Chapter 148: Queen or Goddess (2)

While these two guys were babbling nonsense, the beautiful woman silently walked forward. Of course, she could hear Yang Hao and Hunyuanzi’s conversation, but strangely, she showed no sign of getting angry.

Oddly enough, only after Yang Hao followed for a few steps did he realize what true divine power really meant. Yang Hao merely took small steps behind the beauty, yet after only three steps, it felt as though time had flown and history had reversed itself. He felt as if his entire being were moving at speeds surpassing light itself. Just three steps, and he had already crossed a vast expanse that he previously thought boundless. The distance covered in those three steps must have been thousands of kilometers, yet he felt absolutely nothing unusual.

“Shortening the Earth!” Hunyuanzi exclaimed in astonishment. “This is an extremely advanced technique.”

These words caused the woman to turn around, giving Yang Hao’s belly a meaningful glance before shaking her head. “Didn’t expect you, old man, to have some knowledge.”

While the two guys were talking nonsense, the beauty remained silent and walked ahead. Of course, she could hear Yang Hao and Hun Yuanzi’s conversation, but for some reason, she showed no sign of anger at all.

Strangely enough, after Yang Hao followed her for a few steps, he realized what the true power of the Divine Clan was. Yang Hao had merely taken small steps to keep up with the beauty, yet in just three strides, it felt as if time had flown by and space had reversed. It was as if he was moving at a speed surpassing light itself. Those three steps carried him beyond the vast, seemingly endless land he had thought was boundless. The distance covered in those three steps was easily over thousands of kilometers, yet he felt nothing unusual.

“*Shrinking Earth Technique*!” Hun Yuanzi exclaimed in awe. “That’s an incredibly advanced spell.”

This remark made the woman turn around and cast a meaningful glance at Yang Hao’s stomach before shaking her head. “I didn’t expect an old fool like you to have some knowledge.”

“Nonsense,” Hun Yuanzi retorted, his bones practically melting under her gaze. “I am the mentor of a genius swordsman—handsome, heroic, and peerless. That’s no exaggeration.”

“Hmph.” The beauty sneered. “But you guessed wrong. What I just used wasn’t something as low-level as the *Shrinking Earth Technique*. It was *Lightflow Shadowstride*, the true innate ability of the Divine Clan. Your so-called *Shrinking Earth Technique* is just a crude imitation.”

“*Lightflow Shadowstride*?!” Hun Yuanzi couldn’t help but shudder. To be honest, it was only now that he truly understood—this was no longer the universe he once knew, and the person before him was no mere “expert” from the past.

That stunningly beautiful woman with an enviable figure was a true member of the Divine Clan.

What made Hun Yuanzi fully grasp this fact was the mere mention of those four simple words: *Lightflow Shadowstride*. To cultivators, this wasn’t just an ordinary term—it was as awe-inspiring as a deity descending from the heavens.

In the era of cultivators, which spanned a long period, people had already mastered powerful spells by the time of Hun Yuanzi’s peak. To ordinary mortals, they appeared godlike, hence the misconception that cultivators were immortals. But in truth, the only real gods in this world were the Divine Clan.

Only cultivators themselves knew that their techniques were originally derived from the Divine Clan, then modified and evolved over time.

Among them, the *Shrinking Earth Technique* and its variants were considered the most advanced. Skilled cultivators who mastered these spells could traverse the world in an instant, faster than flying. It was as if they could treat the entire planet as a speck of dust—not exactly toying with it, but easily treading upon it.

Thanks to such spells, cultivators could travel thousands of miles in a blink, earning the reverence of ordinary people.

Yet, no matter how advanced any *Shrinking Earth Technique* was, they all traced back to the same origin. And at the very root of it all, only *Lightflow Shadowstride* could be called the original, foundational art.

How powerful was *Lightflow Shadowstride*? To put it simply, even if all the *Shrinking Earth Techniques* in the world were combined, their power wouldn’t amount to even a thousandth of *Lightflow Shadowstride*. This included Yang Hao’s *Flying Petal Phantom Steps*, a technique he often relied on to save his life—yet it was merely a crude imitation of *Lightflow Shadowstride*.

The *Flying Petal Phantom Steps* allowed Yang Hao to move at imperceptible speeds within a small area, which, in this era, was enough to intimidate most. Meanwhile, Hun Yuanzi’s *Shrinking Earth Technique* could transport him vast distances in an instant—a higher level of mastery. But compared to *Lightflow Shadowstride*, both were as laughable as children’s play.

