Before his voice had fully faded, Hu Qiâs figure abruptly vanished, as if he had never been there at all.
Only a voice tinged with regret remained, reverberating through the area.
...
In the sky above, the lead-gray clouds that had scattered from the aftershocks of the battle began to converge once more.
Dreary, gray snowflakes drifted down from the heavens, blanketing the scarred and battered land in a layer of silvery down.
The blackened ground, fractured rocks, and crumbling ruins all blurred beneath the covering of snow.
Before long, on the vast, desolate, and previously empty plain...
...a dozen or so figures suddenly appeared.
These figures were clad in black robes, their appearances strange, and their bodies radiated an abnormally powerful aura.
They were the Food Masters from other regions of the Inner Earth World. The great disturbance here naturally couldnât escape their keen senses.
"Such a commotion, and these abnormal fluctuations in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy... Could Leng Ji have been fighting a Secret Martial Artist from the Refining God Realm?"
The one who spoke was Ao Lin.
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to a woman in a black robe at the very front.
The womanâs blood-red hair cascaded like a waterfall from her shoulders to her waist.
Her face was tantalizingly beautiful, as alluring and captivating as a Mandala Flower blooming in the dead of night.
She had several painted marks on her cheeks, and a necklace made of crescent-shaped beast teeth from some unknown creature hung around her neck.
This woman was none other than Shu Ming.
At that moment, Shu Ming was crouched down, gently wiping away the fresh layer of silvery snow to reveal the scorched ground beneath.
She pressed her palm against it and closed her eyes, as if sensing for something.
"Barring any surprises, Leng Ji should have already returned to Mother Earthâs embrace."
Shu Ming opened her eyes, her tone indifferent.
"What?!"
Ao Linâs expression changed drastically.
It was no wonder he was so shocked. It wasnât unheard of for a Food Master to be unable to defeat a Secret Martial Artist of the Refining God Realm.
After all, those Secret Martial Artists of the Refining God Realm possessed some extremely powerful Abilities, not to mention the Power of the Heartâa mysterious force that Food Masters lacked.
Conversely, it was also incredibly difficult for a Refining God Venerable to kill a Food Lord Level Black Blood Species.
The Bloodline Power of a Food Master at this level had reached an unimaginable state.
However, he also knew that if Shu Ming said it, it must be true.
After all, Shu Ming was the being closest to Mother Earth.
At this thought, Ao Linâs expression soured.
He had actually been on fairly good terms with Leng Ji.
"Sha Kong is missing too!"
Just then, another Food Master spoke up.
"Barring any surprises, he should be dead as well."
Shu Ming said coolly.
Seemingly noticing the othersâ confused glances, Shu Ming continued.
"In the feedback from Lady Earth, Sha Kongâs aura is flickering. If he were alive, itâs impossible that he wouldnât be here by now."
"This blood food... How dare they?!"
"We should just annihilate them!"
"Acting so recklessly... theyâre simply courting death!"
...
After hearing the conversation between Shu Ming and Ao Lin, the other Food Mastersâ eyes flared with a blood-red light, as if ready to devour someone.
How long had it been!?
The deaths of two Food Masters had them reeling with shock and fury.
The last time something like this had happened was over a hundred years ago, when that man Xuanqing had killed three Food Masters.
In total, five Food Masters had now died during this current civilization.
"These so-called Secret Martial Artists should never have been allowed to exist! We should have utterly destroyed their legacy from the very beginning!"
"If not for Mother Earthâs will, how could we have possibly allowed such a threat to fester?"
"Do these vile blood food really think weâre pushovers? Why donât we just charge to the surface and turn their world upside down! Even if that Xuanqing is strong, heâs still just one man. He canât possibly kill us all, can he?!"
A thick Evil Energy radiated from each Food Master. They looked as if they wished they could charge out of the Earth Core that very instant and slaughter every last Refining God Venerable on the surface.
They werenât reacting this way because they had any particularly good relationship with the deceased Leng Ji.
The Black Blood Species were inherently selfish, cold-blooded creatures with extremely little regard for matters of emotion.
It was simply that the death of a fellow Food Master made them feel a sense of shared vulnerability.
That, and the fury of having their status as the planetâs rulers challenged.
"Enough! The development of humanity, the existence of Secret Martial Artistsâthese are all the will of Mother Earth. We have no right to interfere."
Shu Mingâs voice was devoid of any warmth.
At this, her tone shifted.
"However, the Secret Martial Artists who have entered the Inner Earth World are another matter entirely. Since they dared to attack us, they must pay the price!"
...
ăAn hour later.ă
The Thousand Peaks Realm, located tens of thousands of kilometers from the Cold Ring Realm, was just as its name suggested.
The landscape was dominated by densely packed, immense mountain peaks.
These mountains rose from the ground like pillars of the titans, piercing straight into the endless, dark void.
The peaks were steep and treacherous, their cliffs appearing as if hewn by a giantâs axeâsheer and severe.
Between the mountains, clouds and mist swirled, drifting through the gaps like a silken veil.
Atop one of these cliffs sat a cross-legged figure with a Long Saber strapped to his back.
Hu Qiâs expression was serene, his eyes gently closed.
His posture was as straight as a pine, his long black robe fluttering gently in the breeze, making him seem one with the world around him.
Below him, a sea of clouds churned, layered like the waves of a white ocean.
Hu Qi paid little attention to what happened after he left.
After his Power of the Heart detected the auras of more than a dozen rapidly approaching Food Masters, he knew that despite his confidence, he couldnât guarantee a victory.
Therefore, the best course of action was to retreat and avoid a direct confrontation.
An unknown amount of time passed. As the sky began to dim, Hu Qi finally opened his eyes.
âSo thatâs how it is.â
A brilliant light flared in his eyes, followed by a strange glint.
He had now completely digested the memories within the Lights of the Soul he had devoured.
The combined memories of two Food Masters and two Refining God Venerables were immensely vast.
Even someone like Hu Qi needed time to process them.
After obtaining these memories, he also learned some well-kept secrets.
For instance, the memories of the two Food Masters, Sha Kong and Leng Ji, contained information about the being known as Mother Earth.
The unique biology of Food Masters was fundamentally different from that of Refining God Venerables.
A Refining God Venerable could live for three thousand to ten thousand years at most.
While a long time, they would inevitably face the day their Lifespan withered. This was a limitation of the Divine Soul.
Even taking over anotherâs body could not extend it further.
But the Black Blood Species were different. Compared to Secret Martial Artists, their Lifespans were far longer.
This was especially true for Food Lord Level Black Blood Species.
The two Food Masters he had killed could trace their origins back tens of thousands of years to the second human civilization.
This also helped him understand some of the secrets behind the destruction of human civilizations.
All of itâevery last bitâwas because of Mother Earth.
Mother Earth was the source of all Black Blood Species.
The destruction and re-establishment of human civilization were all being manipulated by her from behind the scenes.