Chapter 673: The Holy Land Opens

「The next day, at dawn.」

Hong Yu woke up feeling refreshed and looking sharp. He was in peak condition, basking in the glow of his recent success.

Mao Mei’Er had grown even more captivating, now with the alluring charm of a mature woman. She moved with a light, graceful gait, with the Saintess, Miaomiao, by her side.

The moment Miaomiao saw Hong Yu, her eyes welled up with tears of grievance. With a soft “MEOW,” she pounced on him, clinging to his neck. “Master, you’re mean! You ignored Miaomiao!”

“…”

Hong Yu was utterly exasperated and shot Mao Mei’Er a look, pleading for help.

Mao Mei’Er spread her hands and shrugged. “Miaomiao absolutely refuses to stay here,” she said with a light laugh. “She insists on coming with us!”

“Alright!”

Hong Yu nodded, then said helplessly, “But can you get her off me? Showing up with a little girl clinging to my chest is just ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“She doesn’t even listen to you. What makes you think she’ll listen to me?” Mao Mei’Er shot him a look.

Hong Yu flared up in anger, saying viciously, “Believe it or not, I’ll tie you up and give you a harsh beating!”

“Bring it on! Let’s see if you can beat me before I have Miaomiao scratch you to death!”

Not showing the slightest weakness, Mao Mei’Er puffed out her chest, looking completely fearless.

Hong Yu: “…”

Adhering to the principle that a gentleman shouldn’t argue with a woman, Hong Yu resigned himself to his fate. The Saintess, Miaomiao, was now dangling from his chest, fast asleep and drooling all over the front of his robes.

He had accepted his fate.

With his left arm around the Spirit Cat Queen, Mao Mei’Er, and the adorable Saintess Miaomiao hanging from his chest, he sat imperiously upon the massive chariot.

The Cat Girl Warriors were all dumbstruck, trying their best to stifle their laughter.

Hong Yu rubbed his nose in embarrassment. His Cold Jade Thousand Face Mask could barely conceal his blushing face, but there was nothing he could do.

And so, in this incredibly “domineering” posture…

They set off!

…

This time, the War Spirit Holy Land was located within the ancestral lands of the Eight Great Battle Clans.

The area was perennially occupied by the First War Clan, the Kuafu Race, who held supreme status among all the battle clans.

Though their numbers were small, with only thirty thousand members in the entire race, it was these same thirty thousand who had held sway over the True Dragon Battlefield for millennia. No one dared to defy them.

According to legend…

The Kuafu were born of heaven and earth, having no parents. Each was born ten meters tall with boundless strength, comparable to a War King.

Upon reaching adulthood, they could grow as tall as thirty meters.

Their palms could shatter the void; their fists could break the firmament.

They had a full five members with combat power at the Lord of Divine City Level, firmly securing their position as the First War Clan and deterring the Four-direction Divine City.

“Welcome, Spirit Cat Queen!”

A twenty-meter-tall powerhouse from the Kuafu Race, his combat power immense and comparable to a Divine King, gave Hong Yu a surprised glance before speaking with a smile.

The Kuafu Race commanded the reverence of all the battle clans. This was not only due to their supreme combat power, but more importantly, their small population meant they did not compete for territory or resources. As long as they weren’t provoked, their temperaments were known to be exceedingly gentle.

They were friendly to everyone.

Mao Mei’Er smiled and nodded. “Kua Long, who has arrived already?”

Kua Long chuckled. “Your Spirit Cat Race is the last group to arrive!” He paused, his voice booming like thunder. “I hear Xiakang Divine City sent a full three Divine Kings this time. Furthermore, their armies in the city are consolidating, as if plotting something. It seems to be related to your Spirit Cat Race. You must be careful!”

“Thank you, Senior Kua Long!”

Mao Mei’Er nodded.

A deep, unshakable worry clouded her expression.

Hong Yu gently squeezed her hand and said with a soft smile, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

“Mm-hm.”

Mao Mei’Er nodded, but he could still see the unease in her heart.

Hong Yu sighed softly, a strange sense of self-reproach welling up inside him. ‘It’s all my fault for not being strong enough. I can’t even protect my own women.’

He couldn’t help but think of the comatose Beichen Celestial Frost.

‘If I hadn’t been so weak back then, how could she have been so gravely injured by Hai Cangtian because of me?’

His eyes grew even more determined. ‘I have to get stronger. I must get stronger!’

