Descending from the Heavens, One Against Ten Thousand
Under the black night, a vast, towering city stood in the endless wilderness.
This city was Yemíng City of Cangzhou, with a history spanning several centuries. It was once an imperial capital. Even in the depths of night, Yemíng City blazed with lights, its firelight outshining the stars in the sky.
At the very center of the city stood a circle of tall walls. Within those walls lay a dense forest stretching several miles in all directions. In the darkness, the trees looked like demons and ghosts.
Deep underground, a hidden world existed.
Qi Tianquan, dressed in dragon robes with snow-white hair, walked forward. The ground was shrouded in chill, bones scattered along the path, not a trace of flowers or grass to be seen.
Ahead, countless dim glimmers flickered in the darkness, all coming from an ancient, towering tree.
Even in the dark, the massive tree stood tall like a mountain, as if it held up the heavens. In front of it, Qi Tianquan appeared tiny and insignificant.
There was nothing else in this underground world but this tree. Its many thick branches supported the ceiling above, and, in truth, supported the entire city of Yemíng.
This was the Ancient God worshipped by the Qi Clan.
Countless vines hung from its thick branches, like rivers, flowing endlessly.
The dim light came from mysterious crystals embedded along its limbs—these were the only source of light in the entire underground space.
Crack!
Qi Tianquan stepped on a hand bone, crushing it beneath his foot. He didn't lower his head. His pace didn't change at all.
"The connection with that Divine Son has been severed."
A raspy voice echoed through the space, calm and indifferent.
Qi Tianquan paused for a moment at the words, then resumed walking.
He came to a stop beneath the massive tree and looked up. Following his gaze, one could see a weathered, ancient human face growing on the trunk, enormous as a mountain.
That face bore kindly features. Even with its eyes shut, it radiated a mournful compassion.
Qi Tianquan stared at the colossal tree worshipped as the Ancient God by the Qi Clan and asked, "So what? Is the Qi Clan about to face destruction?"
The Ancient God replied in a low voice, "With me here, who dares bring calamity upon you? If Qingxiao Sect comes, let them come. I will personally handle this matter."
Qi Tianquan frowned. "I told you before not to provoke Qingxiao Sect. You wouldn't listen. You made me send Ji Wuye to deal with them. If we had let Qingxiao Sect be and focused on restoring your strength first, we could've taken the world at our leisure. Once you regained your full power, destroying Qingxiao Sect would've been easy."
"Let Qingxiao Sect be? You underestimate the strength of cultivation sects. Cultivation is a struggle against the heavens. They expand rapidly, spreading across all nine provinces. What they're fighting for isn't something you mortals can imagine. To claim this world, you must bow to them. Do the Qi Clan want to become puppet emperors?"
The Ancient God's words made Qi Tianquan's frown deepen. He truly didn't understand what cultivators were fighting over, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the Ancient God had his own agenda.
"Back then, we used your power to help Emperor Gaozu conquer the realm. It was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. After he died, that should've been our chance. But you said the time wasn't right and held us back, letting Zhao Zhi take the throne. Then Zhao Zhi turned into a madman chasing immortality. We wanted to step in and become heroes who saved the world, but you wouldn't allow it. Even after Zhao Zhi died, you still forbade us from making a move."
"It wasn't until two years ago, when someone infiltrated the Qi Clan and killed the Divine Son, that you finally let loose. You allowed us to pursue dominance, and even pushed us to pressure Qingxiao Sect."
"Ancient God, do you want us to rise… or are you afraid of us rising? Clearly, the cultivators appearing again has made you afraid!"
Qi Tianquan's voice was loud and forceful. Though he still addressed the tree as "you" with formality, there was no respect in his tone.
He'd had enough of being deceived by the Ancient God. He admitted that the Qi Clan had relied on the Ancient God to rise again and reclaim their former glory, but he no longer wanted to be led by the nose.
For as long as he could remember, the Qi Clan had been feeding the Ancient God—sacrificing countless people. But its appetite was like a bottomless pit. No matter how much they gave, it was never enough.
He suspected that even if they fed it the entire world, it still wouldn't be satisfied.
As Qi Tianquan's voice echoed, the Ancient God slowly opened its eyes. They were pale white, devoid of emotion or life.
Meeting the Ancient God's gaze made Qi Tianquan feel immense pressure. He instinctively lowered his head.
"Qi Tianquan, have you forgotten your place? You're not the rightful heir. Who helped you become who you are now?" The Ancient God's tone turned ice-cold.
Qi Tianquan gritted his teeth and said, "Someone is spreading rumors that the Qi Clan raises demonic trees. The lords of the land are already preparing to unite and march against us. In the eyes of the world, we're becoming a symbol of evil. That's not the result I wanted. I want to shift our target from Qingxiao Sect to the other lords. I need your power to uproot them all."
Even if the Qi Clan was strong, it couldn't face the combined forces of all the provincial lords. To Qi Tianquan, they were the real danger.
As for Qingxiao Sect, they claimed to be righteous. As long as the Qi Clan didn't provoke them directly, he believed they wouldn't act rashly.
"What, the Qi Clan can't even handle mortals now, and you still dream of ruling the world?" The Ancient God sneered. Its words pierced Qi Tianquan like knives.
Qi Tianquan was just about to respond.
Rumble!
The ceiling above suddenly began to quake. Dust and rubble rained down, breaking Qi Tianquan's train of thought.
