"Nangong Baixue has arrived. She was my brother's woman, but now she is mine. Oh, Brother, thank you for the gift."
Outside the Grand Dao Hall, Nangong Baixue walked slowly, taking a long time to finally step inside.
The Nangong Family Old Ancestor bowed respectfully to the assembled Qin family members before speaking slowly. "Upon hearing of Xiao'er's demise, Baixue has been consumed by sorrow for days. She washes her face with tears daily, utterly wasted away with grief, and is terribly haggard."
Qin Wuyang looked at Nangong Baixue. "Baixue. The departed is gone. I know your feelings for Xiao'er were deep, but fate is unpredictable. You must slowly accept this result."
Nangong Baixue let out a soft, tearful sob and dropped dramatically to her knees before the Qin Family Old Ancestor.
"Plop!"
Nangong Baixue cried, her voice choked with emotion. "Old Ancestor, my only regret is that I cannot march alone to the Grand Dao Sect and personally slay that scum, Ye Chen, with my own hands! This hatred will not be appeased until the Ye Family of Qingcheng is utterly wiped out! Only then can I truly mourn my husband!"
Qin Wuyang said coldly, "You need not worry about vengeance. Before long, news will spread that Ye Chen has been killed and the Ye Family of Qingcheng has been annihilated."
Nangong Baixue clenched her delicate hands, her face streaked with tears. "Good. That trash Ye Chen is finally going to die..."
The atmosphere in the hall was heavy and stagnant.
At that moment, Qin Wang rose at the perfect time and slowly approached Nangong Baixue. He gently helped her up, his voice soft and tender. "Baixue, my heart is perhaps even heavier than yours. But my brother often told me that if anything were to happen to him, I must take good care of you. Before he died in the secret realm, he personally entrusted you to me. Alas..."
Qin Wang sighed repeatedly, though internally, he struggled to suppress a laugh. All those years of practicing his acting skills in front of Qin Xiao were finally paying off!
As he spoke, Qin Wang subtly squeezed Nangong Baixue's smooth, soft hand, the silky touch sending a ripple of excitement through him.
Nangong Baixue slowly raised her head, looking at Qin Wang's face, and froze slightly. She had met Qin Wang a few times before, but he had always avoided Qin Xiao, so she had never seen his face up close. In the past few days, Old Ancestor Qin Wuyang had told her that Qin Wang and Qin Xiao looked remarkably alike.
Seeing him now, up close, she was stunned. Isn't this just Qin Xiao?
In her memory, the images of Qin Xiao and Qin Wang slowly merged. The last thin layer of resistance in her heart was instantly pierced by Qin Wang. Actually... Qin Wang isn't so bad.
Qin Wang carefully observed Nangong Baixue, subtly inhaling the faint fragrance on her body. In his mind, the image of Nangong Baixue from his brother's memories gradually became more vivid and real. She was even more beautiful than the cold memory had suggested. Her hand was as smooth and delicate as silk, making it difficult for him to restrain himself.
With tear-filled eyes, Nangong Baixue nodded slightly to Qin Wang. "Young Master, thank you."
Their eyes met, and both seemed to understand the other's meaning.
At this point, Old Ancestor Qin Wuyang spoke. "Wang'er, there is no time to mourn your brother. The Supreme Profound Sect's Divine Son competition has been accelerated by the appearance of the Bronze Ancient Palace. I am taking you and Baixue back to the Supreme Profound Sect now."
Qin Wang and Nangong Baixue bowed respectfully. "We obey!"
Qin Wuyang instructed, "Good, Wang'er. Once we reach the Supreme Profound Sect, you must take excellent care of Baixue. Especially now, help her emerge from this darkness."
Qin Wang understood immediately. "Old Ancestor, I will."
A moment later, Old Ancestor Qin Wuyang summoned a massive Spirit Boat and departed with the two of them, leaving the Qin family behind.
Aboard the Spirit Boat, with Qin Wuyang piloting and his back turned, Qin Wang subtly closed the distance between himself and Nangong Baixue. She, in turn, slowly leaned into him.
Suddenly, Nangong Baixue's body trembled slightly.
"Baixue, what's wrong?" Qin Wang asked.
Nangong Baixue's hair fluttered, and she looked fragile and weak. "The cold Void Astral Wind is whipping my face. I'm so cold."
Qin Wang immediately removed his brocade robe and draped it over her shoulders.
"Thank you, Young Master," she said.
Qin Wang casually took her hand, gently stroking it. "Baixue, your hand is freezing. Let me warm it for you."
Nangong Baixue was coy, half-resisting, half-welcoming the gesture.
Slowly, Qin Wang grew bolder, his hand tracing up her sleeve. The soft, yielding skin beneath his fingers made his heart pound. A rustling sound filled the air, and Nangong Baixue let out a faint, trembling moan. He’s so good at this! she thought, utterly captivated. And so proactive! I only wonder how he compares to Qin Xiao in bed.
***
In the Heavenly Net Temple's Yunzhou Branch, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders had locked themselves in a pavilion, setting up endless seals and flickering Dao patterns, strictly forbidding anyone from disturbing them for three days. They had mobilized a massive force for the ambush—over a dozen Great Emperors, including two Six-star Emperors and three Five-star Emperors. They were confident they would succeed in blood-washing Elder Mu and the others.
If nothing went wrong, the outcome was predetermined. They were taking a small break to "celebrate."
At that moment, a gray-robed Elder responsible for guarding the life tablets heard a sharp sound.
"Crack!"
It was the sound of a life tablet shattering! The Elder immediately turned to see the life tablet of Hall Master Luo Yangtian explode into dust! Beside it, Luo Yangtian's soul lamp instantly extinguished!
"How is that possible?"
