Chapter 679: The Name That Shook Tian Shi Yuan, Forging the Qing Emperor

In the small courtyard, the little mouse continued its diligent cultivation.

Li Yi prepared the spiritual meal.

On the third floor of the bamboo tower, Li Yuan toyed with the greenish little thunder dragon, mentally organizing his observations from his journey to Tian Shi Yuan—mainly those magic treasures aiding attribute stacking, and the ancient scrolls from another dimensional realm.

"Fengshen City has already yielded considerable gains; the five major cities of Tian Shi Yuan will have even more treasures—but they require a great deal of money."

Li Yuan retrieved the Universal Knowledge Sphere, conversing with the Spirit Pivot Child while opening the Combat Hall.

As a second-rank cultivator, breaking into the top five hundred of the Combat List brought immense benefits; in just a few days, he had earned nearly two minor merits, and the amount was still slowly increasing.

Meanwhile, during his spiritual contemplation, threads of incense smoke occasionally surged forth—though low in grade, they were sufficient to sustain his daily auditory communion.

"The top five hundred on the Combat List is already very high; had I not maintained a flawless record, I might not have reached even five hundred wins."

Li Yuan flipped through the Combat Star List.

Among the top five hundred, every single cultivator was third-rank, and none were ordinary; most were fifth- or sixth-rank combatants, either from great clans or disciples of sacred sites and heavenly caves.

Li Dao-ye had a clear understanding of himself: even though he had forged the Peng Fa and mastered several spells to some degree, he still fell short compared to others on the list.

Tian Shi Yuan had ninety-three immortal cities, and countless cultivators; those who broke into the top five hundred were no mere mortals.

A single glance revealed that those ranked just above and below him were at least Great World-class attribute cultivators, with spiritual palaces ranging from three to even six layers of heaven!

Across all realms and sects, they were the elite among elites!

"For safety's sake, I'll wait until I've forged the Qing Emperor's power—or even cast the Divine Furnace—before entering the Combat Arena."

Li Yuan planned in his mind; though his purse was light, he would not act recklessly—steady, deliberate steps yielded the greatest returns.

He flipped through the spectator zone.

He noticed that Feng Xiuqi had some brains—he had turned the rumor "alleged outer-realm divine demon prodigy achieves perfect victory on Tian Shi Yuan's Combat List" into a hot topic.

"A real talent."

Li Yuan considered, then opened the Friend Request interface, where one corner flickered incessantly.

Since he broke into the top five hundred of the Combat List, countless cultivators had added him via combat records; after browsing a while, he spotted Feng Xiuqi's request.

Seeing he was recording a playback, Li Yuan grew curious and clicked in.

…

Fengshen City, a quiet little courtyard.

"Observe this Eighty-Thousand-Li cultivator's record: from a hundred straight wins to a thousand straight wins, his talent for spell application and combat timing is extraordinary—he has even consecutively defeated higher-ranked opponents!"

"Cross-rank battles are common in the Combat Arena? No, no, fellow cultivators, you're mistaken—this Eighty-Thousand-Li's most terrifying trait isn't his perfect record, but his rate of progress!"

In the courtyard, light and shadow interwove as Feng Xiuqi debated with a crowd of cultivators, his spiritual sense flaring violently, nearly sparking.

"…."

As Li Yuan clicked into the playback, his eyelid twitched; even with his thick skin, he found such blatant flattery slightly odd.

Yet, upon sensing fresh incense smoke seeping from the spiritual realm, he decided it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

"Look here, everyone."

Feng Xiuqi opened Eighty-Thousand-Li's combat record:

This is Eighty-Thousand-Li's first battle in the Combat Arena—his opponent was Yu Zhong Tian of the Prison Clan…

"As you can see, at this point, Eighty-Thousand-Li had not yet forged magic power, nor even mastered a single spell—he was clearly a novice, yet he crushed Yu Zhong Tian using only martial arts alone!"

Feng Xiuqi analyzed and explained for the viewers, his eyes flicking over the rapidly climbing viewer count, his heart swelling with excitement.

He then opened another playback—his own battle from years past.

"This was six years ago. He reappeared three years later—by then, he had achieved the Three Yuan Unity, forged mid-grade magic power, likely a Golden Wing Great Peng spiritual form, and at least four spells!"

"Just three years!"

Feng Xiuqi wasn't faking—even though this wasn't his first analysis, he still felt stunned:

"Fellow cultivators, you've all walked the first-rank path—three years to reach the Unity peak, an upper-tier spiritual form, mid-grade magic power, four spells clearly beyond ordinary skill…"

"What kind of terrifying cultivation speed is this?"

