A few miles from the Imperial Capital lay a dense forest. Qin Li dragged the black-clothed old man from the carriage and tossed him aside. After glancing at the sun, already sinking in the west, he sent the terrified coachman away. Qin Li then hauled the old man into the woods, saying as he went, "Old man, it’s not dark yet. Once night falls, I’m going to hang you from the flagpole on the Imperial Capital’s gatehouse! Ha! That’s the highest point in the whole capital, right? I bet you’ve never been up there! Hmm... This time, I’ll grant your wish. What do you think?"

"Animal! You’re an animal!" the black-clothed old man spat, practically gritting his teeth. "Qin Li, you will come to a miserable end!"

"Sigh. Old man, you’ve said that already. Even if you’re not tired of saying it, I’m sick of hearing it. Please, come up with something new. For example, how about I die of exhaustion after being swarmed by beautiful women? Hahaha!"

Qin Li dragged the black-clothed old man deep into the woods and threw him on the ground. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by an icy expression. "Old man, you must hate me. I know. You feel I’ve insulted your dignity as a Celestial Level Martial Artist. But have you ever considered this: how much nobler was your own conduct, sneaking into my room in the middle of the night to assassinate me? Judging by your skill in killing, your life has long been steeped in blood! How many of the people you’ve killed were someone’s son, someone’s husband, someone’s father? How many families did you tear apart? How many mothers have cried themselves blind, and how many children have you turned into poor, lonely orphans? Don’t tell me you haven’t done these things!"

The black-clothed old man’s one eye opened, a cold sneer forming on his lips. "I have. I’ve done all of it," he rasped, his voice hoarse. "And in ways countless times more cruel than you can imagine! But so what? When a lion pounces on a flock of sheep, does it need to care what the sheep think? What a joke! What right do you have to lecture me? Naive!"

"Tsk, tsk. Old man, Celestial Level Martial Artists really are different. Even in this state, you still have the energy to lecture me. That’s great. When will I ever reach the Celestial Level?" Qin Li said with a half-smile, shrugging and spreading his hands. "So you see, you’ve been calling me an animal this whole way, but you’re an animal yourself! No, you’re worse than an animal!"

The black-clothed old man rolled his eyes, no longer bothering to respond to Qin Li. The pain of having his meridians severed inch by inch had pushed him to the very limits of human endurance. If this ruthless little beast hadn’t kept intervening, he would have died from the agony countless times over. Yet, for that very reason, the old man’s hatred for Qin Li only grew deeper.

At the same time, the youth had inflicted a deep psychological trauma on him. All he wanted now was a quick death. The sooner he died, the sooner he would be free.

"If you’re willing to tell me a few things, perhaps I can give you a dignified death. I won’t hang you from that flagpole. After all, you have your dignity, right?" A simple, honest smile suddenly appeared on Qin Li’s face, as if he were just having a heart-to-heart. "Don’t worry, I won’t ask you anything about the Crown Prince. That spineless coward isn’t worth me going to all the trouble to deal with!"

The black-clothed old man had been determined to remain silent and let Qin Li torture him as he pleased. But when he heard Qin Li say he wouldn’t ask about the Crown Prince, his one eye snapped open again. "You mean it?"

"You have no choice but to hope I keep my word!" Qin Li said with a mocking smile. "You’re in no position to bargain with me! Believe it or not, I can keep you alive and then hang you, stripped naked, from that flagpole. You may have been powerful once, but you must have enemies in the Imperial Capital, right? I’m sure they would be thrilled to see you like that!"

"You’re a demon!" the black-clothed old man roared.

"Say what you will. Do you understand now? How I deal with you depends entirely on my mood. You can refuse to answer my questions, but you’re surely not the only one who knows the answers! For something I’ll find out sooner or later anyway, why would I need to make you any promises?"

"Ask your questions."

At that moment, the black-clothed old man fully understood. No amount of hysterics could change the fact that the youth before him was a demon, and a demon was capable of anything. Arguing with a demon was like casting pearls before swine; you can’t speak of ice with an insect that only lives for a summer.

"Mm, that’s better," Qin Li said with a smile. "Tell me about the Celestial Essence Continent. I haven’t been to many places or seen much of the world. You don’t have to go into detail, just give me a general overview so I have a concept of it."

The black-clothed old man was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Qin Li’s question to be so simple. Anyone who had gone to school and studied the General History of the Continent could give a lengthy lecture on it, right? But then he remembered Qin Li’s status as an unschooled, illegitimate son, and for some reason, a flicker of pity crossed his mind. The pity was quickly replaced by rage. ’Damn it, how could I possibly feel sorry for this demon!’

"Ahem... Don’t tell me you’re like me and never went to school?" Qin Li asked, a bit dismayed by the old man’s silence.

"You’re the one who never went to school! I was just thinking about how to answer such an idiotic question!" the old man cursed. Seeing Qin Li rub his nose with a wry smile, he felt an unexpected flicker of satisfaction. ’I finally got one over on this little beast!’

