Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Finally, You Took the Bait

The “candy beans” fed to the villagers were actually very simple: they were Qi-eating Insect Eggs.

He had once deduced a similar Cultivation Method in the Simulation Realm. Now, he had merely perfected it and used it on the villagers.

’The Divine Effect of villagers is that they can eat anything, but it stops at just eating—they can’t truly digest what they consume. Qi-eating Insect Eggs can compensate for this. They’ve never been picky eaters and can help the villagers digest food, which in turn strengthens their stamina and physique.’

And after being modified by the Qi-eating Insects…

Not only would the villagers no longer have to starve, but by eating dirt and tree bark, they could even increase their physical prowess to a level comparable to that of Martial Soldiers.

The only difference between the two was the Life Star.

Under the suppression of a Life Star, even if a dozen villagers attacked at once, a Martial Soldier could channel their Spiritual Essence and make them lose their nerve with a single glance.

But that was the extent of it.

When the number of villagers grew to several dozen, the Martial Soldier’s suppression was no longer absolute. The advantage of quantity had crushed the advantage of quality.

So, Lü Yang also gave the Qi Collection Technique to the villagers.

’The secret of the Qian Heaven One Yuan Supreme Heavenly Divine Technique’s Qi Collection is specifically designed to gather the Qi of the Ten Thousand Martial Realm. A Life Star is, naturally, one such source of Qi.’

Of course, the Qi Collection Technique itself was far too profound for the villagers to understand. So, Lü Yang put his world-shaking intellect to use. With Progenitor Tingyou’s help, he simplified the technique to the extreme, stripping away all its complex contents and redundant functions, leaving only the “Qi-eating” part.

This way, the villagers could use the Qi Collection Technique to collect the Qi of a Life Star.

“Kill a Martial Soldier and collect their Qi, and you’ll become the next Martial Soldier! Or do you plan to be lambs to the slaughter forever?”

Nearly all the villagers’ eyes turned red. The large man in the crowd stared at Lü Yang, who was speaking so eloquently to the masses, with a look of utter horror.

Rationally, he did not want to agree with Lü Yang.

But in that moment, he remembered his own ambition—his refusal to accept the fate of a Martial Soldier, his struggle, and how it all ended with a severe injury that forced him into retirement.

’What if I were to join them?’

’No need for meritorious service, no need to curry favor with superiors, no need for bribes. All I have to do is kill a higher-ranking Military General to obtain their Life Star.’

His eyes gradually turned red.

What happened next was very simple. When the masters of Pioneer City set up their gruel stalls, preparing to perform an act of charity while also picking out a few servants from among the villagers like they were selecting livestock, they were met not with grateful peasants, but with a swarm of locusts.

As it happened, the garrison of Pioneer City had been dispatched by City Lord Wu Changkong to hunt down an Outer Celestial Demon, leaving the entire city unprecedentedly vulnerable.

“Kill! Kill them all… yes, just like that! This is who you truly are!”

“Come, let me help you kill with even more satisfaction!”

Lü Yang scattered the Qi-eating Insect Eggs everywhere. It wasn’t just the villagers; the lowest-tier Life Stars in this world were incredibly numerous, even more so than the insect eggs.

The great chaos began to spread rapidly.

Immediately after, Lü Yang began to spread the Qi-eating Insect Eggs and the Qi Collection Technique throughout the borderlands of the Ten Thousand Martial Realm, inciting rebellions one after another.

And as one might expect, Lü Yang, the instigator of all this chaos, received no punishment.

After all, from start to finish, the ones performing the Qi Collection were all natives of the Ten Thousand Martial Realm. For this Outer Realm, their actions were merely an internal transfer, like moving something from the left hand to the right.

Furthermore, the Ten Thousand Martial Realm itself coveted the Earth Vein Qi that Lü Yang possessed. Therefore, as long as he refrained from personally collecting Qi and occasionally fed a little Earth Vein Qi to this Outer Realm, it was more than happy to turn a blind eye to his activities.

Under these circumstances, Lü Yang’s forces immediately began to swell.

When the most numerous group—the villagers—was incited, the increase in their numbers wasn’t just ten or twenty thousand; it was a true exponential explosion.

