Qin Wangchuan accepted the sword manual and lowered his head to look at it—
There was no gilded jade-silk binding, no abstruse and obscure title. On the yellowed cover, there was only a single ink-drenched character: "Sword."
The brushstroke was like a sword, its force piercing through the paper.
With just one glance, chilling Sword Qi rushed at his face, pricking his eyes with faint pain.
One had to know that Qin Wangchuan possessed Complete Immortal Bones. Even an Emperor-Grade Cultivation Technique could be read through with ease.
Yet at this moment, the sword manual in his hand had made his eyes burn merely with the single character on its cover.
Beyond an Emperor-Grade Cultivation Technique...
Could it have come from a Heavenly Emperor?
The person before him was a Heavenly Emperor!
After realizing this, Qin Wangchuan abruptly looked up, only to find that the fortune teller had long since vanished.
"Young Master...!" The two guards immediately sensed something was wrong and instinctively stepped in front of Qin Wangchuan, vigilantly scanning their surroundings in an attempt to find the fortune teller's traces.
At first, they had thought he was merely a fortune teller with an unremarkable aura. Only after he suddenly disappeared did they realize something was amiss.
"Relax. That man was a Heavenly Emperor. If he had truly wanted to make a move, we would already be dead." Qin Wangchuan sighed softly and did not blame them.
The guards were shocked. "A Heavenly Emperor??"
Not to mention them—even Qin Wangchuan had not expected that the one who helped Ye Jianwei in the simulation would be a Heavenly Emperor.
"It is said that Heavenly Emperor Li of the Heavenly Sword Li Clan traveled throughout the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, cultivated the Great Dao of Karma, and forged benevolent ties across myriad lifetimes—now that I have met him, I know the rumors were true."
No wonder he had chosen to invest in Ye Jianwei. He had known that she was destined to become an Emperor.
At this point, Qin Wangchuan paused as he recalled his own physique.
Of the Three Great Heavenly Emperors, only the Qin Clan Ancestor remained at home. The other two traveled the world in search of a method to break through.
Fortunately, no Heavenly Emperor had intervened, allowing the Qin Clan's Heaven-Robbing Plan to proceed smoothly all the way.
Otherwise, would other lineages really watch helplessly as you gathered so many Supreme Bones and Immortal Bones?
Did he really think they were kindhearted?
As the group spoke.
Ye Jianwei's fingers around the Jade Slip trembled faintly—though she could not see, she had gathered from their scattered words that the fortune teller from earlier held an extraordinary status, and that what he had given her must be exceedingly precious.
"Young Master..." She suddenly followed the sound and knelt toward Qin Wangchuan, raising the Jade Slip high with both hands. "Th-this is too precious. I cannot accept it."
"And giving it to me would be a waste. I cannot even see..."
The Jade Slip glimmered faintly in her palm, illuminating her knuckles until they were pale as snow.
The puddles by the roadside reflected her tense profile, her eyelashes fluttering tremulously.
She looked just like an ugly duckling that had fallen into a muddy mire.
Qin Wangchuan chuckled softly and reached out to ruffle her dry, yellowed hair. "Why distinguish so much between yours and mine?" A wisp of Chaos Immortal Light flowed from his fingertips, quietly nourishing the dry ends of her hair. "You yourself are already mine. Why care about these things?"
"I will learn it too after we return. Then I will teach you."
His words were domineering, yet Ye Jianwei's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed.
She lowered her head and pressed the Jade Slip to her chest, as if confirming that none of this was an illusion. A whimper like that of a small beast escaped her throat.
"Yes..."
For the first time in five years, someone had cherished her as "their possession"—and that gave her more peace of mind than charity or pity ever could.
Before long, the coffin was prepared as well.
The guards began moving the corpses. Ye Jianwei also went to help, holding her mother's hand and saying that she would accompany her for one final stretch of the journey. Then she softly whispered something into her ear.
She thought Qin Wangchuan could not hear her, but in truth, he heard every word clearly.
"Mother, I cannot stay with you anymore. I have to live..."
Qin Wangchuan nodded slightly and thought, That's right, Ye Jianwei. Live on.
Live on as the Qin Clan's future Heavenly Emperor, as my support.
