Chapter 525: Destiny? The Death of Divine Descent?

night fell once more.inside the inn, qi yuan stared at the returning drones, his expression complicated.

"still no sign, still no sign."

the earth-tier weapon masters who had ventured into the ruins returned one after another, all bringing back the same news: none of them had seen shen lingxuan.

qi yuan had also dispatched several drones into the depths of the ruins, looping the sound of his voice calling for shen lingxuan.

at the time, these drones had been disguised as moths, startling many weapon masters.

however, even with the aid of the drones, qi yuan still failed to locate shen lingxuan.

it was as though she had vanished into thin air.

"could it be… i can't 'ride' her now?"

"or is it that this game is too scared to feature dramatic adult scenes for fear of censorship?"

"but i’m a shareholder!"

qi yuan was speechless.

he, a dignified shareholder, couldn't even set up a private server to enact some large-scale dramatic scenes without issues?

"everyone… come out immediately!"

at that moment, a thunderous shout echoed, accompanied by the overwhelming pressure of a heaven-tier weapon master.

inside the inn, the earth-tier weapon masters who had been resting were all visibly shaken.

"what’s going on?"

"that’s the fallen void lord!"

"a heaven-tier weapon master?"

the earth-tier weapon masters in the inn wore a mix of expressions, whispering among themselves.

"fallen void lord? what’s he here for?" a top-tier weapon master cautiously inquired.

outside the inn, three heaven-tier weapon masters hovered mid-air, exuding murderous intent.

the leader, the fallen void lord, wore a long green robe with a white bone hairpin stuck diagonally in his hair, making him look like someone from a demonic sect.

the presence of the three heaven-tier weapon masters brought immense pressure to the earth-tier weapon masters inside the inn.

any one of these three could nearly effortlessly decimate the inn.

"we three ventured into the ruins and discovered the embryonic form of a divine weapon within the lair of a heaven-tier specter. after a grueling battle, we joined forces to slay the specter. however, just as we secured the divine weapon embryo, a male earth-tier weapon master suddenly appeared and snatched it away," said the fallen void lord, his eyes blazing with fury. "he was incredibly fast, and with the three of us entangled by other specters, he managed to escape."

"i suspect that he is currently hiding in this inn," added another heaven-tier weapon master in a raspy voice. "everyone here must come out immediately and hand over their storage artifacts for inspection."

inside the inn, the others’ expressions subtly shifted upon hearing this.

although the fallen void lord claimed that an earth-tier weapon master had stolen the divine weapon embryo, everyone knew better than to trust his words. what if the three heaven-tier weapon masters had simply grown greedy and fabricated this excuse?

regardless, the earth-tier weapon master they sought was cornered in the inn.

many secretly thought the thief’s luck had run out.

at that moment, inside the inn, wang chunting’s face darkened. "damn it! it was clearly mine they stole!"

lowering his head, he furtively looked around, searching for a gap to escape.

but the three heaven-tier weapon masters had already unified with the heavens and earth. the area was sealed so thoroughly that escaping was impossible.

"masters, this humble woman has some private belongings in her storage artifact and would prefer not to reveal them to outsiders.

moreover, the thief you are looking for is a man. would it not be possible to exclude my belongings from inspection?" asked a female earth-tier weapon master.

"hmph! how do you prove you’re a woman? what if you’re colluding with him and hiding the divine weapon embryo in your storage artifact?" the short-haired old man’s voice was rough.

the fallen void lord’s eyes gleamed with killing intent. "if you refuse to step out or hand over your storage artifact, then… i will have no choice but to kill."

the air grew thick with murderous intent.

the oppressive atmosphere weighed down on everyone present.

"if you don’t come out, your only fate is death!"

the fallen void lord’s voice carried a chilling threat.

in response, the earth-tier weapon masters inside the inn slowly began filing out.

wang chunting was tense on the inside but maintained a facade of calmness.

"am i doomed to die here today?" wang chunting’s heart raced in panic.

but just as despair began to take root, a lazy, youthful voice rang out from within the inn.

"if i don’t come out, you’ll kill me?"

the voice was youthful and pleasing to the ear.

the fallen void lord squinted, momentarily taken aback.

before he could respond, the short-tempered short-haired old man roared, "don’t come out, then die!"

the earth-tier weapon masters present were all startled by this turn of events.

some among them recognized the voice as qi yuan’s—the man who had once slain master cloud with a single strike.

qi yuan’s strength was undeniably among the top-tier earth-tier masters. but even so, he was not a heaven-tier weapon master. how could he dare—

before they could process it, three sword lights suddenly slashed out from inside the inn.

