Chapter 399: With This Punch, Jinshi Laozu Was Forced to Reincarnate and Start Over
Facing provocation, Jinshi Laozu struck out without hesitation.
"Die!"
He extended his right hand, reaching through the air toward Han Li.
Immediately, his hand rapidly enlarged within the void, swelling to several zhang wide in the blink of an eye.
By the time that hand reached Han Li, it was already enormous, like a mountain crashing down, bringing immense pressure.
In the face of Jinshi Laozu's attack, Han Li's expression did not change; he did not even make a move.
He was not frightened senseless.
Rather, he knew that a formidable ally would take action.
Before arriving, the two had already agreed that Chen Ye would take the offensive this time, while Han Li would provide support.
Just as Jinshi Laozu's sky-covering giant hand was about to seize Han Li, suddenly, a figure flashed in front of Han Li and raised a finger, lightly tapping.
"Crack!"
That giant hand, as if suffering a heavy blow, instantly fractured, then shattered.
Jinshi Laozu's expression changed at once. He immediately withdrew his broken hand, returning it to normal size and hiding it behind his back.
Although his severed hand recovered instantly upon being withdrawn, in the center of his palm there was an unhealable bloody hole that continued to bleed.
"This is... the Law of Strength?"
Jinshi Laozu's face darkened as he stared fixedly at Chen Ye. "Who are you? Why do you help evildoers?"
At this moment, Jinshi Laozu was fully convinced by Han Li's words.
That young man had actually comprehended the Law of Strength? He was likely much more than just a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.
The power of law—only immortals could master such a thing.
Even to touch upon the laws, one would need to be a grand cultivator at the Divine Transformation stage.
Therefore, this youth had likely already half-stepped into Divine Transformation.
Chen Ye replied calmly, "I am the Supreme Elder of Qingyun Sect."
"Nonsense!"
Jinshi Laozu suddenly cursed, "With your strength, it's impossible that no one has heard of you. I have cultivated in this realm for a thousand years and have never heard of you. Could it be... you are from the Upper Realm?"
As he spoke, Jinshi Laozu's expression turned to surprise.
Chen Ye, not understanding anything about the Upper Realm, simply put on a stern face and said nothing.
Han Li spoke up at the right moment: "Jinshi, since you already know the identity of our sect's Supreme Elder, you should know what to do."
Seeing Han Li "admit" it, Jinshi Laozu's expression immediately became ugly.
After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly turned to Chen Ye and began to entice him: "Qingyun Sect is merely a newly established minor sect, lacking resources. For you to remain there is a waste of talent. Why not join my Jinshi Sect? If you are willing to enter Jinshi Sect, you may freely use all resources within the sect. Even the position of sect master—if you desire it—can be yours."
This shameless maneuver left Han Li a little dumbfounded.
He was actually trying to recruit Chen Ye right in front of him?
Han Li then laughed, showing no sign of panic.
He knew that Chen Ye could never be persuaded by anyone in this world.
As expected.
Chen Ye said indifferently, "Old man, you talk too much!"
Jinshi Laozu's expression darkened.
He had tried to win him over in good faith, only to be scolded by Chen Ye to his face. How could he save face?
I, Jinshi Laozu, have dominated the cultivation world for a thousand years—do I not care about dignity?
With this in mind, Jinshi Laozu's face filled with anger, and he shouted, "Han Li, you brat, what are you here to borrow?"
Han Li replied with a smile, "Not much, just ten Red Spirit Fruits."
Hearing this, Jinshi Laozu's expression changed.
For ordinary people, a single Red Spirit Fruit could indeed extend life by ten years. But for Jinshi Laozu, using one only added a single year of lifespan.
Jinshi Laozu's lifespan was nearly exhausted; his body was withered. Even Red Spirit Fruits grown from absorbed spiritual energy could not restore his soon-to-decay body. Moreover, because Jinshi Laozu often used Red Spirit Fruits, his body had developed a resistance to them, causing their effects to diminish.
At this point, all other elixirs were useless to Jinshi Laozu. He relied solely on Red Spirit Fruits to hang on to life. How could he possibly agree to lend them?
"Han Li, you brat!"
Jinshi Laozu was truly enraged: "You know full well Red Spirit Fruit is my life-preserving medicine, yet you ask for it—do you mean to force me to my death? Are you not afraid that I will drag you down with me?"