"Whoosh~"

Li Yuan heard the sound of rushing water—his incense smoke instantly multiplied several times over, proving the viewers' emotions had surged violently after Feng Xiuqi's analysis.

"And this is merely the beginning."

Feeling the viewer count in the playback surge further, Feng Xiuqi felt renewed energy—he knew well that analyzing cultivation progress attracted more attention than perfect victories.

Why? Perfect records were common on the Combat List, and second-rank cultivation was still quite low.

But this rate of progress?

It was absolute top-tier cultivation speed—at least his star-tier gifted elder brother Feng Wuding's pace paled in comparison to this Eighty-Thousand-Li.

Let alone these viewers?

With this thought, he opened another combat playback.

"Two years!"

"Just two years—Unity peak, all four spells cultivated beyond thirty layers; even the top few on the Star List might not match this pace!"

Li Yuan recognized it—this was his battle against a third-rank cultivator.

In the light and shadow, he moved fluidly, his four spells flowing like clouds and water, the Great Peng's wings flashing like golden rainbows; his second-rank body overcame a third-rank foe—not with overwhelming force, but with effortless mastery, shining brightly.

"This guy really understands playback."

Li Yuan murmured in admiration—he felt Feng Xiuqi was truly a talent; after his explanation, even Li Yuan himself felt like a mighty dragon crossing the river.

"Still, claiming to be an outer-realm prodigy might bring trouble…"

Glancing at the heated comments from other viewers in the playback, Li Yuan easily guessed this—but he didn't care.

It was Feng Xiuqi promoting the outer-realm cultivator; the alleged outer-realm cultivator was the tall, disguised "Eighty-Thousand-Li."

What did that have to do with Li Dao-ye?

"Six years!"

In the light and shadow, Feng Xiuqi sighed deeply:

"My own talent is mediocre; despite several transformations, I've only reached third-rank. Three hundred years of arduous cultivation barely brought me to Unity peak—I still have a long way to go before full mastery…"

A master!

Li Yuan's eyes lit up.

Feng Xiuqi's sigh caused his incense smoke to surge tenfold—and kept climbing.

"Hmm?"

Feng Xiuqi, sharp-eyed, noticed the viewer count suddenly dropping—he sensed trouble, fearing his comparison had hurt too many viewers' feelings; he cleared his throat:

"If I'm not mistaken, when Eighty-Thousand-Li reappears next, he'll be a third-rank cultivator—perhaps even forged with top-grade magic power!"

Third-rank?

Top-grade magic power?

Comments in the playback exploded—Feng Xiuqi was about to speak when his gaze suddenly froze.

"A mere second-rank cultivator dares to speak of top-grade magic power?"

The moment this comment appeared, the viewers fell silent; Feng Xiuqi's face changed.

"Zhao Xuanlong!"

Li Yuan's eyes flickered—he recognized the commenter.

Poison Dragon Academy, Qing Pulse True Disciple, ranked twenty-first on the Combat Star List, a sixth-rank combatant, a seventh-layer spiritual palace cultivator with Star-tier talent!

"What's a second-rank cultivator, anyway? What makes him a mighty dragon crossing the river?"

"I'll wait for him to reach third-rank."

With this comment, Zhao Xuanlong exited the playback.

"Is Zhao Xuanlong issuing a challenge?"

"Well said! A mere second-rank cultivator dares call himself a mighty dragon? Hahaha—his perfect record is about to end!"

"The playback host attracted Zhao Xuanlong's attention? Does that mean even top-ranked stars on the Star List are watching Eighty-Thousand-Li?"

"The host exaggerates, but six years to reach Unity peak is no lie—this must be a divine-demon-tier prodigy!"

The viewers instantly erupted—spiritual messages flooded in, and the viewer count skyrocketed.

"Is the Poison Dragon True Disciple's tolerance really this narrow?"

Feng Xiuqi inwardly groaned, his heart trembling—he never expected to draw the attention of a top-ranked star on the Combat List.

"Hum~"

Suddenly, he heard a faint tremor from his Universal Knowledge Sphere; instinctively glancing, his eyes widened:

"E-Eighty-Thousand-Li!"

Oh no!

He was watching the playback!

Feng Xiuqi, trembling, cautiously opened his Friend Request list—and saw Eighty-Thousand-Li's spiritual message:

"Tell him to wait."