The gray-robed Elder was dumbfounded. Hall Master Luo Yangtian had led three low-star Great Emperors to ambush the Grand Dao Sect's prodigies. How could anything have gone wrong? But the tablet was shattered, the lamp extinguished. Luo Yangtian was dead!
The Elder immediately sent a transmission to the other Emperor-realm Elders in the branch. Soon, the entire Yunzhou Branch was in an uproar.
More terrifying news arrived: not only had the Yunzhou branch suffered a disaster, but every single Great Emperor from the other nine participating branches—Baizhou, Fengzhou, and the rest—had been annihilated! Even the two Six-star Great Emperors were gone!
Panic and deep dread gripped the Elders of the ten branches. This was their meticulously planned operation, yet the result was a complete wipeout.
Several Emperor-realm Elders immediately rushed toward the pavilion of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders. They had already tried transmitting messages multiple times, but received no response. They remembered the persistent rumor that the two Elders shared a "special friendship," and wondered if they were still... celebrating?
Deciding they couldn't wait, the Elders chose to directly blast the seal on the pavilion.
Instantly, several low-star Great Emperors launched a combined attack. Terrifying, overwhelming power, like an ocean overturning, slammed into the pavilion.
"Boom!"
Endless, brilliant formation patterns surged forth, but the seal remained unshaken. Instead, it unleashed a massive counter-shock, sending the attacking Great Emperors flying backward.
However, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders were finally alerted.
The Thirteenth Elder, breathing heavily, roared, "Those idiots! Didn't I say not to disturb us for three days?"
The Fourteenth Elder, wiping sweat from his brow, frowned slightly. "Could Luo Yangtian and the others have returned so quickly? It hasn't been long!"
Their mood utterly ruined, the two Elders felt a profound sense of everything is tasteless and hastily began to dress.
A moment later, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders retracted the seals and stepped out of the pavilion. The other Great Emperors quickly relayed the devastating news.
The faces of the two Elders turned ashen.
"What? How is this possible?"
They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disbelief. Luo Yangtian and his team had scouted the Grand Dao Sect's outpost near the secret realm countless times, confirming only Elder Mu was present. Where did a Seven-star Great Emperor suddenly materialize from?
Furthermore, both groups led by Luo Yangtian possessed a corner of a Supreme Emperor Formation Pattern, which could instantly teleport Ye Chen and Elder Mu millions of miles away. In such a short time, even a Seven-star Great Emperor couldn't instantly traverse a million miles of void space!
Just a short while ago, Luo Yangtian had transmitted a secret message confirming they had succeeded! How could they all suddenly be annihilated? Had the Grand Dao Sect deployed two Seven-star Great Emperors?
Fear now gripped the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders. If their Hall Master, Duan Hunsheng, learned of this failure, the price they would pay would be unimaginable.
The Fourteenth Elder's face twisted into a snarl. "Who was the one who struck?"
***
In the desolate wilderness, several hours later, Elder Mu and Lu Xuan emerged from the shattered seal formation, one after the other. Lu Xuan wore a faint, easy smile, while Elder Mu’s old face was flushed crimson.
Elder Mu gave a wry smile and looked at Lu Xuan. "Fellow Daoist, we are deeply indebted to you. My Senior Brother Tianxing and the Cangxuan Old Ancestor are already rushing here. This matter is far from over!"
Lu Xuan nodded. "I agree. The Heavenly Net Temple dared to use their power to bully the younger generation and ambush my disciple, Ye Chen. I have no intention of letting them walk away."
"Fellow Daoist, what is your plan?" Elder Mu asked.
Lu Xuan replied with utter nonchalance, "We'll just go and kill them."
Elder Mu frowned deeply. "Fellow Daoist, hold on. You are only a Five-star Great Emperor, but the Heavenly Net Temple has the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders, who are Seven-star and Eight-star Great Emperors, respectively! We should wait for Old Ancestor Tianxing and the others to arrive before we act."
Lu Xuan shook his head, his expression utterly dismissive. "It doesn't matter. They are merely ants."
Saying this, Lu Xuan casually spread his right hand, and a surge of divine light manifested. It was the memory imprint he had effortlessly extracted from the soul of Luo Yangtian, the recently deceased Hall Master of the Yunzhou Branch. The image exploded into existence before them.
After watching the memory playback, Elder Mu’s face turned grim. Killing intent flared in the eyes of the surrounding Peak Masters. "We didn't expect the Supreme Profound Sect and the Ancient Qin Family to be involved in this conspiracy!"
Ye Chen’s face was ice cold. The Qin Family had gone to such lengths, even cooperating with the Heavenly Net Temple, to kill him and destroy the Ye Family of Qingcheng!
Elder Mu’s eyes burned with fury. "This time, we must make the Ancient Qin Family and the Supreme Profound Sect pay a heavy price! We cannot let them off easily!"
Ji Fuyao’s delicate lips parted as she looked at Lu Xuan. "Master, I—"
Lu Xuan cut her off with a wave of his hand. "This is not your concern. I have always maintained that I will not interfere in the battles of your generation. However, if anyone dares to use superior power to bully my disciples, I will personally execute them! This time, we start with the ten Heavenly Net Temple branches."
Elder Mu looked at Lu Xuan. "Fellow Daoist, what is your plan?"
Lu Xuan replied with utter nonchalance, "We'll just go and kill them."
Elder Mu frowned deeply. "Fellow Daoist, wait. You are only a Five-star Great Emperor, but the Heavenly Net Temple branches have the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Elders, who are Seven-star and Eight-star Great Emperors, respectively! We should wait until Old Ancestor Tianxing and the others arrive."
Lu Xuan shook his head, his expression utterly dismissive. "It doesn't matter. They are merely ants."