Chapter 170: Mengdie's Astonishment

Above Antarctica!

After consuming the Life Fruit, the Moyun Vine had curled up into a ball, emitting a brilliant green glow. In Qin Ming's perception, its life aura was surging incessantly, undergoing a heaven-shaking and earth-sapping metamorphosis within.

The Life Fruit contained terrifying vitality. Even if a World Master were severely injured and on the verge of death, consuming a single one could save their life.

Feeding it to the Moyun Vine for evolution was simply using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but this was the fastest method to evolve the vine, and it could even achieve a perfect evolution.

Costing two trillion cosmic coins per fruit, Qin Ming no longer cared about the expense at this stage.

Three hours later, the ball of light suddenly burst apart. A small sapling was seen twisting crazily; its original thirty-six main vines had multiplied to seventy-two, rapidly extending outward. In the blink of an eye, they reached their original length and still did not stop.

One hundred kilometers!
Two hundred kilometers!
Two hundred and ten kilometers!

All seventy-two main vines grew to over two hundred kilometers in length, dancing in the air and blotting out the sun. Like ancient ferocious beasts, they churned the Antarctic winds and clouds, causing glaciers to collapse.

The terrifying might also enveloped the entire Antarctic, causing the ferocious beasts there to shiver and prostrate themselves on the ground.

A casual strike from the vine could blast a hundred-li radius into powder.

"Xiaobai, come here!"

Qin Ming revealed a look of joy and summoned it.

The Moyun Vine flew over swiftly while shrinking, eventually reducing to just over a hundred meters in length. It landed beside Qin Ming, transmitting a joyful telepathic thought: *Yi-ya, yi-ya!*

"Master, Xiaobai has evolved perfectly. Not only has it broken through to the Universe level, but it has also reached the second tier. An attack from a single one of its main vines is equivalent to the strike of a human Universe tier-2 martial artist. Human martial artists of the same rank are basically no match for it, and it can even contend against Universe tier-4 ones!" Little Fatty had already appeared on Qin Ming's shoulder, saying happily, "It shares a telepathic bond with Master. If it transforms into inner armor, it can provide all-around protection!"

"Not bad!" Qin Ming stroked the vine and said, "Xiaobai, guard me closely!"

Xiaobai joyfully danced its vines and tendrils. The next moment, it flew onto Qin Ming's body, rapidly weaving itself into a form-fitting undergarment that could also instantly extend to wrap around his head.

Seventy-two main vines, each over two hundred kilometers long, along with rootlets filling the sky, could ultimately transform into a thin piece of inner armor. It was truly miraculous.

Qin Ming returned to the spaceship without leaving. With a shift of his mind, he descended into the Great Hong World once again.

This time, he brought two Life Fruits with him.

"Let's try it!"

He sat cross-legged on the Enlightenment Platform, first consuming one fruit and operating the Nine-Turn Profound Art to reverse his bloodline, reshape his physical body, and break through.

"One is not enough!"

Being fully prepared and unhurried, he integrated the second fruit into his body. The torrential vitality pushed his origin to evolve rapidly. Half a day later, he reached the second turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art.

Terrifying power raged within Jiang Fan's body.

"With my pure strength right now, I could blow my former self apart!"

This was not an illusion; he genuinely possessed such terrifying power.

The second turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art allowed Jiang Fan's strength to truly reach the absolute limit of the mortal world. He did not stop there, continuing to practice the accompanying body-tempering method to transform his physical strength into an immortal physique, with a sturdiness comparable to a genuine immortal artifact.

After the breakthrough, Jiang Fan returned to the Jiang family. The commandery city was peaceful. Jiang's father, Jiang Shan, and the others were improving rapidly, and the entire Jiang family had long since become the overlord of Baihe Commandery.

Stepping into the high altitude, a single step spanned the horizon like the ends of the earth, and Jiang Fan arrived at the Imperial Capital.

"Fellow Daoist, welcome!"

The moment Song Qian, the Human Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, saw Jiang Fan, his eyelids twitched wildly, and he greeted him with a smiling face.

"I've come this time simply to ask: when will the opportunity you spoke of descend?"

Jiang Fan did not exchange pleasantries and asked directly.

