"What’s with that stone house?" Ao Feng and his two companions were trembling in their hearts, and their minds were muddled. To them, that stone house seemed like a gateway to hell, with one Ninth-level Heavenly Demon after another arriving through it.

Although Ao Feng and his companions had not figured it out yet, they knew one thing—their moment had passed!

Ao Feng’s eyes suddenly lit up as he stared at Lan Feng and shouted angrily, "Lan Feng, your power far exceeds ours. If you want to kill us, just do it, but at this moment, why are you still threatening us with the Spiritual Beasts from the Ten Thousand Beasts List? With your strength, you could probably open the second layer of the Ten Thousand Beasts List. Not summoning Demon King level Spiritual Beasts, but instead letting Ninth-level Heavenly Demon’s Spiritual Beasts come out, are you trying to humiliate us?"

When Ao Feng and the others were in the Ni Yang Realm, they had only seen Lan Feng snatch the ’Ten Thousand Beasts List’; they still thought that these Spiritual Beasts were released by Lan Feng.

Qin Yu gave a faint smile, "Pitiable, truly pitiable!"

Qin Yu heaved a sigh that echoed throughout the entire range of the great array, to die without knowing who killed them, wasn’t that pitiable?

"Qin Yu, what are you being so arrogant about, relying on your Master Wei Feng to act so haughty," Du Zhongjun yelled. At this point, Du Zhongjun and the other two knew they were doomed to die and naturally seemed somewhat hysterical.

Qin Yu smiled.

"To this moment, you still have no clue," Qin Yu sighed, "but now it’s time I can’t leave you alive. I’ll give you a hint before you die, understand if you can; remain confused and die if you don’t."

"A hint?" A shock went through the hearts of Ao Feng and his two companions.

"We pay our respects to our master." Shuo Yan and a group of Ninth-level Heavenly Demons bowed respectfully, their voices echoing across the entire sky. This large group of Heavenly Demons showed their respect by bowing in the direction of Qin Yu, clearly acknowledging him as their ’master’."

"Master?" Ao Feng and the other two dumbfoundedly stared at Qin Yu as if their heads had been struck by lightning.

"Ah, pitiable people, still not understanding?" Qin Yu chuckled, "Lan Feng, you can make your move now, just remember to leave their Nascent Souls—I still plan to use them for cultivation."

Now, just as Ao Feng and his two companions had slightly recovered their senses, they watched as a ’disciple’ spoke in a commanding tone to a ’master’. And again, confusion clouded the insides of Ao Feng and the others.

Lan Feng nodded, and suddenly, three extremely condensed Sword Qi appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah!"

Ao Feng and the other two startled awake, yet how could they dodge an attack from a Ninth-level Golden Immortal?

"Whoosh!" The sound rang out almost concurrently, followed by the thud of bodies hitting the ground.

Three strands of Sword Qi appeared abruptly, and Ao Feng, Du Zhongjun, and Hua Yan, with their eyes wide open, had already fallen to the ground. In that split second, the souls of the three were pierced. Lan Feng’s speed was so fast that Ao Feng and his two companions didn’t even have a chance to dodge.

"Three First Level Golden Immortal Nascent Souls."

Qin Yu reached out his hand to grab the three Nascent Souls, which all bore the likeness of Du Zhongjun and Hua Yan, but were already devoid of the slightest sign of vitality, their souls evidently dissipated.

"You brought me to Yellow Stone Star, allowing me to feel the endless universe. And I’ve allowed you to live a half month more, enough to be considered fair to all of you. The moment you mistreated my kin, your death sentence was already cast."

With a faint smile, he casually tossed the three Nascent Souls directly into Yanxuan’s Ring.

"Ah, now I am the only one on Yellow Stone Star." Qin Yu looked around at the vast expanse of yellow stone. Lifting his head to gaze at the boundless cosmos, the sight of each enormous celestial body unfailingly broadened his heart.

"This Maze Array is well constructed." Qin Yu examined the massive Maze carefully and was in no hurry to break it.

Arranging this Maze Array required numerous Array Bases. It was much simpler to break the formation from the inside, especially since he possessed a Sword Immortal Puppet. With the strength of a Ninth-level Golden Immortal, breaking through forcibly would be easy, but... he couldn’t afford to use such a brute force method. That’s because the energy for his Sword Immortal Puppet required the supply of Top-Grade Elemental Spirit Stones.

Therefore, the simplest method was the only option—to break each Array Base one by one.

"However, there’s no hurry to break this formation now. My ’Star Transformation’ Cultivation Technique has already reached the Constant Star Stage. Going forward, I must attain enlightenment on my own for a breakthrough to ascend to the Immortal, Demon, and Demon World. Alas... without any precedents to learn from, I can only engage in closed-door cultivation and endure hardship on my own."

A thought crossed Qin Yu’s mind, and the Sword Immortal Puppet directly merged into his body.

