By the Pool of All Beings, Qian Ye found himself in a dilemma. The distant six-armed giant had noticed his movements and, ceasing its entry into the forest, it began to circle around to intercept him.
If he continued forward, Qian Ye would collide with the giant. But turning in another direction would lead him through the heart of the Pool of All Beings, which was like walking under the gaze of countless aquatic beasts. Preferring the known enemy, Qian Ye chose to face the six-armed giant, for at least with this behemoth, he wasn’t entirely without options.
Settling near the water’s edge, Qian Ye slowly activated the Yaopian, replenishing his origin power. As soon as the technique began, he discovered that the speed of circulation had increased significantly, far surpassing any other place within the Great Maelstrom. The Great Maelstrom already enhanced cultivation speed, but the Pool of All Beings’ effect was even more profound, making it faster than even the high-gravity core area. Qian Ye estimated that one day of cultivation here might be equivalent to ten days outside.
He controlled the technique, letting it circulate gradually, wary of disturbing the aquatic behemoths. After about a quarter of an hour, Qian Ye opened his eyes. Though the session was brief, it equated to over two hours of cultivation outside the Great Maelstrom. While this time was insufficient for significant progress, it was enough to restore his origin power to half its full capacity.
With origin power, many more tactics became available.
At the other end of the forest, the six-armed giant was now in position, waiting for Qian Ye to appear. Gazing at the towering figure, Qian Ye began to consider his available means.
The two things capable of harming the six-armed giant were the Funeral Heart and the Primordial Gun. Or, even more devastating, using the Primordial Wings to empower the Funeral Heart.
This would dramatically increase the Funeral Heart’s power, bringing it close to the high end of a ninth-grade gun. However, the corresponding increase in consumption was even greater, more than doubling the original cost. Simply put, with the Primordial Wings’ enhancement, if the Funeral Heart’s initial power was ten, it would now be twelve. But the origin power cost would rise from ten to fifteen. Such a drain, even with his current progress, would leave him drained.
Without the Primordial Wings, the Funeral Heart’s power was still somewhat lacking. If a single strike failed, using the Funeral Heart in such a perilous place would be suicidal.
Qian Ye pondered, inspecting the Primordial Wings. On the pair of wings, there were now two faint black light feathers, along with two regular light feathers. This meant Qian Ye had four shots of the Primordial Gun, with two being augmented. However, his blood vitality was still limited; firing all four guns was impossible, especially with the augmented ones, which required more than double the origin power.
His gaze lingered on the two faint black light feathers for a long time. Firing two augmented shots consecutively might heavily wound the six-armed giant, but killing it would still be difficult unless he hit a vital spot. But where was the six-armed giant’s vital spot?
The head? Probably not.
Did it have a heart? Uncertain.
The eyes? Possibly, but with its ability to track void blinks, it didn’t need them.
The groin? Also a possibility. For any male, reproductive organs should be a weak point… right?
To be honest, Qian Ye couldn’t be sure. Moreover, the tattered leather skirt the six-armed giant wore had surprisingly high defensive capabilities, likely made from the hide of some unknown beast.
After much thought, Qian Ye finally settled on a risky plan. The six-armed giant might not have any weaknesses, but this one did. Its skull had been shattered by Qian Ye a few days ago, and though it had regrown, the new bone was unlikely to be as hard as the original. Thus, striking the same spot again would likely yield better results.
With his plan decided, Qian Ye no longer felt rushed. He prepared to run the Xuanpian for another quarter of an hour, replenish his blood vitality, and then use a combination of void blink and the Primordial Gun to ambush the six-armed giant.
If he could severely wound the giant, Qian Ye planned to flee immediately, heading for the imperial fortress.
Just as Qian Ye was ready to launch his decisive attack, a faint black mist suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wrapping lightly around the six-armed giant’s neck!
In an instant, the giant’s massive head separated from its body and crashed to the ground.
For a moment, Qian Ye couldn’t believe his eyes. The six-armed giant was dead? Just like that?
It was too unbelievable. Even if the giant had been fully focused on Qian Ye’s impending attack, even Lu Lao, who resided in the Tian Sun Grassland, could only hope to severely injure it with a perfect ambush. In a direct confrontation, Lu Lao would struggle to last a few minutes.
If Lu Lao, a renowned elder, fared so poorly, others would fare even worse.
Even if Qian Ye himself attacked, the six-armed giant’s iron-hard neck would resist a single sword strike.
But then, Qian Ye’s shock turned to joy. Behind the fallen giant, a familiar figure appeared—wasn’t it Ye Ting?
Qian Ye took a step forward, then hesitated, a rare occurrence.
