I've already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and you're saying I didn't time travel?

Chapter 136 There is no third choice
That day, as soon as the live stream started, countless comments flooded in:

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! I never imagined the 'Wind-Dispelling Palm' was so powerful!"

"Leaving aside the area-of-effect damage, the main point is that this has become a ranged attack! You can even use your bare hands for ranged attacks, can you believe it?"

"Master Qi, please, give the lower-level martial artists a way to survive! If this continues, we martial artists of the Strength Realm will truly become the lowest class!"

"Damn it, am I some kind of ordinary person? Did I even say anything? I strongly demand that another cultivation technique be released! This is definitely not a problem with my cultivation aptitude; it must be that the technique is unsuitable!"

"Even if Master Qi were to release it now, it would probably be too late to catch up. If you meet someone on the road, you'll find that they are a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm, or at the very least, a Transformation Realm or Dark Realm expert. You, a mere Ming Realm expert, would be completely crushed. Then you'd have to blame Master Qi for teaching your techniques too late."

"While there are quite a few innate talents, they're not exactly common sights on the street, are they? Let alone grandmasters. Are there even ten grandmasters in the entire world right now?"

"The market is open! Let's guess how many grandmasters there are in the world right now?"

"Those who have made public appearances include Xu Wei of Daqian, William of the Lighthouse, Mufasa of Africa, Kumar, the high priest of India, Urusu, a scholar from Southeast Asia, Thomas, a lawyer from Europe, and Jose, a street vendor from South America... Basically, masters have appeared from every continent. Adding those who haven't made public appearances, there are definitely more than ten."

Are there any grandmasters?

"Are you fucking leveling up in a game? Why are you already discussing Grandmaster?"

"Even Xu Wei and William, who are making the fastest progress, are probably still far from being Grandmasters."

"In any case, the first Grandmaster will most likely be born in the Great Qian Dynasty. In their country alone, the number of Grandmasters has probably already reached double digits."

"Indeed, the Great Qian has a large population, and the content of levitation martial arts is very compatible with their cognitive system. Under normal circumstances, they should have the most experts of the same level in the world."

"Don't forget the three days that Qi Xuan gave them. Although three days seems short, when the top geniuses have similar aptitudes, Daqian will always be three days ahead of other countries. It won't be easy to close that gap."

"You're only focusing on the gap between top geniuses, which is underestimating the impact of these three days."

Nowadays, it is extremely difficult for many people in small countries to purchase the Yin and Yang pills needed for cultivation techniques. Some people simply cultivate without any pills, and their progress is very slow.

On the other hand, the Great Qian Dynasty, having purchased a massive amount of medicinal herbs in advance, is now fully capable of meeting the medical needs of its innate cultivators. In addition, as a producer of ginseng, and with strict controls on the smuggling of elixirs, its overall cultivation progress is now almost a level ahead of other countries. As time goes on, their scale advantage will only grow larger.

In other words, even terrestrial immortals cannot withstand nuclear bombs. Otherwise, the current peace would be impossible to maintain, and the Great Qian Dynasty would inevitably face attacks and restrictions from numerous countries. Even if these countries themselves are not afraid of armed conflict, once economic exchanges with the outside world are completely severed, a society of 1.4 billion people will inevitably fall into turmoil. At that time, there will be no choice but to either compromise or launch a hot war against other countries.

"Yes, it really almost started World War III. Who could have imagined that a decision made casually by Qi Shen could have such a huge impact and completely change the situation of the entire world? If Qi Shen had forgotten to announce the cultivation technique on the third day, we might be living in a nuclear wasteland now."

"Hilarious! With nuclear bombs flying everywhere, it's not certain whether we'll even survive."

"However, now that we have experienced the crisis of the demon insects, the relationship between countries should become more harmonious. After all, the demon insects don't care what country you are from, what language you speak, or whether your skin color is black or white."

This is a war between species, without mercy or hesitation, ruthless and complete annihilation!

"I have heard that many countries, including China, Russia, and the United States, are sending support in various aspects, including personnel and equipment, to underdeveloped and impoverished regions such as Africa, striving to eradicate the insect swarm, rescue the people, and even help those tiny countries that have been wiped out to rebuild their nations."