The Ancient God looked upward and said coldly, "They've come this quickly? Qingxiao Sect... what a bold move."
Its tone was icy and seething with rage.
Qingxiao Sect?
Qi Tianquan's expression shifted. He couldn't understand how Qingxiao Sect had found this place so quickly—barely any time had passed since the Divine Son was sent south.
...
Above Yemíng City, Xiao Ba circled with wings spread wide. Li Qingqiu, Shen Yue, and Mo Jiuhong stood on the eagle's back, looking down.
In the dim night, four silver-white giant tigers rampaged through the city. Each one stood three zhang tall at the shoulder, unstoppable as they charged, smashing through buildings. Screams of the city's people rang out in waves wherever they passed.
"Divine Curse of the Mountain Lord. He actually summoned four Mountain Lords at once."
Shen Yue raised an eyebrow, secretly shocked. He realized now that Li Qingqiu's vital energy wasn't just strong—it was absurdly powerful. Before, he thought Li Qingqiu simply had a high cultivation level, but clearly that wasn't the full story.
Mo Jiuhong stared at the four Mountain Lords in astonishment. He watched as waves of Qi Clan martial artists rushed to intercept them, only to be effortlessly shredded by their claws. Some were even trampled to death.
Slap!
Li Qingqiu gave Mo Jiuhong a pat on the back, startling him so much he trembled all over.
"You should head down now. Don't forget what I told you."
Hearing this, Mo Jiuhong nodded quickly and leapt off, vanishing into the night.
Shen Yue said, "I thought you planned to sneak in, not stir up such a commotion."
Li Qingqiu replied, "You're right. Killing too many people isn't good. But a little chaos might help. If anyone wants to live, they should flee while they can. If they insist on staying, what awaits them will be a nightmare."
The Qi Clan had never meant anything to him. As long as the Ancient God was destroyed, the Qi Clan couldn't make any waves. He didn't have the power—or the heart—to slaughter everyone in the city. Yemíng City was simply too vast.
And more importantly, his instincts told him that once he engaged the Ancient God, it would be the one to start killing civilians first.
"All right. Time for us to go too."
With that, Li Qingqiu leapt off and descended toward the city. Shen Yue followed right behind him. Their blue robes billowed fiercely in the wind, the rush of air howling in their ears.
They landed on a rooftop. Without pausing, Li Qingqiu rushed toward the inner city.
Shen Yue stayed behind, watching the four Mountain Lords run toward him. He took a deep breath.
He wasn't afraid. Just annoyed.
He didn't like killing, but Li Qingqiu insisted on it.
According to their plan, once the battle began, Shen Yue's job was to draw out the Qi Clan's martial artists while Li Qingqiu went to find the Ancient God.
He hadn't wanted to agree—until Li Qingqiu said one sentence that stirred his heart: "Don't you want to fight ten thousand on your own? The Qi Clan is packed with experts. If you single-handedly sweep through them, the title of Sword God will shake the world once more!"
Killing people? He hated it.
But a chance to display overwhelming skill? That was hard to resist.
"Don't let me down, any of you."
Shen Yue muttered. Threads of sword energy leaked from his eyes, making his white hair float up, and the pressure around him skyrocketed.
Elsewhere.
Li Qingqiu moved like a sharp arrow, racing across rooftops with incredible speed.
Soon, he reached the inner city wall. He leapt up and stepped off the wall like walking on flat ground. Standing atop it, he looked toward the dense forest ahead.
He opened his mouth wide. The surrounding spiritual energy instantly surged toward him. Then he blew forward—an immense wave of flames erupted like a sea of fire, crossing over twenty zhang to hit the forest. The flames spread rapidly.
It looked like he had breathed out an ocean of fire. The sight was breathtaking. Even the soldiers guarding the distant city walls were stunned speechless. None of them could believe their eyes.
Five Elements Mystic Heart Flame!
This was a Dao Lineage Inheritance reward Li Qingqiu had received in the past. He had only barely mastered it and wasn't yet proficient. The terrifying power it unleashed now came from one thing—his immense vital energy.
Just then—
Countless leaves burst from the sea of fire, shooting at Li Qingqiu like a rain of arrows.
He drew the Tianhong Sword and swung rapidly. With pure sword techniques alone, he deflected all the incoming leaves. Some were sliced in two. Some bounced off and embedded themselves into the wall like blades.
Boom—
The ground began to shake. The forest ahead collapsed, and the roaring fire sank with it.
Li Qingqiu leapt again, diving into the sea of flames, falling into the underground abyss alongside the burning trees.
Through the memories of the white-haired youth, Li Qingqiu already knew the location of the Ancient God.
The forest behind the inner wall wasn't ordinary—it was part of the Ancient God itself. Li Qingqiu had intentionally provoked it.
Falling downward, he landed steadily on the floor of the underground world. All around him, burning trees and scorched earth tumbled down, as if the world were collapsing.
Behind him stood a man—Qi Clan Patriarch, Qi Tianquan.
Qi Tianquan was utterly stunned to see Li Qingqiu descend from the sky. He never imagined Qingxiao Sect would send only one person.
How could this be?
Was this man planning to face the Ancient God alone?
Who was he?
Qi Tianquan stared hard at Li Qingqiu's back. Before the Ancient God, Li Qingqiu was as small as an ant. From his angle, it looked like Li Qingqiu could be buried at any moment by falling branches and soil. He couldn't begin to imagine how this man intended to fight the Ancient God.