He also discovered that within Song Qian's body, torrential power was contained, along with a hidden ultimate weapon that made his scalp tingle.

"At the shortest five years, at the longest twenty years, the opportunity will definitely descend!" Song Qian said solemnly. "Once we seize this opportunity, even if we ascend to the Immortal Realm in the future, we will not be at the very bottom. You had better wait and not ascend. For the sake of this opportunity, I have suppressed my cultivation for several centuries."

"It's going to take that long?" Jiang Fan frowned.

"It's not long; it's just that your cultivation speed is too fast! Which ordinary person doesn't need over a hundred years to cultivate to Earth Immortality? Only you are a miracle, a Child of Destiny," Song Qian smiled. "You should first comprehend your realm, suppress your cultivation, and when you finally break through the boundary between heaven and humanity in one stroke, you will advance by leaps and bounds. Of course, this is even more of a sedimentation, a form of accumulation."

"Alright!" Jiang Fan nodded. "I have another matter for coming here this time: how about we wipe out the Heavenly Demon Mountain and the Blood Demon Abyss together?"

"I've always wanted to wipe them out, but I was restrained by the fear of rats when breaking sacred vessels—worried that driven to desperation, they would scatter and plunge the world's people into chaos. The destruction of the Heavenly Demon Sect last time happened because they wanted to open the realm gate, which ultimately kept the restless Blood Demon Abyss and Heavenly Demon Mountain from moving. If one of these two places is destroyed now, the other faction will undoubtedly riot without hesitation. Now that we have your assistance, there could be nothing better!" Song Qian was overjoyed. "Your current cultivation is no less than mine. Why don't we each take one place?"

"What about the Supreme Sword Sect and those other sects?"

"Their influence is rooted in the human race. Even if they don't stand with the imperial court, they will prioritize the interests of the sect and the human race. There's no need to worry about this! Only the Dragon Clan is wavering; if they dare to jump out, we'll wipe them out as well!"

"Fellow Daoist Song is truly magnanimous. Then I shall go wipe out the Blood Demon Abyss!"

"Hahaha, good! Give me ten days to prepare. After we wipe out the sects, we will also uproot their worldly influences and eradicate them completely!"

Ten days later, Jiang Fan descended above the Blood Demon Abyss.

This was an abyss filled with billowing blood qi and heavy ghostly fog, home to a massive number of fiends. They were extremely mysterious, ferocious, and terrifying, feared by all in the mortal world. Without a word, Jiang Fan directly deployed forty-nine Tiangang Swords.

Every single Tiangang Sword was a lower-grade immortal artifact.

Combined together, they formed a terrifying sword array.

*Hum, hum, hum!*

The firmament shook as the Blood Demon Abyss was enveloped. Sword qi, condensed to the extreme, instantly tore countless lesser fiends within the abyss into powder.

The mountains, rivers, and palace complexes within were all covered.

*Hum, hum, hum!*

The grand array inside had just begun to operate when it instantly shattered. In the flick of an arm, a space three thousand li in radius inside turned into utter chaos.

A sword array—an immortal sword array at that—was an unsolvable calamity when placed in the mortal world.

Inside, whatever magical treasure or precious tool it was, shattered with a loud bang in the blink of an eye, leaving not a single speck behind.

This was a power that transcended the laws of the mortal realm.

"During the calamity of Baihe Commandery city back then, one of the culprits came from the Blood Demon Abyss!"

Jiang Fan had not forgotten. Yet two or three breaths later, his face turned pale; ninety percent of his magical power had been exhausted, leaving him unable to sustain it.

Although a vast amount of upper-grade spiritual liquid was refined, it fell far short of making up for the consumption.

"Although the Immortal Sword Array is strong, the consumption is simply terrifying!"

"The people of the Blood Demon Abyss should be completely dead by now, right?"

"If they aren't dead, there's no justice!"

Jiang Fan thought to himself.

He withdrew the sword array, opened his magical eyes, and looked downward, only to see a streak of black light hurtling toward him, reaching mid-air in the blink of an eye. It was a pitch-black pagoda, rippling with black light and weakened to the extreme.

