Chapter Nine: The Formidable Kuya People

"Eliminated four cultivation sects!" Even Qin Shuang, who had descended from the Divine Realm, was shocked by this. The Kuya people possessed mysterious physical strength, and they could unleash palm-thunder powerful enough to kill cultivators—these Qin Yu already knew. But with only these abilities, it was plausible for them to protect themselves, not to wipe out four cultivation sects. Qin Shuang found it impossible to believe.

Cultivation sects meant cultivators. No matter how fallen or impoverished they had become, they were ultimately cultivators. Killing a few people was one thing, but destroying an entire sect was unimaginable. No matter how formidable the Kuya were, they were still mortals—unable to fly, not especially swift. If cultivators simply flew high or escaped quickly, there would be nothing the Kuya could do.

"Could it have just been four minor sects?" Qin Shuang shook her head slightly. Only if they were small sects could she imagine the Kuya managing to annihilate them.

"Senior, among the four sects we destroyed, one was once the greatest, and the remaining three were no less powerful than this Wuling Sect," the Third Elder, Xiao Qing, noticed Qin Shuang's doubt and quietly offered a reminder.

"Four sects, none inferior to the Wuling Sect, and there are even more powerful ones?" This time, Qin Shuang was truly astonished, staring wide-eyed at Xiao Qing, her face written with disbelief.

"That's right. Four sects, a total of three hundred thousand cultivators—all slain by us. Among them were their six most powerful rogue immortals and over a dozen so-called Grand Ascension and Tribulation Crossing experts—every one of them killed!" Gan Ming nodded heavily. That battle was unimaginably brutal, and to this day, neither Kuya nor cultivators had recovered. That is why the head of the Wuling Sect was willing to come personally to the Kuya tribe to negotiate—the Kuya truly held such strength.

"Can you tell me how you managed to kill them?" Qin Shuang's look of surprise soon faded. As incredible as Gan Ming's tale was, she had seen stranger things in the Divine Realm. Her shock subsided quickly.

"We relied on a secret manual of the Kuya tribe, which allowed our people to temporarily possess the ability to fly. But the price was immense—they all gave their lives afterward," the Third Elder said, a trace of sorrow crossing his face. "With the secret manual, we barely fought the cultivators to a draw, but we lost too many of our people. They are heroes of our tribe."

"I understand," Qin Shuang nodded. Many immortals possessed secret techniques that could suddenly awaken their latent power, but they always came at a steep price. The Kuya, a tribe of mortals, were strange enough already—having such a secret manual was not so surprising.

With the ability to fly, the Kuya became the cultivators' nightmare. Their physical strength rivaled the spiritual artifacts of cultivators, and their golden fist strike was even more powerful than such artifacts. If only their speed matched, the cultivators would be at a clear disadvantage.

The three elders thanked Qin Shuang again. This time, the harvest had exceeded their expectations. The Kuya were not cultivators, and resources here were scarce. Even iron for labor was hard to come by. Now, with the refining materials Qin Shuang had procured, they could manufacture many fine tools.

Luckily, Qin Shuang was unaware of the true purpose for which the Kuya wanted those refining materials. Though the materials were low-grade, they were still used to forge treasure and spiritual artifacts, and at the very least could easily be made into weapons mortals would call celestial—certainly not for mere household tools.

After the negotiations, Lei Shan's attitude toward Qin Shuang changed markedly. Now, under the elders' orders, he was to accompany Qin Shuang closely, almost to the point of shadowing her, which only added to Qin Shuang's vexation and made her begin to doubt her own decision.

Time flew by. Twenty days passed quickly, and the Wuling Sect still had not sent any word of Lei Tian. Gradually, Lei Shan began to worry again, yearning to set out at once for the invitation from the Heaven and Earth Gate.

Three days later, the day for Lei Shan and his party to set out finally arrived. Besides Lei Shan, the three elders assigned five Kuya squads to accompany Qin Shuang, totaling eighty people. These squads were the tribe's elite—already few in number—and the elders' willingness to spare five at once showed how much they valued this gathering.

"Senior Qin, we entrust everything to you!" The three elders personally saw off the eighty-two people. There were seven days left, just enough time for the Kuya to reach the Heaven and Earth Gate.

