hsntnovel 第2682章 第2782位置83牧者（2合1章章求月票）
第2682章 第2782位置83牧者（2合1章章求月票）
Chapter 2682, Position 2782 - 83 Shepherd (Two-in-one chapter, please vote with monthly tickets)
Chapter 2782 Location (Second Update)
The fiercer the battles among the various demons in the Heavenly Demon Realm, the easier it is for the Six True Venerables to explore the outside world.
However, as they explored further, they became increasingly confused. What kind of realm was this?
Many of the numerous holes lead directly to the void, but some also lead to unknown and dangerous celestial phenomena.
There are also a few connections to other demon realms of unknown size, and... other worlds.
In some worlds, there are no living beings at all, and there are even two worlds that support other extraordinary life forms.
In one part of one of these worlds, human cultivators are kept.
Qu Jianlei and Han Li were in charge of exploring this world, and without hesitation, they killed the Heavenly Demon guarding it.
But upon further sensing the cultivators, they were astonished to discover that all the humans they had raised had fallen into demonic possession.
Even unborn fetuses are tainted by demonic energy while still in the womb.
“These demons are truly despicable,” Han Li shook his head, “Let’s give them a release…”
Leaving aside those who are beyond saving, most humans have already fallen deeply into demonic possession, making them extremely difficult to treat.
In the past, Qu Jianlei led the Red Leaf Ridge to treat those who had fallen into demonic possession in Cangwu, and the targets were only cultivators who had been invaded by demonic energy.
Those raised by the Heavenly Demon are even more troublesome due to their demonic energy, and the two sides are not related at all...
Let alone a Nascent Soul Grandmaster, how many ordinary human cultivators would do a losing business?
"Wait, let's put it away first," Qu Jianlei said. "I want to analyze where they were kidnapped from."
In any case, this is a clue, and it might lead to some strange discovery about the human world.
"You really are..." Han Li shook his head dismissively, "Should we also save those alien creatures that are being raised as livestock?"
"Tsk," Qu Jianlei clicked his tongue, then shook his head in the end, "We can't save them, we're too busy!"
"That's still the case!" Han Li sighed. "You're just too soft-hearted. There's another problem... after we save them, where will we put them?"
You can't just save someone and then abandon them in the void, can you?
The number of humans raised here is at least several hundred thousand, including many Nascent Soul cultivators. Which realm would be willing to accept them?
"Let's see if Lian Xing can accept it first," Qu Jianlei shook his head, "I just want to have a clear conscience."
Even in a world on the verge of collapse, these people could still multiply for many generations. As for what happens after that... it's really beyond his control!
"You're really annoying," Han Li sighed. "Then take it into your cave. Anyway, you have the means to suppress demonic energy!"
However, although Qu Jianlei was soft-hearted, he did not take away all the demon-possessed cultivators; he simply abandoned those who were very difficult to treat.
Han Li wanted to help these people settle things, but Qu Zhenzun stopped him.
"Rescuing so many people is already quite conspicuous. If we finish off these guys as well, it will be easy for the Heavenly Demon to figure out our origins."
He wasn't afraid of the Heavenly Demon; he simply couldn't afford to waste time and didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Lian Xing is still quite some time away from the full arrival of the Heavenly Collapse, but his time is not something he can afford to waste.
“You’re really strange,” Han Li shook his head, “Letting them struggle to survive… does that count as being heartless?”
“They can end their own lives!” Qu Jianlei replied casually. “If they can’t bear to die, then they can only struggle. Who can they blame?”
Next, the two retreated back into the world riddled with holes.
Qu Zhenzun did not explore further, but instead began to remove the demonic energy from these people.
Not to mention Han Li, even Xiao You and Qing Kong felt that he was neglecting his duties—we didn't come here to save people, did we?
However, this kind of kindness cannot be considered an absolutely bad thing, it's just too untimely and will affect the progress of the work.
So the other five True Venerables continued their investigation, leaving him alone at the entrance.
Anyway, with the Spider Lord on his shoulder, he can be considered to have a protector.
Ten more days passed, and the group still couldn't figure out what was going on in this world.