Beneath the pagoda stood three people. Two of them had faces as pale as paper with blood staining their chests, while the remaining middle-aged man looked spirited yet was consumed by towering rage.

"Who are you? How dare you destroy my Blood Demon Abyss?"

"I, Long Tao, have been the master of the Blood Demon Abyss for seven hundred years, and I have never suffered such a loss!"

"Thirty-six thousand disciples, all wiped out by you!"

"The grand array collapsed, eighteen hundred treasured tools shattered, and even the immortal-artifact-grade Demonic Light Pagoda was nearly ruined. Every single disciple and elder inside was shaken to death!"

"I'll have you die!"

Long Tao roared long and hard as he charged over.

Clearly, he had refrained from acting earlier precisely to prevent exhausting his magical power, ensuring he wouldn't be left without the strength for a final battle.

As he spoke, he lunged forward, his punch piercing the firmament.

A gauntlet appeared on his fist, condensing the might of an immortal artifact.

Long Tao was extremely confident in this punch.

After all, his gauntlet was a genuine immortal artifact—or rather, demonic artifact—and he himself was at his peak state. As for Jiang Fan? Having just controlled the grand array, he must undoubtedly be at the end of his tether.

"I'll smash your physical body first, then imprison your primordial spirit!"

Such was his plan.

Jiang Fan, however, merely smiled slightly. His bones vibrated, and power surged.

"Let's see whether your fist is harder or mine is!"

The power of the second turn of the Nine-Turn Profound Art drove the might of eighty-one layers of inch-punches.

*Boom...*!

With this punch, Jiang Fan directly smashed an empty hole through space. Seeing this, Long Tao's expression changed in utter shock. The next moment, their fists collided. With a resounding explosion, his demonic gauntlet was directly blasted to pieces, followed instantly by his shattering arm and exploding shoulder.

"How could there be such terrifying strength? Blasting apart an immortal weapon? This is the mortal realm!"

Long Tao was terrified to the core. Even as the thought spun in his mind, the force transmitted through, causing his chest and head to explode entirely.

The might of a single punch shattered an immortal artifact and destroyed a sect master.

"You two go die as well!"

Seeing this, the two supreme elders of the Blood Demon Abyss beneath the pagoda were terror-stricken and wanted to flee, but how could they possibly escape in time?

They were struck down one after another by Jiang Fan.

Then, with a wave of his large sleeve, he collected the pagoda and the remaining spatial rings.

Looking back inside the Blood Demon Abyss, it had turned into a muddy mess, leaving nothing behind.

"Am I this strong now?"

Jiang Fan smiled faintly, stepped into the void, returned to the Imperial Capital, and stood atop the Ninefold Violet Firmament Tower to await Song Qian's return.

Not long after, the emperor who dominated the mortal world returned.

"You're actually faster than me. Remarkable!" Song Qian gave a thumbs-up, then tossed over a spatial ring. "Inside are some spiritual pills and immortal herbs!"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Jiang Fan caught it without checking and smiled slightly. "I'm heading back to continue secluded cultivation. Notify me if anything comes up!"

With that, he stepped into the air and departed.

"Remarkable!" Looking at Jiang Fan's retreating figure, Song Qian sighed. Before returning, he had gone to check on the Blood Demon Abyss and found that it had been thoroughly obliterated, which had shocked even him.

"If I were to go up against him, the outcome would truly be hard to predict," he thought to himself, then shouted aloud, "Issue an imperial decree: confer upon Jiang Zhen'an of the Jiang family in Baihe Commandery city the title of hereditary Prince Suppressing the South, with Baihe Commandery as his hereditary fiefdom!"

Jiang Fan paid no mind to Song Qian's goodwill, nor did he care.

The Jiang family was already quite powerful now. If they grew for a bit longer and nurtured Jiang Zhen'an and Jiang Fan into Earth Immortal powerhouses, everything would be worry-free.

As for the present, Jiang Shan was already married with one wife and three concubines, and had three sons. As for Jiang Zhen'an, he had also fathered two sons, who were essentially Jiang Fan's younger brothers.

As for his younger sister, having entered a second-rate sect in her early years, she had also returned early upon the rise of the Jiang family.