One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, four hundred thousand, eight hundred thousand, one million six hundred thousand!

And Lü Yang, who held the Qi-eating Insect Eggs that allowed people to survive by eating dirt and grass without ever starving again, naturally became their leader.

It wasn’t until this point that someone finally noticed something was wrong.

Even so, the decrepit and backward feudal system failed to recognize the danger posed by the villagers in time, merely sending troops haphazardly to suppress them.

This turned into a strategy of feeding their troops into a meat grinder.

Lü Yang didn’t even have to act. The villagers alone easily wiped out the armies sent to suppress them, claiming their Life Stars and equipment for themselves.

In just a few short months, the wildfire-like momentum had become unstoppable.

「Meanwhile」, deep within an old mountain forest, Master Miaoyin, who had escaped long ago, had just awoken from her seclusion, a trace of smugness on her face.

“I succeeded!”

“There are still a few complications, but the fake Life Star I created is enough to fool most people, allowing me to infiltrate the inner workings of this world.”

Master Miaoyin had her own plan for the Ten Thousand Martial Realm. Although its Military Array Technique was formidable—once it reached the scale of Ten Thousand Armies, even she would likely face dire odds—why would she need to confront it head-on? She just had to find a way to assassinate a few of its leaders.

Master Miaoyin’s idea was simple.

First, she would disguise herself as a native. Then, she would find a way to assassinate those blessed by a Demon Star to perform Qi Collection. Although dangerous, the rewards would be the greatest.

However, when she emerged from her seclusion, she found that the situation didn’t seem right.

The city she had previously targeted now looked completely different. It was a land of scorched earth where rivers of blood had flowed, and the City Lord’s head was hanging from the city gate.

’What happened?’

Master Miaoyin immediately began to divine the Karma Links, but Lü Yang had the Prophetic Orrery to conceal his karmic links. With her level of Cultivation, she simply couldn’t deduce the cause and effect.

But some things were clear even without divining karmic links.

“This definitely has something to do with Lü Yang!”

Although she didn’t know how Lü Yang had done it, the fact that he had caused such a huge commotion in just a few short months still made Master Miaoyin feel a little uneasy.

’There’s no time to lose… I should bring Suo Huan over as soon as possible.’

At this thought, Master Miaoyin no longer dared to covet Qi Collection. She immediately returned to her place of seclusion, began to set up an Array, and took out a Glazed Treasure Mirror.

This Enchanted Mirror was called the Void Celestial Mirror, a Superior Sentient Artifact.

She had been using it all along to contact and trade with Suo Huan. The mirror had only one Divine Effect: long-distance communication and item transmission.

If augmented by an Array, it could also teleport people.

Soon, as the Array was laid out, a Splendid Light flared from the Enchanted Mirror. Suo Huan’s figure appeared on its surface, still wearing his affable smile.

The next second, Suo Huan chuckled. “Are you ready, Fellow Daoist?”

“As long as you are willing to sign the Magic Contract.”

Master Miaoyin said in a low voice, “I’ll help you kill Lü Yang, and you’ll help me transcend my tribulation. We are forbidden from killing each other… Once the Magic Contract is formed, I will bring you over immediately.”

“Of course.”

Suo Huan nodded without hesitation. He accepted the Magic Contract passed over by Master Miaoyin and left his Mana Seal on it. Seeing this, Master Miaoyin finally smiled in satisfaction.

Immediately after, Master Miaoyin activated her Magic Formulas. As the light on the Enchanted Mirror grew more and more intense, Suo Huan’s figure in the mirror became clearer and clearer. Finally, with a momentary flicker of light, he took a sudden step forward and actually crossed the divide between Outer Realms, stepping out of the mirror!

Seeing this, Master Miaoyin hurriedly swayed her hips and sashayed forward to greet him. “Fellow Daoist Suo Huan—”

Before the words had even left her lips—

“You finally fell for it.”

The instant Suo Huan appeared, an invisible wave suddenly spread out, unleashing Forbidden Heaven and Earth and immediately immobilizing Master Miaoyin!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep