Spirit Realm Chapter 561-562

Chapter 561: The People of God

Silver moonlight descended upon the water, shimmering on the rippling waves in a calm and peaceful manner.

Figures floated on the surface of the endless sea, heading in the direction of the Heavenly Slaughter Continent.

Seven young martial practitioners silently sat on prayer mats atop the water that seemed to have been woven from weeds. They wore cautious expressions, speaking to each other in low voices every now and then.

“The Pan Family received a message from Illusory Demon Sect and attacked us for the remains of ancient elites from the Land of Buried Gods,” Qin Lie said, looking at the water in the distance with narrowed eyes. He used his soul perception to examine the surroundings. “Celestial Artifact Sect definitely told everyone that the bodies would be in the seas between continents. This would make every force start a widespread search. We’ll probably encounter multiple search parties on our way to the Heavenly Slaughter Continent. We from the Scarlet Tide Continent are relatively unknown and shouldn’t attract attention.”

He turned to look at Luo Chen, Du Xiangyang, and Xue Moyan.

“But you three stand out too much.”

“You’re too famous in the Land of Chaos. Many people know how you look,” Song Tingyu added. “Especially you, Xue Moyan. You’re a prominent figure of Illusory Demon Sect. Most people in this area will probably recognize you.”

“Changing one’s appearance is a simple thing,” Xue Moyan replied.

Taking out a small porcelain bottle, she dripped a few beads of amber liquid onto her hand. She then softly rubbed them onto her face, making adjustments to her facial features.

A few seconds later, she wore a completely new face. It looked ordinary, significantly different from her original face.

Du Xiangyang smiled. “Such a thing is child’s play.”

He took out an opaque mask, casually put it on his face, and immediately turned into someone else.

Luo Chen did the same.

“Miss Song. Miss Xie. If you’re willing to disguise your beauty, I think we’ll be able to avoid a bit more trouble,” Du Xiangyang said casually.

“Mn. We’re fine with that,” Song Tingyu answered.

She and Xie Jingxuan quickly altered their faces.

“Much better.” Qin Lie grinned as he looked at the unfamiliar faces around him. He thought to himself for a moment, then said, “We still need a ship.”

Everyone instinctively looked into the water below.

On this bright, moonlit night, if one were to look under the water, they’d be able to see enormous silhouettes in its depths.

—These were the god corpses.

If someone went into the water, they would be shocked to discover that the eight god corpses, which had disappeared from the bottom of the ocean near the Heavenly Fissure Continent, were/travelled beneath Qin Lie and the others.

The prayer mats that seemed to be made of weeds were actually woven from the hair of the god heads. Since the heads of the god corpses reached just below the surface of the water, Qin Lie’s group could sit on top of them as the vessels that would take them to the Heavenly Slaughter Continent.

Under the water’s surface, the eight god corpses floated in a wide circular formation, their sixteen arms tied together with tree branches.

An enormous basket, likewise made from tree branches, floated through the sixty-five square meters of water between the god corpses. The god corpses held onto this basket, pulling the twenty three bodies of ancient elites that lay within it.

Suppressing the energy fluctuations within them so they didn’t create any waves, the god corpses silently moved underwater.

If someone were to look into the ocean at this very moment, they would see enormous shadows under the water. If it were daytime, however, and the sun were shining down onto the sea, the god corpses and the giant basket holding the remains of ancient elites wouldn’t have anywhere to hide.

“Mn,” Du Xiangyang grunted in agreement. “The god corpses can’t stay near the water’s surface. If they did, we’d definitely be exposed. They need to be concealed deep underwater to avoid search parties traveling through the air, so they definitely can’t carry us all the way.”

“Small boats made from branches won’t work. We’ll draw attention if we’re seen journeying across the ocean in a small vessel,” Qin Lie said calmly, rubbing his chin. “We need to capture a ship of suitable size.”

“It’s a pity that all three of the Pan Family’s crystalline war chariots were reduced to scrap,” Luo Chen said.

“I hope the first force we encounter is easy to deal with,” Gao Yu said, eyes cold. “I also hope they have a big ship we can… borrow.”