The Divine Clan’s *Lightflow Shadowstride* wasn’t just about walking—it was true spatial teleportation. That seemingly unremarkable woman had effortlessly shifted everything around her, including the air, light, and even Yang Hao himself, to a distant location with a single step.

*Lightflow Shadowstride* could instantly traverse space and time, even bringing along surrounding objects. Such divine power was unimaginably strong.

While Hun Yuanzi was stunned, Yang Hao remained oblivious to the true extent of this power. He simply assumed the beauty was using some kind of illusion. Moreover, the place where Yang Hao now stood had undergone an even stranger transformation.

When Yang Hao first arrived, he had been standing on a vast, seemingly endless expanse of hard, white ground. But after the beauty used *Lightflow Shadowstride*, they were suddenly transported to an entirely blue world. The ground beneath Yang Hao’s feet felt soft and slightly damp, like blue cotton. The sky, however, was tinted green. This world, too, seemed boundless, and with every step Yang Hao took, the ground trembled, making it hard for him to keep his balance.

“Uh…”

He instinctively reached out to grab the beauty’s skirt for support, but his foot slipped, causing him to stumble and latch onto her smooth, bare leg.

“PERVERT!!!” The beauty shrieked like any ordinary woman would, her legs flashing in the air as a streak of red light shot out, flinging Yang Hao away with tremendous force.

Hun Yuanzi let out a horrified scream: “Ahhh! The Divine Clan’s *Phoenix Kick*!”

Legend had it that the *Phoenix Kick* was another formidable divine technique, one that had left its mark on Earth in ancient times. Many of the massive stone footprints from antiquity were said to be remnants of this very move. What mortals worshipped as divine power was nothing more than this woman’s reflexive reaction—simpler than basic self-defense.

No matter how much Hun Yuanzi wailed, the one truly suffering was Yang Hao, as that beautiful yet brutal kick landed squarely on him.

To be precise, she first flung him away, then—with terrifying precision—stomped on the nail of his little toe with the sharp heel of her shoe.

“YIIII!!! OWWW!!! AHHH!!!” Yang Hao let out a series of bizarre noises, his face contorted in pain. His entire body went numb, his mind blank, and he collapsed backward like a plank.

With a loud *splash*, as if someone had belly-flopped into water, everything around him fell silent. Yang Hao suddenly felt an icy chill envelop him—he was submerged in blue water. It turned out the “ground” he had been standing on was actually the surface of water. Only with the Divine Clan’s presence had he been able to walk on it.

Once the divine beauty deemed Yang Hao had swallowed enough water, she finally hauled him out with a scowl. “Daring to take liberties with me? Do you have a death wish?”

“Big sis!” Yang Hao’s mind was still sharp—had he called her “auntie,” his life would’ve been forfeit on the spot. “How could I ever dare? I’d rather eat crab roe tofu than lay a finger on you! Sure, your legs are long and smooth, and you’re young, beautiful, and graceful, but at most, I’d just look—never touch!”

“Hmph. You’d better not.” Even a member of the Divine Clan wasn’t immune to flattery. The beauty’s expression softened instantly. “Remember this—my name is Xin Mei, the Guide Deity of this place. I decide where you go next. Behave, or I’ll drown you right here.”

“Xin Mei…” Yang Hao muttered under his breath. “Right, Xin Mei—where exactly is this place? Why were we walking on water?”

“Because it *is* water.” Xin Mei narrowed her eyes, glancing at the sky with an elegant demeanor. Realizing Yang Hao still didn’t get it, she elaborated, “I’ve brought you onto a single dewdrop. Walking on a dewdrop naturally means walking on water.”

“WHAT?!” Yang Hao jumped up in disbelief. “I’m standing on a *dewdrop*? A tiny dewdrop? How can a person be smaller than a dewdrop?”

“What’s so impossible about that?” Xin Mei scoffed. “You mortals are so narrow-minded. A single speck of dust contains countless worlds, and countless specks form just one universe. Size is relative. The place you were at earlier? Just a grain of sand. If I hadn’t told you, you’d never have known.”

“A grain of sand…” Yang Hao was stunned. That vast, white, seemingly endless expanse had been nothing more than a speck of sand. Comparatively, standing on a dewdrop was already a massive leap.

After sulking for a moment, Yang Hao quickly grasped the concept and even extrapolated further. “So, by that logic, our entire universe might just be a grain of sand or a dewdrop, and beyond it lies an even greater expanse?”

