Chapter 30: Acting a Play

Xiao Duhan watched helplessly as Qu Yi left through the space teleportation array, but he couldn’t intervene—after all, the array belonged to the Immortal Path Alliance. If he did, it would mean the Xiao family was challenging the alliance, leading to its pursuit.

Once, the Mu Ye family, a prominent clan in the cultivation world, had their entire clan wiped out by the four major cultivation sects after their clan leader in the later stages of fusion killed a powerful cultivator in the teleportation hall. Since then, no cultivator on Yingxian Island or Jiemo Island has dared to attack others in the teleportation hall.

“Desert Star, Desert Star… Good. I’ll go to Desert Star and kill you,” Xiao Duhan muttered coldly once Qu Yi was gone.

Soon after, Xiao Duhan left Yingxian Island and returned to the Xiao family’s headquarters. After discussing things with Xiao Dubing, he went back to Yingxian Island alone and headed for Desert Star.

After leaving Yingxian Island on Dark Fragrance Star, Qu Yi traveled to other planets without stopping, constantly using space teleportation arrays until he finally returned to Desert Star.

Desert Star had a Stone of Rest, which Qu Yi was determined to obtain. Besides this stone, he also wanted to prevent the Xiao family from going to Feiyun Star—Yin Yun Sect was still too weak. If those cultivators in the Tribulation stage were brought there, Yin Yun Sect would undoubtedly be affected and might even be destroyed.

Since he couldn’t protect Yin Yun Sect with his current strength nor allow the Golden Qilin to wield the Eight Directions Sword recklessly, Qu Yi had no choice but to draw everyone’s attention to Desert Star.

At that moment, Qu Yi arrived at Ping’an Bao on Desert Star. As soon as he left Ping’an Bao, he flew straight to one of Desert Star’s four major sects, Tantian Sect, to carry out a significant task—informing the cultivation world that he had arrived.

Tantian Sect had three elders in the fusion stage who had once pursued Qing Wugui alongside Xiao family elders. Since Qu Yi wanted to create a sensational event, he naturally had to start with them.

The headquarters of Tantian Sect was located in Tantian Bao, where its powerful cultivators had built a towering stone altar using formidable magic—reaching ten thousand meters high and hundreds of kilometers in length and width. All of Tantian Sect’s experts practiced there.

Qu Yi appeared at the headquarters of Tantian Sect and stopped beside the stone altar.

Tantian Sect also had patrol disciples flying around the altar. They spotted Qu Yi immediately, and a team of ten rushed forward to confront him.

“Elder, may I ask your name? What brings you to our Tan Tian Sect?” One of the ten, who seemed to be a leader, spoke up.
This leader was only at the mid-stage Yuan Ying level. Realizing that his spiritual sense could detect no trace of Qu Yi’s true energy fluctuations, he was shocked and understood that Qu Yi was a powerful figure—he must not offend him under any circumstances.
Qu Yi smiled at the ten of them. With a slight lift of his right hand, a wave of golden true energy was emitted, pressing the ten Tan Tian Sect patrol members directly onto the towering stone altar.
“There’s no need to panic. Go and tell your sect’s leader that Li Mu has arrived. He must come out personally to greet him; otherwise, whoever comes will be killed,” Qu Yi said with a smile.
The ten patrol members were even more terrified. With just a wave of true energy from Qu Yi, they were pinned to the altar, unable to move. If he wanted to kill them, it would be effortless.
“Yes, Elder Li Mu. We will definitely report this to the leader,” the leader said earnestly.
Qu Yi smiled and immediately dissipated his true energy.
The ten patrol members immediately flew up to the towering stone altar and went to report to their senior patrol leader.
Sha Bo, who was in charge of the Tan Tian Sect’s defense, received the report from the ten patrol members and was shocked. A powerful figure had arrived at the sect, and he demanded that the leader come out personally—this surely meant ill intent.
“Hmph! No matter who you are, our sect’s leader isn’t someone you can just meet at will. I’ll go meet you,” Sha Bo said, filled with anger. He quickly flew off the altar.
Soon, Sha Bo arrived in front of Qu Yi.
“Fellow cultivator, I heard from the patrol members that you wanted to see our sect’s leader. That’s why I came. May I ask, what brings you to seek an audience with our leader?” Sha Bo stared at Qu Yi, smiling lightly.
By now, Sha Bo had sensed that Qu Yi’s true energy was only at the early stage of He Ti, while he himself was at the mid-stage of He Ti. There was no need to be polite to Qu Yi.
Qu Yi glanced at Sha Bo and said, “Haven’t you heard what the patrol members reported? If the leader doesn’t come personally, anyone from your sect will die, right?”
Upon hearing this, Sha Bo’s anger surged, and he glared at Qu Yi with hatred in his eyes.

“Fellow cultivator, I treat you as a guest and that’s why I’ve been polite. Yet you dare humiliate me like this? Then I, Sandstorm, really want to fight you to see if you have the ability to take my life,” Sandstorm shouted angrily, already drawing a bright yellow long staff from his hand. It was Sandstorm’s magical weapon, the Sandsplitting Staff—a low-grade spiritual artifact that could summon a sandstorm with just one strike.

Qu Yi sighed in relief, shook his head, and said, “Originally, you didn’t have to die. Since that’s the case, I’ll just kill you.” With that, Qu Yi vanished in an instant. While Sandstorm was stunned and hadn’t even raised his Sandsplitting Staff, Qu Yi had already reached behind him. His Golden Spear pierced through Sandstorm’s back, and with a surge of his vital energy, Sandstorm lost all breath. Undoubtedly, Qu Yi had taken Sandstorm’s Nascent Soul once again.