Coupled with the title of hereditary Prince Suppressing the South, the Jiang family would be worry-free for at least five hundred years.

That was enough!

Within Jade Spring Manor, Jiang Fan sat cross-legged on the Enlightenment Platform.

He sorted through the spoils of war he had acquired, began swallowing the spiritual pills and immortal herbs within, and cultivated the Jade Void Scripture. Combined with the upper-grade spiritual liquid, it wasn't long before the second layer of the Jade Void Scripture reached perfection.

From this point on, practicing both body and technique, Jiang Fan had truly reached the ultimate peak.

"I'll just wait for the opportunity Song Qian spoke of to descend, and then break through the void to ascend and take a look at the Earth Immortal Realm."

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, his consciousness crossed space and time, returning to the Devouring Starry Sky universe and transforming back into Qin Ming.

Devouring Starry Sky, Earth's Antarctic.

Inside the *Qin Emperor* spaceship, Qin Ming opened his eyes.

"Little Fatty, is there anything going on?!"

"Master, Luo峰 and the other two returned early this morning and are looking for you!"

"They're back already? Good then, let's go home!"

The spaceship roared away. In a mere dozen seconds, it arrived above the Qin family castle, and Little Fatty sent out a notification. Moments later, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God arrived together.

In the hall on the ninth floor of the castle, the four of them sat down, leisurely sipping tea.

By now, the castles of all four families had been placed here. Being close by made things convenient.

They all understood that in the days to come, most of their time would be spent conquering the universe; it was better to settle their families together so they could protect one another.

The maidservants pouring tea just now had all been purchased Planet-level slaves.

"Earth's sovereignty is already in our own hands. From now on, we have also thoroughly integrated into the cosmic macrocosm!" Luo Feng smiled. "And with the purchased Universe-level slaves holding down the fort, unless Domain Lords come, it's as secure as an iron bucket. Our homeland has no worries behind it. As for the Noulan Shan family? If they don't come, fine; if they do come, we'll wipe them out completely, and furthermore, eradicate this family entirely from the roots!"

Luo Feng's domineering aura soared to the heavens.

"Anyone who dares provoke us should be wiped out!" Thunder God was also in high spirits.

Even Hong, usually calm and steady, smiled and nodded, though he also sighed with emotion, "It's great to have money. You can buy planets, you can buy slaves, and you can rapidly improve your strength!"

"Money is good, but strength is even better!" Qin Ming said as he flipped his hand over, producing three Life Fruits and tossing them out. They landed respectively in front of Luo Feng and the other two.

"What is this?" Luo Feng caught his, examining it closely, but clearly did not recognize it.

Thunder God and Hong were also puzzled.

However, Babata on Luo Feng's shoulder let out a shrill scream: "Good heavens, is this—is this a Life Fruit? Qin Ming, don't you dare tell me this is that thing!"

"Babata, you still have the best eye for things!" Qin Ming gave a thumbs-up.

"It really is?!" Babata exclaimed in shock. "How did you get this? This thing is worth a fortune—a single one is worth an entire star system!"

"What? One is worth a star system?" Luo Feng's eyes widened instantly.

"You've gotta be kidding me, right?" Thunder God shuddered.

Hong couldn't remain calm either.

An entire star system! What kind of concept was that?

For a moment, all their heads were spinning.

"Even if it's not quite worth a star system, it's not far off!" Babata had already calmed down, though the gaze it directed at Qin Ming was exceptionally fiery. "This is a Life Fruit, something that can save a World Master's life. What kind of value do you think it has?"

"Something that can save a World Master's life?"

Luo Feng and the other two all grinned wryly.

"A Life Fruit! A cosmic treasure worth roughly two trillion cosmic coins, and even then, there's a market for it but no supply. It generally only appears at auctions!" Babata explained. "Auctions of this caliber at least cater to the entire Ganwu Universe country. Without being a three-star customer of the Universe Galaxy Bank, you aren't even qualified to participate. Those who reach three-star customer status are basically all World Masters."

"Two trillion cosmic coins?" Luo Feng clicked his tongue, his eyes instantly turning exceptionally bright and fixated on Qin Ming with a burning gaze. "You really are a filthy rich tycoon. But what's the use of this stuff?"