“Obviously. But you’d need divine power strong enough to break through spatial barriers to see the truth.” Xin Mei nudged Yang Hao’s backside with her foot. “Enough lazing around. Get up—I’m taking you to the real Divine Realm.”

Her fair, slender leg kicking him actually felt… surprisingly pleasant. At this moment, Yang Hao’s lecherous instincts flared up. He stayed perfectly still, hoping Xin Mei would kick him a few more times so he could enjoy the sensation a little longer.

But Xin Mei was far too sharp. One look at Yang Hao’s blissful, closed-eyed expression told her everything. Enraged, she unleashed another *Phoenix Kick*, this time slamming her foot hard into Yang Hao’s rear.

This time, Yang Hao didn’t even need to experience *Lightflow Shadowstride*—he was sent flying like a helicopter taking off. The sheer force behind Xin Mei’s kick was horrifying, launching Yang Hao straight into the sky. The wind howled past his ears, but everything before his eyes turned pitch black. He must’ve been moving so fast that he was tearing through space itself.

“Hmph,” the beauty scoffed. “But you’re wrong. What I just used wasn’t something as basic as ‘Shortening the Earth.’ It’s ‘Light Flow Shadow Step,’ the true innate ability of the divine race. Your ‘Shortening the Earth’ is merely a crude imitation.”

“Light Flow Shadow Step??” Hunyuanzi couldn’t help shivering involuntarily. Frankly speaking, only now did he realize that the place he was in was no longer the same universe he had known, and the person before him was no longer one of those so-called experts from the previous universes.

The stunning beauty with an enviable figure was indeed a true deity.

What made Hunyuanzi fully grasp this fact was those four simple words—”Light Flow Shadow Step.” Of course, these weren’t just ordinary words; to cultivators, they were as astonishing as witnessing a god descending from heaven.

The age of cultivators had also been a long period. During Hunyuanzi’s heyday, people already possessed extremely powerful techniques, appearing outwardly very close to immortals. Thus, ordinary people regarded cultivators as immortals. But in reality, in this world, the only true gods were the divine race.

Even cultivators themselves understood that their techniques, from the very beginning, were learned from the divine race and then further developed.

The most advanced techniques were “Shortening the Earth” and “Earth Contraction.” Some cultivation experts, once mastering these two techniques, could travel around the world in an instant, much faster than flying. They treated the entire planet like dust, easily stepping upon it even if they couldn’t manipulate it at will.

Because of the existence of these techniques, cultivators could travel thousands of miles in the blink of an eye, inspiring awe among ordinary people.

However, no matter how advanced any “Earth Contraction” technique might be, in the end, they all stemmed from the same source. Tracing back to its origin, only “Light Flow Shadow Step” could be considered the foundational technique.

How powerful was “Light Flow Shadow Step”? Simply put, if all the power of every Earth Contraction technique in the world were combined, it wouldn’t even amount to a thousandth of “Light Flow Shadow Step.” This included Yang Hao’s “Flying Petal Phantom Steps,” a technique he often used as a last resort for survival, which was merely a superficial imitation of “Light Flow Shadow Step.”

“Fei Hua Huan Ying Bu Fa” (Flying Petal Phantom Steps) could transfer one’s body at speeds invisible to ordinary people within a small area, making it a technique capable of intimidating people in this era. Hunyuanzi’s “Shortening the Earth” could instantly transport him over vast distances, a deeper level of cultivation. But compared to “Light Flow Shadow Step,” they were as laughable as children’s toys.

The divine race’s special skill, “Light Flow Shadow Step,” wasn’t truly walking at all but entirely spatial transference. In other words, although the fierce woman appeared unremarkable, her actual power was unfathomable. With just a single step, she silently transported everything around her—including the air, light, and even Yang Hao—to a much more distant location.

“Light Flow Shadow Step” could instantly shift time and space, taking everything nearby along. Such a divine miracle was indeed overwhelmingly powerful.

However, while Hunyuanzi was astonished, Yang Hao didn’t yet grasp the severity. He merely thought the beauty was playing an optical illusion. Moreover, the place where Yang Hao now stood had undergone even more peculiar changes. When Yang Hao first arrived, he was on a vast, white, seemingly endless hard ground. But after being led by the beauty, with a flicker of “Light Flow Shadow Step,” he had arrived in an entirely blue world. Yang Hao felt the ground beneath his feet was soft and slightly damp, like blue cotton. The sky was green. This world was still boundless. With every step Yang Hao took, the ground trembled, nearly making it impossible for him to stand steady.