“Where did this villain come from? How dare he come to our Tan Tian Sect to cause trouble and even kill one of our elders?” An angry shout rang out in the air, followed by the appearance of five figures, each at the Convergence Stage. One of them was Sha Ding, the sect leader of Tan Tian Sect, while the other four were its elders. As soon as they appeared, they lined up and glared at Qu Yi.

Qu Yi calmly looked at the five of them and said with a smile, “Five powerful members of Tan Tian Sect, I am Li Mu. Since your sect leader has come in person, I’ll tell you why I’m here. My brother was pursued by three of your sect’s elders—Sha Yang, Sha Hen, and Sha Chen. Although I’ve already killed them, I’m still not satisfied. I want your sect to offer some compensation.”

“What? So it was you who killed our three elders?”

“Li Mu, we’ve been searching for you for a long time. Good, now that you’ve shown yourself, hand over your life.”

“How ridiculous! You’re still in the early Convergence Stage yet dare to threaten our sect? How presumptuous!”

As soon as Qu Yi finished speaking, the elders of Tan Tian Sect cursed angrily, each drawing their magical weapons and ready to attack him.

“Ah, are you people of Tan Tian Sect really all brainless? I killed that elder in the middle Convergence Stage just because he looked down on me. Can’t you use your brains to realize that my strength is far beyond what your sect can handle?” Qu Yi shook his head and sighed, looking pityful at their stubbornness.

After his words, the five enraged members of Tan Tian Sect indeed calmed down somewhat.

“Hmph, no matter what your strength is, or even if you can match the strength of those in the later stages of fusion, we have two in the later stages, two in the middle stages, and one in the early stage of fusion. How could you, who are only in the early stage, pose a threat?” At this moment, Sha Ding, the leader of the Tan Tian Sect, spoke up.
Qu Yi laughed heartily, then suddenly vanished, disappearing completely from the spiritual senses of the five of them. The next moment, two slaps echoed on Sha Ding’s face, causing his cheeks to swell red.
Qu Yi then reappeared in his original position like a ghost.
“Well? Do I have the strength to kill you all five?” Qu Yi said softly, smiling at them.
By now, the five members of the Tan Tian Sect clearly understood that if Qu Yi really wanted to kill them, it would be effortless. They fell silent, terrified. Especially Sha Ding, whose heart was filled with dread upon realizing he hadn’t sensed Qu Yi’s attack at all. If Qu Yi truly wanted to kill him, he would have died by now.
Seeing their fearful expressions, Qu Yi knew they now feared him greatly. He then smiled and said, “Fifth, as long as you have no malicious intentions, I don’t want to take your lives. Now, let me explain my purpose. My brother is being hunted by your sect’s elders. This compensation isn’t too much—just give me all your sect’s spiritual stones and pills, and I’ll leave.”
“What!”
The five members of the Tan Tian Sect, who had been silent, cried out in panic upon hearing Qu Yi’s words.
If they gave all their spiritual stones and pills to Qu Yi, their sect would lack cultivation resources and likely be absorbed by the other three sects on Desert Star.
Qu Yi waved his hand and said, “Don’t try to talk to me about sorrow. I don’t care about your sect’s future—that’s something you need to worry about. Right now, you have only one answer: agree to my demands.”
The five powerful members of the Tan Tian Sect felt powerless, their eyes filled with confusion.
“Very well, I agree to your demands,” Sha Ding replied sadly as the leader.
“Leader…” The other four elders cried out in shock.
Sha Ding closed his eyes and said weakly, “Four elders, go handle this. Give me all our sect’s spiritual stones and pills.”
By now, Sha Ding had realized that any further delay would likely lead Qu Yi to demand more compensation. When one’s strength is inferior, there’s no room for negotiation—Sha Ding understood this deeply now.

The four elders, with expressions of reluctance, flew to the top of the stone altar. They then organized their disciples to gather all the pills and spirit stones from the Tan Tian Sect and brought them there using space rings, delivering them to Qu Yi.

Qu Yi chuckled and happily accepted the ten space rings handed to him. Scanning them with his spiritual sense, he confirmed that the Tan Tian Sect had indeed brought out most of its treasures. As for any remaining spirit stones and pills, Qu Yi didn’t want to claim them anymore—his purpose of visiting the Tan Tian Sect had already been fulfilled.

“The five strongmen of the Tan Tian Sect, I’ll take these ten space rings first. For the next year, I, Li Mu, will stay in the Great Rift of the Desert Planet. If you can recruit strong warriors, come and reclaim these space rings,” Qu Yi said with a smile.

At this point, Qu Yi was already carrying out his plan. By deliberately revealing his whereabouts, he wanted to use the Tan Tian Sect as a means to expose his own location. After saying that, he flew away.

The five members of the Tan Tian Sect watched as Qu Yi left, and one after another began to cry, cursing bitterly.

“Hmph, Li Mu! Today you stole our sect’s wealth with your strength, but we will definitely get it back someday.”

“Whatever it takes, we must avenge this humiliation. Even if we give up the treasures in those ten space rings, we must inform the entire cultivation world and ask those strong warriors to kill Li Mu.”

“Right! We can’t let Li Mu get our sect’s treasures, even if it means giving them to others for free.”

…

The five members of the Tan Tian Sect vented their resentment. Soon, they indeed spread word of Li Mu’s whereabouts, announcing his plans to go to the Great Rift of the Desert Planet.