“There’ll be ships and flying spirit artifacts to use, Gao Yu.” Qin Lie frowned. “Are you really going to leave immediately?”

“I have other things to do.”

“Take three ancient elite corpses with you.”

“I’ve achieved my goal of obtaining the Evil God’s body. I currently don’t have the energy to take care of the other corpses and also don’t have a place to store them. Hold on to them for me, Qin Lie. When I’ve taken care of my matters and have need of them, I’ll find you.”

“You’re really going?”

“Mn. I want to find Jia Yue.”

“You know where she is?”

“The ice spirit won’t possess her body forever. It just wanted to avoid the Demon Sealing Tombstone and escape the Graveyard of Gods. Since the Graveyard of Gods collapsed and it no longer has to worry about being sealed by the Demon Sealing Tombstone, it should return to its original body.” Determination filled Gao Yu’s face. “In other words, Jia Yue will be fine. I… made an agreement with her. If she’s alive, she’ll go to a few places to wait for me. I must go to her.”

Seeing that Gao Yu had already made his decision, Qin Lie didn’t push the matter any further.

“I understand.”

Six days later, the strong afternoon sun shone onto the sea, the enormous shadows just below its surface easily discernable. Qin Lie and the others sat atop these enormous shadows and continued to travel toward the Heavenly Slaughter continent.

Their group had been relatively lucky thus far. They had yet to encounter any search parties or intelligent beings.

Qin Lie rested on the head of one of the god corpses, his eyes closed.

He felt confused.

Although the Demon Sealing Tombstone had sealed the earth, metal, and water spirits more than ten days ago, it still hadn’t given him any blood essences.

Essence emerged from the Demon Sealing Tombstone not long after it sealed the fire, wood, and thunder spirits, which he would then turn into blood essences using the Blood Refinement Art.

However, as the days continued to pass, the Demon Sealing Tombstone didn’t make a sound. Qin Lie gradually grew worried and started to suspect that something had happened to it.

When he spoke to Song Tingyu about his confusion, she thought to herself for a moment. Then she said, “The fire, wood, and thunder spirits were sealed and refined one by one. Of course you wouldn’t have to wait long for them. This time, the metal, earth, and water spirits were sealed all at once. The Demon Sealing Tombstone needs to refine all three spirits at once, so it’ll naturally take three times as long, maybe even more. Just wait a little while longer. I think the Demon Sealing Tombstone will undergo a transformation soon.”

“I hope so.” Qin Lie smiled.

He and Song Tingyu sat atop the head of the same god corpse. Xie Jingxuan, Gao Yu, Du Xiangyang, Luo Chen, and Xue Moyan were there as well, just a bit further from them. As long as the two of them didn’t talk loudly, the other five would be hard pressed to hear what they were talking about.

“How did you know that these god corpses, the Blood Progenitor, and the Voodoo Progenitor weren’t completely dead? That they just suffered the self-destruction of their Imperishable Souls?” Song Tingyu asked in a low voice. “Other than the divine language you use to communicate with the god corpses, did you receive anything else from the Demon Sealing Tombstone?”

“Yeah.” Qin Lie couldn’t keep it a secret from her. “I did receive more information.”

Along with the divine language, the Demon Sealing Tombstone had transmitted memories about the Graveyard of Gods and the eight god corpses into his mind. Those memories… he didn’t mention them to Luo Chen and the others.

Song Tingyu’s eyes lit up. “The god corpses and the Graveyard of Gods… what are they really?”

“According to the memories I received, what we know as the Graveyard of Gods is actually a divine altar that the Heaven Fighting Race uses to train its descendants. It isn’t a public burial ground, a place for ancient elites to be laid to rest. All of that is fake. The thunder lagoon and the Land of Buried Gods are just places to store power and resources,” Qin Lie said in a low voice. He paused, then continued, “The Graveyard of Gods, this divine altar… it’s basically like a blood pool. It was created for the development of the Heaven Fighting Race’s descendants.”