“Uh…

He reached out to grab the hem of the beauty’s skirt, but unexpectedly, he stumbled, falling forward and grabbing the woman’s smooth long legs.

“Assault!!!” The beauty screamed just like an ordinary woman. Her legs flew up, slicing through the air at an unimaginable speed, leaving a red blur as she flung Yang Hao away violently.

Hunyuanzi let out a piercing scream: “Wow! The divine race’s ‘Phoenix Kick’!”

Legend had it that the “Phoenix Kick” was also an extremely powerful divine technique, one that had appeared many times on Earth. The giant ancient stone footprints left behind in history were mostly imprints of the Phoenix Kick. A divine technique worshipped by ordinary people as sacred was something this woman used instinctively, even simpler than a basic self-defense move for women.

Regardless of how Hunyuanzi screamed, the one ultimately suffering was Yang Hao, as that graceful yet savage kick landed squarely on him.

Specifically, she first flung Yang Hao away, then with exceptional precision, used the heel of her high heels to stomp mercilessly on Yang Hao’s big toenail.

“Yi!!! Oh!!! Ah!!!” Yang Hao let out a series of strange noises. His entire face contorted, pain numbing his whole body, his mind going blank, before he fell backward stiffly.

With a loud “Boom,” it sounded like someone who had failed a dive and landed in the water, everything around falling silent. Yang Hao immediately felt a chill all around him—he was indeed surrounded by blue water. It turned out the ground he had been stepping on was actually water, only made walkable by the presence of a divine being.

Seeing Yang Hao had swallowed enough water, the goddess finally pulled him up with a sour expression, growling fiercely, “Dare to grope me? Do you want to die?”

“Sister!” Yang Hao’s mind was still clear. If he had blurted out “Auntie,” his life would have been in serious danger. “How could I dare to grope you? I’d rather eat crab tofu than touch you. Although your legs are long and tender, and you’re young, beautiful, and graceful, I’d only dare to look with my eyes. How could I ever dare to touch?”

“Good, I know you wouldn’t dare.” Even a deity couldn’t resist flattery. The beauty’s face immediately softened into a smile. “Remember this: my name is Xin Mei, I’m the welcoming deity here, and the one who decides where you go. You’d better behave yourself, or I’ll drown you here.”

“Xin Mei…” Yang Hao mumbled, then asked, “Hey, Xin Mei, where exactly is this place? And why can we walk on water?”

“Because it’s water, of course,” Xin Mei replied, glancing at the sky with a graceful expression. Noticing Yang Hao didn’t understand, she explained further, “I’ve already brought you onto a dewdrop. Naturally, walking on a dewdrop means walking on water.”

“What!!!” Yang Hao jumped up, his face showing disbelief. “I’m walking on a dewdrop? A tiny little dewdrop? How can a person be smaller than a dewdrop?”

“What’s so impossible about that?” Xin Mei scoffed. “You people are just too rigid-minded. There are countless worlds within a single speck of dust, and countless specks of dust can form a world. Size is only relative. Like the place you first arrived at—it was merely a grain of sand. If I hadn’t told you, how would you know?”

“A grain of sand…” Yang Hao recalled the white, endless, hard ground. If that was just a grain of sand, then walking on a dewdrop now was a significant leap indeed.

Yang Hao felt a little depressed for a moment but quickly relaxed, even drawing a parallel: “So according to what you’re saying, our universe might also be just a grain of sand or a dewdrop, with an even vaster space beyond it.”

“Exactly. But you need sufficient divine power to break through spatial barriers and see the truth.” Xin Mei kicked Yang Hao’s butt. “Alright, don’t lie there like a slug. Get moving. I need to take you into the true divine realm.”

Her long, white legs kicking him felt surprisingly pleasant. At this moment, Yang Hao, that lecherous guy, couldn’t help but get a little excited. He didn’t move at all, just waiting for Xin Mei to kick him a few more times so he could enjoy some more leg action.

Xin Mei, being such a clever woman, immediately understood upon seeing Yang Hao’s lecherous, eyes-closed expression. Enraged, she summoned the “Phoenix Kick” again and gave Yang Hao’s butt a fierce, merciless kick.

This time, Yang Hao didn’t even get to experience “Light Flow Shadow Step”—he was directly on a one-way flight. The force of Xin Mei’s kick was outrageous, sending Yang Hao soaring into the sky. The wind whistled past his ears, but everything before his eyes turned pitch black. He could only assume that the kick had been so powerful that he was now piercing through space itself.