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"Ah, the perilous Mount Shu Road, harder to climb than ascending to Heaven itself!"
This famous, ancient verse, long sung by the common folk, praised the awe-inspiring, treacherous beauty of Mount Shu, with its perilous paths and endless, winding peaks. Yet beneath the surface lay a deeper meaning, a metaphor for the sheer, impossible difficulty of the Immortal's Path, said to be harder than reaching the very heavens.
But cultivation, in its essence, is an act of defiance against the natural order. And if one walks the path against Heaven, how could one ever choose to give up?
Since time immemorial, countless Qi Refiners, in the name of "following the Heavenly Dao," have in truth been rebelling against it. The Heavenly Dao grants mortals a limited lifespan, forces them to eat, age, and fall ill, all so the cycle of life and death may continue unbroken.
Yet humanity refuses to accept such a fate. They will not sit quietly and allow Heaven to dictate their end. They cultivate against the sky itself, soar beyond mortal limits, and pursue the Immortal Way, free and unbound.
Humans, born into this world, must strive for something. To sit idly like a tree or a stone is not the meaning of life.
Li Yuanli was brash, mischievous, and talkative, but his unyielding drive to improve himself was something to be admired. Just like now, he had thought that being discovered by the Sword Immortal would mean certain death, yet instead, he had been granted the rare chance to truly enter and train within this overwhelming new world.
His master, Chang Qing, turned out to be a rough-looking woman with a square jaw, a thick beard, and a burly frame overflowing with raw, masculine energy. To Li Yuanli, she possessed zero feminine charm, but that didn't dampen his excitement or gratitude in the slightest.
"Master! I'll train diligently and grow stronger as soon as possible!" Li Yuanli's excited declaration earned a satisfied grunt from Chang Qing, who nodded approvingly. Her gaze toward her new, slightly odd disciple grew softer and more approving.
A moment later, she simply waved her hand, and before Li Yuanli could even react, his body shot upward like a rocket, soaring through the clouds and crossing tens of thousands of meters in the blink of an eye, heading straight toward the floating Mount Shu island above.
"Incredible!!!" Li Yuanli's heart roared in awe.
In that instant, he knew: he had fallen in love with this world.
…
Meanwhile, in the King's World, Qin Yi's mood had also lifted considerably.
"Li Yuanli actually succeeded."
"If a subordinate King could do it… then my own prospects are even brighter!"
"And the King's Skill I obtained upon advancing to Starlight Rank 3 will finally come in handy!"
Qin Yi murmured with cold satisfaction.
When he had ascended to Starlight Level 3, a new King's Skill had awakened within him, its name: King's Sacrificial Offering.
As the name suggested, it was a sacrificial-type ability, requiring the giving up of possessions. One branch of it even included a kind of sacrificial magic similar to what he had once used, but that was merely a sub-skill.
Its true purpose, and its greatest value to Qin Yi, was that it allowed him to sacrifice his own possessions in exchange for a legitimate identity within a target world.
When Qin Yi had first entered the Dragon Emperor World, he could assume any role he wished because its civilization rank was lower than his own. But with the King's Sacrificial Offering, even if he wished to enter a world whose civilization exceeded that of his own realm, like the Level-Five Sword and Fairy World, he could still obtain a legitimate identity there.
There was, however, one condition: it followed the law of equivalent exchange, and the result was randomized. The greater the offering, the better the identity he would receive.
"If I give up something valuable, I can obtain a legitimate identity in the World of Immortal Sword. That would make infiltration and cultivation far easier…"
"It's worth it." Qin Yi murmured thoughtfully.
Without question, entering a new world as an anonymous stranger meant starting entirely from zero. But possessing a true, recognized identity there would give him tremendous advantages, just as becoming the Dragon Emperor had given him the Black Dragon Transformation and the Undead Legion's loyalty.
"The only question now," he mused, eyes narrowing, "is what I can afford to sacrifice."
He sank into deep thought, weighing the value of every single asset. Gain and loss, that is the essence of sacrifice. In truth, this "King's Sacrificial Offering" was an extraordinary, dangerous divine ability. So long as one was willing to give up enough, there was theoretically nothing one could not obtain.
…
Qin Yi didn't rush to enter the Immortal Sword World just yet. Since he already knew that Kings could safely traverse this realm, there was no need for anxiety.
Instead, he turned his attention back to matters of the Qin Nation, and the newly unified Pirate World.
"Whitebeard, Hashirama will teach you some advanced Ninjutsu and help you restore your life force, your strength must return to its peak."
"Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, the Three Generals, all of you, work with our strategists and finalize the integration of the Pirate World."
"This time, I don't know how long I'll be away. The affairs of both our world and the outer ones, I'll be counting on all of you."
After issuing these commands, Qin Yi furrowed his brow slightly and continued to ponder deeply.
"Also, where's Xiyao? Why haven't I seen her for so long?"
He frowned slightly. He had been endlessly busy ever since returning from the Naruto World. After the battle with the Demon Immortal Beyond the Domain, he'd only seen her once, and then she vanished. He'd always assumed she was diligently cultivating. But now, after an entire month without any sign of her, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
"Your Majesty, you didn't know?" Hōzuki Gengetsu looked at him with a strange expression, curiosity glimmering in his eyes as he asked.
"Know what?" Qin Yi blinked, confused.
"Princess Xiyao is also a King. A month ago, she departed for the Otherworld on her own." Gengetsu's words stunned Qin Yi completely.
"What?!" He froze in utter disbelief.
Xiyao is a King too?! What kind of impossible joke was that? If she truly was a King, why hadn't their father realized it? Why hadn't he taken her away, instead of letting her follow Qin Yi all this time?
Questions tangled in his mind like a storm. The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.
After a long silence, Qin Yi finally sighed with a bitter smile.
"I never expected it… Xiyao herself turned out to be a Queen."
The so-called legendary Queen, Qin Yi simply couldn't picture his cold, reserved little sister taking on such a powerful cosmic title. That made their family truly terrifying, Three Kings under one roof! Even saying it aloud sounded absurdly powerful, as Kings weren't a hereditary race but manifestations of the universe's laws.
"When Xiyao left, did anyone go with her?" Qin Yi asked, slightly reassured by the news.
"I assigned Nine-Tails to accompany her," Gengetsu replied. "Princess Xiyao said she was heading to a mortal realm. There shouldn't be any problem."
Qin Yi nodded, finally feeling a measure of peace. With Nine-Tails at her side, she'd be perfectly safe. In the mortal world, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's power was that of a true monster, an absolute force of nature.
Waving for everyone to leave, he turned back to his primary objective, his eyes gleaming with purpose.
"Then…" Qin Yi looked toward the Realm Gate ahead.
"King's Sacrificial Offering, begin!"
In an instant, an ethereal pathway extended from the far reaches of the void, connecting to the space before him. Qin Yi immediately understood: The Ritual has begun!
(End of Chapter)