"I will endure hardship in cultivation right here on Yellow Stone Star. The sky above Yellow Stone Star is empty and vast, and by looking up, one can see countless celestial bodies, which is also very beneficial for the cultivation of one’s state of mind. Furthermore, with the protection of the Maze Array while I’m cultivating, I can set my mind at ease."

Qin Yu then sat down cross-legged beside the stone house.

"Shuo Yan, heed my command," came the calm voice of Qin Yu.

Shuo Yan immediately bowed in respect.

"I’m about to fully immerse myself in closed-door cultivation. Choose three people to join you as my protectors. Common dangers won’t be able to penetrate the Maze Array. If there’s any threat that the array can’t stop, you must wake me," Qin Yu instructed.

"Yes."

Shuo Yan immediately selected three people, and the other Spiritual Beasts respectfully returned to the Ten Thousand Beasts List, one after another. For those Spiritual Beasts, the Ten Thousand Beasts List was equivalent to their home, and they didn’t need Qin Yu’s help to enter it.

Two men and two women, a total of Four Great Guardians, quietly seated around Qin Yu and began their vigilant protection.

They also understood that with the protection of the Maze Array, their task was very relaxed. Should any danger break through the Maze Array, it was unlikely that their combined strength could withstand it. Their purpose was merely to be on the alert.

"Li’er, Little Black, Feifei."

Images of the three individuals appeared in succession in Qin Yu’s mind: the light dimples at the corners of Li’er’s smiling lips, the cool yet warm eyes of Little Black, and the always laughing and joking Hou Fei.

Qin Yu took out the Communication Order. This time he wanted to send a message to his father and family to relieve their worries, "Father, I am safe now. However, I am preparing to enter closed-door cultivation. I do not know how long this period of cultivation will last. Do not worry about me."

On the distant Zixuan Star, Qin De had been worrying since Qin Yu was captured, and he was overjoyed upon receiving the message from Qin Yu.

"Yu’er, good, good." Qin De was completely reassured at heart, "You focus on your cultivation, don’t worry about your father. Knowing you are safe, your father can rest easy."

Qin Yu communicated with each of his family members in turn. After the communications ended, he put the Communication Order away and began his serious closed-door cultivation.

Qin Yu closed his eyes, completely relaxing his heart and mind, beginning to merge and harmonize with heaven and earth...

In sync with the throbbing pulse of heaven and earth, Qin Yu quietly sat down.

Forgetting time, forgetting place, forgetting the past, forgetting the future, forgetting oneself...

His mind entered that void and serene state...

Once a cultivator enters that mystical state, they might wake up in an instant, or it could take three to five months, or even ten or a hundred years, and in some cases, ten thousand or a hundred thousand years—it’s all very uncertain.

As time passed, Qin Yu’s body started to gather a layer of dust, the dust from crushed stone... Gradually, Qin Yu’s entire body became covered in dust. However, Shuo Yan and the other Four Great Guardians did not help Qin Yu remove the dust.

Because Shuo Yan and others understood that during such a retreat, the thing most to be avoided was having one’s cultivation interrupted.

Qin Yu’s body grew increasingly covered with dust, until at last, he resembled a stone sculpture.

...

Inside Zixuan Star, not far from the Yellow Stone Star, countless cultivators were striving—perhaps for power, for territory, or maybe slaughtering over a precious ore.

No one knew that on a planet next to Zixuan Star, there was a person quietly enduring the hardships of cultivation.

Within Zixuan Star, on the Hidden Dragon Continent in the Cloud Mist Villa of the Qin Dynasty.

"It’s been ten years, Yu’er has been in secluded cultivation for exactly ten years, and I don’t know when he will return," Qin De said, looking up at the sky, and after a long while, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

In these ten years, the entire Hidden Dragon Continent had also been undergoing tumultuous changes. With the sudden death of the former Emperor and the incompetence of the new one, the Ming Dynasty had fallen into a state of extreme disarray.

Not only did the Ming Dynasty face attacks from the Qin Dynasty, but the new Emperor’s greed and lust for pleasure had even led to the emergence of rebels within the Dynasty itself. In contrast, the Qin Dynasty was at its peak, and the downfall of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be just a matter of a few years.

Meanwhile, the Han Dynasty, which had always maintained a moderate stance, now had a new Emperor, ’Emperor Han Wu,’ who was extremely wise. The strength of the Han Dynasty was gradually increasing, posing a great threat to the Qin Dynasty.

At the entrance of Qin De’s courtyard in Cloud Mist Villa, a person entered—it was Qin Feng.

"Father Emperor."

Seeing the state of his father, the King, Qin Feng felt uneasy in his heart. Since his younger brother had left, every year at this time Qin De would always be in the room where Qin Yu once lived, missing Qin Yu.

"Oh, Feng’er." Qin De smiled faintly at Qin Feng.

"Father Emperor, Little Yu has already said he’s in retreat to cultivate, so you needn’t worry too much," Qin Feng said.