So everyone gathered together to discuss whether they should find an unusual celestial phenomenon to shock the world and see the logic behind its existence.
Riding Dog True Master cautiously stated: It doesn't seem to be very necessary to figure this out.
Who could not have imagined the potential dangers behind these unusual celestial phenomena?
The Girl Starfield is a typical example. Even disregarding life and death, if someone were trapped, the time spent would be difficult to estimate.
Qu Jianlei understood his feelings and also believed that it was not advisable to linger here for too long.
Putting aside everything else, just the fact that Duo Gan and Jing Yuexin were advancing in their cultivation levels made him unwilling to risk wasting time.
Furthermore, it is unknown what connection this place has with that great king.
Even without a time limit, he would have to consider whether he should get too entangled—the best option would be to get distracted first and then come back later.
Han Li and Xiao You did not express their opinions. It was impossible for these two to ignore the potential threat, but they didn't seem to care much!
Considering that both of them have made statements about defying the emperor, it can only be said that their ambitions are extraordinary!
Fortunately, Qingkong believed that the main task at present was to save the day, and he also agreed to leave as soon as possible—after all, he was not young anymore.
As for the last one, Yugiri, she had virtually no say and was largely ignored by everyone.
The agreement had already been reached, but the handsome young man spoke up again, "Let's try one last time, see if we can take this part of the world with us?"
"This dilapidated world," Qingkong shook his head dismissively, "taking it away would only benefit the Qiuzhen Realm."
“Those guys are really not worth taking seriously,” Xiao You said, supporting Han Li. “Anyway, it won’t hurt to give it a try; it’s a rare opportunity.”
Although it is a world riddled with problems, how many True Venerables have the opportunity to practice their skills on the Middle Thousand Worlds?
“Yes,” Yugiri nodded in agreement, “It shouldn’t take long. If it can’t be resolved, we’ll just leave!”
Everyone was considering the time cost, and her words hit the nail on the head.
So, in the time that followed, the Six True Ones began to calculate what process should be used to cut the world off and take it away.
In addition, there are time commitments and potential risks involved...
There was no shortage of divination masters among the Six True Venerables, but this series of divinations still took a month.
Surprisingly, cutting off and taking away the boundary wasn't very difficult—it had little impact on the many holes.
Moreover, this was not a divination performed by a single person; after the results came out, more than one True Venerable verified them.
At the very least, cutting off the boundaries is not very difficult and does not take long—about one to two years!
As for whether it's dangerous, the results of everyone's calculations are quite different, ranging from slightly less dangerous to slightly more dangerous, with a rather large range.
However, even a medium-to-low-level attack can cause damage to the team, so we must be wary.
Qu Jianlei asked the young lady for advice again, but Tai Yuanhai gave a rather unserious answer, saying that if he wanted to do it, he could do it, and there was no need to ask him.
"Let's get started," Qu Jianlei said to Han Li, "Let's refine the process a bit more, or... let's exit this realm and calculate it later?"
“Let’s go back to the True Realm first,” the handsome young man said seriously. “A doctor cannot heal himself. We are all in our own realm, so it’s normal for our divination to be inaccurate.”
To put it another way, although the people looked down on the path of becoming a god through incense offerings, they did not want to break off negotiations with the people outside the passage over such a trivial matter.
So everyone left the Demon Realm and came to Qiuzhen.
To everyone's surprise, the five great masters of the incense offerings were still stationed here.
For those who wish to become deities through incense offerings, projecting their images is simple and easy, with countless potential limits. Guarding it like this might not even be considered a sign of importance.
Interestingly, during the four months they were on the other side, they killed three Nascent Soul Demons.
The total number of Out-of-Body Demons in the Qiuzhen Realm is only eighteen to twenty.
If these five had possessed such high hunting efficiency earlier, they could have wiped out the Heavenly Demons in just a few years.
Qingkong noticed this change immediately. "Huh? You've changed your strategy?"
"Where are there any unchanging tactics?" Venerable Fu Hua replied solemnly.
