After the Skyfall

Chapter 835 Pollution and Blockade

Li Yi wasn't particularly interested in the death of this remnant soul named Hua Qing. Although he knew that the other party might have been quite powerful in life, there was nothing to say about his current state. He only wanted to understand the secret of this knife coin.

"Alright, stop explaining about how your grave was dug up and your body dumped back then. You used to be a strong person, it's shameful to have fallen to this state. Let's talk about this knife coin instead. Why is it constantly absorbing cosmic energy after it was successfully repaired?"

With the help of the incense's power, his primordial spirit manifested and looked around.

Despite the terrifying energy contained within, it continues to devour everything in its surroundings.

Hua Qing's remnant soul said, "It is precisely because that bald man repaired the knife coin that it has been constantly absorbing cosmic energy to fill the previous gap. Your Earth calls things that can emit energy fields 'rare objects,' but you should know that the energy field emitted by rare objects is not infinite."

"Energy doesn't come from nothing; it only transfers. The knife coin was broken into two pieces, which caused its energy to dissipate and form an energy field. As time went by, the knife coin's energy decreased, and eventually it was completely destroyed."

"Now that the repair is successful, the energy that was previously dissipated will naturally need to be recovered. Therefore, it needs a huge amount of energy to return to its peak. You should have seen the rays of light around you. These are signs of recovery. When the light fills the entire space, the knife coin will be freed from its shackles and shine with true brilliance."

"I see. What you said makes sense, so I'll believe you for now." Li Yi nodded slightly, thinking that it was indeed reasonable.

Hua Qing continued, "Furthermore, this thing is not called a knife coin. That's just what you call it. It is infinitely changeable and has no fixed form or name. It can turn into a knife coin, a weapon, armor, or even a living being."

"The reason it looks like this now is because I deliberately transformed it before I died, in order to deceive people and prevent it from falling into the hands of some evil people."

"So amazing?" Li Yi's expression changed.

This tiny knife coin can actually transform into countless forms, and can even evolve into living beings.

"If this thing is fully restored, how powerful will it be?" Li Yi asked again.

Hua Qing's remnant soul said, "With a ripple of the treasure's light, it's no problem to completely annihilate you."

"That powerful?" Li Yi was somewhat surprised, then asked, "If that's the case, why did it break into two pieces?"

Hua Qing's remnant soul paused for a moment: "Even the most powerful treasures are not indestructible. We must know that there are heavens beyond heavens and people beyond people."

"So you encountered a powerful enemy, had your treasure destroyed, and lost your life?" Li Yi stroked his chin and couldn't help but speculate.

"That's about it," Hua Qing's remnant soul said uncertainly.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi laughed: "I think you're just too reckless and got yourself killed. The power of the knife coin can break through the void and tear open the interdimensional gate. Even if you encounter a strong enemy and are no match for him, escaping will definitely not be a problem. You're just too weak, so having the treasure is useless to you."

"How dare you, an inherently evil Earthling, slander someone's innocence out of thin air?" Hua Qing's remnant soul immediately became anxious: "The powerful enemy I encountered is beyond your imagination in your entire life. Anyone else would have been reduced to ashes long ago. Only I was able to retain a remnant soul in order to make a comeback someday."

"Weak? So what? Stop making excuses. You've crossed over to so many worlds, most of them were probably weaker ones. Suddenly you stumbled into the world of a powerful being, of course you'd get crushed. In the end, you're just bad at it and love to play around. After all, if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet." Li Yi said bluntly, "When I first entered the Wilderness World, didn't I get crushed too, and almost sold into slavery?"

"Everyone has their share of misfortunes, so there's nothing shameful about being in trouble. The key is whether you can get back up after you've fallen on hard times. Obviously, it seems like you can't get back up."

Hua Qing's remnant soul sighed, "I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a while, you evil Earthling have become stronger and your mouth has become more venomous. However, the victor is king and the loser is villain. I have to admit my failure and shortcomings. But the secret of the knife coin is not just that. After it completes its transformation, I will teach you how to use it."

“However, this little bit of information won’t bring you back to life,” Li Yi said.

He wasn't entirely satisfied with the result, since the knife coin was in his hands and he could gradually explore its mysteries later.

"Then I'll tell you another secret about Earth," said Hua Qing's remnant soul.

"What secret?" Li Yi asked immediately.

Hua Qing's remnant soul thought for a moment and said, "You've crossed worlds many times, so you should have noticed a problem, right? Of all the worlds, only Earth has pollution."

“That’s true.” Li Yi nodded slightly.

Hua Qing's remnant soul continued, "Moreover, the Heavenly Collapse event can only occur after the Earth's spiritual energy recovers. This is not accidental, but an inevitable result, because your world is sealed off. That's why I call you the evil Earth Prisoners." "Pollution and being sealed off... what do you mean?" Li Yi's expression changed, as if he had discovered an incredible secret.