"?!"

Was he accepting the challenge?!

Feng Xiuqi froze, then burst into joy—he, a veteran playback host, felt a torrent of fortune rushing toward him!

…

"Whoosh~"

"Whoosh~"

In the Divine Realm, the sound of water rushed swiftly.

Li Yuan stood atop the Xuanteng tree, silently practicing the Worship of the Gods Method, feeling ripples spreading through the void as threads of incense smoke emerged visibly and flowed into the incense vessel he had prepared.

"The fame of those near the top of the Battle Rankings is truly immense."

Feeling the incense surge like a flood, Li Yuan felt great delight—if he won against Zhao Xuanlong, wouldn't this be a fame-making battle rivaling that of Phoenix Child and others?

Thinking of the massive gains from millions of cultivators watching the battle, Li Yuan's heart stirred uncontrollably.

"Perhaps the money to buy spiritual treasures will come from this very fight!"

Suppressing his thoughts, Li Yuan focused and activated the Divine Form Refinement Method, then exited the Divine Realm, opened the Knowledge Sphere, and prepared to gather intelligence on Zhao Xuanlong.

At the same time, he felt the Spectator Zone vibrating violently—countless cultivators were watching his battles, and Yuan Coins surged!

Li Yuan entered the Spectator Zone and found the number of viewers watching his battles had skyrocketed, while those watching Zhao Xuanlong's battles had surged several-fold.

"This Zhao fellow…"

Li Yuan realized.

The Grand Void Divine Realm had existed for over a hundred thousand years; cultivators across all realms had surely studied its rules to the last detail. Zhao Xuanlong wasn't provoking him intentionally—he was preparing to crush Li Yuan and harvest a wave of Yuan Fire.

"A clever man."

Li Yuan slightly narrowed his eyes, yet felt no anger.

After all, his fame paled in comparison to Zhao's—who truly gained the advantage remained uncertain. "Seventh Layer of the Divine Palace?"

Li Yuan began gathering intelligence on Zhao Xuanlong.

Leveraging his permission as a Disciple of Dongxuan Mountain, he soon had Zhao Xuanlong's detailed dossier before him.

【…Zhao Xuanlong, Poison Dragon Academy, Green Vein True Disciple, Celestial Star-level Talent, Seventh Layer of the Divine Palace; if he reaches the Fourth Realm, he may become the Green Vein Daozi…】

【…Cultivates the 'Green Wood Thunder Dragon' Fundamental Method, has forged 'Green Dragon Magic Power,' internally containing Twenty-Four Earthly Demons Prohibitions and Twelve Heavenly Stems Prohibitions, as follows…】

【…It is said he seeks to also cultivate 'Red Dragon Magic Power' and 'White Dragon Magic Power'…】

【…Expert in eighteen arts, including the Five Dragon Chaos Method; the Five Dragon Chaos Method has reached Eighty-One Prohibition Layers; he has cultivated Seven Divine Forms: 'Green Wood,' 'Thunder Dragon,' 'Poison Dragon,' 'Red Dragon'…】

【…His heart holds boundless ambition; he knows his Green Dragon Magic Power is not true supreme-grade power, and seeks to unify all Five Dragon Magic Powers to shatter the Ninth Layer of the Divine Palace and elevate his talent to Divine Demon level…】

【…He has cultivated for one hundred and twenty years, participated in eleven Battle Rankings, fought a total of 97,000 battles, won over 89,000, and once reached No. 21 on the Battle Star Rankings…】

…

Hundreds of entries, detailed from his fundamental method to countless arts, from art layers to his Divine Forms, from the Divine Realm to his records in the Battle Hall—exhaustive beyond measure.

"This Grand Void Divine Realm…"

Li Yuan was inwardly startled, and soon became immersed in Zhao Xuanlong's dossier.

…

…

Poison Dragon City.

One of the Five Major Cities of the Tian Shi Yuan, home of the Poison Dragon Academy, gathering hundreds of millions of cultivators, overflowing with splendor.

From afar, one could see streaks of starlight piercing through the cloud sea and plunging into Poison Dragon City; countless airships and strange beasts came and went within and without.

The Poison Dragon Academy stood in the city's southeast, occupying vast land, filled not only with endless mountains but also with great rivers flowing through them.

One great river rolled eastward, cutting through the mountains, where a small courtyard sat beside its banks.

Amid mist and vapor, a pavilion stood; a young man sat cross-legged, his green robe fluttering in the wind, appearing like an immortal ready to ride the breeze away.