Even before entering the valley, Hong Yu could feel a heavy pressure bearing down on him.

Powerful auras pulsed from within the valley, each one terrifying and dreadful.

Every so often, a formidable Spiritual Fluctuation would sweep past, sending a chill through Hong Yu’s entire body. It was clearly the terrifying combat power of a City Lord Level expert.

‘More than ten City Lord Level experts… what a terrifying lineup!’ Hong Yu thought, secretly alarmed.

The Kuafu Race alone had five City Lord Level experts, to say nothing of the powerhouses from the other battle clans.

As for the Lords of Divine Cities, they would not appear here.

This was, after all, the main base of the battle clans. If a Lord of a Divine City were to enter and the clans harbored ill intentions, they could easily be ambushed.

“Hm?”

“Who is that man? How dare he sit next to the Spirit Cat Queen?”

“Look at the figure on his chest! Such an adorable Cat Maiden! Why is she hanging on him like that?”

“Is he a new nanny the Spirit Cat Race hired? Hmm, he certainly looks the part. And so dedicated, too, carrying his master around everywhere. My child will be born soon; I’ll have to ask the Spirit Cat Queen later if I can borrow this nanny!”

The experts in the valley all noticed the arrival of the Spirit Cat Race and began to gossip among themselves.

Hong Yu’s face, however, turned livid.

A nanny?

A nanny again?

He was about to fly into a rage!

Mao Mei’Er and the Cat Girl Warriors struggled to hold back their laughter.

Hong Yu said speechlessly, “If you want to laugh, just laugh! Don’t hold it in so hard you shit yourselves!”

“…”

No one had a comeback for that.

Suddenly.

Hong Yu felt several cold gazes sweep over him. Looking to the side, he saw King Lingxiao and Chen Tao gathered together. They were joined by several others, each one radiating intense fluctuations of Elemental Power. Their auras were overwhelming; they were undoubtedly experts at the Divine King level.

“It seems… this trip to the War Spirit Holy Land is destined to be anything but peaceful,” Hong Yu muttered to himself.

…

“Second Brother, is that the man who got you injured by Mao Mei’Er?” a heavily made-up woman in red asked King Lingxiao. Her expression was cold, with a sinister edge.

King Lingxiao nodded. “Red Robe, once we get inside, the first order of business is killing that bastard!”

The Red-clothed God King, the Fourth God King of Xiakang Divine City.

She nodded, her eyes flashing coldly. “Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to kill him and avenge Third Brother!”

King Lingxiao grinned, then turned to the grim-faced Chen Tao. “Brother Chen, did you just say you also have a grudge against that kid?”

“During the competition for the Spirit Cat Race’s Saintess, he plotted against me, and I lost!” Chen Tao said, his face cold.

“Erk!”

King Lingxiao was taken aback.

He looked at Chen Tao with a wry smile.

This Chen Tao was the Second God King of the North and South Divine City. His strength surpassed even the Chrysanthemum King, and his combat power was truly terrifying.

King Lingxiao was also aware that Chen Tao had wanted to use the Spirit Cat Race’s Saintess for dual cultivation, hoping to break through the final threshold and reach the Lord of Divine City Level.

Now that Hong Yu had snatched Miaomiao away, of course he wanted to kill him.

King Lingxiao’s eyes glinted as he laughed. “Don’t worry, his days are numbered! I’ve already made all the necessary arrangements. When the time comes… not only will that little bastard die, but the entire Spirit Cat Race will become vassal slaves to my Xiakang Divine City. When that happens, I’ll personally deliver the Saintess to you!”

“In that case, many thanks, Brother Ling!”

Chen Tao was secretly delighted. After a pause, he added, “Inside the War Spirit Holy Land, if Brother Ling has need of me, I will certainly provide my full assistance!”

“Of course, of course!”

King Lingxiao cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute.

But the Red-clothed God King sneered, “My Xiakang Divine City has dispatched three Divine Kings this time. You can’t be telling me we can’t even deal with that little bastard?”

“…”

Chen Tao rolled his eyes.

He wasn’t afraid of the Red-clothed God King herself. The one he truly feared was her elder brother, the First God King of Xiakang Divine City, a man second only to the two Great City Lords: the Red-haired Demon King, Xiao Tianshu!

「Meanwhile.」

Hong Yu had arrived at the area designated for the Spirit Cat Race.

The Kuafu Race handled matters with great fairness. Even though the Spirit Cat Race was relatively weak, they showed no discrimination, assigning them a location on par with the other powers.

