Brother Yi, No

During the month his account was banned, Chen Yi behaved exceptionally well.

Although he could have lifted the ban by tampering with the penalty duration through backend access, he chose not to. The main reason was the recent surge in unusual activities, prompting the monitoring system to intensify its inspections. For now, it was wiser to lay low.

As for why the monitoring system suddenly tightened its scrutiny—that had nothing to do with Chen Yi. After all, his account was still suspended, leaving him powerless to act.

So, with nothing better to do during this idle month, the restless Calamity-Suppressing Sovereign reemerged, much to the dismay of the late-stage Fusion Realm experts across the Purple Star Continent.

With the Purple Star Heavenly Dao reclaiming its pseudo-immortal realm status, the world's spiritual energy had grown unprecedentedly dense, and the laws of nature became extraordinarily active. Cultivation became far easier—bottlenecks that once seemed insurmountable crumbled effortlessly, and the overall strength of all cultivators soared.

But the benefits weren’t limited to cultivators. The mortal world reaped even greater rewards.

Previously, most of the world's spiritual energy was absorbed by cultivators, leaving the common folk to passively digest and decompose the residual turbid energy. As a result, their vitality withered rapidly, and their lifespans rarely exceeded a century.

Now, however, spiritual energy was so abundant that cultivators couldn’t possibly absorb it all. The excess cascaded down to the mortal realm, leaving people feeling invigorated and experiencing an unprecedented sense of physical well-being.

Backaches vanished, leg pains disappeared, and vitality surged to the point where people felt inexhaustible strength—some even grew so energetic that they kicked oxen aside and plowed fields themselves!

Elderly folks glowed with youth, and infants barely three months old could sprint with astonishing speed!

The elevation of the world's rank brought immense benefits to all living beings. In fact, if you were to take an average prime-aged mortal from the Purple Star Continent and drop them into a lower-ranked world, they’d instantly become superhuman!

This was the Heavenly Dao’s grace—but who could have imagined the staggering pressure behind sustaining the evolution of trillions of lives?

A normal Heavenly Dao would never shoulder such immense pressure directly. Instead, it would suppress most of the energy, funneling resources into geographically privileged regions to create a prosperous "pilot zone" before gradually uplifting the barren areas.

Admittedly, this approach significantly reduced the burden, and many world Heavenly Daos followed this method.

But it also led to a severe "siphon effect"—barren lands could never flourish, and all ambitious individuals flocked to the prosperous regions, creating a vicious cycle where the rich grew richer, and the poor grew poorer.

Take Adolf Anlan’s Western Sea Realm, for example. Its Heavenly Dao concentrated most of its spiritual energy into a single divine domain, drawing everyone to flock there. The result? Despite being a pseudo-immortal realm, the lower continents became desolate, to the point where even a mere third-rank mage could dominate entire regions.

Or consider Xiao Chunan’s Star Spirit Continent, where only the Central Province was a true land of enlightenment. The other four provinces were so barren that cultivators who reached a certain level had no choice but to abandon their homelands and migrate to the Central Province if they wished to advance further. The choice was obvious.

The Heavenly Dao is unkind—it treats all beings as straw dogs, prioritizing its own advancement above all else. That’s the natural order.

Only the Purple Star Heavenly Dao was foolish enough to bear the full pressure itself, insisting on treating everyone equally.

Whether in the sparsely populated deserts or the bustling heartlands, the concentration of spiritual energy remained uniform.

Success depended solely on one’s own abilities—no one was forced to leave their homeland due to environmental disadvantages. True talent would shine anywhere!

But after all the Purple Star Heavenly Dao had sacrificed, did these ungrateful brats really think they could reap the benefits without lifting a finger?

Not a chance!

The Purple Star Heavenly Dao may be merciful, but Chen Yi certainly wouldn’t hold back!

At this moment, deep within the ancient hall of the Central Lands—a relic of the reawakening immortal path—stood seventy-six late-stage Fusion Realm cultivators lined up in perfect formation.

Though their quality wasn’t as high as the first batch, none of them were mediocrities. After all, reaching this level of cultivation was no small feat.

What they lacked was simply an opportunity.

And now, Chen Yi was giving them that very chance.

"You worthless fools! Back when conditions were harsh, you still managed to reach the late-stage Fusion Realm. Now that the environment has improved, you’re hesitating?!"