"We can't just leave them unaided. If we let those small, tiny countries be slaughtered by the insect swarm, their lands will become breeding grounds for the demonic insects. Once the demonic insects have fully grown into their complete forms, they will spread out on a massive scale of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. Just imagine the terrifying scene when so many innate masters or even grandmasters are mobilized together. Even if we drop nuclear bombs, humanity might not be able to win."

"Don't be too pessimistic about the future. Believe in the potential of humanity. Right now, there are grandmasters who have killed thousands of demonic insects with a single palm strike after practicing the 'Wind-Dispelling Palm' for less than half a day. In the future, when humanity produces supreme grandmasters or even terrestrial immortals, a scene like today's demonic insects ravaging a country may only require the deployment of a single supreme grandmaster to suppress them all."

“That’s right. The destructive power of top-tier martial artists should be quite considerable, and dealing with demonic insects would be a piece of cake. Moreover, we may not have to wait that long. I’ve heard that insect nests have already been discovered in many places.”

"I've heard that there's something strange about that insect hive."

"It is indeed a bit strange. Several underground insect nests that have been discovered so far are scattered with a large number of demon insect remains. These demon insects are not ordinary demon insects. They should be the elite among their kind."

What's very strange is that these nascent beings, so close to reaching their full potential, weren't allowed to venture out and devour others to evolve. Instead, they were eaten within their nests, which is truly perplexing.

"Have you found the thing in the nest that devours the demonic insects?"

"It seems they all escaped beforehand, but since their nests have been discovered and they have left many obvious migration traces in the ground and nearby, it shouldn't be long before we find them."

Currently, the academic community has tentatively named this demonic insect devourer the "mother insect." It is highly likely that it is the incubator of all larvae, does not go out to hunt, but is only responsible for giving birth in the nest and feeding on the adult demonic insects.

We haven't yet fully understood its ecosystem and population structure. Once we've researched it and grasped its development and nest-building patterns, dealing with insect infestations won't be difficult, and we might even be able to eradicate it at its source.

"I hope that day will come soon."

……

The netizens in the live stream chattered and discussed it non-stop.

On camera, Qi Xuan was also constantly busy.

According to the map, he should have already arrived at the Zhao family's location.

The problem is that he had been wandering around this area since before the live stream started, and it has been almost two hours now, but he still hasn't found any trace of the Zhao family.

Although two hundred years have passed since the Zhao family existed, and the terrain has changed dramatically not long ago.

But my Zhao family is such a large family, it's impossible for us to just disappear completely for no reason!
Even the Nangong family left behind such a large area of ​​ruins after their destruction, so there's no reason why the entire Zhao family would disappear without a trace!

Qi Xuan was almost exhausted from searching for people.

Something's wrong! Something's very wrong!

“The Zhao family couldn’t have disappeared without a reason, not to mention that they were facing a siege from the Zhang and Han families and didn’t have time to relocate the entire family.”

"Even if a Golden Core expert could use the Mountain Moving Technique to move the entire family territory, the Zhao family doesn't have any Golden Core experts, or even any Foundation Establishment experts. Otherwise, they wouldn't have ended up perishing together."

"There must be something I've overlooked."

After thinking for a moment, Qi Xuan took a Mind-Clearing Pill.

Qing Shen Dan is generally used to dispel the state of mental confusion and agitation caused by miasma, toxins, etc. In addition to its detoxifying effect, taking Qing Shen Dan regularly can also help to quickly concentrate the mind, eliminate external interference, and bring a clear mind.

Under the influence of the Mind-Clearing Pill, many distracting thoughts dissipated like mist, leaving only the single thought of finding the Zhao family becoming increasingly clear in his mind. Numerous related clues surfaced one by one, only to be quickly eliminated by him.

Later, a mottled boulder he encountered on the road suddenly became etched in his mind.

He had wondered why there was a large rock in the bushes, but he was in a hurry and didn't think much of it.

Now, thinking back carefully, that mottled boulder was clearly a large piece of Yinjia Rock.

Yinjia rock is hard and suitable for conducting spiritual energy, so it is often used as a base material for arrays and for setting up array nodes.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Zhao family's protective formation should have used a large amount of Yin Armor Rock.

