Chapter 23: Thirty Years

Qing Long announced directly to all the cultivators of the ten sects that Qu Yi now possessed three Eight Directions Swords. However, the other sects had only known that Qu Yi had obtained two Eight Directions Swords; they had no idea where he got the third one.
Tai Yuan Sect’s leader, Tai Ming, after his sect’s base was destroyed by the Poisonous Fruit, had set up spatial teleportation arrays elsewhere. He had now arrived at Moon-Biting Cliff, looking extremely uneasy.
The third Eight Directions Sword wasn’t even given to Qu Yi by Tai Yuan Sect itself.
“Qing Long, didn’t Qu Yi only have two Eight Directions Swords? How does he have three? Did you get deceived by him?” Lan Wei, the leader of Lan Yang Palace, loudly questioned.
This only made Tai Ming even more frustrated.
Qing Long smiled and glanced at Tai Ming before saying loudly, “The third Eight Directions Sword was obtained by Qu Yi from a Tai Yuan Sect elder during the battle for the Six Harmonies Blades in the Tian Huo Star Region. I believe Brother Tai Ming can prove this.”
Tai Ming’s eyes seemed to sprout flames, and his whole body trembled, but he ultimately said nothing.
Everyone realized that Qu Yi indeed had three Eight Directions Swords, and Tai Yuan Sect no longer had its only one either.
Suddenly, Qing Yun Sect’s leader Qing Xu, Lan Yang Palace’s leader Lan Wei, and Ying Tian Sect’s leader Ying Hua all glared angrily at Tai Ming. As leaders of their respective sects, they had always followed Tai Ming’s lead. Whenever Tai Yuan Sect took action, the three sects would follow, which had naturally earned them a lot of resentment.
The three sects had regarded Tai Yuan Sect as their leader because it possessed the Star Luo Ding, one Eight Directions Sword, and two Six Harmonies Blades. But now, Tai Yuan Sect’s Star Luo Ding and Eight Directions Sword had been taken by Qu Yi, and most of its cultivators below the Tribulation stage had been eliminated by the Poisonous Fruit. Thus, the strength of the three sects was now not much weaker than Tai Yuan Sect’s. Naturally, realizing they had been deceived by Tai Ming and sent to the Soul Star Region to chase after Qu Yi, resulting in thousands of their elders dying, their anger could no longer be suppressed.
Tai Ming sensed the anger of the three sect leaders and dared not confront them further, turning away instead.
The hatred among the leaders of these four cultivation sects did not affect the leaders of the other sects. Everyone analyzed the information from Qing Long’s words.
Suddenly, Jin Xiong, the leader of Jin Yang Sect, asked, “Qing Long, you said the three Eight Directions Swords can carry twenty-four people. Is this information true?”

Two Eight-Directions Swords can carry fifteen people—a secret known to the leaders of all ten sects. But as for how many people three Eight-Directions Swords can carry, the leaders of the ten sects are not sure.
Qinglong moved his lips slightly; he wasn’t sure about this either, but by inference, it should be quite easy to understand. One Eight-Directions Sword carries six people, two carry fifteen, and three carry twenty-four—this fits the logic.
Since they had already secured the auction, Qinglong no longer doubted Qu Yi. He immediately said, “I can confirm this information for you—it’s true. Moreover, Qu Yi has agreed that during the auction, our ten sects can send three Great Perfection-stage cultivators to seal off the space where it takes place. Once the auction ends, the cultivators from our ten sects must immediately enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion.”
Whoa!
Another wave of collective gasps filled the skies above Cliff of the Crescent Moon.
The Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion held immense significance in the cultivation world; almost everyone wanted to enter it and uncover its mysteries. Hearing that it would open again in thirty years, everyone couldn’t help but be astonished.
Suddenly, Cang Huang, the leader of Cangyang Valley, raised doubts and shouted, “Qinglong, isn’t Qu Yi afraid that our ten sects might take this opportunity to seal him away?”
All the cultivators turned to Qinglong, realizing this crucial point: What ability did Qu Yi have to defy the spatial seals of the Great Perfection-stage cultivators from the ten sects?
Seeing nearly a million powerful cultivators staring at him, Qinglong felt a surge of pride and laughed loudly, “It’s simple. Qu Yi has told me that as long as the ten sects fight him inside the sealed space and destroy all three Eight-Directions Swords and one Six-Directions Blade by clashing them together, no one will be able to enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion.”
Whoa!
Another round of collective gasps came from the cultivators present. They finally understood Qu Yi’s intention: either everyone entered the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion together, or no one would ever get in.
How ruthless!
That was what all the cultivators thought.
Now, the ten major sects also realized that it was impossible to chase after Qu Yi anymore. They could only compete for those twenty spots at the auction. Especially the Five Great Sects—Taiyuan Sect, Lanyang Palace, Jinyang Sect, Cliff of the Crescent Moon, and Jiugong Island—none of them had Eight-Directions Swords. To enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion, they had to compete at this auction.
At that moment, the cultivators from all ten major sects consciously flew to their respective leaders and then used the spatial teleportation array to leave Cliff of the Crescent Moon and return to their own sects.
……