“The Heaven Fighting Race?” Song Tingyu exclaimed in shock.

Qin Lie nodded then said, “I learned that the Heaven Fighting Race probably built more divine altars similar to the Graveyard of Gods, all of which are sub-worlds independent from Spirit Realm!”

“A-are there a lot of them?” Song Tingyu asked, trembling.

“Yes!” Qin Lie exclaimed without a doubt. “The bodies of the Blood Progenitor, the Voodoo Progenitor, the Evil God, and the other ancient elites… the Heaven Fighting Race probably got them using unconventional means!”

“Unconventional means? What do you mean?” Song Tingyu covered her mouth in astonishment.

“They may have killed them and then collected their bodies or stole the bodies from their resting places.” After a moment, Qin Lie shook his head and pushed the stray thoughts from his mind. “It doesn’t matter how they got them, we’ll just use them. We may even be able to use the Demon Sealing Tombstone to find other altars in the future. By that time, there will probably be tons of ancient elite bodies for us to seize and use.”

“What about these eight god corpses?” Song Tingyu asked in a small voice.

“The members of the Heaven Fighting Race consider themselves gods. These god corpses… the Heaven Fighting Race calls them the people of god,” Qin Lie shook his head and laughed. “These supposed people of god serve the Heaven Fighting Race with unshakeable loyalty. In other words, they worship them.”

“Stop muttering to yourselves,” Du Xiangyang yelled from his position at the front of the god corpse’s head. His expression grew serious as he got to his feet. “I think we’ve got trouble.”

Qin Lie and Song Tingyu immediately stopped talking. They stood up, looked out at the sea before them, and saw enormous sails in the distance. Multiple iron ships, each nearly a hundred meters long, raised the same embroidered flag.

“Can you see the insignia on the flag?” Xue Moyan asked Du Xiangyang in a loud voice.

“An enormous golden sun,” Du Xiangyang replied, his voice just as loud.

“Those ships belong to Gold Sun Island, a Copper force stronger than the Pan Family. Their island master is at the peak of the Fragmentation Realm and has almost broken through to the Nirvana Realm!”

Everyone looked at Qin Lie.

“The peak of the Fragmentation Realm …” Qin Lie said, thinking to himself. Then a serious look came over him as he asked, “Only the island master is at that level?”

“Yes, just him,” Xue Moyan answered immediately.

“Then there shouldn’t be a problem. Even if we’re exposed, the god corpses should be able to deal with it.” Qin Lie nodded.

As soon as he said this, everyone relaxed.

Chapter 562: Gold Sun Island

With their combat abilities, it wouldn’t be much of a problem for the eight god corpses to kill a martial practitioner at the peak of the Fragmentation Realm.

Once he made sure that the island master of Gold Sun Island was the only one at the peak of the Fragmentation Realm, Qin Lie’s worries disappeared.

“We can try making contact,” Qin Lie said, determination shining in his eyes. “It would obviously be best for if we didn’t expose ourselves and manage to get a free ride to the place that Senior Sister Xue spoke of.”

“Shall we try, then?” Song Tingyu’s eyes lit up.

“We can try. Even if they find out who we are or have ill intentions, it won’t be too late to summon the god corpses.” Xue Moyan sighed.

“Is something else on your mind, Senior Sister Xue?” Qin Lie asked, surprised.

“This Copper rank force, Gold Sun Island… they are kind of related to Blood Fiend Sect,” she said softly. “If we end up having to kill them… I’ll regret it.”

“What do you mean?” Qin Lie asked.

“Gold Sun Island’s island master, Xing Yumiao, should be a member of the Xing Family. Like the Xiahou, Su, and Lin Families… the Xing Family was one of the five great families of the Heavenly Calamity Continent,” Xue Moyan explained. “The five great families used to be Blood Fiend Sect’s Copper rank vassal forces, serving the sect in order to survive. The Xing and Miao Families, however, were purged along with Blood Fiend Sect. They fell into decline and eventually disappeared from the continent. The Xiahou, Lin, and Su Families then rose to prominence in the Heavenly Calamity Continent by using Blood Fiend Sect’s destruction as a stepping stone.”