"It’s not worry, I’m just missing him a bit," Qin De replied, shaking his head, and just then—there was a vibration in the space, and two people appeared within the courtyard.

These two people were Zong Jue and Yu Liang.

Zong Jue was nearing his ascension date. Before ascending, he planned to say farewell to Qin Yu, but when he sent a Communication Order to Qin Yu, there was no response, as Qin Yu was in that profound state of retreat. Therefore, Zong Jue went to find Qin De and also learned about past events.

After knowing the appearance of those four people, Zong Jue guessed their identities.

Zong Jue had no way to deal with Ao Feng and the other two, nor could he find where they were, but capturing Yu Liang from the Primordial Wilderness was quite easy. Facing Zong Jue, Yu Liang had no power to fight back.

"Qin De, Senior Lan has been very gracious to me, and I have no way to repay him. The day after tomorrow, I will ascend to the Immortal, Demon, and Demon World. You can deal with Yu Liang however you see fit," Zong Jue said, pushing Yu Liang in front of Qin De.

Qin De and Qin Feng were both startled.

"The two of you, I was wrong that day. I will return the top-grade defensive immortal device to you. I hope you can spare my life," Yu Liang said, full of anger inside. Having to beg for mercy from a Nascent Soul Stage and a Golden Core Stage individual, he, the Controller of the Primordial Wilderness, how could he not feel enraged.

But there was nothing he could do, he had to endure it.

"Hmph, endure now. Zong Jue is about to ascend. Once he has ascended, I will make sure to root out the source and avenge the humiliation of this day," Yu Liang thought bitterly to himself.

Although Qin De’s own cultivation wasn’t remarkable, he possessed a keen ability to judge others. He detected Yu Liang’s fleeting look and understood what was on Yu Liang’s mind.

"Zong Jue is about to ascend. Once he does, just a little plot from Yu Liang would be a disaster for us," Qin De immediately voiced. "Senior Zong, this person... let’s kill him."

Yu Liang’s face drastically changed.

"Kill?" Zong Jue’s eyes brightened, then he chuckled. "Good, good. Honestly, when it comes to ruthlessness, you as a father surpass that Qin Yu." Saying this, Zong Jue thrust his long, black war saber into Yu Liang’s abdomen.

Watching Yu Liang die, Qin De simply smiled faintly.

After all, he once led an army of a million and established the Qin Dynasty as its emperor. Would killing one person stir anything in his heart?

Yu Liang’s soul shattered, and he died a tragic death on the spot.

The once mighty Controller of the Primordial Wilderness, alas, fell to such a fate due to greed.

"The path of cultivation is such that there is always a higher mountain. One never knows when they might end up shattered. Feng’er, this is also why I do not wish for you to enter the Cultivation World," Qin De said to Qin Feng.

"This child understands," Qin Feng nodded.

Zong Jue’s eyes glimmered as he looked at Qin De. "You see things clearly, very clearly indeed. However, Qin De, while you can still live a peaceful life on the Hidden Dragon Continent, in the chaotic world of Immortals, Demons, and Spirits, to expect a life of peace is probably impossible," he said.

"To have lived a peaceful life for a thousand years, I am already very content, one should be content and enjoy happiness. As for ascending to the world of Immortals, Demons, and Spirits? Who knows when that will happen," Qin De replied with a calm smile.

Zong Jue nodded. "Qin De, I hope to see you in the world of Immortals, Demons, and Spirits in the future." After that, Zong Jue’s figure suddenly disappeared.

...

The death of Yu Liang was but an interlude.

On Zixuan Star, the number of cultivators was in fact in the billions, and the number of cultivators who died each year was countless, perhaps some remarkable person might die in some corner... As time flows like running water, a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

The Ming Dynasty of the Hidden Dragon Continent ultimately fell, yet only half of its territory was acquired by the Qin Dynasty, with the other half seized by a new nation known as "Zhou." This Zhou Dynasty, in alliance with the Han Dynasty, jointly resisted the Qin Dynasty, leaving the Hidden Dragon Continent in a new balance of power.

The current Emperor of the Qin Dynasty was now the grandson of Qin Zheng.

...

Regardless of the tumultuous changes and the rise and fall of kingdoms on the Hidden Dragon Continent of Zixuan Star, Yellow Stone Star remained utterly tranquil. Within the vast maze array, Qin Yu was still sitting in meditation, quietly guarded by the Four Great Guardians.

Nobody knew when Qin Yu would emerge from seclusion.

That day.

"Sizzle~~"

The rare warmth of Yellow Stone Star began to rise, skyrocketing from a low-temperature state to over a hundred degrees within just three days. The surface of Yellow Stone Star turned scorching hot, and the Four Great Guardians were no longer at ease, yet Qin Yu himself remained seated, unaffected by the high temperatures.

(To be continued. If you wish to learn what happens next, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM for more Chapters, supporting the author and authentic reading!)