The Last Sentinel

The remaining cultivators' pupils constricted sharply.

Breathing stopped, and the heart stopped beating.

Dead...?

The Nascent Soul Ancestor, just like that, is dead?!

That Nascent Soul Ancestor who looked down upon all living beings was actually killed by a Foundation Establishment junior?

If this gets back to all the worlds, it'll be called fake news!

But the truth is presented to us in such a bloody way.

"Run!"

It's unclear who was the first to scream, their voice filled with extreme panic, distorted beyond recognition, and brimming with the despair of impending death.

"This demon is far beyond our ability to contend with! This suppression operation is null and void. Even if it costs us all the spirit stones we've spent on breach of contract, we absolutely cannot stay here to die!"

Some echoed this sentiment, their tone filled with a do-or-die determination, for life is the most precious thing compared to material possessions.

"Don't be foolish! It's not worth risking your life for those few spirit stones and elixirs promised by the Holy Land!"

A white-haired rogue cultivator gritted his teeth and shouted, his steps uncontrollably running wildly toward the star gate, his figure as disheveled as a stray dog, almost unable to hold onto his magic weapon.

In an instant, millions of cultivators flocked to the only path to survival. The afterimages of fluttering robes, hurried footsteps, heavy breathing, and terrified shouts mingled together in a chaotic mess, raising clouds of dust.

But the fatal problem was exposed at this very moment.

The entrance to that star gate was only ten feet in size, like a narrow bottleneck, which blocked the millions of fleeing cultivators.

It should be noted that there are at least five figures of Golden Core cultivators gathered here at this moment, and the rest are mostly low-level rogue cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment, whose numbers far exceed those of sect disciples.

In no time, the ten-zhang-diameter gate was packed with people. The pushing and shoving instantly ignited the crowd's anger, and their already tense nerves snapped, making a conflict imminent.

"Let the disciples of our Tianlan Sect go first! You rogue cultivators, do you even deserve to compete with us for passage?" A disciple dressed in Tianlan Sect attire shouted sternly, his long sword slightly raised, its blade gleaming coldly, attempting to force back the surrounding rogue cultivators. His eyes were filled with the arrogance and disdain of a sect disciple.

"Bullshit! The foundation of our Demon Blood Sect is no less than that of your Heavenly Mist Sect. Why should we let you go first!" The Demon Blood Sect disciple immediately retorted, his demonic energy surging and his murderous aura overwhelming. He did not back down at all, and the two sides were on the verge of fighting.

"Stop talking nonsense! Sect disciples bear the heavy responsibility of inheritance and should be the first to leave!" A man who looked like a sect elder spoke up, his tone leaving no room for argument. His eyes swept over the surrounding rogue cultivators with obvious contempt and superiority.

"Why! Don't we rogue cultivators have lives too? You sect disciples cherish your lives, but we're just supposed to wait here to die?" A rogue cultivator couldn't help but roar, his face full of anger and resentment, his hand gripping the magic weapon tightly, his knuckles turning white, and his veins bulging.

"What? You're not convinced? We sect disciples have the sect leader and elders backing us up, so our lives are more valuable than yours, you helpless rogue cultivators!" The sect disciples' mocking voices rose and fell, each word piercing the heart, completely igniting the rogue cultivators' anger.

"We usually give way to you because we're afraid of the forces behind you and don't want to cause trouble! But now, in this carbon-based universe, if we really kill you sect disciples, we can just pin it on the extraterrestrial demon Qi Tian. Who will be able to find out?" A leader of the rogue cultivators said through gritted teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes. The surrounding rogue cultivators echoed him, their momentum instantly rising as they pressed closer.

"You, you dare!" The sect disciple's expression changed drastically, his tone tinged with panic, yet he still tried to appear calm, attempting to intimidate the other party with the sect's name, while his hand unconsciously tightened its grip on his weapon.

"Get out of the way, or next year today will be your death anniversary!" The rogue cultivators pressed forward step by step, their magical artifacts already unleashed, their spiritual light flashing. A conflict between the two sides was imminent, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Pushing, shoving, tripping, backstabbing, vicious revenge, sneak attacks... all sorts of despicable tactics spread rampantly in the crowd. Some were pushed to the ground, instantly trampled by countless feet, letting out a piercing scream before falling silent; some secretly unleashed magical weapons to ambush their rivals, just to seize a chance to escape; others took advantage of the chaos to settle personal scores, venting all their grudges from the past.

Qi Tian, ​​the instigator of all this, never once glanced at them, as if the chaos before him had nothing to do with him.

His figure remained as steady as a mountain amidst the chaos, his clothes swaying gently in the wind, his hands moving slowly and gracefully as if he were sculpting a rare treasure.