A powerful Celestial Level Martial Artist, a Royal Guard, had been reduced to this. How pathetic, how lamentable, how pitiful!

The black-clothed old man let out a few laughs, then had to struggle to catch his breath. This was an experience unlike any other in his life. For the first time, he felt how truly tragic it was to be an ordinary person with no power to resist.

"On the Celestial Essence Continent, land makes up eighty percent of the surface, while oceans, lakes, rivers, and swamps make up only twenty percent. The Celestial Essence Continent is colossal; its expanse from east to west is unfathomable! Even a Celestial Level Martial Artist couldn’t hope to traverse all of it in a single lifetime! The Cyan Dragon Kingdom is already considered to be in the East of the Celestial Essence Continent. And while the Cyan Dragon Kingdom is large, in the East, it’s only considered mid-sized. To the north is the Silo Kingdom, to the east is the Great Chu Kingdom, to the south is the Qingqiu Kingdom, and to the west is the Great Qi Kingdom. These four nations are all about the same size and strength as the Cyan Dragon Kingdom. There’s occasional friction between them, but overall, things are relatively peaceful. That’s because further west, beyond the Great Qi Kingdom, lies a massive empire: the New Qin Kingdom!"

At this, the black-clothed old man gasped for breath for a moment before continuing. "The New Qin Kingdom was founded less than a hundred years ago. Its emperor is a true warmonger. I’ve heard he possesses the power of the Celestial Shattering Realm, and that their army has several thousand Celestial Level experts! On top of that, they have connections to many a Mysterious Land. They’ve been constantly waging war these past few years, swallowing up several smaller countries and expanding their territory. It’s only a matter of time before they reach the Great Qi Kingdom. That is why, three years ago, His Majesty our Emperor signed the Five Nations Alliance pact with the Great Qi Kingdom, the Qingqiu Kingdom, the Silo Kingdom, and the Great Chu Kingdom. It’s a pact of mutual defense."

The black-clothed old man was, after all, from the Royal Family and was quite knowledgeable about these matters. However, these conflicts between kingdoms had nothing to do with Qin Li—at least, not for now.

"And further west?" Qin Li interrupted, pressing on.

"Further west? Further west are many more kingdoms! The farthest I’ve ever been is the Celestial Lake Kingdom, which is tens of thousands of li away from Cyan Dragon! It’s another massive country, teeming with experts. Boy, don’t think you’re so powerful just because you can kill me. A Celestial Level Martial Artist... heh, we’re just the upper crust of the world’s bottom tier! There are countless experts out there whose existence you can’t even begin to imagine!"

A sneer played on the old man’s lips. "If you’re afraid of death, then just stay put in the Cyan Dragon Kingdom for the rest of your life. You can live a life of wealth and comfort without any problem. But if you think you’re strong enough to venture out into this continent, then I guarantee you won’t make it through ten kingdoms before you’re killed by one of those hidden Noble Sects!"

"Is Profound Island one of those hidden Noble Sects?" Qin Li ignored the old man’s taunts. ’He’s a dead man walking, and besides, he’s not wrong. I never thought being at the Celestial Level was the pinnacle of power anyway.’

"Eh? You know about Profound Island?" The old man stared at Qin Li in surprise for a few moments, then gave a crisp nod. "Profound Island is just one of the more famous Secret Lands. The Celestial Essence Continent is too vast, and the number of powerful Noble Sects is incalculable! Some hidden Noble Families can even control several countries the size of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, forcing them to serve their interests! Do you understand now? Even the Cyan Dragon Kingdom has a power like that backing it! Otherwise, why do you think all the domestic families are so obedient?"

"Alright, last question. Tell me about the true Martial Artist Levels on the Celestial Essence Continent!" Qin Li finally asked the question that was burning in his mind.

The black-clothed old man let out a long sigh of relief. Perhaps because he felt his release was finally at hand, his mood actually improved. He looked up at the clear, azure sky, where a few white clouds drifted lazily. ’When I die, will I become a cloud, too?’

Sighing, the black-clothed old man said, "Huang, Xuan, Earth, and Celestial. This is the ranking system for Mortal Martial Artists. Reaching the Celestial Level is already exceedingly rare, but the Celestial Essence Continent has a population in the tens of billions! There are bound to be some stunningly brilliant super-geniuses. Among them, those who break through the Celestial Level are said to be in the Celestial Shattering Realm! It is said that Martial Artists in the Celestial Shattering Realm can already draw upon the vast power of heaven and earth to fight. A battle like that is beyond our imagination! The Celestial Shattering Realm is divided into three layers. The first layer is the Celestial Shattering Realm, the second is called the Celestial Integration Realm, and the third is called the Celestial Embracing Realm! And for even more powerful Martial Artists who break through the Celestial Embracing Realm, they reach the Venerable Realm. The Venerable Realm is also divided into three layers: the first is Human Venerable, the second is Earth Venerable, and the third is known as Celestial Venerable!"