"people like you exist in this world for one purpose only: to piss others off as much as possible, get yourselves killed, and allow the rest of us to laugh at your deaths as a form of catharsis," qi yuan said nonchalantly, once again plagiarizing someone else’s words.

as his words faded, the terrifying sword lights flashed, sharp and overwhelming.

the expressions of the three heaven-tier weapon masters shifted.

they quickly summoned the power of heaven and earth, regaining their confidence.

but in the next instant, to their utter horror, they witnessed something unthinkable.

the power of heaven and earth they had just summoned began to recede like a retreating tide.

terrifying sword light surged forth, impossibly sharp.

"no!"

agonized screams echoed as three lifeless bodies fell from the sky.

with a single strike, three heaven-tier weapon masters were effortlessly slain, as if they were mere fakes.

"hiss!" the remaining earth-tier weapon masters collectively gasped, their faces etched with disbelief.

wang chunting’s eyes widened, and his breathing became erratic.

"three heaven-tier weapon masters… just like that? dead?"

he felt as if he had just escaped from a wolf’s den only to stumble into a tiger’s lair.

at that moment, a tall figure appeared by the window.

"this game has terrible balance."

"why bother giving so much dialogue to a low-level boss i killed with a single move?"

"zero class, zero charisma."

qi yuan’s tone was calm, his gaze upon the three corpses no different from how one might glance at ants.

the earth-tier weapon masters trembled, not daring to speak a word.

wang chunting dared not even move, his mind racing with thoughts.

if this senior wanted the divine weapon embryo… what should he do? could he still manage to keep his life?

"stop sucking in cold breaths, all of you. go wash up and sleep. it’s late—don’t disturb me," qi yuan said casually before shutting the window.

after a brief moment, qi yuan’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"no wonder the scenario played out like this. i’ve just stepped into the ‘unity with the heavens.’"

having slain countless heaven-tier weapon masters in the mysterious domain, qi yuan had accumulated vast amounts of experience and absorbed the ‘harmony of heaven and man.’

now, after casually killing these three, he had accumulated enough to break past level 120.

"level 135."

"combat strength… not much change. heaven-tier weapon masters are still one-hit kills."

"but… my strength has grown significantly. if i returned to earth, i could carry buildings on my back and probably make a few thousand yuans a day," qi yuan muttered to himself.

"what a pity shen lingxuan can’t see how much strength her ‘useless son-in-law’ has now gained."

"i’ll head to the heavenly sect tomorrow. if she’s not there, i’ll have no choice but to go to the rosha kingdom first."

the countdown for his roleplay as the ‘blind artifact master’ was beginning.

soon, he would go blind.

there was no way he could play a blind man and still 'ride' shen lingxuan, right?

since his ‘useless son-in-law’ persona was at an impasse, he would shift to playing divine descent and head for the rosha kingdom.

"divine-tier weapon master…"

qi yuan’s gaze grew complicated.

by his calculations, divine-tier weapon masters in other universal realms would likely equate to yin god stage powerhouses.

in the canglan realm, a yin god stage powerhouse’s full-strength strike could erase an entire capital city.

this erasure was absolute—living beings, soil, mountains, and stones would all vanish.

qi yuan himself had only managed to defeat the light palace by condensing a stellar golden core.

at present, this universe’s divine-tier weapon masters didn’t exhibit that kind of destructive power.

but compared to heaven-tier weapon masters, divine-tier weapon masters were truly godlike!

no matter how strong a heaven-tier weapon master was, they were still limited to harnessing the power of the heavens within a radius of a few dozen meters.

one punch might cause a minor tremor, but it couldn’t reshape the terrain or cause mountains to crumble—at best, a sword slash could cut through a building.

but divine-tier weapon masters were on another level entirely. they could carry mountains, sever rivers with a single strike, and stand alone against entire armies!

such godlike power was utterly beyond the reach of heaven-tier weapon masters.

"as i am now, if i were to face a divine-tier weapon master without entering my ‘divine descent’ state, i would likely… shatter at the first encounter."

even with the heaven-slaying sword art, tyrannical strength, death’s radiance, and the endless vitality granted by the kitchen knife’s final gift, qi yuan estimated that if he clashed with a divine-tier weapon master, he would instantly be reduced to fragments.