Now that even a huge chunk of Yinjia Rock like mine has been blown so far away, one can only imagine that the entire Zhao Family Ruins, amidst the dramatic changes in terrain, has probably been washed away to who knows where.

But having a clue is much better than having no clue at all.

Qi Xuan rallied and immediately urged Sunday to search in the southeast direction. Finally, he found the scattered Zhao family compound about fifteen miles away from the original site of the Zhao family.

That's right, scattered into one piece.

It felt like the entire Zhao family was thrown down from the sky by an immense force. Some landed closer, some flew farther. The Zhao family, which occupied an area the size of most neighborhoods, has now spread out to about ten times that size.

After a slight pause, Qi Xuan murmured:
"Anyway, it's good that we found it."

He began to scavenge for useful items and information from the ruins of the Zhao family's residence, much like a scavenger.

Seeing the scene, netizens couldn't help but discuss it extensively:
"Judging from this, the Zhao family has been completely destroyed."

"It's more than just thorough; they even dug up our ancestral graves!"

"Alas, the Zhao family is a powerful family with several terrestrial immortals in charge. On Earth, they could easily suppress a country's insect plague. Yet, they have ended up like this. The floating continent is still too dangerous."

"Laughable. The demonic insects originally came from the mainland islands, so it's not wrong to say they are products of the floating continent. Now that a bunch of tiny insects have caused us so much trouble, it's hard to imagine what will happen to us when the powerful races of the floating continent invade."

"Don't even mention it! That four-armed monster is still on the island. If it escapes one day, we'll probably start a nuclear war."

"Hehe, I'm not so worried about the four-armed monster now. Maybe before the four-armed monster breaks out of the mainland, everyone will be infected with [Bone Disease] and die suddenly one by one."

"Please, God Qi, find the Treasure of Cultivation quickly! Everyone on Earth is waiting for the Mother Tree to save them!"

……

Qi Xuan searched carefully through the ruins.

All around were collapsed houses, broken skeletons, rusty weapons, and scattered household items.

He did find some usable items, including intact clothes and even jade slips containing information. He didn't mind that the clothes were nearly two hundred years old. He picked out a well-fitting robe woven from spirit herbs and put it on. He also changed into a set of comfortable shoes. He didn't throw away the rest, but put them all into his personal space as spares.

Having been on the floating continent for so long, the problem of my clothes being easily damaged has finally been completely solved.

In the future, you won't find your clothes suddenly bursting apart while fighting monsters.

He continued forward, picking up trash among the ruins.

Although he was just picking up trash, seeing the luminous herbs, the lustrous pills, and even the high-quality stones that Qi Xuan acquired, netizens were green with envy.

Is this some kind of trash collection?
This is fucking like digging for gold!
If such a treasure-filled ruin were to fall onto Earth, let alone ordinary people like them, even the major powers would probably beat them senseless on the spot!
But now everyone can only watch helplessly as he single-handedly excavates the entire treasure trove, reaping countless treasures rarely seen by the outside world.

"Damn it! You really deserve to die!"

"How come you always seem to have all the good things happen to you?!"

"Please, God Qi, give the child some scraps!"

"Knock me out! I can't stand it anymore, I really can't stand it anymore!!"

"The thought that there are so many treasures on the entire floating continent, yet only he is qualified to excavate them, makes my heart bleed uncontrollably!"

"That damn sharp blade that could cut through iron like mud, you just threw it away like that?! You can't treat it like that just because you have a weapon! Pick it up! Pick it up properly!!"

……

Netizens were so jealous they almost went crazy on the spot.

Qi Xuan glanced at the few broken pieces of the blade on the ground, curled his lip, and kicked them away.

This thing is only slightly better made of material; it doesn't even reach the level of a magic artifact, so it's not even worth his attention.

Not long after walking forward, a stone slab full of cracks suddenly trembled slightly.

Qi Xuan's eyes suddenly narrowed, and countless netizens outside were also stunned.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the huge, heavy stone slab suddenly shattered.

A figure suddenly stood up from inside, his body stretched out, his four arms raised, looking both domineering and sinister.

Sensing the aura emanating from the other person, Qi Xuan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Perfected Qi Refining?"

"No, he's still a little short of Qi Refining Perfection, but he's still much stronger than Nangong Yaohua."