From atop the hall’s highest platform, Chen Yi’s one-star immortal avatar brandished a halberd, his voice booming like thunder.

Below, the once-mighty late-stage Fusion experts—figures who had once commanded awe across the land—lowered their heads in silence.

Was it that they didn’t want to break through?

Why were they so afraid? Didn’t he already know the reason?!

They were terrified!

The tragic fate of the twenty-eight predecessors still haunted their memories, the echoes of thunderclaps still reverberating in their hearts...

Sure, the environment had improved, and cultivation had become easier—but who didn’t know that the Heavenly Dao was now desperately short of loose immortals?!

That ruthless Calamity-Suppressing Sovereign was clearly just trying to press-gang them into service!

Hmph! Dying to a tribulation was one thing, and dying by his hand was another—but at least now, with the Purple Star Heavenly Dao awake, they wouldn’t be forced to submit to his tyranny like their predecessors!

If he dared to kill them outright in front of the Heavenly Dao, then so be it!

"Raise your heads and look at me!"

Chen Yi swung his halberd, his calm gaze sweeping over the assembly. "Adversity breeds strength, comfort breeds weakness. It seems life has grown too easy, dulling your fighting spirit. Very well—today, I’ll help you rediscover it!"

"Before sunset, many of you may die. But know this: what awaits you is neither me nor the Immortal Ascension Tribulation. If you wish to survive, you’d better give it your all!"

The moment his words fell—

A massive hand suddenly materialized, seizing all seventy-six cultivators in an instant and refining them on the spot!

The late-stage Fusion experts had no time to react. Their vision darkened as their consciousness plunged into an endless abyss.

"Yi’er, don’t—!"

The Purple Star Heavenly Dao, who had been watching from the shadows, panicked.

"Look at you, always so impatient. I’m not killing them—relax."

Chen Yi first reassured it, then opened his palm to reveal a mottled, swirling orb.

Inside, seventy-six lifeless bodies floated, their souls extracted and woven into intricate arrays that twisted and writhed across the orb’s surface.

They appeared dead, yet they still lived—their souls could be revived simply by activating the array patterns.

"Yi’er, what are you planning by turning them into this?"

The Purple Star Heavenly Dao was utterly baffled.

Though Chen Yi had always been fond of pulling incomprehensible stunts, there was usually some traceable logic behind them—strange, yet acceptable.

But this time... it seemed like he was trying to evade the Immortal Ascension Tribulation’s detection. Yet, these individuals weren’t even at the threshold to attract the tribulation in the first place! Was evasion necessary?

Even if it was, could it even work?

If the Heavenly Dao itself could detect them, how could the tribulation possibly miss them?

The Purple Star Heavenly Dao truly couldn’t fathom the purpose behind this move—it defied all logic.

Yet, in response to its confusion, Chen Yi offered no explanation. He merely replied with detached calm:

"Don’t worry about that. I have my own methods. When the time comes, I’ll return to you a bunch of lively little brats!"

With that, he raised his hand and waved, shutting the doors of the ancient hall, cutting off the perception of the Purple Star Heavenly Dao.

"Brother Yi, what’s the secret? You’ve been keeping it from me..."

Though the Purple Star Heavenly Dao was burning with curiosity, if Chen Yi didn’t want it to know, there must be a reason.

So it decided not to press further. After all, Brother Yi had already promised to return a group of energetic little ones—and he always kept his word!

The Purple Star Heavenly Dao had absolute faith in Chen Yi.

And why wouldn’t it? Seven hundred years ago, when the demonic scourge of the Evil Abyss launched a full-scale invasion, every chosen warrior it had pinned its hopes on had fallen. The situation was dire, and the wretched masses were on the verge of being devoured by the demons...

It was Chen Yi—the one no one believed in—who broke through mid-battle, wielding a massive halberd as he charged forth like a savior, sweeping through the enemy ranks. He even pursued them beyond the realm, enduring the crushing pressure of the Immortal Ascension Tribulation, and slaughtered every last invader!

That was the first time Chen Yi had faced the Immortal Ascension Tribulation.

Everyone thought he was doomed—even the Purple Star Heavenly Dao.

But against all odds, he proved them wrong.

Not only did he survive, but he didn’t even have to shed his mortal form. He walked away with nothing more than a few non-fatal scratches!

From that moment on, the Purple Star Heavenly Dao was utterly convinced.

Whatever Chen Yi said was law. If you disagreed, the problem was with you!