong Yunting, who had discarded all of her fury and embarrassment, lit up with joy. "I'll do it right now! This very instant!"

What the Blood-Clothed Sword God meant, obviously, was that he wasn't going to kill her.

Just then, from somewhere near the doorway, a woman’s regretful voice echoed. "You shouldn't have killed Wine Master."

Everyone turned around. A woman in yellow robes stepped gracefully through the entrance. Though her curves were elegant, what drew the eye most was her face. It was less a face and more like a blank sheet of paper. A face had been sketched on, but the features had yet to be filled in.

Dread and wariness moved through the cultivators in the hall.

Jiang Lingsu was genuinely surprised. "Strange Painter, it's you!"

The painter appeared to have known Wine Master. Jiang Lingsu’s gaze sharpened with caution. Would that make her an enemy?

Although the Strange Painter was her acquaintance, Jiang Lingsu understood what truly mattered, unlike some people who couldn't tell which way the wind was blowing. Her relationship with Qi Yuan came first. She was fully on his side.

The Strange Painter glanced at Jiang Lingsu. "I didn't expect that after so many years, you'd encounter such a remarkable opportunity. That's worthy of..."

Qi Yuan’s expression was neutral. "So you're the remarkably talented painter recommended by Junior Sister. Do you have time to paint something for me?"

The Strange Painter looked at him with an odd expression. "I think you heard what I said just now. The Wine Master and I were acquainted."

"Oh?" His eyes shifted slightly. "What? Are you here to avenge him?"

The Strange Painter shook her head. "I broke ties with them long ago. I simply think that what you should be considering right now isn't commissioning a painting, but escaping. Killing Wine Master has landed you in trouble."

Interest kindled in Qi Yuan's eyes. "Oh? What kind of trouble?"

The woman raised a slender hand and drew in the air, painting a door from nothing. "What I'm about to say involves the secrets of heaven. It cannot be spoken of here. Why don't you come to my residence? I'll explain everything there."

With that, she stepped into the door and vanished.

Jiang Lingsu looked at Qi Yuan, somewhat worried. How she regretted bringing him to meet this Strange Painter. That woman was clearly no ordinary person.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan noticed how his right eyebrow didn't twitch. His hand found its natural place around Jiang Lingsu's slender waist, drawing her whole frame in close against him. "Come on, Junior Sister. Let's go find out what she's up to."

Jiang Lingsu's heart lurched. Yet she didn't pull away, unable to resist the warmth she felt. Qi Yuan was including her in this conversation. Together, they stepped through the painted door.

The door dissolved behind them, leaving a hall full of shaken and awestruck guests. What had transpired tonight was far beyond anything they had witnessed in their entire lifetimes combined.

***

On the other side, Qi Yuan and Jiang Lingsu descended from the air together.

Jiang Lingsu stepped away from Qi Yuan's embrace. Her cheeks were warm, while her heart was beating wildly. She looked around curiously. A vast expanse of white lay all around them. Canvases greeted her wherever she looked—some draped over frames, others suspended in midair.

The center of the space was an open area for drying paintings. Around the perimeter flowed rivers of color—black, red, green, pure luminous white, and hues beyond human comprehension.

The Strange Painter sat on a small stool before a white river, working on a canvas. "You've arrived."

Qi Yuan guided Jiang Lingsu toward her. "Now you can tell me. I want to know how many ants there are."

The Strange Painter painted a furrowed brow onto the blank canvas of her face. "You've made opposing the Great Calamity your purpose in life. You should know once a name is inscribed on the Mythic Stele, that person becomes a resource."

He nodded. "Yes."

She explained, "The Great Calamity only harvests Mythics. As long as we don't break through into the Mythic realm, we should be safe from the harvest. But the Great Calamity is not so rigid. It pays special attention to certain gifted... pigs.

"Once those pigs reach the Yin Spirit realm, a flood of fortuitous encounters comes their way, boosting their strength. Even if they try to suppress their cultivation, they can't help it. Eventually, they step into the Mythic realm and become resources."

As she spoke, the Strange Painter glanced at Qi Yuan more than once. In her estimation, he was exactly the kind of pig the Great Calamity was fattening up.

She went on flatly. "There have been so many of these pigs across history. Every one of them believed they were supremely gifted and favored by the Heavenly Dao, like a destined protagonist who could stand against the Great Calamity. What they didn't realize was that they were merely the prize hog among all the Great Calamity's livestock. The moment it grew fat enough, it was sent to the butcher."

Jiang Lingsu had been listening and had a rough understanding of the situation. A pang of worry stirred in her chest for Qi Yuan. Still, she knew all too well that her cultivation was too low and her perspective too limited. The best thing she could do right now was stay quiet and not add to his troubles with careless remarks.

Qi Yuan smiled softly. "Interesting. So those who resist are the pigs. What does that make you?"

He had noticed long ago that Wine Master and this woman were different from ordinary Great Supremes.

The Strange Painter's eyes dimmed with something distant. "We are the pigs who ran away. Once, we were like you. High-spirited and convinced that we were the main characters of this world. But eventually, we witnessed the true terror of the Great Calamity.

"We saw how deep the waters really went and despair set in. Because we couldn't even suppress our cultivation, our realms kept rising on their own, pushing us toward the Mythic threshold whether we wanted it or not."

She painted an expression of self-mockery onto her featureless face, her voice quiet and desolate. "If you can't even control your own cultivation, how do you expect to withstand the Great Calamity? Fortunately, we met someone who gave us a way out. Her name was Jade Maiden. She passed down a cultivation method that allowed us to become alternative Mythics."

Since alternative Mythics left no name on the Mythic Stele, the Great Calamity could not harvest them.