"Now that there is no more demonic energy seeping in, we are in a much more relaxed position. This is the perfect opportunity to kill the Heavenly Demon."
Kunxiu Zhenzun nodded, "It only started in the last two months. Fortunately, the five of us worked together and the efficiency was acceptable."
She emphasized the five people, which actually meant that regardless of whether Yan Qizhen had ulterior motives, he was still involved.
"The Heavenly Demon is the common enemy of human cultivators. Fellow Daoists, let us all strive together," it was perfectly acceptable for the Great Protector to say a few polite words.
After a moment's hesitation, True Venerable Fu Hua asked, "I wonder... what kind of rules are in place over there?"
"Hmm, a very strange middle-thousand world," Qingkong Zhenzun said after a moment of contemplation.
"We've annihilated twenty-two Nascent Soul Demons, but the problem now is... how to sever the two realms!"
"Twenty-two..." Yanqi Zhenzun was in a daze when he suddenly froze.
"Cut? What kind of cut?"
“It’s the kind of cutting you’re thinking of,” Qu Jianlei finally spoke up. At this point, he couldn’t let the Great Protector continue.
Without a doubt, the other party regarded him as the leader of the Six True Venerables.
Although he didn't care about whether he led the army or not, he had to step forward now.
This means that there is absolutely no room for controversy surrounding this decision!
When Qingkong speaks, the other party may still have arguments to defend themselves, but when he speaks, it represents the final decision.
He stated directly, "The relevant actions may cause some panic, so I am informing you."
"So, the demonic energy won't come again?" True Venerable Fu Hua looked both surprised and delighted, it was hard to tell whether it was a genuine expression of emotion or superb acting skills.
"It's not that easy, is it?" Kunxiu Zhenzun said thoughtfully. "I do know that Zhenzun can sever boundaries."
"But this method is not something that ordinary people can master."
“That’s true,” said Yugiri Shinzo, who was the most qualified communicator at this moment.
She stated calmly, "The world of Qiuzhen might be impacted... or maybe not, who can say for sure?"
Kunxiu Zhenzun's face darkened. "So, where do you place us Qiuzhen cultivators?"
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Chapter 2783 The Shepherd (Third Update)
Yugiri answered without hesitation, "The position of the weak."
She spoke bluntly, getting straight to the heart of the matter: "The other side is nothing more than a mere Middle Thousand World..."
"You don't even dare to fight back in this situation, how dare you glare at us like that?"
"Alright, that's enough," Qu Jianlei said calmly. "We're just informing you; you should prepare accordingly."
Venerable Fuhua pondered for a moment, "If something unexpected happens on the Heavenly Demon's side... how can we help?"
"Take care of yourselves," Qu Jianlei answered decisively. "The greatest contribution you can make is to avoid causing trouble for us."
Fu Hua didn't seem to feel anything, but Kun Xiu Zhen Zun's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he looked him up and down, "You're not being unreasonable!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Qu Jianlei snorted. "By the way, are you willing to accept people who have fallen into demonic possession here?"
"A person possessed by demons?" Kunxiu Zhenzun raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Tell me more..."
When she heard that human cultivators were being raised in the Heavenly Demon Realm, she wasn't surprised at all... such things are really not unusual.
She merely glanced at Yan Qizhenzun, "Didn't you... have a friend who went missing?"
"I'm not talking to him!" Xiaoyou said decisively. "I don't like this guy."
Yan Qi's lips twitched involuntarily, but he dared not show it.
In the past, he could do whatever he wanted in Qiuzhen, but when faced with this powerful outsider, as long as he dared to bare his teeth, the other party would definitely not let him go.
“I also have followers…and quite a few have been abducted,” Venerable Fuhua spoke up, “May I see them?”
“Most of them are not from the Qiuzhen Realm,” Qu Jianlei said calmly. He realized that the human race was not in a world riddled with holes.
He found other worlds through a hole in that world, and that's how he found these people. Indeed, none of them were born into the real world.
"That's a real shame," True Venerable Fu Hua shook his head, but in his heart, he felt that was just so-so.
His true relatives and friends were all arranged to live nearby, and his relationship with those not under his protection was not much better.