Visible wisps of silvery-gray dust and ash were drawn in from all directions, slowly gathering around him to form a hazy mist.

The previously shattered blackish-gray energy was gradually gathered together, and a blackish-blue electromagnetic induction circle slowly diffused around the dust and fog, rippling outwards in circles. The whole scene resembled a precise alchemy ritual, yet it also exuded a chilling and eerie aura.

As Qi Tian's movements became faster and faster, the silver-gray energy suddenly boiled up, emitting a deep hum. The surrounding air instantly became scorching hot, and even the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly, with dust falling in a flurry.

"open!"

Qi Tian let out a low shout, his voice not loud but extremely penetrating. He pushed his hands forward sharply, and the boiling gray energy in front of him exploded instantly, the light so bright that people couldn't open their eyes.

As the light slowly faded, a familiar figure emerged from it—it was the Nascent Soul Ancestor whom he had just killed. However, the Ancestor's figure was now illusory, and the spiritual energy around him was weak, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Isn't this the Nascent Soul expert who was just killed?

"All souls in this world should be perfectly preserved." Qi Tian's voice was calm and even, yet it carried an undeniable power. His gaze fell on the Nascent Soul Ancestor as if he were looking at a precious artifact, without the slightest pity in his eyes. "Especially since this is the soul of a Nascent Soul level expert, it would be a great pity to let it dissipate."

Qi Tian stared at the Nascent Soul Ancestor in front of him, and suddenly clenched his right hand. It was as if an invisible giant hand in the void gripped the Ancestor's body tightly.

The Nascent Soul Ancestor's figure began to gradually become ethereal, like smoke blown away by the wind, eventually coalescing into a gleaming black soul bead, lying quietly in Qi Tian's palm. The bead's surface shimmered with a faint black light, exuding a mysterious and eerie power.

Just then, a steady voice came from beside Qi Tian's ear: "Qi Tian, ​​what are you doing?"

The speaker was none other than Li Wenzhong.

Inside the large tent, Li Wenzhong stared intently at the sky, his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on Qi Tian, ​​his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry and undisguised worry.

Qi Tian slowly turned his head, his face expressionless, his voice leisurely, carrying a hint of barely perceptible smugness: "General Li, let me introduce this to you. This is a three-dimensional system, a brand-new supernatural power, which I comprehended after I understood the supernatural power of my senior brother [Ancient Ones] and observed the system manufacturing theory he passed on to me. I call it [Primordial Spirit Pearl].

Qi Tian paused, raised the Yuanhun Pearl in his palm, and continued, "The Yuanhun Pearl can perfectly preserve the supernatural abilities and combat experience of the deceased, but it will erase their memories. If it can be successfully activated in the future, it can also give mortals the power of illusion, which can be considered a superpower comparable to the system level."

"Moreover, this Soul Bead can be upgraded, learn new skills, and even be nurtured as a spirit to possess." Qi Tian's lips curled up slightly, a smile playing on his lips, his eyes gleaming with fervent light. "Imagine if every newbie in our carbon-based universe could have a Soul Bead from a master of the myriad realms, they could completely avoid the drawbacks of my senior brother's energy-consuming creation system and achieve rapid improvement in strength."

"The biggest advantage of the [Yuanhun Pearl] over the system is that it can be taken from all the heavens and myriad realms and used in all the heavens and myriad realms. It can continuously improve strength without consuming its own origin."

A hint of contempt and smugness hung on Qi Tian's lips, as if the grief that had arisen from his sister's death had been completely overshadowed by this fervor.

He picked up the silver-gray Yuan Soul Bead and gently threaded it onto the blue crystal necklace his sister had left behind. His eyes softened instantly, yet still held a hint of obsession.

The brilliant blue crystal light contrasted with the dim Yuanhun Pearl that the Nascent Soul Ancestor had transformed into, creating circles of intoxicating, flowing radiance that was breathtakingly beautiful yet exuded a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

Qi Tian gripped the necklace tightly in his palm, his knuckles turning slightly white. A sickly, twisted smile appeared on his face, and his voice was soft yet chilling: "Is it beautiful, General Li?"

That smile was like a poisoned ice blade, instantly chilling Li Wenzhong, who was on the other side of the sky. He subconsciously took several steps back, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart. He could clearly feel that Qi Tian was now completely consumed by hatred and obsession, his mind twisted, no longer the composed young man he once was.

Even faster, Yan Shifan's urgent voice came through Li Wenzhong's communicator, his tone filled with anxiety: "General Li, please persuade Qi Tian! No matter what, he's my disciple's junior brother, practically my disciple. The way he's acting, it's obvious he's mentally broken down and is about to go insane!"

