C68 Firmament Phenomenon

Hong Wanrou stared at Qin Buyi as if she had seen a ghost, demanding, "What on earth did you do inside the Water Moon Secret Realm just now?"

Qin Buyi disregarded Hong Wanrou's probing question.

Neither Qi Yun nor Qin Buyi launched another attack, resulting in a deadlock between them.

Moments later, Qin Buyi finally heard the system's notification chime.

Ding! Would you like to integrate the Water Moon Secret Realm into the Small Chiliocosm?

"Integrate!"

Ding! Integration underway...

Ding! The Small Chiliocosm has successfully integrated. Considering your recent choices, would you like to set the realm integration as the default option?

A friendly reminder: Once set as default, the system will automatically integrate any secret realms you acquire in the future without further inquiry.

"Set as default."

Qin Buyi projected his Divine Consciousness into the Small Chiliocosm, which expanded in size once more.

With the inclusion of the Water Moon Secret Realm, the Small Chiliocosm underwent a subtle yet significant transformation.

Previously, the rivers and water sources within the Small Chiliocosm were stagnant, only mimicking the flow of living water through artificial manipulation.

Now, the waters of the Small Chiliocosm flowed naturally, establishing their own cycle without the need for human intervention.

Life surged through the rivers, and the most directly affected creatures, like fish and shrimp, grew several times larger within mere moments.

Ding! Small Chiliocosm Mission: Absorb two secret realms within three days. Complete.

Mission reward: One of the Eight Nine Profound Arts, the Heavenly Phenomenon Earth, has been granted.

Having completed the Small Chiliocosm mission and acquired the Heavenly Transformation, Qin Buyi finally allowed himself to unwind slightly.

His Divine Consciousness swept over the numerous female disciples of the Water Moon Secret Realm within the Small Chiliocosm.

In an instant, Qin Buyi transferred the unconscious female disciples out of the Small Chiliocosm.

As she gazed upon the multitude of female disciples strewn across the ground, Hong Wanrou uttered in disbelief,

"Impossible. It took me decades to become the master of the Water Moon Secret Realm. How could he possibly usurp my realm in such a brief span of time?"

"That's my secret realm. As its living master, it can't possibly be taken from me."

Qin Buyi looked at Hong Wanrou with a hint of pity. "Nothing is impossible. If you believe it is, then you simply haven't reached a high enough level."

"Perhaps a trip to hell will broaden your horizons on the impossible."

The Secret Realm Core, after initially taking a longer time to absorb the first realm, absorbed the second one in a fraction of the time.

And now, the Water Moon Secret Realm was secured in an astonishingly brief moment.

Once Qin Buyi had finished, Qi Yun quietly moved Hong Wanrou behind him for protection.

Observing this, Qin Buyi taunted, "Elder Qi, with your sea of consciousness wounded and the Taia Sword shattered, you cling to persistence. What exactly are you fighting for?"

Qi Yun winced at the sting of Qin Buyi's words, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes. "Qin, I concede that my skills and weapon are no match for yours."

"However, as a swordsman, I cannot betray the vow I once made."

"In this fight, as long as I have a shred of strength left, I will not allow you to slay Hong Wanrou."

Qin Buyi laughed heartily. "Can one still be called a swordsman without a sword?"

"Elder Qi, there's something I don't understand. Why did you stop attacking earlier? I was waiting for my combat strength to surge. What were you waiting for?"

"Eight Nine Profound Arts, Heavenly Transformation!"

Qin Buyi's body began to expand rapidly.

Ten feet... Fifty feet...

One hundred feet... until he towered at a thousand feet.

Qi Yun, confronted with the colossal figure of Qin Buyi, felt a tremor of awe.

"The legendary divine power, Heavenly Transformation?" Qi Yun murmured.

"It was said that in ancient times, only a handful of the Almighty could wield Heavenly Transformation. To think you've inherited such a legacy is truly enviable!"

"With the legacy of Heavenly Transformation, your extraordinary abilities and meteoric rise in cultivation are no longer a mystery."

Qin Buyi noticed Qi Yun's misconception but chose not to correct him.

"I didn't expect Elder Qi to be so well-versed, to even know about the Heavenly Transformation," Qin Buyi remarked without bothering to clear up the misunderstanding.

With a sharp turn in his tone, he added sarcastically, "What exactly were you waiting for just now? Have you run out of tricks?"

Had Qi Yun not interfered, Qin would have already slain Hong Wanrou and wouldn't be in such a dire predicament amidst the lightning tribulation.

Since Qi Yun had completely squandered any favor in Qin Buyi's eyes, Qin didn't hesitate to ridicule him.

Should Qi Yun fail to take the hint, Qin Buyi was more than willing to eliminate him as well.

Catching the implied threat in Qin's words, Qi Yun replied with a wry smile, "I, too, was waiting. Yet, it seems I'm merely a minor sorcerer in the presence of a great wizard compared to you, Qin."

Qi Yun produced a palm-sized sword case from his robes and removed its seal. Without the seal, the case expanded to a size of one zhang by one zhang.

Opening the case, Qi Yun explained, "This sword was bequeathed by the ancestors of Shu Mountain. Unsealing it takes a moment."

"Shu Mountain Sword Technique: Thirty-six Heavenly Sword Formation!"

Thirty-six diverse swords burst forth from the case.

"Qin, should I fail to defeat you with this strike, I will step back and cease my involvement in this affair."

The thirty-six flying swords, aligned with the Heavenly Stars, locked onto Qin Buyi, unleashing waves of sword qi at him.

"Crack!"

Simultaneously, the ninth bolt of lightning tore through the clouds above.

Qin Buyi stood firm as the Thirty-six Heavenly Sword Formation rained down upon him.

"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"

The relentless sword qi pummeled Qin Buyi's body, yet it couldn't penetrate his defenses, only leaving a series of white marks.

Qin Buyi soared upwards, charging at the ninth lightning strike.

This ninth bolt manifested as a Thunder Dragon, stretching dozens of feet in length.

As the Thunder Dragon opened its maw to bite, Qin Buyi, now a hundred feet tall, seized the creature.

In Qin Buyi's grasp, the formidable Thunder Dragon, dozens of feet long, seemed almost miniature.

With a sizzling sound, the Thunder Dragon was ripped in half, its body torn between grasping hands at head and tail. Then, with a forceful punch to the head of the Thunder Dragon—Boom!—it was shattered to pieces. This display of might gave Qin Buyi a firsthand experience of the formidable power inherent in the Heavenly Dharma.

The lightning tribulation that had previously left Qin Buyi in a dire state was now effortlessly vanquished, as simple as having a meal or a drink of water. Gazing up at the Tribulation Cloud looming overhead, Qin Buyi was struck by a daring thought. He surged into the heart of the Tribulation Cloud and began to launch a frenzied assault.

Outside the cloud, Qi Yun maneuvered the Thirty-six Heavenly Sword Formation, careful not to follow Qin Buyi into the maelstrom. The loss of a single Taia Sword had already caused him great anguish; the thought of damaging thirty-six revered Shu Mountain swords was unbearable, enough to bring him to tears—if only he could cry.

Qi Yun, stunned beyond measure, watched Qin Buyi's audacious move into the Tribulation Cloud. "Never have I heard of needing to face a tribulation to break through to the Combination Stage, nor have I ever seen someone charge into the Tribulation Cloud post-tribulation. It's unprecedented, utterly astonishing."

The Tribulation Cloud above continued to thunder ominously.