It had been a long time since he last saw Ye Ting, and their meetings were often limited to brief exchanges across warships. It was difficult to say if she was still the same person who had found a place in his heart.
From another perspective, the awakened Ye Ting was now a being to look up to. Although feelings weren’t determined by combat prowess, the idea that the strong were supreme was deeply ingrained in both the Empire and the Evernight, and Qian Ye was no exception. Now, he felt he was beneath her.
Qian Ye never knew if Ye Ting’s feelings for him remained after her awakening, and he neither wanted nor dared to find out. Her sudden appearance, resolving his predicament, left him unsure of her intentions.
As Qian Ye looked at Ye Ting, she also gazed back. Her deep, unfathomable eyes revealed nothing.
After a moment, Ye Ting broke the silence with a faint, almost imperceptible smile. “Is this how you plan to send me to the Holy Mountain?”
The statement caught Qian Ye off guard, leaving him at a loss for words. His entry into the Great Maelstrom was indeed for opportunities and to enhance his strength, and it had been remarkably effective. Had it not been for the six-armed giant, he would have formed his seventh origin vortex by now.
This level of power was still far from reaching the Holy Mountain; he couldn’t even touch its base. Yet, in terms of cultivation speed, very few in the Empire could match him. In the Evernight, the dark races, accustomed to growing through bloodline powers, generally progressed more slowly and couldn’t compare to Qian Ye.
Qian Ye detected a hint of mockery and dissatisfaction in Ye Ting’s voice, but he couldn’t pinpoint the source. From any angle, Qian Ye’s cultivation and combat growth could be described as miraculous.
Before Qian Ye could ask, Ye Ting descended gently, placing Little Zhuji on the ground. She then pointed to Qian Ye, saying, “Go to Daddy.”
Little Zhuji frowned. “No! Daddy always ignores me. I want Mommy and Auntie!”
Ye Ting was slightly surprised, her expression softening. “Want me? I haven’t spent much time with you either!”
The little one said, “Auntie smells nice.”
Ye Ting smiled, patting her head. “Listen, follow Daddy. No matter where he goes, stay with him, okay?”
Clearly, Little Zhuji was a bit afraid of Ye Ting and didn’t dare disobey, hesitating. “But what if Daddy leaves me behind again?”
“Then you can spit on him.”
Little Zhuji shook her head. “No, Daddy will die. I don’t want Daddy to die, or Mommy and Auntie.”
Ye Ting’s smile widened, ruffling her hair. “Nonsense, your Dad won’t die. Your little venom might only make him half-dead, and he’ll recover in a day. Auntie won’t die either; there are few in this world who can kill her. But your Mom, hmm, maybe, maybe…”
As Ye Ting pondered, Little Zhuji asked, “What does Auntie want to do to Mom?”
“Not much, just thinking about whether to kill her,” Ye Ting replied, realizing she had inadvertently spoken her thoughts. She wasn’t afraid of Qian Ye hearing, and with a nonchalant smile, she patted Zhuji. “Off you go.”
The little one took a step, but Ye Ting pulled her back.
“Wait a moment.” Ye Ting flew to the six-armed giant’s corpse, her black scythe reappearing. She sliced open the giant’s chest, extracting the heart.
The heart was enormous, still pulsating strongly, a testament to its incredible vitality.
She tossed the heart to Little Zhuji. “Have Daddy cook this for you. It’ll be good for you.”
Upon seeing the heart, Little Zhuji’s mouth watered. Her powerful instincts told her that this would benefit her greatly.
Holding the gigantic heart, larger than her body, Little Zhuji ran to Qian Ye. With the heart in hand, she quickly forgot about Ye Ting, clearly a food lover.
As Zhuji ran over, the heart blocked Qian Ye’s view of Ye Ting. When the little one placed the heart before Qian Ye, Ye Ting had already vanished.
If there was love, it seemed cold. If there was no love, why did she arrive so conveniently, and why did she leave so easily?
Qian Ye sighed inwardly.
Soon, a fire lit up by the Pool of All Beings, with a strange pot set above it, cooking chunks of meat the size of fists.
The pot was made from a piece of armor Qian Ye had found on the six-armed giant, while the water was from the Pool of All Beings. The meat, naturally, was the heart of the giant.
Qian Ye wasn’t a bad slicer, but the giant’s heart was too tough. Even with his weapon, Dongyue, it was a challenge, so he chopped it into large pieces, planning to soften it further.
As the water began to boil and the meat was still mostly uncooked, Little Zhuji eagerly grabbed a chunk and stuffed it into her mouth, swallowing it whole.
The large piece caused her throat to bulge, sending a shiver down Qian Ye’s spine.
“Didn’t taste much,” Little Zhuji said, looking puzzled.
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