His figure stood tall, unadorned, save for an ancient sword resting across his knees; he toyed with the Knowledge Sphere, shadows and lights intertwining in his eyes.

"Only a thousand battles? Eighty thousand li? Must be a false name. But six years to complete the Unity Circle—this progress is astonishing…"

Zhao Xuanlong frowned slightly.

He judged his own talent no lesser than others, yet he had taken over fifty years to advance from Dao Entry to Unity Circle's completion; this man had done it nearly ten times faster…

"An outsider prodigy?"

Zhao Xuanlong pondered, growing more certain this was a golden opportunity.

At his current realm, whether or not he could forge the Five Dragon Magic Powers, the next Battle Rankings would see him ascend to the Fourth Realm—then, no matter what, he could never rank among the top on the Lunar List.

Thus, accumulating sufficient cultivation resources before the ascent was critical.

"With over three years until the rankings close, I hope he climbs high enough…"

Zhao Xuanlong made his decision, opened the Battle Hall, and prepared to warm up early.

Tian Shi Yuan had always been a convergence of realms, yet precisely because of this, native cultivators were highly sensitive to outsiders—especially these overriver dragons.

Once he broke into the top hundred, countless cultivators would take notice; then, he would end this man's undefeated streak…

"Perhaps I'll gather enough cultivation resources for my ascent to the Fifth Realm!"

…

…

"A formidable expert!"

After carefully studying Zhao Xuanlong's dossier, Li Yuan had to admit this man was no ordinary cultivator.

In a hundred years, he had fought nearly one hundred thousand battles on the Battle Arena, rising from frequent losses to near-invincibility—his talent and temperament were both exceptional.

"Even if he fails to forge the Five Dragon Magic Powers, becoming the Green Vein Daozi is all but certain; if he succeeds, and attains the Ninth Layer of the Divine Palace, even the Poison Dragon Academy's Divine Son might have to be replaced."

The Poison Dragon Academy had rigid hierarchies.

From Outer Disciple to Inner Disciple, from True Disciple to Daozi, to the Divine Son position won through competition among True Disciples—each step was clearly defined and strictly enforced.

"This man has potential for Divine Son."

After consolidating all intelligence, Li Yuan deemed him a formidable foe—even if Li Yuan forged the Divine Furnace and ascended to the Divine Palace, he might still not defeat him without the Command Scroll.

"Seventh Layer of the Divine Palace—this already matches the foundation of a Dongxuan Mountain auditor."

Li Yuan never underestimated his enemies; after gathering intelligence, he began measuring the gap between them.

"The realm gap cannot yet be bridged; the art layers are hard to close; but the magic power tier can be surpassed. Though the Peng Divine Form is higher-tier, fighting seven at once offers little chance…"

To defeat him, I must forge the Green Emperor Magic Power and refine the Nine Infants and Qian Jin White Tiger Divine Forms—three against seven should be about right; I must also advance my arts…

"Moreover, the Shadow Demon Divine Art should prove highly useful—my Second Primordial Spirit might decide the battle at a critical moment!"

…

Li Yuan pondered and refined his strategy.

He had a clear self-awareness: he judged that even without the Command Scroll, steady cultivation would grant him victory.

"If I could find ancient scrolls like the 'Nine Infants' or 'White Tiger' True Forms, it would be even surer."

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly—this depended on fortune alone.

Yet true-form scrolls were rare, while esoteric dimension scrolls like the Shadow Demon Divine Art were not scarce; mastering them, he could rapidly cultivate multiple arts.

"Three and a half years is enough."

Moments later, Li Yuan suppressed his thoughts and exited the Knowledge Sphere.

…

Hum~

Waves rose and fell within the Ocean.

Standing atop the Xuanteng tree's canopy, Li Yuan gazed down upon the entire Divine Realm.

Within the Ocean, wondrous scenes appeared and vanished: lush greenwood seas, a single tree towering above mountains, thunder rolling like torrents,

or vast azure skies where all things revived…

These wondrous scenes scattered across the Ocean, reflecting and enhancing each other.

Among them, the ones Li Yuan cared most about were the Nine Superior Divine Inscriptions he had painstakingly gathered.

Life, Growth, Spirit, Green, East, Zhen, Wood, Jia, Spring.

"Green Emperor Magic Power…"

Li Yuan's spirit grew still.

Refining was no easy task—whether art or magic power, whether combining Divine Inscriptions or circulating Divine Prohibitions—it demanded immense mental exertion.