"the rosha kingdom has several divine-tier weapon masters. it seems i must tread carefully and avoid crossing paths with them."

in terms of strength and combat prowess, qi yuan still fell far short of a divine-tier weapon master.

only by advancing his divine descent persona further could he hope to close the gap.

"my edge against divine-tier weapon masters likely lies in my strange techniques, superior speed, and the unparalleled resilience of my body gifted by the kitchen knife."

"so, as long as i avoid direct confrontations, i should be fine against an average divine-tier weapon master."

"unless… they just keep throwing mountains at me."

"why worry about divine-tier weapon masters?"

"i’m still improving, but are they?"

that night, the inn’s inhabitants were gripped by fear, too terrified to breathe loudly, let alone sleep. no one wanted their snores to disturb qi yuan.

some people, however, seized the opportunity to slip away into the night, unwilling to remain.

wang chunting tossed and turned before ultimately deciding to flee under the cover of darkness.

"no, i must leave the ning kingdom!"

---

at the heavenly sect.

“how much longer must we keep the mountain sealed?”

“sigh. if the heaven-tier weapon masters truly get angry, can we even withstand them?”

“i say we hand over senior sister shen. i heard that a prince from the rosha kingdom has taken a fancy to her.

the rosha kingdom is a nation with divine-tier weapon masters as protectors!”

“watch your tongue. if the elders hear you, you’ll be sent to the back mountains for hard labor!”

“am i wrong though? she’s brought this trouble upon us. it’s truly unwise!” the man muttered.

“hmph, speaking ill of a true disciple? slap yourself!” at that moment, a sharp, overbearing female voice rang out.

the man’s expression shifted, his face turning pale with fear. “senior sister ye zhen…”

ye zhen, though a member of the heavenly crafting hall, was also a disciple of the heavenly sect—though not a true disciple.

however, her status far surpassed that of the gossiping male disciple.

after the man slapped himself, ye zhen and her group slowly walked away.

a shadow of worry lingered on ye zhen’s face. “sigh, i can only be tough on ordinary disciples.”

“senior sister ye zhen, those people are going too far!” jiang yunxi said.

she had recently left yeshan lake and was invited to the heavenly sect, where she had arrived just today.

the heavenly sect’s invitation to jiang yunxi was likely not without ulterior motives.

“that prince from the rosha kingdom is even more despicable. senior sister lingxuan already has a husband, yet he still dares to try and take her!

if the arbiter god were still alive, princes or not, they’d all die just like the third prince in that story!”

jiang yunxi, an avid reader of biographies, had, of course, read .

“we can only blame ourselves for being too weak,” ye zhen lamented. “other than the heavenly sect offering some support, the shen family is powerless. as for senior sister lingxuan’s husband, he’s even less dependable.”

“if only the arbiter god were still alive, this kind of thing would never happen,” jiang yunxi said wistfully.

“go ask your father, or the emperor of the ning kingdom. do they really want another arbiter god hanging over their heads?” ye zhen said lightly.

jiang yunxi fell silent.

at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire heavenly sect.

“is shen lingxuan here?”

the voice rolled like thunder, heard by every person in the heavenly sect.

“who is it?”

“is it a heaven-tier weapon master from the rosha kingdom attacking us?”

within the heavenly sect, more than a dozen figures flew into the air.

at the forefront was an old man in daoist robes, holding a magical sword. his hair was white, but his face was youthful.

a trace of grimness flickered across the old man’s expression.

“senior from the rosha kingdom, lingxuan is a disciple of the heavenly sect. she will never become anyone’s servant.

however, lingxuan has already left the heavenly sect. if you wish to find her, please look elsewhere.”

the daoist leader of the heavenly sect held his sword firmly, his voice soft yet resolute.

the other earth-tier weapon masters also flew over, their gazes complicated as they looked at the newcomer.

“you misunderstand. i’m not from the rosha kingdom.

after all, everyone is equal under the heavens. why would i ever make shen lingxuan my servant?” qi yuan said calmly, exuding an air of elegance.

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“who are you?”

the numerous earth-tier weapon masters were taken aback.

his voice was so loud that the entire heavenly sect could hear it.

and he was looking for shen lingxuan?

moreover, his aura was intimidating—clearly that of a heaven-tier weapon master.

at that moment, wang qingyi’s eyes widened in shock.