Han Li replied calmly, "Jinshi, I have heard of your situation. To speak frankly, even if you continue to extend your life with Red Spirit Fruit, you do not have long to live. Your only way out now is to abandon your body before your Nascent Soul is fully corroded and reincarnate to start anew. With your talent, in your next life, you stand a good chance of breaking through to Divine Transformation and becoming the sovereign of this realm."
Jinshi Laozu had, of course, considered this. He also knew that Han Li's suggestion was the correct path.
However—
Reincarnation and starting over was fraught with danger!
To have reached this stage and risen as a great Nascent Soul cultivator, Jinshi Laozu had slaughtered countless rivals and made innumerable enemies in his lifetime.
It is no exaggeration to say he had climbed a mountain of corpses and waded through a sea of blood.
As a result, his enemies were too many to count.
With power in hand, those enemies could do nothing to him.
But if he reincarnated and started over, he would lose not only his body, but also the realm and all power of Nascent Soul. At that point, he would be just an ordinary infant with memories.
If his enemies learned of it, wouldn't they tear him apart alive?
Such a move was far too risky. Unless forced, Jinshi Laozu would never dare to take the gamble.
"Enough with the damn nonsense!"
Jinshi Laozu roared, "If you want Red Spirit Fruit, come take it with your life!"
With those words, Jinshi Laozu cast an escape technique and returned to his sect.
Afterwards,
His actions were within Han Li's expectations—he directly activated the Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation.
Clearly, he planned to rely on the Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation to resist his enemies.
"Buzz!"
In an instant,
The entire mountain glowed with golden light, making the peak dazzling and radiant.
This was Chen Ye's first time witnessing a Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation in an immortal cultivation world. He could not help but marvel.
Such a beautiful formation—what would happen if he punched it?
"Director, may I begin now?"
"You may."
Han Li pointed from the side: "See the brightest spot over there? That's the formation's core—strike there."
"Uh... how much strength should I use?" Chen Ye asked, "This thing looks pretty fragile; I'm afraid I'll destroy the whole mountain."
Han Li thought for a moment and said, "Five or six tenths of your strength should be enough."
"Alright."
With that,
Chen Ye raised his fist and punched directly at the core of the formation.
"Bang!!"
A thunderous boom resounded between heaven and earth, like a bolt of lightning.
The entire land trembled!
Jinshi Laozu, who had just activated the Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation, immediately turned pale.
"Ah! Han Li, you brat—you've ruined me!"
Jinshi Laozu let out a miserable scream.
Because—
Under Chen Ye's punch, the Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation he was so proud of shattered like a bubble on contact.
It did not even last a single second.
Such strength proved that this young man was by no means as simple as Han Li claimed—a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.
The Twelve Heavenly Capital Grand Formation, painstakingly set up by Jinshi Laozu, could not be broken so easily, even by a peak Nascent Soul expert.
Therefore,
In Jinshi Laozu's eyes, Chen Ye was absolutely at the Divine Transformation stage!
"Rumble—"
Chen Ye's punch not only shattered the Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation; the aftershock triggered an earthquake across the entire mountain range.
In an instant,
The houses on the mountain began collapsing one by one. As for the Jinshi Sect disciples, they were thrown into panic and screamed in terror.
Those who could fly immediately took to the skies.
Those who could not fly were rather unfortunate, as many were injured by the falling buildings.
A few truly unlucky ones were even crushed into pulp by rolling boulders.
...
A short while later,
Jinshi Laozu surrendered.
Once he determined that Chen Ye was a Divine Transformation cultivator, he surrendered without hesitation.
A Divine Transformation cultivator, also called a supreme cultivator, stands at the very summit of all cultivators in this realm.
Nascent Soul is only the second tier.
With such a difference of an entire major realm, there was simply no contest.
So, if Jinshi Laozu did not want to die, surrendering was his best option.
"Han Li, do not get cocky!"
Jinshi Laozu angrily spat at Han Li, "My defeat today was not at your hands!"
Han Li smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."
He only cared about results, not reputation, so he let Jinshi Laozu say whatever he liked.
"I have three conditions!" Jinshi Laozu suddenly said, "If you agree to these three conditions, all the resources controlled by Jinshi Sect, including the Red Spirit Fruit tree, will be yours."
Han Li would not agree lightly and replied, "Let's hear them."
"First, I only have ten years of lifespan left. After I give you the Red Spirit Fruit tree, I must reincarnate and start over as soon as possible. Before I regain my Nascent Soul cultivation, you must protect me and guarantee my safety!"