"To evolve the Moyun Vine; it can reach the Universe level," Qin Ming said.

"For the Moyun Vine?" Babata hurriedly shook its head. "Such a waste!"

"No worries, we have money!" Qin Ming smiled.

Babata was left speechless.

Luo Feng and the other two were even more speechless.

"But I don't have a Moyun Vine!" Thunder God said, feeling aggrieved.

"Then buy one. If you're short on cash, I'll make up the difference for you!" Qin Ming waved his hand indifferently.

"Third Brother, I just love this bold generosity of yours!" Thunder God was overjoyed. "Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

The four of them joked and laughed without any tension, paying no heed whatsoever to the Noulan Shan family's upcoming second wave of enemies.

After the casual chat, everyone returned to their respective homes.

Qin Ming discovered that his father, mother, and younger sister spent virtually all day immersed in the Virtual Universe, which saved him a bit of trouble.

Arriving aboard the *Qin Emperor*, his consciousness entered the Virtual Universe, arriving at the stancove villa district on Black Dragon Mountain Island. Within moments, he reached the Slaughter Arena.

"Oh, you brat have undergone some unfathomable changes!" In a corner, Man Luo, lying on a rocking chair, saw Qin Ming walking over and his eyes lit up immediately. "Which aspect has broken through?"

"You'll never guess!" Qin Ming sat down to the side and smiled.

"What's there not to guess?" Man Luo said. "You've definitely gained enlightenment in the Great Void Horizon Step, or perhaps stepped into the first layer?"

"That's only one of them!"

"So you really comprehended it? Your comprehension ability, you brat, is truly freakish. And that's just one of them? You've comprehended the Law of Wind and the Domain of Wind—you must have grasped the ninth-tier domain, right?!"

"I went to Master's library last time and comprehended it directly inside!"

"Little freak! What else is there?"

"It's a secret!"

"You brat!" Man Luo shook his head without pressing further. "Then why are you here? Looking for tempering?"

"Not yet time!" Qin Ming smiled. "Have you old man spotted any good seedlings?"

"Three little fellows are exceptionally good!" Man Luo said. "One is at stellar level one, and two are at planet level nine. All of them have comprehended the Dao of Domains, counting as quite remarkable geniuses. Of course, they can't compare to you!"

"Could it be that one is named Luo Feng, one Hong, and one Thunder God?"

"How did you know?"

"We come from the same place, how could I not know?"

"Birds of a feather really do flock together!" Man Luo shook his head repeatedly. "I was just getting ready to test them and see what their limits are!"

"You're definitely in for a big surprise!" Qin Ming said. "Luo Feng's comprehension is peerless; he has already comprehended the Origin Laws of the Universe. Hong's domain has reached the fourth tier, and he has also sensed the fluctuations of the Light Origin Laws; even Thunder God's domain has stepped into the second-tier realm."

"Really?" Man Luo was surprised.

"Would I lie to you?" Qin Ming smiled.

Compared to their original trajectory, these individuals had all improved significantly, which was inseparable from his secret influence and guidance. As for the future? The sky wasn't going to fall anyway, was it?

"Put that way, they really are a few good seedlings." Man Luo grew interested.

Qin Ming didn't stay long before bidding farewell and leaving.

He had come this time simply to catch up on old times.

No matter how close a relationship was, if left untouched for too long, a sense of distance would inevitably arise.

After leaving, Qin Ming directly applied to visit the Sea of Blood Fragrant Tower once again.

"Second Senior Sister, please enlighten me!"

In the hall, Qin Ming bowed to Mengdie, who was still half-reclining with her jade-white bare feet exposed.

"I said before, until you enter the first layer of the Great Void Horizon Step, I won't guide you!" Mengdie's voice was extremely calm. "It's only been half a month or so, and you've already comprehended the first layer?"

"Second Senior Sister, have a look!"

Qin Ming smiled slightly, standing without moving, yet his aura shifted continuously.

"This...!"

Mengdie abruptly stood up. Facing Qin Ming, her tranquil expression, holy countenance, and visage capable of plunging billions of living beings into infatuation all revealed a look of utter shock.