Catch a Guide

【The logic was actually quite simple.】

【The human race was at the bottom of the pecking order. Even if human cultivators were bullied, they had to swallow their anger and endure it.】

【If they fought back and someone ended up dead, then the humans would be the ones in the wrong. Anyone could wave the banner of justice and punish them.】

【“You said your name was ‘Know-It-All’?”】

【“That’s right. Surely you’ve heard of my reputation? Haha, let’s just call today a misunderstanding. I’ll let bygones be bygones.”】

【You didn’t like the sound of that, so you slapped him across the right side of his face, swelling it up like a pig’s head.】

【“Is that your name, or your title?”】

【Know-It-All’s cheek was swollen high, and a pile of his teeth had fallen out. His speech was slurred and full of whistles.】

【“A title, a title. My real name is Benbo…”】

【“You gave yourself that title because you know a little about everything and everyone?”】

【“Heh. I wouldn’t dare make that claim once we leave Firelight Star, but as long as we’re on Firelight Star, there’s no one I don’t know and nothing I don’t know about! I, Know-It-All, have lived for four hundred years and made friends all over the world. Which faction doesn’t have connections through me?】

【“Of course, that doesn’t include you humans. That bunch of trash isn’t worth my attention.”】

【This fellow had started instinctively looking down on humans, just like the other alien races, so you gave him another slap.】

【This time, you swollen the other side of his face as well, turning him completely into a pig’s head.】

【“If you want to stay alive, watch your mouth!”】

【“I—I didn’t say anything dirty…”】

【You were truly speechless. These aliens treated despising and looking down on humans as if it were the most natural thing in the world.】

【Why didn’t they stop to think? The Female Heavenly Emperor whose burial mound they were fighting over had been human herself!】

【You increased the pressure of your foot slightly, making Know-It-All grimace in pain.】

【“Promise me one thing, and I won’t kill you today.”】

【The surrounding cultivators were either rushing to seize the opportunities in the Female Heavenly Emperor’s burial mound or scrambling to escape for their lives.】

【Know-It-All knew he had run into trouble. No one was going to help him.】

【But he still had one more trick up his sleeve.】

【“Hmph! You humans—do you really think I can only let you push me around?”】

【You replied with a mocking smile.】

【“What else can you do?”】

【“I have the Golden Escape Technique!”】

【You grew vigilant, remembering the fellow who had used the Pill Escape Technique earlier.】

【Know-It-All opened his storage bag and poured out a pile of Origin Stones.】

【“This money is yours! Just let me go!”】

【So the “gold” referred to money after all.】

【You snatched his entire storage bag.】

【Know-It-All gave you a look that seemed to say, “Have you no honor?”】

【“Be my guide, and I won’t kill you!”】

【“Deal!”】

【The fellow agreed remarkably quickly.】

【You climbed onto the Thunderhawk and flew through the sky, while Know-It-All chased after you on the ground.】

【“Hey, human brother! How about giving me back my Lightning Boar? Running like this is exhausting!”】

【“This is your punishment for maliciously injuring people!”】

【“Brother, that’s not fair. At most, I only attempted to injure someone!”】

【Know-It-All was a crafty man as well.】

【When he saw you flying farther away, he deliberately claimed that he couldn’t keep up and widened the distance between you. Then he took off like a streak of smoke.】

【A moment later, when he saw you blocking the road ahead, he smiled.】

【“Brother, the wind is strong up there. Your mouth must be dry, right? I’m worried you might be thirsty, you know! Look, I’m going to fetch some water!”】

【You slapped him so hard that he spun like a top.】

【Know-It-All’s pig-like face swelled even further.】

【After trying to run several more times and discovering that he couldn’t escape your grasp, Know-It-All resigned himself to his fate.】

【Just then, a bolt of lightning shot over from the distant sky and happened to strike you squarely on the head.】

【You were sitting on the Thunderhawk and had no time to dodge. The lightning struck both you and the bird.】

【Seeing this, Know-It-All looked around and realized that you had been caught in the crossfire of the experts battling ahead.】

【He burst out laughing.】

【“Serves you right! Serves you right! Hahahaha!】

【“That’s what you get for giving away my pig!】

【“That’s what you get for slapping me around!】

【“I, Know-It-All, am a person of some standing and reputation. Do you have any idea how much psychological damage a single slap caused me?】

【“And you hit me four times!】

【“Fortunately, no one noticed…】

【“Heaven has eyes! Hahahaha!”】

【Know-It-All was still gloating when he turned around and saw you standing there perfectly fine, your face blackened and your hair blown into an afro.】

【His smile instantly vanished. Pretending not to see you, he turned back around, faced the direction where you had been struck by the lightning, dropped to the ground, and began to cry.】

【“Brother! You died such a horrible death…”】

【“Why aren’t you laughing anymore? Don’t you like laughing?”】

【“What’s wrong with you? My good brother was struck to death by lightning! I’m devastated!”】

【“Who the hell is your good brother? Do your job as my guide and answer my questions!”】

【You lunged forward and slapped Know-It-All into another spinning top.】

【That bolt of lightning had indeed been quite powerful.】

【The Thunderhawk mount you had bought for the hefty price of fifty Origin Stones was instantly roasted into a honey-glazed chicken.】

【With tears in your eyes, you tore off a roasted wing and ate it with your sorrowful saliva.】

【Your body had been scorched black as well, but you hadn’t suffered any serious harm.】

【That strike hadn’t been fatal.】

【After all, it had come from several alien experts battling in the distance.】

【All attacks from alien races were weakened a hundredfold against you. On top of that, this had only been the aftershock of a battle, so it naturally couldn’t kill you.】

【“Wolverine” healed you immediately.】

【With your mount gone, you and Know-It-All could only approach on foot.】

【At the center of the battle between the various experts of Firelight Star stood a small town swaying amid the wind and sand.】

【“What’s this place called?”】

【“Mystic Maiden Town.”】

【“Is there some story behind that name?”】

【“Of course. Heavenfire Mystic Maiden has a temple here that receives offerings of incense. It’s the only one on the entire Heavenfire Star.”】

【“There are so few temples dedicated to the Heavenly Emperor?”】

【“The Heavenly Emperors were powerful, sure, but they lived too long ago. Aside from cultivators who study ancient texts, who even knows about them anymore?”】

【“Why did no one discover the burial mound before? If the Female Heavenly Emperor left anything behind, wouldn’t this be the most suspicious place?”】

【“I’m not sure. But based on the information I’ve gathered, I speculate that the Female Heavenly Emperor’s remaining Heavenly Emperor power had a sealing effect, concealing the burial mound and preventing outsiders from discovering it.】

【“Still, as I just said, the era of the Heavenly Emperors was far too long ago.】

【“Even the strongest existence cannot resist the erosion of time, let alone a dead person.】

【“Presumably, the Heavenly Emperor’s power gradually dissipated until it weakened to the point where it could no longer maintain the seal. That must be why the burial mound was finally discovered.”】

【People were fighting in the sky. Some had wings, some stood upon divine patterns, some rode magical artifacts, and others were using spells.】

【It seemed that none of them were flying through the air directly. You had no idea what level of cultivation one needed to move freely through the sky in the Real World.】

【Others were battling on the ground as well. Every gesture and movement sent mountains collapsing and the earth splitting apart, leaving the remote town utterly devastated and reduced to ruins.】

【Vaguely, several objects could be seen being passed back and forth as these experts from different races fought over them.】

【They were like a group of basketball players divided into several teams, scrambling to seize a number of basketballs.】