Han Li nodded. "Agreed."
"Second, I want you to relocate Qingyun Sect here and merge it into Jinshi Sect! You can become the sect master, but the name Jinshi Sect cannot be changed!"
Han Li immediately frowned and objected, "I can agree to relocating the sect, and even keep everything you have done here unchanged, but Jinshi Sect must be renamed to Qingyun Sect!"
Unexpectedly,
Jinshi Laozu smiled and readily agreed, "That's fine too."
Han Li was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and smiled.
He knew Jinshi was playing tricks, but he did not care about such things at this moment.
"What about the third?"
"The third…"
Jinshi Laozu looked over at the wretched Jinshi Sect disciples and sighed, "These disciples have suffered a lot under me. Now that I am about to reincarnate, I cannot just abandon them! Sect Master Han, you must accept them as disciples, make them members of Qingyun Sect, and treat them equally."
Hearing this, Han Li immediately smiled and glanced at Jinshi Laozu.
With his intelligence, it was obvious that Jinshi Laozu was simply leaving himself a way out.
Sure enough,
After Jinshi Laozu spoke, many disciples immediately looked on with gratitude.
Some of the most loyal disciples even cried aloud and knelt down to kowtow to Jinshi Laozu.
"Good children, get up…"
Jinshi Laozu repeatedly comforted his disciples.
Han Li could not be bothered to watch this performance, so he said directly, "I agree."
"Very good!"
Jinshi Laozu then took out a token from his waist and handed it to Han Li.
"This is the sect master's token, as well as the key to the secret chamber behind the mountain. The chamber is protected by a formation I laid personally. You can't force your way in; you need the token to open it."
"From this day on, Jinshi Sect is yours!"
After the handover was completed,
Chen Ye followed Han Li to see the Red Spirit Fruit tree.
Though the tree's name was ordinary, the actual tree was filled with spiritual energy and shrouded in celestial clouds, leaving Chen Ye amazed.
There were ten fruits on the tree, all fully ripened and glowing bright red—extremely tempting.
A trace of reluctance appeared on Jinshi Laozu's face as he said, "I have cared for this tree for a thousand years, tending to it with devotion to achieve its current state."
Han Li nodded.
He could tell that Jinshi Laozu was not lying. From the nearby manor, all the decorations, and the spirit-gathering formation, it was clear Jinshi Laozu cherished this life-preserving treasure.
"To pick the spiritual fruit, you must use these gloves."
Jinshi Laozu handed Han Li a pair of gloves. "You're quite fortunate—the fruits just happen to be ripe today and can be harvested."
His tone was full of resentment.
Han Li only smiled, unconcerned, took the gloves, and went to pick the fruit.
Soon,
All ten fruits were picked.
"Jinshi, I'll go back now to handle the sect relocation. For now, I'll need you to keep watch here," Han Li said.
Jinshi Laozu waved him off, "Go on!"
Han Li then left with Chen Ye.
Along the way,
Han Li wore a broad smile, clearly in excellent spirits.
He had profited greatly from this trip.
Not only did he successfully obtain the Red Spirit Fruit, but he also took over Jinshi Laozu's entire sect.
Once the relocation was complete, Qingyun Sect's strength would soar, and its reputation would spread throughout the land.
"Chen Ye, thank you for your help today," Han Li said.
If not for Chen Ye's presence, Jinshi Laozu would not have paid him any attention.
As a mere early Nascent Soul cultivator, Han Li could never have convinced Jinshi Laozu to risk his life on reincarnation.
"If you hadn't been here today, Jinshi would never have yielded to me. He agreed to reincarnate and start over because he valued your strength."
Chen Ye smiled and replied, "I was going to thank you for letting Qin Muyin go, so now I don't owe you anything."
Han Li also laughed, then sighed, "Chen Ye, if only you were from Earth! With you around, those alien races would never dare eye us covetously."
Hearing this, Chen Ye fell silent.
He did not know how to respond.
After all, he was originally from Earth, but after transmigrating to Blue Star and inheriting the talents of the Bald Demon King, he had risen to power.
Even Chen Ye himself was not sure whether he was still an Earthling or now a Blue Star native.
Or perhaps, he was a "hybrid" of Earth and Blue Star?
In any case,
Chen Ye would return to Blue Star sooner or later, and whether he could ever visit Earth again was uncertain.
"Here is the Red Spirit Fruit I promised you."
Han Li took out five fruits and handed them to Chen Ye.
(End of this chapter)
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