Chapter 21: Earth Fury Star

Qu Yi refused to answer Bing Feng’s questions in the inn, leaving everyone still confused.
Long Hu Wei thought for a moment and immediately understood—since Qu Yi wouldn’t speak, there must be his reasons, and such secrets couldn’t be pressed further.
“Brother Qu Yi, this time too, it was your help that saved me from the pursuit of those Earth Soul Demon experts,” Long Hu Wei said gratefully.
Undoubtedly, Long Hu Wei also realized that someone had been following him all along behind those twelve people. Moreover, those pursuing him had now upgraded their tactics, sending out experts at the Earth Soul Demon level.
Qu Yi smiled faintly and said calmly, “Brother Hu Wei, with so many Earth Soul Demon experts, and you not even recognizing one of them, these experts must belong to certain sects or families on some planets. These sects and families are likely connected to someone powerful within your Baolong Sect. By investigating that, we can figure out who exactly wants to kill you.”
All we need to do is check which sects and families in the Earth Fury Star Cluster have lost their Earth Soul Demon experts, and then see which powerful figures they are closely associated with, so we can pinpoint the target.
After hearing Qu Yi’s words, Long Hu Wei fell silent for a moment before saying harshly, “Brother Qu Yi, I already have a rough idea of who it is. Among the high-ranking members competing for the position of Baolong Sect leader, Vice Sect Leader Zhuang Guangming has the greatest advantage. But he is disliked by many other high-ranking members within the sect. I suspect Zhuang Guangming is afraid that my father will pass the leadership position to my eldest senior brother, Long Zhan Tian, and later, once my cultivation improves, my eldest brother will pass it to me.”
Hearing this, everyone also guessed roughly.
Zhuang Guangming’s strength was second only to Long Bat Tian, but he wasn’t favored by the other high-ranking members. Meanwhile, although Long Zhan Tian’s cultivation was weaker than Zhuang Guangming’s, he was quite popular among them. Thus, the leadership position was contested between these two.
Qu Yi immediately asked, “Brother Hu Wei, can you get in touch with Long Zhan Tian now?”
With Long Zhan Tian’s help, they would likely be able to quickly determine whether it was indeed Zhuang Guangming pursuing them.
Long Hu Wei shook his head immediately and said with a wry smile, “Brother Qu Yi, Zhuang Guangming is now at the level of an Upper Earth Soul Demon, while my eldest senior brother is only at the level of a Middle Earth Soul Demon. Therefore, in order to compete with Zhuang Guangming for the leadership position, my eldest brother has been focusing on advancing to the level of an Upper Earth Soul Demon.”
Qu Yi nodded in understanding.

“Brother Huwei, those chasing us now have reached the level of six-star Earth Soul Demons. It seems those behind this want to see you dead, and their determination is firm. Let’s not stop anymore; we should keep moving and return to Earth Storm Star,” Qu Yi said with a slight smile.

Upon hearing this, Long Huwei immediately nodded in gratitude.

“Great, let’s keep moving back to Earth Storm Star!” The other four members of Huwei’s Adventuring Party exclaimed happily.

Qu Yi smiled and then said, “Let’s rest for one night. From tomorrow, we’ll keep traveling nonstop.”

Everyone nodded.

Qu Yi returned to his room. Before long, Jin Zun, Mu Zun, and Tu Zun entered, all smiling at him.

“Lord, bring out the Lamp Fruits,” the three said simultaneously, extending their hands.

The five Lamp Fruits were priceless treasures. Knowing that they could help them advance by one star level, Jin Zun, Mu Zun, and Tu Zun didn’t hesitate.

Qu Yi smiled and said, “Wait a moment. I need to go see Fire Zun and Water Zun first.”

After a while, Qu Yi brought out the Boundless Stars and then went to the Immortal Realm and the Demon Realm one after another. He gave Fire Zun a red Lamp Fruit and Water Zun a blue one.

Soon, Qu Yi returned to his room in the inn.

“Lord, hurry up! We can’t wait anymore,” Jin Zun, Mu Zun, and Tu Zun said, extending their right hands again when they saw Qu Yi back.

Qu Yi chuckled and then took out the golden, green, and yellow Lamp Fruits respectively and gave them to Jin Zun, Mu Zun, and Tu Zun.

“Alright. After swallowing these Lamp Fruits, you three will be able to quickly reach the level of three-star Earth Soul Immortals.”

Jin Zun, Mu Zun, and Tu Zun laughed and immediately swallowed the Lamp Fruits.

※※※

The Waterlogged Star Region is located in the central part of the entire Demon Realm.

Like other star regions, the Waterlogged Star Region is divided into 36 star zones, and each star zone is further divided into 70 star clusters.

Earth Storm Star is the core planet of the Earth Storm Star Cluster in the Tianbao Star Zone. The dominant sect in this entire cluster, the Storm Dragon Sect, controls the entire Earth Storm Star.

The planet is extremely large, and its land terrain closely resembles the character “storm.” Therefore, the planet is divided into three continents: the Land of the Sun, the Land of Unity, and the Land of Water.

The name “Storm Dragon” also comes from the planet’s land terrain. The dragon symbolizes combat and violence.

Thus, the structure of the Storm Dragon Sect is very simple: the Sect Affairs Council and the Military Academy.

The Sect Affairs Council manages the affairs of the Storm Dragon Sect as well as those of the entire Earth Storm Star Cluster.

