Chapter Sixty-Three: A Multitude of Mysteries

Because of a single comment from Ye Qiu, the God of Darkness immediately ordered an assault on the Outer Lands beyond the Other Shore, never expecting that this venture would nearly lead his entire clan to extinction.

But that, of course, is a story for another time!

“Well, that’s enough! So many matters have been settled; there’s no need for more words. Everyone, return to your homes and your mothers, but let me warn you again: do not set foot in the Great Wilderness. If anything happens to you there, I won’t be responsible…”

Seeing that things were more or less resolved, Ye Qiu had no interest in lingering further.

Originally, Ye Qiu had thought this great calamity was connected to the Dark River, but it seemed that wasn’t the case after all.

“So, there’s someone else pulling the strings behind this. Who could it be?” Ye Qiu couldn’t figure it out. He had encountered too little and didn’t understand much, which was only natural.

Hearing Ye Qiu’s warning, the God of Darkness replied solemnly, “Senior, rest assured. So long as you don’t invade our land, we will never again trespass into the Great Wilderness. I can guarantee you that much.”

With Ye Qiu now standing guard over the Great Wilderness, the God of Darkness had completely given up on invading it—it was better to set his sights on the Other Shore instead.

However, the beings living beyond the Outer Lands were not as easy to bully as he had imagined. If his clan wanted to break free from the curse of the Dark River, it would require a complete upheaval.

As for the God of Darkness’s request, Ye Qiu didn’t give an immediate answer, but a thought crossed his mind.

Hmm… Since he’s so afraid of me, shouldn’t I just cross the river and go have some fun in the Outer Lands?

To be honest, Ye Qiu was quite tempted to venture out there, but it did seem rather dangerous.

“Forget it. Survival Guide for Transmigrators: Never take risks lightly. If you mess around too much, you might not make it back! Better to play it safe, develop quietly, and avoid unnecessary risks…”

Not being good at fighting had always been a flaw of Ye Qiu’s, one that he really needed to remedy.

“Enough, I have no interest in your filthy rivers, but I am quite curious about what lies beyond the Outer Lands. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll go take a look around…”

Ye Qiu smiled as he spoke, then called for the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow and turned to leave without another word.

He left the crowd in a state of bewilderment.

“What did the senior just say?”

“It sounded like he wants to go adventuring outside the Outer Lands?”

“Heavens, truly a superior man speaks with such boldness! In millions of years, I’ve never seen anyone dare to venture beyond the Outer Lands, yet he talks about it as if it’s nothing.”

A wave of discussion swept through the crowd, and their respect for Ye Qiu only grew. Such courage! Clearly, his skill matches his daring…

“Let’s go! There’s nothing left to see here. The Great Wilderness is still in turmoil, and we all have our own troubles to deal with…”

After Ye Qiu left, no one else felt like lingering. One by one, they departed.

Liu Jianchen glanced at the God of Darkness with lingering fear, then at Yue Chan atop the Sky-Cleaving Mountain, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his heart.

He hadn’t expected that, after only a brief absence, Yue Chan would break through to the Immortal Realm—a heavy blow to his pride.

Gazing at Ye Qiu’s departing figure, Liu Jianchen pondered deeply before declaring, “It seems that only by following this senior will I have any hope of breaking my shackles and ascending to the Immortal Realm! Heh… I suppose it’s time to shamelessly cling to him like a persistent mongrel. Let’s see if he can refuse to teach me; if he won’t, then I’ll just follow him everywhere and pester him every day…”

Liu Jianchen had made up his mind: he would stick to Ye Qiu, act as his follower, and wait for the day Ye Qiu felt generous enough to teach him a couple of techniques. Perhaps then, he too could break through to the Immortal Realm.

Marvelous, absolutely marvelous! I, Liu Jianchen, am a genius!

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Liu Jianchen hurried to catch up with Ye Qiu, leaving only Yue Chan standing alone in the vast emptiness of the sky.

At that moment, several stunning women emerged from the distant darkness, approached her, and respectfully said, “Mistress, the Southern Barbarians are stirring up trouble in the Desolate Heavens, attempting to attack our Heavenly Palace. The situation at the front is critical; we urgently need you to oversee the battle…”

“The Southern Barbarians?” Yue Chan replied coldly, her gaze still fixed on the distant figure who had already left. “Let’s go.”

She had intended to follow Ye Qiu back and teach him a lesson, but it seemed there was no time for that—perhaps next time.

If Ye Qiu knew about this, he would probably laugh himself to death. The Southern Barbarians were truly considerate, knowing this woman wanted to make things difficult for him, so they deliberately lured her away to give him a break. Good people indeed.

Above the Great Wilderness, the Divine Bird of the Nine Heavens soared with the wind, swooping violently toward the earth. Amid the vast wilderness, a small tavern seemed utterly insignificant in the shadow of the great bird.

“Boss, you’re finally back!”

When Ye Qiu returned to the tavern, Cao He greeted him enthusiastically. “I thought you might never come back and was about to inherit your assets…”

“Get lost…”

Ye Qiu answered with annoyance. This guy thought of nothing but his little bit of wealth, never behaving as a proper subordinate should.

Other people’s followers would do anything for their leader—fighting, bleeding, all for loyalty. But this Cao the Rascal was different; he seemed to wish for Ye Qiu’s early demise, just so he could inherit his estate.

It was simply outrageous. With this kind of underling, Ye Qiu could live to ninety-nine…

Mainly, he didn’t dare die. Otherwise, all these years of painstaking savings for a dowry would end up in this brat’s hands, and Ye Qiu was far too reluctant for that.

“Anything happen while I was gone?”

Ye Qiu pulled out a chair and sat down, asking directly.

Cao He answered honestly, “No, it’s been pretty calm! After a couple of fierce battles, there haven’t been any major conflicts on the plain.”

“Hm? How could that be…” Ye Qiu was puzzled. “It shouldn’t be like this! This catastrophe can’t be over so easily; there must be more chaos to come…”

The true instigators had yet to reveal themselves. Ye Qiu didn’t dare let his guard down. Now that the tavern was completely exposed, his identity would likely be uncovered as well. If someone targeted him, that would be problematic.

“Well, whatever comes, I’ll deal with it as it comes. The real players have not yet appeared, so this game is far from over. I just wonder—who exactly is playing this game, and who are their opponents?”

Ye Qiu muttered to himself. Cao He didn’t understand, nor did he care to, instead asking, “Boss, still no word from your younger brother?”

“No, perhaps he died twenty years ago. Or maybe he was never in the Great Wilderness at all. Otherwise, after all these years of searching, how could there not be a single clue?”

Ye Qiu shook his head and gave a bitter laugh. For twenty years, he had searched, and the man had vanished as if into thin air.

Ye Qiu had even speculated—could his brother have replaced him, crossing over to Ye Qiu’s previous world as Ye Qiu crossed here?

Probably not…

There was little hope left in the Great Wilderness. Ye Qiu planned to wait for the unrest to settle, then search beyond the Outer Lands one last time. If he still found nothing, then so be it.

“All right, you don’t need to worry about this. Just do your job. Things may change again soon, so stay alert…”

With these final instructions, Ye Qiu headed into the courtyard and lay down to sleep.