“you’re qi yuan?”

her expression was one of disbelief.

wasn’t qi yuan just an ordinary person?

how had he suddenly developed such a terrifying aura?

“qi yuan? who’s that?”

“elder wang, do you know him?”

the heavenly sect elders were all startled, their gazes wary as they looked at qi yuan.

this mysterious heaven-tier weapon master was someone elder wang actually recognized?

“he is… lingxuan’s husband…”

“what? that useless son-in-law…” one elder blurted out before hastily covering his mouth, afraid to continue.

the other elders all turned their gazes to qi yuan.

in the distance, ye zhen and jiang yunxi also studied qi yuan—one wore a peculiar expression, while the other was filled with curiosity.

“you’re a heaven-tier weapon master? and… not even twenty years old?” the daoist leader of the heavenly sect was utterly shocked.

he had never encountered a heaven-tier weapon master this young.

in fact, he hadn’t even seen an earth-tier weapon master this young.

the elders present were all equally stunned.

after all, they were well aware of the details of shen lingxuan’s marriage.

most of them had always felt that shen lingxuan’s circumstances were unjust.

but now, her husband was suddenly revealed to be a heaven-tier weapon master?

how could they not be astonished?

“good! good! good!” the daoist leader of the heavenly sect suddenly became invigorated. “as a heaven-tier weapon master, you now have the strength to protect lingxuan. quickly take her and leave the ning kingdom!”

although an average heaven-tier weapon master might not be a match for the veteran heaven-tier weapon masters of the rosha kingdom, they were at least strong enough to help lingxuan escape, sparing her from constantly living in danger and passivity.

“i came here to ask if lingxuan has returned. i’ve searched all across the ten thousand mountains but haven’t been able to find her,” qi yuan said, his tone tinged with disappointment.

the daoist leader’s expression shifted slightly. “ahem… i’m afraid i don’t know.”

when lingxuan left this time, she did so with great secrecy, leaving behind neither contact information nor any trace of her whereabouts—precisely to prevent the rosha kingdom from tracing her.

“you can’t reach her either?” the disappointment in qi yuan’s eyes deepened.

it seemed the ‘useless son-in-law’ persona would have to be shelved for now.

he would need to head to the rosha kingdom and start building his ‘divine descent’ persona.

“senior, please stay at the heavenly sect. we will dedicate the full resources of the sect to locating lingxuan,” the daoist leader offered.

if qi yuan were to remain and take charge of the first-generation daoist leader’s artifact, even the heaven-tier weapon masters of the rosha kingdom might struggle to break through their formations.

“no need. if she can’t be found, i’ll be on my way.

oh, by the way, if any of you see shen lingxuan, tell her i… have gone to the rosha kingdom. later, i might also head to the divine wood abyss,” qi yuan said calmly.

a woman would not hinder his path.

if the ‘useless son-in-law’ role couldn’t proceed, he would play divine descent instead.

“the rosha kingdom?” the daoist leader’s face changed slightly. “senior, why head there? that’s like walking into the lion’s den!”

“lion’s den? i’m going there… to pass judgment,” qi yuan replied nonchalantly.

the rosha kingdom? their gods had returned!

“senior, i urge you to reconsider!” the daoist leader assumed qi yuan was acting out of anger over lingxuan’s situation.

the rosha kingdom wasn’t merely home to heaven-tier weapon masters—it also had divine-tier ones.

“reconsider what?” qi yuan chuckled lightly, his expression indifferent. “you no longer need to seal the mountain.”

"if we don’t seal the mountain, heaven-tier weapon masters from the rosha kingdom will barge in…" one elder murmured.

"don’t worry. that won’t happen. the rosha kingdom’s dozen or so heaven-tier weapon masters… have all been slain by me."

"what?"

the elders were dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief as if they had misheard.

"they were all killed in the ten thousand mountains," qi yuan said calmly. his face bore a gentle smile, but his words carried an eerie detachment that sent chills down their spines.

"they were all killed by the young master. if you don’t believe me, you can go ask tu sihai or wang dao…" chen kangbao added proudly.

as he spoke, he pulled out a few strands of hair.

"see these? these strands of hair were taken from the heads of those heaven-tier weapon masters. i’m planning to make a broom out of them," chen kangbao said smugly.

the earth-tier weapon masters present collectively held their breaths, staring at the strands of hair with disbelief etched across their faces.

qi yuan… had killed the rosha kingdom’s dozen or so heaven-tier weapon masters?

how was that even possible?

but the strands of hair… they were undeniably from heaven-tier weapon masters.

one strand in particular—a golden strand—stood out. they had seen such hair before, and aside from that particular rosha kingdom weapon master, there was no one in the ning kingdom with such features.

"alright, everyone. until next time. goodbye."

without a moment of hesitation, qi yuan disappeared with chen kangbao, leaving behind a stunned and silent crowd.

the figures of the two vanished into the distance, and yet, the wind continued to blow.

after what seemed like an eternity, one elder finally broke the silence.

"did someone just come by?"

"yes?"

"the useless son-in-law? qi yuan?"

"yes."

"a heaven-tier weapon master?"

"yes… who killed the rosha kingdom’s heaven-tier weapon masters."

"i must still be dreaming. time to go back to sleep," the elder muttered to himself.

in the distance, ye zhen watched everything unfold. the shock in her heart lingered for a long time. after a while, she squinted and murmured, "these two… they seem familiar to me somehow."

"senior sister ye zhen, you feel that way too? i also feel like i’ve seen them before!"

the sun rose from the remnants of the night, and the bright moon shared the sky with the tides.

the rosha kingdom and the ning kingdom were separated by mountains, rivers, and even an ocean.

a large ship sailed through the night. qi yuan stood on the deck, gazing at the sparse stars above.

"the useless son-in-law persona has been steadily increasing in performance points over the past few days. it’s now stuck at 90."

after leaving the heavenly sect, the playthrough rate for the useless son-in-law role continued to rise.

even though qi yuan hadn’t done much, the rate still increased.

qi yuan speculated that the news of him slaughtering the rosha kingdom’s heaven-tier weapon masters was gradually spreading across the ning kingdom.

even the shen family had likely heard of it by now.

the useless son-in-law name was now famous across the land.

"as expected, even a useless son-in-law like qi yuan has a heart that wants to show off.

just going to the heavenly sect and flexing a little caused the performance rate to rise by nearly 30%."

at 30%, qi yuan had awakened the heart of craftsmanship. at 60%, he had awakened the yin-yang white flame. and at 90%, qi yuan had awakened… the faint trace of destiny.

"this faint trace of destiny… is it what i think it is? what exactly does it represent?"

qi yuan pondered this.

after awakening this faint trace of destiny, he didn’t feel any significant changes compared to before.

"hey, what exactly is destiny?"

when faced with questions he couldn’t answer, he would normally ask baidu on earth. here, however, he turned to the forums on the divine wood token.

among the users, the staff member "thorned blood" was particularly knowledgeable—he seemed like an npc specialized in answering such queries.

"why are you asking about this?" thorned blood replied instantly. "destiny is a very enigmatic concept. simply put, those who carry destiny are more loved by the heavens and earth."

"that sounds like a good thing," qi yuan replied.

being favored by the heavens and earth would presumably bring good fortune, as well as faster progress in cultivation.

"it’s a good thing… but also a bad thing," thorned blood suddenly replied. "do you know about the divine descent?"

"i know about it."

"it was an artifact imbued with destiny. according to the , its destruction was closely tied to its possession of destiny."

"wasn’t the divine descent destroyed by the rosha kingdom?" qi yuan asked.

based on the information he had so far, the rosha kingdom had orchestrated the ambush that led to the divine descent’s destruction.

"hah! the divine descent was a peak artifact at the pinnacle of the heaven ascension third step, just a step away from condensing its divine domain. do you really think a mere rosha kingdom could destroy something of that caliber?

its destruction was tied to its destiny, as well as certain secrets that surrounded it. that’s why… it was destroyed.

as for the specific details, i’m just a small fry—i wouldn’t know.

perhaps one day, if i ever manage to step into the seventh realm, i might qualify to learn the truth.

but with my current talent… there’s no need to think about it."

"so you’re saying… people pay attention to destiny?"

"that’s one way to put it. if you carry destiny, it’s best to hide it. otherwise, you never know when a mysterious powerhouse might show up and kill you."

"why would someone want to kill those with destiny?" qi yuan asked curiously.

"because… destiny represents the approval of the world. maybe there are people out there who can’t gain the world’s approval, and in their frustration, they lash out at those who have it?" thorned blood speculated. "but these are just my guesses. don’t take them as fact."

"thank you for sharing all this. when i reach the divine wood abyss, i’ll treat you to some buns."