Chapter 159: Invaders from Beyond

Just as Zhuge Xingyun finished explaining the general situation of the Upper Sword Qi Continent to the group, the once peaceful Void began to tremble violently.

Moments later a massive bizarre creature with wings resembling a giant cockroach emerged from a rift in the Void.

The creature brandished its sharp claws and lunged straight at Zhuge Xingyun. But in the next instant he flipped his hand and seized it with an iron grip.

Gu Qingyi stared at the peculiar insect with a puzzled expression. “Zhuge Xingyun, what exactly is this bug in your hand?”

Hearing Gu Qingyi’s question Zhuge Xingyun turned around with a grin while holding the creature.

“My friend, this is a mutated cockroach from the Skyborne Insect Tribe. They hail from the Cosmic Void beyond the Sword Qi Continent.”

“These wretched insects have coveted our continent for sixty thousand years. But a missing piece of the land triggered a protective mechanism.”

“The Sword Qi Continent vanished into the Cosmic Void back then, evading their invasion. Yet now our land…”

“…has been exposed to the Cosmic Void once more. Those restless Alien Races are likely gearing up for another assault.”

“But the territory of our Human Race will never fall to these Alien Races! We’ll recreate the scenes of old.”

“We’ll slaughter them until the skies darken and the earth trembles, showing all realms who truly reigns as the supreme race!”

With those words Zhuge Xingyun crushed the mutated cockroach in his hand with a sickening squelch.

The group behind Gu Qingyi…

…still hadn’t recovered from the flood of information about the Upper Sword Qi Continent.

And now Zhuge Xingyun had dropped another bombshell. They stood there dumbfounded, unable to shake off their shock.

Li Xun ventured cautiously, “Friend Zhuge, why has the Sword Qi Continent undergone such earth-shaking changes in just a few millennia?”

“I’m sorry, my friend. That’s all the information I have. You’re welcome to stay here or follow me to find a safer haven.”

Zhuge Xingyun waved the Ten Thousand Souls Banner with a sly grin as he eyed the group. Then as if struck by a sudden thought he leapt to Gu Qingyi’s side.

“Friend, have you truly not considered it? Join my banner as the main soul! We’d stand a better chance against those Alien Races!”

Zhuge Xingyun slung an arm around Gu Qingyi’s shoulder with a cheeky smirk.

Gu Qingyi recoiled with clear disdain. “No thanks. Keep your distance. We’re not that close!”

Zhuge Xingyun chuckled softly. “Come now, friend, don’t say that. First meetings are awkward, but chat a bit more and we’ll be fast friends! Don’t push me away.”

Xuyan and Gu Qingxiao watched Zhuge Xingyun’s odd habit of trying to stuff people into his soul banner. The two women’s lips twitched in unison.

“This Upper Realm is downright bizarre. Strange places, strange people,” Xuyan muttered.

Gu Qingxiao rubbed her forehead with a sigh. “Indeed. Compared to the familiar Lower Realm Continent, this feels utterly alien. And we’ve been hit with so much shocking news right from the start.”

As the group grumbled among themselves the once calm Void seemed to tear open. A jagged rift appeared and a pitch-black tentacle…

…burst forth from the crack, whipping straight toward Gu Qingxiao and the others.

Gu Qingyi heard the commotion and broke free with a furious roar. “Xiao’er, watch out!”

“What?” Gu Qingxiao snapped her head up.

The group froze as they saw the tentacle hurtling toward them, unable to move a muscle.

The tentacle surged forward, mere seconds from snatching them up.

“Courting death!”

Gu Qingyi gripped his Skydome Sword and flashed forward like a bolt of golden lightning.

With a single slash he severed the tentacle in two.

The remaining stump recoiled back into the rift. Gu Qingyi rushed to Gu Qingxiao’s side, gripping her shoulders with urgency in his eyes.

“Xiao’er, are you alright?”

Hearing her brother’s familiar voice Gu Qingxiao snapped out of her daze. She shook her head with a faint smile. “I’m fine, Brother. By the way, where’s Sister Nangong?”

Gu Qingyi’s face turned pale at his sister’s words. “You’re right. Ever since we returned to the Upper Realm I haven’t seen Lian’er anywhere!”

“Lian’er, where are you?”

With that Gu Qingyi darted through the crowd, desperately searching for that familiar figure.

Unbeknownst to them the section of the Lower Sword Qi Continent they stood on was now exposed to the Alien Races as a landing ground in the Cosmic Void.

At that moment Nangong Lin was with Murong Qingxue, Liu Ruyan, and Wang Wan. The four women sat together in the Nangong Estate.

They gazed up at the unfamiliar yet breathtaking scenery above.

Liu Ruyan couldn’t hide her amazement. “I thought the place we came from was vast. But arriving in the Upper Realm…”

“…I realized our continent was just a tiny speck in the Borderland! In the Upper Realm it’s nothing but a minor fragment!”

“This place is enormous, like a thousand Lower Sword Qi Continents combined. But on another note, the starry sky here is absolutely stunning!”

Hearing her words the other three women tilted their heads back to marvel at the night sky, their faces filled with awe.

Wow, wow, wow—

“This is just too beautiful! Look at all those twinkling stars. And is that a shooting star streaking across the sky?” Nangong Lin pointed excitedly.

Murong Qingxue frowned, her expression uneasy. “Something feels off. That doesn’t look like a shooting star to me. I hope I’m wrong.”

Wang Wan’s pupils constricted sharply. “This is bad! That’s no shooting star. Since when do they have eight tails trailing behind them?!”

“What?!”

Hearing Murong Qingxue and Wang Wan’s words Liu Ruyan’s eyes widened in alarm.

As the group stood in shock the object resembling a shooting star…

…suddenly unfurled eight tentacles. It tore through the Void and descended with terrifying speed. The twinkling stars around it morphed into countless Alien creatures.

This horde of Alien beings was led by none other than the Octopus Emperor, the eight-tentacled monstrosity that had seemed like a shooting star.

One by one the octopus-like creatures shimmering like stars followed the Octopus Emperor, descending upon the skies above this land.

…………………………………

The hierarchy of the Alien Races compared to the cultivation realms of the Human Race is as follows:

【Alien Race Unified Hierarchy: Tier 1 Alien Pawn, Tier 2 Alien Soldier, Tier 3 Alien Warrior, Tier 4 Alien General, Tier 5 Alien King, Tier 6 Alien Emperor, each tier divided into nine levels】

【Tier 7 Alien Saint, Tier 8 Alien Sovereign, Tier 9 Alien Immortal, Tier 10 Alien God, divided into Lower, Middle, and Heavenly stages】

【Human Race Cultivation Realms: Sword Practitioner Realm, Sword Qi Realm, Sword Sea Realm, Sword King Realm, Sword Emperor Realm, Sword Saint Realm, each realm divided into nine levels】

【Sword God, Peerless Sword God, Jade Sword God, Radiant Sword God, divided into Lower, Middle, and Heavenly stages】