"It's confirmed. He was probably in the early stage of Foundation Establishment before he died! And he wasn't just promoted, but he had been cultivating for many years and was probably not far from the middle stage of Foundation Establishment."

After making his judgment, Qi Xuan felt much more at ease.

He had conducted a risk assessment before stepping into the ruins.

The strongest combat force that the Han family deployed when they joined forces with the Zhang family to fight the Zhao family should have been at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Of course, this doesn't mean that neither family has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, but even if they have, they would probably still need to guard their clan's territory to prevent the news from leaking out and their old home from being stolen.

Therefore, the strongest enemy he needs to deal with is around the late Foundation Establishment stage.

After two hundred years of decline, he should now be around the early stage of Foundation Establishment, with a rank equivalent to Nangong Wuji.

Even now, he still has no confidence in defeating Nangong Wuji.

But it's not necessary to win at this level.

If you can't beat them, you can run away.

And it should be easier to run than last time.

The Lesser Teleportation Talisman is indeed inferior to the Teleportation Talisman, but don't forget that he also has the Immobilization Talisman, Lei Zhenzi, and the Hundred Feathers Universe Diagram.

Escaping without taking damage is not difficult at all.

Having secured his escape route, he then ventured into the ruins to collect items, gather intelligence, and search for the treasure to cultivate.

Now a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Zhao family, slightly weaker than Zhao Yuehong, has appeared and wants him to escape as well?

Okay, okay, I'll send you to reincarnation!
Qi Xuan leaped forward, while Sunday launched a similar attack from the other side.

Upon seeing this, netizens immediately started making a fuss:

"Don't lose to the big brother with four arms!"

"That's right! That's right! He stole all your family's belongings, I can testify!"

"It wasn't just his belongings that were stolen; he even threw away his weapons to humiliate you!!"

"You must keep up the good work! The reputation of the Zhao family and the glory of the local people all rest on your shoulders!"

……

Facing Qi Xuan who was rushing towards him at high speed, the four-armed man pushed off with both feet. As the stone slab shattered, he swooped down like an eagle, his four arms outstretched, aiming straight for Qi Xuan.

"Chance!"

Qi Xuan suddenly raised his hand, and the three water arrow talismans instantly burned to ashes.

The arrow formed from the mysterious water suddenly shot out and struck the four-armed man in an instant, creating two egg-sized bloody holes in his chest. His right arm was only connected to his shoulder by a few bits of skin and flesh, and he was sent flying backward due to the huge impact.

"War Tramples!"

Amidst the violent thunderous roar, a faint wave of energy rapidly spread to the four-armed man, causing him to become dizzy the moment he landed.

At the same time, Qi Xuan had already rushed to his side, and the broken blade of his magic weapon, carrying the terrifying power after he had taken the Giant Strength Pill, stabbed into his neck.

With a "snap," it sliced ​​through horizontally.

The head rolled to the side, and Sunday grabbed the hair and ran away.

Qi Xuan then began to deal with the headless corpse that was baring its fangs and claws.

Using the sharpness of the broken blade of the magic weapon, he easily dismembered his opponent, leaving the severed limbs to bounce haphazardly on the ground before finally falling silent.

Just then, Sunday came running back, carrying the head that had just finished its madness.

Once he was certain that the four-armed man was truly dead, Qi Xuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Damn it, killing this thing is such a hassle.

It's hard to imagine how rampant they must have been two hundred years ago.

If Foundation Establishment is like this, what a terrifying scene it would be if the Golden Core cultivator fell ill?
Qi Xuan shuddered in horror.

Putting aside his unease, he began searching for the four-armed man's belongings.

Unfortunately, apart from a jade pendant, nothing else was found. Perhaps it was taken after the battle, or perhaps it was scattered elsewhere due to changes in terrain.

Finding nothing of value, he decided to continue his search.

However, this continued until the morning's live broadcast ended.

He searched the entire place three times.

Still nothing useful has been found.

They couldn't find the Treasure of Cultivation, they couldn't find the Spirit Liquid of the Ghost Cicada, and they couldn't even find any useful information.

It seems that the Zhao family was completely destroyed and thoroughly plundered by the Han and Zhang families.

"There's no other way. At this point, we have to use our last trump card."

(End of this chapter)