After leaving Bai Shou Peak, Qu Yi instantly traveled through the starry sky and returned to Tai Qian Star. Then, on an island, he entered the Inch Realm Sphere, preparing to meditate in solitude for thirty years. By the lake inside the Inch Realm Sphere, Qu Yi sat cross-legged on a jade platform, eyes closed in meditation. By now, he had refined five soul cores at the mid-stage of the tribulation phase, and his soul continuously absorbed the substances from these cores, rapidly elevating his soul realm. Of course, Qu Yi wouldn’t directly push his soul realm to mid-stage of the tribulation phase, as that would immediately draw the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. With his current understanding of energy, he wasn’t confident enough to successfully pass the second heavenly tribulation. Qu Yi merely wanted to raise his soul realm so that it could help speed up the scanning of his spiritual awareness, further accelerating the completion of the Four Elements Dao. Although refining the Soul-Nurturing Stone had already increased the scanning speed by five times, Qu Yi wasn’t averse to seeing it increase even more. Suddenly, Qu Yi, who was in meditation, opened his eyes and glanced at the Artifact God lying on a soft chair. “Artifact God, I want to ask you—why set the auction for thirty years from now?” Qu Yi asked with a smile. It turned out that although Qu Yi had come up with the idea of the auction, it was the Artifact God who decided on the timing. The Artifact God turned over and looked at Qu Yi, smiling. “In thirty years, you’ll be able to scan 70% of the Four Elements Dao. By then, your soul realm should be able to break through to mid-stage of the tribulation phase. If you succeed in passing the tribulation and enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion with that level of cultivation, you’ll be much safer. Moreover, these thirty years will give the ten major sects enough time to search various parts of the cultivation world for treasures. The fiercer their competition, the more benefits you’ll gain.” Qu Yi nodded, gaining some insight into the Artifact God’s cunning, and thought it over further. With his spiritual awareness being strong enough to handle six tasks simultaneously, scanning the Four Elements Dao with the other five strands of his awareness didn’t prevent him from dedicating one strand to thinking. “Artifact God, when I enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion, I only need to go in alone. Therefore, it’s necessary to send everyone inside the Inch Realm Sphere out now, letting them spread across the cultivation world and wait for me to come out,” Qu Yi suddenly said. Qu Yi was well aware that those from the ten major sects who entered the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion would surely be powerful figures in the late stage of the tribulation phase. On his side, only he had the ability to compete with them there; anyone else entering would be certain death.

Upon hearing this, the Artifact God smiled and said, “There’s no need to rush. Wait for about twenty-odd years. Once the cultivation world stabilizes, then let them leave. Right now, the immortal, demonic, and fiendish factions in the cultivation world are engaged in fierce battles, and it’s very likely they’ll get drawn into it. Oh, by the way, Qu Yi, you can start crafting some Soul Compasses now.”

A Soul Compass could store Qu Yi’s soul imprint inside, allowing him to determine its location at any time.

Hearing this, Qu Yi frowned and asked directly, “Artifact God, it seems you’re quite interested in Soul Compasses. You’ve urged me to craft them several times already. What exactly can a Soul Compass do for me?”

The Artifact God waved his hand and smiled, “Qu Yi, the reason I ended up in the cultivation world is related to a magical artifact I crafted. I have a premonition that that artifact is in the Haotian Immortal Mansion. Once you obtain it, you’ll understand the benefits of the Soul Compass. Moreover, Qu Yi, you should also remember that the Ten Great Sects were established with the support of powerful cultivators from the upper realms. Naturally, these sects have ways to communicate with those upper realms. If, when you enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion, powerful beings from the immortal, fiend, and demonic realms descend to block your escape route, wouldn’t all the treasures you obtain there have to be given to them? Obtaining my magical artifact can help you overcome these difficulties.”

Upon hearing this, Qu Yi was filled with astonishment. The Artifact God was not only mysterious but also seemed to have an extremely powerful background.

“I understand. Then I’ll set aside some time to start crafting Soul Compasses,” Qu Yi said with a smile.

While in the Soul Star Region, Qu Yi had killed many cultivators at the Tribulation stage. From their space rings, he had already obtained the materials for Soul Compasses—Dream Soul Stones, Five Constellations Stones, and Witch Spirit Crystals.

The Artifact God nodded, then lay back on the soft chair and fell asleep.

Seeing the Artifact God asleep again, Qu Yi shook his head and murmured, “By now, Qinglong should have spread the news about the auction. The Ten Great Sects must have gone to collect treasures. I’m really curious about what treasures will be available in thirty years.”

Of course, Qu Yi was also well aware of the importance of his own strength. After muttering that to himself, he immediately focused on his cultivation again.

As expected, by this time on Liupan Star, after ending their conflicts, the Ten Great Sects immediately sent all their strongest cultivators to various dangerous places in the cultivation world to gather precious treasures.

The Ten Sects spared no effort to compete for a spot in the Haotian Immortal Mansion.

Time flew by, and thirty years passed in the blink of an eye.