The Protagonists' Chat Group: Beyond the Boundaries

"What's going on with this river?" Meng Qi asked.

"I don't know the specifics, but I've heard it's formed from immortal lightning, and some say it's the blood of a Demon Lord," Shi Jian replied. "In short, many powerful beings are buried inside. This is also an Opportunity; if you can retrieve the corpse of an ancient powerful being from it, you can obtain their Legacy."

"Formed from lightning? Interesting..." Yang Qi's body surged with True Qi, and he instantly extended a large hand of True Qi toward a corpse on the riverbank. It was the corpse of a True God-rank expert, with a brilliant and powerful sword on its back. Even from a distance, an inexplicable aura could be felt.

"This person is seeking death," an onlooker said. "Ignorance is bliss. Does he really think the things in this Heavenly River are like cabbages, available for the taking?"

Others chimed in, "If he violates the taboos here, he'll be struck by lightning. Even if he avoids the lightning, he'll definitely not escape the power of the curses. I've seen too many people like him, who don't know their place."

Corpses and powerful Magical Artifacts occasionally floated by, tempting people. But no one dared to act, as the Heavenly River was too strange and dangerous. Besides lightning, there were also curses that were difficult to survive. Only a few peerless Prodigies with extraordinary means dared to retrieve items, and they were always extremely cautious. Those who acted as recklessly as Yang Qi usually came to no good end. Everyone watched with cold anticipation.

"Boom!" The Heavenly River erupted. Tens of thousands of lightning bolts struck down on Yang Qi, accompanied by terrifying thunder and endless curses. In an instant, he was shaken, with electric energy entering his body, attempting to destroy his vitality. Curses also enveloped him.

"Mere curse power... wishes to suppress me?" A fierce glint flashed in Yang Qi's eyes. The Hell Furnace appeared, its aura from the depths of Hell instantly engulfing the entire area. The Nether God's Spear instantly appeared in his hand, and he used the Twilight Movement. The aura of the Holy Paradise emerged, obliterating all the curses. Innumerable lightning bolts struck his body, but the Nethergod Guard armor covered him completely.

The two terrifying forces clashed. Yang Qi's large True Qi hand was obliterated by the lightning, but his Nether God's Spear suddenly grew several hundred zhang long. It pierced through the corpse in the Heavenly River and pulled it out. The lightning and the power of the curses dissipated.

"Ah, how is this possible? It's one thing for him to resist the lightning, but he can even obliterate the power of curses?" The onlookers were shocked. Many could resist the lightning, but those who could eliminate the curses were almost nonexistent. Even figures at the Sect Leader level were powerless against them. Now, these curses were obliterated by Yang Qi, meaning that the contents of the Heavenly River were at his disposal.

After pulling the True God-rank expert's corpse ashore, Yang Qi didn't hesitate, immediately activating the Hell Furnace to refine it. However, streaks of black Qi emerged from the corpse—the power of curses. Yang Qi frowned, having to once again use the Holy Power of Paradise to erase them. The corpse had been floating in the river for an unknown period and was thoroughly tainted with curse power, so it couldn't be refined all at once.

"There's still essence within these corpses that can be refined using the Hell Furnace... but it will take some time to dispel the curses within them!" Yang Qi said to Shi Jian. The two of them were the only ones interested in these corpses. Shi Jian wasn't disappointed. Even if they couldn't be refined directly, the corpses were still a resource. Absorbing the cultivation of a True God-rank expert was much faster than toiling away at cultivation.

"Let's go deeper into the river. The closer we get to the core of the Heavenly River, the more good things there will be!" Shi Jian led the group downstream. Corpses of Venerable Realm experts were common here, but Divine Fire Realm corpses were rare. The most valuable corpse so far was the one Yang Qi had retrieved. Salvaging corpses here yielded a low profit.

The group nodded. Yang Qi put away the True God-rank expert's corpse and the sword, and they continued deeper along the river. "I wonder which faction's Prodigy this is, to possess such terrifying strength?" The onlookers began to speculate. "They've delved deep into the forbidden zone... That's the direction of the Divine Stele, could it be that they intend to leave their names there?" A crowd quickly followed behind Yang Qi and the others.

A few days later, they followed the Heavenly River to an ancient city, or rather, a ruin. Most buildings had collapsed, and only a section of the city wall remained. In the center of the ruins, a three-thousand-zhang-long stone tablet glowed, representing the 3,000 states of the Upper Realm from countless years ago.

"What is this stone tablet for?" Lin Dong asked with interest.

Before Shi Jian could answer, a nearby middle-aged man spoke first. "This is a stone tablet personally erected by the Supreme Demon Lord. It can test a person's combat prowess, talent, and potential. Look, the top part is shimmering with brilliant light. Those are the names of some truly earth-shattering figures!" He pointed to a bright name at the very top. "Qin Changsheng... The Immortal Heavenly Venerate of the Immortal Mountain. He came here when he was young, tested himself here, and left his name for all time."

Another person interjected, "Yes, those who can leave their glorious mark on it will immediately cause a stir, and if they don't die, they will surely achieve great things in the future."

The onlookers were very familiar with this place. Yang Qi and his companions, who knew nothing, became instantly interested. A young man asked, "How do you test? Will there be any danger?"

"There's no danger. Anyone can test their combat prowess, talent, and potential," the middle-aged man replied.

The young man, excited, wanted to try. He unleashed his full Venerable Realm strength, and his strongest attack fiercely struck the stone tablet. The tablet let out a resounding boom. "How is it? How high is my ranking?" The young man eagerly searched for his name, but for a long time, he couldn't find it.

"How can it not be there? Is this stone tablet broken?" he asked.

Some older cultivators laughed. "Not everyone can leave their name on the stone tablet; it only preserves the top three million names." The young man was deeply struck. His face flushed with humiliation.

Shi Jian looked at him, and he resembled an old friend of his. The young man had the exact expression of that friend who had been too conservative with his answers in an online exam and ended up with a fifth-from-the-bottom score.

"Young man, don't be embarrassed; it's rare for anyone's name to appear on the stone tablet in many years," a green-haired old woman said to comfort him. "This is a ranking accumulated from ancient times to the present, a truly terrifying ranking. Even ranking one or two million is an earth-shattering Genius!"

The young man thought about it and realized she was right. This was a ranking of countless geniuses from numerous states over endless years. He felt a little better. He then decided to test his talent. The testing was divided into three sections: combat prowess, talent, and potential. Talent required the person to lie on the tablet, allowing the runes to enter the body and examine their Bloodline and Comprehension Ability.

The young man went to test his talent, but the stone tablet still showed no reaction. He was disheartened again. At his age, to have cultivated to the Venerable Realm and be a direct disciple of a school, he was a genius, yet here, he was nothing. More people went up to test, but they were all severely disappointed.

"Don't be discouraged... You are comparing yourselves to countless extraordinary Geniuses from the ancient ten states. To truly leave your name would be an incredible feat!" The old woman continued to comfort everyone.

Everyone felt a little better. They were all outstanding individuals of their respective clans, arrogant and proud, but now they were disheartened. "A bunch of good-for-nothings, can't even leave their names on the stone tablet..."