Qin Lie seemed to understand the situation somewhat.

“Were the Xing and Miao Families loyal to Blood Fiend Sect?” he asked.

“Yes.” Xue Moyan nodded. She appeared relatively calm as she said, “It’s exactly because the Xing Family and the Miao Family stayed loyal to Blood Fiend Sect, that they were destroyed.”

“This Xing Yumiao is a member of the Xing Family?” Qin Lie asked.

“The remainder of the Xing and Miao Families knew that they wouldn’t be able to survive in the Heavenly Calamity Continent. The Xiahou, Lin, and Su Families hunted them down, so they could only venture out into the ocean. In the end, Xing Yumiao became the island master of Gold Sun Island, and Miao Yangxu became the valley master of Green Moon Valley. Both of them are descendants of the Xing and Miao Families.” Xue Moyan sighed. “Xing Yumiao and Miao Yangxu are capable people. They fought to establish themselves in the Heavenly Slaughter Continent so the remaining members of the Xing and Miao Families could have a place to live.”

“What is Xing Yumiao’s current attitude towards Blood Fiend Sect? Have you tried to get in contact with him?” Qin Lie asked grimly.

Qin Lie said “you,” but he was actually referring to Xue Moyan and the members of Blood Fiend Sect. Those people were currently hiding in the Heavenly Slaughter Continent. They knew that Gold Sun Island and Green Moon Valley were closely connected to the Xing and Miao Families.

Yet… why did it seem like they hadn’t tried to recruit either force?

“Blood Fiend Sect did contact them, but they refused to associate with Blood Fiend Sect.” Xue Moyan said, a dull expression on her face. “Blood Fiend Sect became a public enemy of the Land of Chaos. If I were Xing Yumiao or Miao Yangxu, I wouldn’t want to get involved with Blood Fiend Sect again either.”

“It’s been so many years,” Du Xiangyang said, his mouth twisted into a sneer. “Xing Yumiao and Miao Yangxu are just descendants of the Xing and Miao Families. They probably don’t feel any connection to Blood Fiend Sect.”

“I believe that must be the case as well.” Xue Moyan nodded slightly.

“Gold Sun Island’s ships are getting closer,” Song Tingyu said in a low voice. “If we want to try the peaceful approach, you need to have the god corpses descend now, Qin Lie.”

“Prepare to swim, everyone!” Qin Lie shouted.

Immediately after he said that, he leaped into the ocean. He then took out the Demon Sealing Tombstone and sent commands to the god corpses.

Dragging the enormous basket with them, the eight god corpses quickly descended deep into the sea.

The six people that remained standing on the heads of the god corpses immediately plunged into the water and had to use spirit power to stay afloat.

“What should we say to those people of Gold Sun Island when they get here?” Luo Chen asked as he treaded water. “What should our identities be?”

“Let’s say that we were travelling from the Heavenly Calamity Continent to the Heavenly Slaughter Continent, and a storm destroyed our ship in the middle of the journey, forcing us into the ocean,” Xue Moyan said, making up a story for everyone. “Many martial practitioners from the Heavenly Calamity Continent are too poor to afford the exorbitant fees of intercontinental teleportation. Since they can’t use the teleportation formations to reach the Heavenly Slaughter Continent, most endure the long voyages. Some find themselves stuck at the verge of breaking through to the next realm, so they use also choose the travel to the Heavenly Slaughter Continent by ship to gain experience at sea and take in the vast scenery of water.”

Xue Moyan paused then said,” Any name should be fine as long as our surnames aren’t Xiahou, Lin, or Su.”

“So Gold Sun Island and Green Moon Valley still hate the three great families of the Heavenly Calamity Continent?” Song Tingyu asked in surprise.

“They hate them down to their very bones!” Xue Moyan nodded. “It’s a pity that Gold Sun Island and Green Moon Valley are just Copper rank forces. In all these years, they’ve never dared to enter the Heavenly Calamity Continent because they know that the three great families hate them as well. They only dare to attack members of the three great families in the Heavenly Slaughter Continent.”