Kunxiu Zhenzun's attitude, however, became serious. "Fellow Daoist, do you intend for these demons to seek refuge in my Qiuzhen Realm?"
"Otherwise what?" the handsome young man said coldly. "The fact that we were able to rescue them is already a stroke of luck for them."
“This matter is probably not easy,” Kunxiu Zhenzun said in a deep voice. “Let’s release the person first and see.”
The devil is in the details, and that’s absolutely true.
She neither refused outright nor readily agreed, but said she would see the person first before making a decision.
This shows that this female cultivator is not only responsible but also methodical—without investigation, there is no right to speak.
After observing a group of demons, she fell into a brief silence, and then spoke.
"You really rescued the person and even purified them... I'm impressed!"
“The purification effect is not very good,” Qu Jianlei also knew this, “but I have things to do and can’t do more.”
“I think…we can’t handle it,” Kunxiu Zhenzun pondered for a moment, then finally spoke with difficulty, “We’re too busy taking care of ourselves.”
The struggle between the path of incense offerings to deities and the celestial demons is extremely delicate, maintaining a fragile balance in many aspects.
If it's a true cultivator who has been captured, there's no problem releasing them. But for cultivators from outside the sect, it's really hard to say.
Qiu Zhen is already in a terrible situation; she has virtually no ability to protect others, and there are many karmic consequences to consider.
Without saying much, just one question—are there any spies from the Heavenly Demon among them?
“I understand,” Qu Jianlei sighed and nodded. “Then let’s take him with us. I thought Kunxiu would be easier to talk to!”
He originally intended to send these people to the Star Realm; he was just asking casually.
He could also imagine that these cultivators of unknown origin, remaining in the Qiuzhen Realm, might become a hidden danger.
He truly understood the other party's refusal—after being ravaged by the Heavenly Demon for so long, who would be willing to accept a new destabilizing factor?
"Thank you for your understanding, fellow Daoist," Kunxiu Zhenzun said solemnly, "Once the Jade Realm of Qiuzhen is cleared up, I will definitely visit Houde!"
Qu Jianlei gave her a strange look. "You know the way?"
“Just take your time searching,” Kunxiu Zhenzun said frankly. “I only hope that when I find him, Zhenzun will still remember me.”
This is... Qu Jianlei was completely speechless.
He originally thought that Fu Hua was a rare talent in the Qiu Zhen world, but compared to this person, he was still a bit lacking.
Is it really true that "140,000 men laid down their arms, and not one of them was a true man"?
"Mind your own business first," Han Li coldly poured cold water on his words, then spoke up, "You only have ten days to prepare!"
In the ten days that followed, they did something, too. The foreign True Venerables and the local True Venerables killed eight more Out-of-Body Heavenly Demons.
It was truly a sweeping victory, one has to admit defeat.
Qu Jianlei did not make a move, but he, Han Li, and Xiao You were analyzing how to cut the Middle Thousand Worlds.
Unbeknownst to them, these three had formed a small group of exceptional talents.
While exceptional individuals may not necessarily form cliques, once they recognize and respect each other, it becomes extremely difficult for outsiders to enter this small group.
Qingkong was the Great Protector of Lingyun, and was once a prodigy. He even had the ambition to break through to the Divine Realm, but... he really didn't have the face to come closer.
Is Xiwu really that bad? She's only a little over two thousand years old, not much older than Song Yue'er, and her illusion techniques are unmatched.
But in the eyes of outsiders, her extraordinary talent is not even comparable to that of the Great Protector!
There's no need to elaborate on these causes and effects; the three of them are discussing things together, making it difficult for anyone else to chime in.
However, the more this was the case, the less the three dared to slack off.
In fact, there is still a great deal of controversy regarding the division of the Middle Thousand Worlds.
Regardless of how easy the process is, once the cutting is complete, it essentially loses all connection with those channels and unusual celestial phenomena.
Those unexplored mysteries may hold considerable potential dangers, but they also present a high probability of opportunity, and that opportunity may not be insignificant.