The Martial Academy is the place where disciples undergo trials, battles, and rank upgrades. For cultivators in the Demon Realm, their method of cultivation involves constant fighting, during which they understand the properties of the primal energies of the Five Elements, thereby achieving breakthroughs in their cultivation. The Sect Affairs Council occupies only the “I”-shaped land in the center of the Land of the Sun. The rest of the lands belong to the Martial Academy, where its disciples face trials, engage in battles, and earn points.

At present, on the long strip of land in the center of the Land of Water, there is a mountain called Brightness Peak. This mountain is the cultivation site of Vice Sect Master Zhuang Guangming, as well as the place where he meets guests. At the top of the peak lies a magnificent and grand hall, the Brightness Hall. Zhuang Guangming resides there and practices cultivation within it.

At that moment, in a secret chamber within the Brightness Hall, Zhuang Guangming was talking with a young man. Zhuang Guangming had a robust build and an imposing presence; his purple robe emphasized his awe-inspiring authority. The man across from him was slightly shorter, with a sinister gaze that gave him a dangerous appearance.

“Master, all the Star Soul Demon experts I gathered from several galaxies have died. Longhu Wei is still alive,” the man said in a low voice, tinged with anger. Failing to complete the task naturally led to frustration and anger.

A fierce glint appeared in Zhuang Guangming’s eyes, but he quickly calmed down and smiled. “Guyang, put Longhu Wei aside for now and send him back to the Tyrant Dragon Sect. The most important task now is to deal with Long Zhan Tian. The place where Long Ba Tian is in seclusion is already permeated with the Asura Demon Subduing Energy. He won’t only fail to make progress but will also die soon.”

Only then did Guyang’s expression improve slightly. “Master, there are several elders protecting Long Zhan Tian. It’s difficult for us to get close to him,” Guyang said coldly.

Each elder of the Tyrant Dragon Sect was a high-level Earth Soul Demon cultivator. Zhuang Guangming waved his hand and said indifferently, “My original strength wasn’t enough to deal with those elders. But recently, I’ve gained the support of Emperor Ze. He will send several powerful Heavenly Demons to assist me, so I no longer need to worry about those elders. I am determined to seize the position of Sect Master.”

Upon hearing this, Guyang, who had remained cold until then, immediately showed a rare smile. At this point, assassinating Longhu Wei became secondary for Zhuang Guangming. After all, as long as he had the strength to confront the few elders in the sect who supported Long Zhan Tian, he could directly take over as Sect Master, without having to wait until after Long Zhan Tian and then compete with Longhu Wei for the position.

“Master, then what I need to do next is win over a group of disciples to support you,” Gu Yang spoke up at that moment.
Gu Yang was already an elder of the martial arts academy, his cultivation having reached the level of a mid-tier Earth Soul Demon. He was well-suited to train a group of disciples within the academy while suppressing others.
Zhuang Guangming smiled and nodded, saying, “That’s right. We must win over at least half of the disciples from the Tyrant Dragon Sect. Those who support me will be rewarded, while those who oppose me will face severe punishment.”
Gu Yang smiled and nodded before leaving the Hall of Light.
Zhuang Guangming paced back and forth in the secret chamber before stopping and murmuring to himself, “Long Zhan Tian, I’m looking forward to you reaching the level of an upper-tier Earth Soul Demon, so that I can kill you with my own hands.”
Soon after, Zhuang Guangming disappeared to continue his cultivation.
※※※
Qu Yi, Jin Zun, Mu Zun, Tu Zun, Long Hu Wei, Xiang Qing, Xiang Xing, Xiang Zhong, and the others finally arrived at the Flooded Star Region after forty years, returning to Earth Storm Star.
The twelve of them went to the location of the Sect Affairs Office.
It was a huge city filled with various institutions, serving cultivators from across the entire Earth Storm Star Cluster.
“Oh, Uncle, you’re back!”
As soon as the twelve of them appeared in the teleportation hall, a young cultivator exclaimed in joy and rushed toward Long Hu Wei.
Long Hu Wei looked at him and immediately smiled, “It’s you, Young Master Long Hai Zhen.”
This Long Hai Zhen was actually Long Zhan Tian’s disciple.
Long Hai Zhen stepped up to Long Hu Wei and said with a laugh, “Uncle, our master often talks about you, and the other brothers also frequently mention you. It’s great that you’re back.”
Long Hu Wei patted Long Hai Zhen’s shoulder and said, “Young Master, your cultivation has reached that of an upper-tier Human Soul Demon. You’re almost on par with your uncle.”
Over these forty years, while on their journey, Qu Yi had used his spiritual pills to help Long Hu Wei reach the level of a one-star Earth Soul Demon. As for Jin Zun, Mu Zun, Shui Zun, Huo Zun, and Tu Zun—the five of them—after using the Lamp Fruit to reach the level of three-star Earth Soul Immortals, they continued to take spiritual pills. With the help of the Enlightenment Stele and the invisible support of their faith, all five had reached the level of four-star Earth Soul Immortals.
Naturally, Qu Yi had also reached the level of a four-star Earth Soul Demon Immortal.
Long Hai Zhen couldn’t help but look at Long Hu Wei and exclaimed, “Uncle, you’ve already reached the level of an Earth Soul Demon? That’s truly amazing.”

Long Huwei showed a hint of joy, then looked at Qu Yi shyly. Seeing that Qu Yi continued to smile indifferently, he turned to Long Haizhen.
“Junior disciple, has the eldest senior brother emerged from seclusion?” Long Huwei asked concerningly.