“Once Blood Fiend Sect has been rebuilt, maybe we can use that hate to recruit them,” Qin Lie said, rubbing his chin.

As they spoke, the eight god corpses had long sunk deep into the sea.

Enormous shadows no longer appeared just below the water’s surface.

The flag embroidered with a golden sun slowly drew nearer. Five gigantic steel ships parted the waves.

A few minutes later, a Sword Leaf Boat emerged from the large ship. The small, fast-moving boat carried five Gold Sun Island martial practitioners. They wore golden clothing with the insignia of a sun at the center of their backs.

“Who are you?” the leader of the five asked harshly. “Why are you swimming in the ocean? Where’s your ship?”

Xue Moyan quickly narrated their prepared backstory.

“We hail from the Heavenly Calamity Continent,” she said. “We… we didn’t have enough spirit stones to pay the fees required to use the teleportation formations, so we could only travel by ship. Some time ago, we were unlucky enough to encounter a storm. It destroyed our ship and left us floating in the ocean.”

“Just you?” The people on the Sword Leaf Boat clearly didn’t believe her. “Ships that traverse the ocean usually carry thousands of people. Your ship was destroyed, but only seven of you survived?”

“The winds and the waves separated all of the survivors, carrying everyone else to other places,” Xue Moyan said. “We’re the only ones here.”

“You were headed to the Heavenly Slaughter Continent?” the leader asked.

“Yes.”

“To do what?”

“Gain experience.”

“What are you called?”

Everyone in Qin Lie’s group reported fake names, making sure that they didn’t use the surnames Xiahou, Lin, or Su. They also mentioned that they lived on the outskirts of the Heavenly Calamity Continent.

When it was his turn, Qin Lie’s mind went into overdrive and said he was called “Xing Lie.”

When he did, the person questioning them immediately looked at Qin Lie and interrogated him about his ancestors.

“I don’t remember much about my ancestors. Since I was young, I lived deep in the mountains with my family. My grandfather always said that our Xing Family originally prospered, but had to hide in the mountains to avoid a calamity,” Qin Lie said with a sigh, then continued, “Before he died, grandfather warned us not to tell anyone in the Heavenly Calamity Continent that my surname was Xing. He constantly told me that, if I had the chance, I should leave the Heavenly Calamity Continent as soon as possible. Only when I left would I be able to tell people my true name.”

“What’s your surname?” the leader asked, his stern expression wavering. “Say it again.”

“Xing,” Qin Lie, said in a natural manner. “My name is Xing Lie.”

“Let them come aboard!” a soft, feminine voice resounded from the largest ship that had stopped in front of Qin Lie’s group. A trace of excitement could be heard in it. “Xiao Wu, bring the boy named Xing Lie to me. Alone. I want to question him!”

“Yes, Big Sister!” A youth on the Sword Leaf Boat immediately nodded. He then turned to Qin Lie and the others, saying, “Come! Follow me to the ship.”

Then, after a moment of hesitation, he beckoned Qin Lie forward.

“You!” he said. “Come here! This Sword Leaf Boat can carry one more person. You may come aboard, Xing Lie.”

“This… this isn’t appropriate, right?” Qin Lie said, embarrassment showing on his face as he looked at the rest of his group still floating in the water.

“Nothing’s wrong.” The youth’s attitude toward Qin Lie clearly improved. “Come on now. Climb aboard.”

“I’m… I’m so sorry.” Qin Lie made his way onto the Sword Leaf Boat as Song Tingyu and the others watched.

The youth was even nice enough to give him dry clothing to wear.

The rest of Qin Lie’s group still floated in the ocean, soaking in the water. They channeled spirit energy as they watched the Sword Leaf Boat speed back to the largest ship. All they could do was follow the boat as fast as they could.

“That Motherf***er!” Du Xiangyang exclaimed regretfully. “If I knew that would happen, I would’ve said my name was Xing Xiangyang.”

“That bastard Qin Lie!” Xie Jingxuan cursed.