"Don't worry. Since I have promised you, I will see it done. I will bring them all back to you, safe and sound," said Qin Shuang, glancing at the eighty-strong team and shaking her head again. In her opinion, taking just Lei Shan would suffice. The eighty others were entirely forced upon her by the three elders.

After expressing his gratitude, Elder Gan Ming addressed the Kuya, "Warriors of the Kuya, for this mission, you must obey Senior Qin and Lei Shan's every command and complete your task at all costs. We await your triumphant return!"

"Please rest assured, Elders! We swear to fulfill our mission and will obey Senior Qin and Lei Shan's orders without question," the five squad leaders shouted in unison. The eighty-one all bowed deeply to the three elders, then gathered before Qin Shuang, not sparing another glance at the elders.

All eighty-one fixed their gaze on Qin Shuang. Having expected a poignant farewell, she was taken aback.

Lei Shan quietly reminded the dazed Qin Shuang, "Brother Qin, let's set out."

"So soon? Aren't you going to say goodbye to the elders?" Qin Shuang self-consciously rubbed her nose, feeling she'd made a fool of herself before these mortals—perhaps this was some Kuya custom.

"Reporting to Senior Qin, the elders have ordered us to obey only you and Lei Shan. Until the mission is complete, we will take commands only from you two. The three elders are not part of this mission—they are no longer relevant to us," a squad leader answered loudly, and seeing Lei Shan nod, Qin Shuang finally understood and found her view of the Kuya shifting yet again.

"Very well, let us depart!" Inspired by their spirit, Qin Shuang threw back her head and roared, leading the eighty-one Kuya slowly out of headquarters. That roar echoed throughout the entire Kuya base.

Only after the eighty-two had gone did the three gaunt elders turn and walk slowly back into the tribe. With her immortal sense, Qin Shuang noticed their departing figures seemed immeasurably desolate.

Seven days later, Lei Shan led Ruan Lingyu and the eighty Kuya to the Heaven and Earth Gate's location, Tianhun Mountain. Qin Shuang had not stayed with them—in fact, on the second day after setting out, she had left the group, instructing Lei Shan to take them to the Heaven and Earth Gate and meet her there.

Lei Shan had no objections—he already knew Qin Shuang was a master of unfathomable strength, capable of traversing planets, certainly not slow. The fact that she had accompanied them for a day was already a rare courtesy.

Back at the Kuya headquarters, in a small underground chamber beneath the temple, three gaunt figures lit a tiny candle as Lei Shan reached the Heaven and Earth Gate.

"Brother, do you really believe this is the road home?" The Third Elder, Xiao Qing, broke the silence with a low voice.

After a long while, Elder Gan Ming slowly shook his head. "I know the chances are slim, but hope remains. As long as there is hope, we must strive for it."

"Brother, if this is our hope, why entrust it to someone of unknown origin?" Second Elder Qilian pressed.

"Second Brother, who do you think he is, and where did he come from?" Gan Ming countered instead of answering.

Qilian pondered for a long time before lifting his head. "He is not a cultivator, I can sense that. Yet he is powerful enough to deceive even Ling Yufei. I think he may be one of those so-called immortals of legend, from the so-called Immortal Realm."

"Third Brother, what do you think?"

"My thoughts are the same as Second Brother's. And I am certain of one thing—he bears no ill will toward Lei Shan. I have watched him for a long time. He seems truly here only to help Lei Shan."

Gan Ming looked at Xiao Qing and then at Qilian. "You are right. This man of unknown origin possesses the strength of an immortal and treats Lei Shan with great kindness. Where he comes from no longer matters to us. The important thing is he means us no harm and can help us pursue our hope." At the word "hope," a brilliant light flashed in Gan Ming's eyes, belying his frail frame.

The "man of unknown origin" they spoke of was, of course, Qin Shuang. But at that moment, Qin Shuang was no longer on Suyu Star and could not hear the elders' musings. While Lei Shan and his party traveled, Qin Shuang had returned to Earth, filling a vast storage ring with all sorts of liquor. "By all accounts, Earth's wine is the finest in all mortal worlds," she mused.