Hua Qing's remnant soul said, "Pollution is only the first line of defense against Earth, the Heavenly Collapse is the second line of defense against you, and the cross-realm is the third line of defense against you. As for the reason, I don't know. For me, there are countless great realms. Since this place is evil and ominous, I will naturally not stay in this realm."

"Three layers of blockade? Explain yourself more clearly." Li Yi frowned, immediately becoming serious.

Hua Qing's remnant soul thought for a moment and said, "You have little experience and haven't read much, so it's normal that you find it hard to understand what I'm saying. Let me put it this way: the pollution of Earth is meant to prevent you Earthlings from cultivating. Otherwise, with such abundant spiritual energy, it would be a terrifying thing for billions of people on Earth to cultivate."

"However, the pollution blockade of cultivation is not absolute. You Earthlings cultivate by using the spiritual energy that escapes through wormholes, which perfectly bypasses the pollution problem. As a result, a second blockade has appeared. Under the Heavenly Collapse event, the great worlds collided, and cross-world points appeared. Earth is connected to various cultivation worlds, such as the Xuanxian Continent, the Demon God Realm, and the Savage World. Powerful beings from many worlds have descended. Given the speed of your Earthlings' cultivation, being unilaterally slaughtered is inevitable."

"As for the third blockade, you've crossed realms many times, so you should know that the worlds you can go to are either devoid of spiritual energy, terrifying and hopeless, or utterly devoid of life. Do you think this is a coincidence?"

"This is no coincidence. The space around your Earth has long been blocked by these worlds, so when you cross over, you will most likely only go to these terrible worlds. Only a very few lucky ones can find a world where they can cultivate normally."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi's expression grew even more serious.

Upon analysis by this remnant soul, it was indeed true. The worlds he crossed over to were all rather bad, almost none of them suitable for cultivation. The only relatively good world was the one where his father became a god through incense offerings.

"The reason I was able to discover this is because I have the power to control the sword and coins and have crossed countless realms, which is why I was able to find some clues. Others would never have been able to discover this. Although I am also a frog in a well, I have at least jumped out of the well, while you have always stayed at the bottom of the well, which is why you cannot see many things."

Li Yi said seriously, "What makes you think your guess is right? This might all just be a coincidence."

“If that’s what you think, then I have nothing to say. But I can remind you that the thing that pollutes your spiritual energy is on Earth. If you can find it one day, then you’ll know whether what I’m saying is true or false,” Hua Qing’s remnant soul said.

"I will remember what you said, and I will try to find out more about it in the future," Li Yi said.

If what Hua Qing said is true, then this matter is indeed somewhat frightening. However, he is not foolish enough to investigate the truth of this matter now. He will wait until he achieves the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and the Five Qi Converging at the Origin before considering verification.

After all, he wouldn't touch these taboos before he had enough strength, lest he invite disaster and die unjustly.

Therefore, Li Yi can only pretend not to know for now.

Because he still has a lot of room to grow, there aren't enough strong people on Earth, and the powerful enemies from other realms haven't been dealt with. Revealing these secrets now would only satisfy curiosity and would bring no benefit whatsoever; on the contrary, it might bring about annihilation.

Hua Qing's remnant soul seemed to understand Li Yi's apprehension. He said, "You're right. If only I had been as cautious as you back then. So, you evil Earthling, are you interested in taking a trip to my hometown? There you'll find what you need right now."

"Go to your hometown?" Li Yi asked, somewhat puzzled. "Why does it feel like you're trying to trick me?"

"I, Emperor Hua Qing, never cheat people." Hua Qing's remnant soul was angry again, but that was all: "You should understand that after reaching this realm, your upper limit is almost locked. If you can't find a more powerful world, you'll be stuck like this for the rest of your life. And don't you want to break out of the blockade and see the outside world?"

"I seem somewhat interested, but not much. I'm a rather cautious person, so I'll focus on my cultivation for a while longer before making a decision," Li Yi said.

He had just broken through to the Three Flowers Realm and didn't want to court death like this remnant soul of Hua Qing, so he decisively refused the other party's invitation.

“However, you have told me enough today. I will agree to use the power of incense to help you be resurrected, but not now,” Li Yi then added.

"Thank you." Hua Qing's remnant soul felt much better after hearing this and expressed his gratitude.

"No need to thank me, it's just a transaction," Li Yi said.

However, Hua Qing's remnant soul still felt some regret and pity. He had thought that after so much preparation, he could finally go back to his hometown with Li Yi's help, since with Li Yi's current strength, his safety would be somewhat guaranteed.

Unexpectedly, Li Yi was so cautious, seemingly sensing trouble, and decisively refused.

(End of this chapter)