This is a difficult choice. Although people don't have much time now, they will have free time sooner or later.
When the three of them were doing their divination, they even specifically considered whether these mysterious places were prone to losing contact.
The divination results indicate that a loss of contact was certain—the connection wasn't very close to begin with.
During the struggle, Xiaoyou generously said that there are plenty of mysterious and unpredictable places out there, so it doesn't matter if it's a little bit more.
Ultimately, the opportunity to sever ties with the Middle Thousand Worlds is too rare, and there are very few times when they can be allowed to do as they please.
Han Li, however, believed that the Great Lord, who exuded an aura of death, might have some other tricks up his sleeve.
For safety's sake, it's best to cut it up and take it away without hesitation, as this might disrupt some of the opponent's plans.
Qu Jianlei was indifferent; these mysterious places were out of contact, but perhaps they could be found in the future by using cause and effect.
Even if it were a few True Venerables, they might not be willing to go to such lengths, but these three are prodigies!
At the very least, they know more hidden information, so they naturally won't care too much about wasting opportunities.
After much deliberation, the ten-day deadline passed, and the three of them spent another five days carefully discussing the matter before finally settling on a general plan.
This time, the main force that cut through the Thousand Creations Realm was still the three of them, taking turns to act, while the guardians were Spider Lord and Skybreaker.
Yugiri and Kaguya were in charge of overall coordination, including scheduling between the two realms.
Concealing the Middle Thousand Worlds was already a massive undertaking, not to mention severing all ties with the outside world.
Qu Jianlei was the first to make a move, and without any unexpected incidents, the cut went very smoothly.
Despite the world's many flaws and its connections to everything, the divination has already shown that these connections are not actually close.
After Qu Jianlei cut it for ten days, he handed it over to Han Li for rotation, and then Xiao You took over.
This rotation process sounds easy, but it's not; various trivial matters can occur during it.
The trivial matters in the eyes of the True Venerable are different from those of ordinary people—for example, two Out-of-Body Heavenly Demons suddenly return together!
In any other medium-sized world, this would be a momentous event, but in this context, it is truly a trivial matter.
For example, six Out-of-Body Demons linked up in the Qiuzhen Realm, causing a massive demonic tide!
In the past, this would have been considered one of the most serious demonic disasters in the realm, but now... it's really nothing!
The process of cutting those channels was actually very dangerous.
But as long as it's within expectations, then it doesn't matter.
In the blink of an eye, half a year has passed, and the division of the Middle Thousand Worlds has gone quite smoothly.
It's much more complicated than simply transferring a middle-thousand world, but the difficulty is far less than they expected.
Until one day, an unusually wide black river suddenly appeared in the void.
The long river appeared silently, without any astonishing aura or awe-inspiring majesty.
It just happened naturally, from far away to near, and apart from being a little eerie, there were really no other problems.
As the river drew closer, it became clear that it wasn't black, but rather a grayish-black.
What flowed inside wasn't water, but rather a dense swarm of gray beetles, each taller than a person, making it look like a black river at first glance.
Then a strange divine sense came, roughly conveying the same meaning: "Changed? Don't want it anymore?"
"Get out of the way!" The long-silent female voice suddenly rang out. "Grow your grazing space; this place is none of your business!"
The dark gray river turned slightly and went straight on without stopping, disappearing in no time.
Han Li then realized, "Ancestor, isn't this the Void Herdsman?"
Qu Jianlei was quite surprised. He had known about the Void Shepherd for a long time and had encountered him more than once before.
He had always believed that they were a species living in the void, who would occasionally set traps to ambush void travelers.
In the past, he would simply avoid such groups, as he already felt they were not to be trifled with and had no reason to provoke them.
But who would have thought that the Void Shepherd could communicate in this way?
“A little harder to fight than the Star Devourer,” the woman said weakly, clearly lacking energy.
"If you dare to kill the Star Devourer, you'll dare to kill this kind sooner or later."
(The last three hours of the 25th year, a combined chapter, please vote for double monthly tickets. There will be an extra chapter at midnight as usual. I'm guaranteeing a minimum of monthly tickets next month.)