Li Wenzhong sighed with a wry smile, his eyes filled with helplessness and regret, and said in a heavy tone, "Young Grand Secretary, you can't persuade someone of this kind of thing."

Yan Shifan's tone quickened, and he hurriedly asked, "What do you mean? Why couldn't you persuade them?"

Li Wenzhong's eyes deepened, and images of the past involuntarily surfaced in his mind. His tone grew increasingly heavy: "Once upon a time, my uncle ordered me to fight alongside General Chang Yuchun in the northern desert. In that great battle, I slaughtered countless people, leaving rivers of blood. Even General Chang Yuchun repeatedly advised me that Heaven cherishes life and should refrain from committing further killings. But I wouldn't listen at all. I relentlessly pushed through the enemy army with a relentless attack, solely to avenge the massacre of my family years ago. My heart was consumed by an obsession with revenge."

"Qi Tian's situation is worse than mine was back then. At least I had my father still alive, and I still had some attachments and ties that kept me calm. But Qi Tian has lost his only sister, and he has no relatives left in this world. This hatred has long been ingrained in his bones and engraved in his soul."

"How could we possibly persuade him? Trying to talk him out of it now will only make things worse, causing him to lose his mind completely and do something even more outrageous."

Yan Shifan was speechless for a moment, and couldn't help but curse in his heart: "What the hell? You think the fire isn't big enough? You think Qi Tian isn't crazy enough and want to add fuel to the fire?!" His tone was full of helplessness and frustration.

Yan Shifan was about to speak up to stop him, but Li Wenzhong hung up the call immediately, giving the other party no chance.

Looking at Qi Tian in the sky, Li Wenzhong seemed to see himself reflected in Chang Yuchun's eyes in the past.

Fate, what a bitch.

They always put themselves in opposition to themselves.

If General Chang Yuchun saw me trying to persuade others today, he'd probably laugh his head off.

Li Wenzhong composed himself, suppressing his unease, and slowly spoke to Qi Tian in the sky, his tone as calm as possible, with a hint of guidance: "Qi Tian, ​​this necklace is very beautiful."

Qi Tian turned his head, gave a wicked smile, his eyes filled with obsession and tenderness, and said softly, "General Li, do you also think it's beautiful? I think my sister will definitely like it."

"However," Li Wenzhong changed the subject, his gaze falling on the necklace, his tone deliberately guiding, "isn't it a bit monotonous to have only one Yuan Soul Bead on such an exquisite necklace? If you added a few more, turning all the power behind him into Yuan Soul Beads, it would surely be more perfect, and your sister would be even happier."

"Oh—" Qi Tian's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had been awakened. His face showed a look of sudden realization, and his tone was full of ruthlessness and determination: "Thank you for your enlightenment, General Li! I almost forgot that this Nascent Soul Ancestor has a sect and a powerful backer."

"Since that's the case, then I will uproot his sect and his backers, turning them all into Yuan Soul Pearls to accompany my sister, so she will never be lonely again!"

A barely perceptible smile played on Li Wenzhong's lips as he continued to guide the conversation, his tone growing increasingly earnest: "You're right. And right now, the most important thing is to protect this stargate in front of you. It's a crucial passage they opened from outside the universe, leading into our inner cosmos. It absolutely cannot fall into enemy hands."

"This star gate allows Foundation Establishment cultivators to pass through, which means that our Tier 1.0 enhanced warriors can also use it to enter the myriad worlds and explore a wider world."

"You are aware of the current situation. It is extremely difficult for us to break through the four shackles of the universe head-on. Even if all the Seven Warlords of the Sea were mobilized, plus the power of the Eastern Han Dynasty heroes, we could only barely break one shackle. We don't even have a clue about the remaining three shackles."

"If you can take down this stargate, it will be like tearing open a rift in our carbon-based universe, allowing us to maintain connection with all the other worlds. This is an unimaginable development opportunity for the carbon-based universe, and it is the key to our turnaround. It is of great significance."

Qi Tian's gaze gradually sharpened, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. His tone carried a hint of disdain and determination: "I have no interest whatsoever in the major events and cosmic developments that General Li speaks of. But if I could use this passage to uproot the forces and sects behind the Nascent Soul Ancestor and turn them all into Yuan Soul Pearls, it would be a fatal temptation for me, and I am determined to obtain it."

Before he finished speaking, Qi Tian leaped into the air. His Aquarius Gold Cloth reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight, leaving a long afterimage as he shot towards the chaotic teleportation portal like an arrow released from a bow.