Each additional inscription, each new prohibition, raised the difficulty exponentially.

The Green Emperor Magic Power required condensing Thirty-Six Earthly Demons Prohibitions and Eighteen Heavenly Stems Prohibitions—far exceeding the Twelve Earthly and Six Heavenly Prohibitions needed for the Peng Magic Power.

The difficulty gap between the two was likely over tenfold!

Other cultivators often spent years contemplating and multiple attempts before succeeding in condensing a superior magic power.

"Master, Five Xuanteng Snake Molts!"

After observing all the wondrous scenes, Li Yuan activated his will, applying the five Xuanteng Snake Molts one by one—immediately, all enhancements descended upon him.

In that instant, he felt the Divine Realm's wondrous scenes became profoundly familiar—as if he had dwelled among them for centuries.

Simultaneously, insights into forging the Green Emperor Magic Power flooded his mind.

"Incomparably wondrous."

A sense of fulfillment rose in Li Yuan; he raised his hand, and the scene that had manifested as rolling thunder trembled, then transformed into a beam of light and drifted before him.

This was the 'Zhen' Divine Inscription he had harvested from his own Dao Tribulation—one of the nine core inscriptions of the Green Emperor Magic Power.

"Splash!"

The instant Li Yuan willed it, waves stirred within the Ocean; his magic power, rising from his dantian, leapt into the Dantian Ocean, transforming into eighty-one Peng, softly chirping.

Under Li Yuan's gaze, they slowly merged into a deep, dark pool suspended above the Ocean.

He sought to forge the Green Emperor Magic Power—not to abandon the Peng Magic Power, but to cultivate both simultaneously, naturally using water to nourish wood.

"The Peng Magic Power is famed for its vastness and grandeur; the Green Emperor Magic Power is known for its endless continuity—there is much harmony between them. Using water to nourish wood will surely amplify their combined power!"

Li Yuan adjusted his Peng Magic Power, and his thoughts turned to Gu Xuansheng.

This senior disciple, who cultivates both the Green Emperor and Yin Yuan Scriptures, in terms of the quality of his magic power, might be surpassed only by Yu Wangxian, who has forged the Dry Yang Ultimate Dao.

"Cultivate the method."

Casting aside distractions, Li Yuan began channeling the Peng Method to ingest and exhale various divine patterns.

With the enhancement of the Black Vine Snake's molt, processes that others must painstakingly refine came to him effortlessly, smooth as breathing, with not the slightest obstruction.

Not long after, under Li Yuan's gaze, the Peng magic power had acquired a faint tinge of green; though not yet fused, the two coexisted harmoniously.

"No errors whatsoever."

Li Yuan nodded in satisfaction and continued refining the divine prohibitions.

……

The cultivation process was not merely smooth—it was seamless!

With the enhancement of the Black Vine Snake's molt, Li Yuan felt no difficulty whatsoever in refining superior-grade magic power; he even found it easier than refining the Peng magic power before!

In just three or five days, he had fully assembled all the divine prohibitions and preliminarily integrated them into the Peng magic power.

"Splash!"

Above the vast ocean, the green and deep-blue magic power flowed like a great river, or a true dragon traversing the clouds; wherever it passed, the sea surged in waves.

Though the two magic powers had not yet truly merged, Li Yuan already sensed the change: the magic power had grown thicker, yet became even more fluid and nimble, brimming with vitality.

As the master of this magic power, he could even perceive the distinct divine prohibitions within it, clear as day and night.

"The Green Emperor magic power is easy to cultivate; merging it is harder, since Brother Qi Yun cultivates only the Green Emperor Longevity Scripture—but still, not overly difficult."

After a brief moment of sensing, Li Yuan raised his hand; the intertwined green and deep-blue magic power sliced through the sky and sank into the Black Vine Tree, which had been eagerly awaiting it.

"Hum!"

In the next instant, a tremendous resonance rang out—the ninety-nine-zhang Black Vine Tree suddenly shot up ten more zhang, and the island bearing it expanded accordingly.

Waves surged in, flooding the island and propelling its elevation, while the Black Vine Tree thrived vigorously under the nourishment of the Green Emperor magic power.

The growth of the Black Vine Tree and the expansion of the island signaled the slow fusion of the Green Emperor and Peng magic powers.

Simultaneously, this divine ocean was slowly expanding in all directions; the forging of superior-grade magic power naturally nourished the cultivator's essence, energy, and spirit.

(End of Chapter)