Kua Long said, “Rest for a moment. Everyone has arrived, and we will be opening the War Spirit Holy Land shortly!”

“Thank you for your trouble, Kua Long!”

Mao Mei’Er said with a smile.

Kua Long waved his hand and departed.

「A short while later.」

A Kuafu Race expert, a full twenty-five meters tall, strode to the center of the valley. The aura he emanated was incredibly close to that of a Lord of a Divine City, in no way weaker than King Lingxiao’s.

His voice was like muffled thunder. He walked with thunderous steps, his Dragon Walk and Tiger Stride giving him an imposing, domineering presence.

“Welcome, everyone. Since all have gathered, we will now open the War Spirit Holy Land!”

The Kuafu Race expert wasted no time on pleasantries.

He roared, “Bring forth the offering!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The entire valley trembled as ten Kuafu experts entered, carrying a behemoth on their shoulders.

Bear in mind, each of these Kuafu experts was over twenty meters tall, yet the behemoth required all ten of them to lift it together. One could only imagine how massive it was.

Hong Yu narrowed his eyes.

He could finally see the offering’s true form—it was a Flood Dragon!

A Seventh Grade Flood Dragon!

This Flood Dragon was a full five hundred meters long and pitch-black. Every single Dragon Scale shimmered with a dark, metallic luster. They were like enormous shields, each one five to six meters tall on its own.

The Flood Dragon was not dead.

But it had clearly been forcefully restrained, unable to move at all. Its enormous draconic eyes were filled with despair and desolation.

This was an old dragon!

The majestic aura of a Lord of a Divine City radiated from its body. It was undoubtedly a supreme existence, yet it had still been captured and reduced to a mere sacrifice.

After a lifetime of roaming freely across the heavens!

It was now a prisoner awaiting its doom. It knew its end was near and offered no resistance. There were more than ten experts at the Lord of Divine City Level here; even at its peak, it would not have been their match.

“Slay the dragon! Sacrifice to the ancestral War Spirits! Open the Holy Land!”

The experts of the battle clans roared in unison.

Hong Yu couldn’t help but sit up straight.

Slaying a dragon!

Whether in his past life or this one, this was the stuff of legends. He had never witnessed such a thing. To now see with his own eyes a five-hundred-meter-long Flood Dragon being slaughtered as a sacrifice… it was an absolutely stunning sight!

“Dragon-Slaying Saber!”

The twenty-five-meter-tall Kuafu expert tore open the void, reached inside, and pulled out a Divine Blade.

The blade’s edge flowed with a crimson, bloody light.

This was a Divine Weapon that surpassed the Seventh Grade.

“By Cangtian above and the Earth below, we, the Kuafu Race, beseech the Holy Land to open! We offer this Seventh Grade High Level Black-Patterned Iron Divine Flood Dragon as a sacrifice to the heavens and the earth!”

The Kuafu expert let out a deep roar and swung the Dragon-Slaying Saber. The blade was incomparably sharp, severing the Flood Dragon’s head as if it were made of tofu. Blood poured out like a torrential river, flowing for a full hour.

All this blood pooled in the center of the valley.

A massive, blood-red pit was finally filled. Then, with a resonant HUM, a brilliant light shot straight into the clouds, and a vast Divine Power descended upon the world.

RUMBLE!

Bolts of thunder crashed down from the sky as a huge spatial passage rose from the blood-filled pit.

The War Spirit Ancestral Land was finally open.

Hong Yu stood ramrod straight, his eyes gleaming with intense light. ‘The Ten Thousand Year-old Polygonum multiflorum is in there. My chance to break through to the Primordial Spirit Realm all comes down to this…’

[Author’s Note: The 50-chapter burst is finished. It’s a little bittersweet looking at my empty draft folder. I wrote all this by staying up until 3 AM every single day for the last two weeks. I’m a part-time writer, so I don’t have as much time to write as the full-timers. I was so hopeful for the last big site-wide promotion, but the results were just despairingly bad. Heh, whatever, I’ll stop complaining. I just hope you all will continue to support Qiye! *Immortal Martial Emperor* needs you, and I need you. Otherwise, I feel like I’m really going to break down. Heh, working a lonely job far from home, staying up all night writing, only to get results like this… So many bitter tears for this million-word novel. I’ll cry and I’ll laugh, I’ll be wild and unrestrained. Tonight, just let me get shamelessly drunk…]