As long as she grew strong, together with himself—
The Qin Clan could be called the foremost lineage of this age!
"Return to the Flying Ship."
The group soon returned to the Immortal Boat floating above Qixia Town.
It was an enormous behemoth, entirely black. Complex runes covered its hull, glinting with cold metallic luster beneath the sunlight.
Ye Jianwei could feel the faint vibration beneath her feet, the suddenly dense Spiritual Power around her, and... the strength of the people surrounding her.
It was a sensation that made even breathing hurt.
Naturally, the Ye Clan could not be spared, but there was no need to search for them.
Qin Wangchuan sat upon the Flying Ship's deck, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers as he asked without turning his head:
"Where is the Ye Clan?"
A guard bowed with clasped fists and answered in a deep voice, "In reply to the Young Master, the connected stretch of gray-tiled roofs below is their location."
"There are five hundred and twenty-seven cultivators in the Ye Clan residence. The strongest aura is at the center of the estate."
"They have all been locked onto."
With a sweep of his Divine Sense, not only the Ye Clan, but the entire small town was laid bare before his eyes.
"Mm." Qin Wangchuan answered indifferently, then turned his gaze beneath the Flying Ship.
Qixia Town's outline flickered in and out of sight beneath the clouds, while the Ye Clan's vast estate, spanning several miles, stood out in particular.
Within its vermilion gates and high walls, pavilions and towers stood row upon row. The glazed tiles atop the central hall gleamed with gaudy golden light beneath the sun. At this moment, several auras had gathered in the center of the estate—it seemed they had discovered their Third Young Master's miserable corpse. The Patriarch, elders, and several heirs had gathered together to discuss a response.
But what could that change?
"Destroy them."
The three casually spoken words fell, and dark clouds abruptly gathered over all of Qixia Town.
Old Zhou, the proprietor of a tavern, was wiping down the counter when he suddenly felt the wine bowls atop it tremble faintly.
He looked up in confusion, only to see birds outside the window taking flight in alarm. Soundlessly, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the bluestone slabs along the entire long street.
"What is this...?"
Before he could finish speaking, a vast pressure descended from the heavens.
In an instant, the air along the entire street seemed to freeze solid.
The wine bowl in Old Zhou's hand suddenly shattered, yet the porcelain shards eerily halted in midair before reaching the ground.
The drinkers, along with every cultivator on the street, changed expression dramatically. The Spiritual Power within their bodies sank as though into a swamp, and their knees uncontrollably slammed into the bluestone slabs—where spiderweb-like cracks immediately bloomed.
This was not pressure, but absolute suppression on the level of laws!
It was like ants being suddenly cast into the deep sea, where even struggling became a vain hope.
"W-what is happening?!" Someone laboriously lifted his eyes, and his pupils abruptly shrank—
Above the heavens, an enormous Spiritual Power palm spanning a hundred miles was taking shape.
Its palm lines were clear as ravines. Merely looking at it made one's eyes sting and one's Divine Soul tremble.
A moment later, the gigantic palm descended toward the Ye Clan.
Everyone in the Ye Clan, including that Quasi-Saint, was crushed into the earth like ants by the invisible pressure. Their faces were pressed against the ground, their limbs twisted, and they could not move even a single finger.
Some of the weaker cultivators were crushed into bloody mist the instant the pressure formed.
There was no escape, no evasion.
There was no thunderous roar, no scream.
When the enormous palm and its pressure dispersed, the Ye Clan's once-vast estate had become nothing more than a glassed crater a hundred zhang deep.
The entire Ye Clan had been completely erased just like that.
"The Ye Clan... was destroyed?" Old Zhou, still kneeling on the ground, blankly stared at the sight and muttered to himself.
Such a great lineage had actually vanished into smoke and ashes in the blink of an eye!
Shock and terror instantly hung over everyone's heads.
Even a Quasi-Emperor can wield laws. If a Great Emperor truly made a move, what kind of sight would that be?
Qin Wangchuan stared at the vanished Ye Clan, countless thoughts running through his mind. Chaos Immortal Light circulated around him, keeping the terrifying pressure at bay.
He turned back to see Ye Jianwei's little face pale, yet she had endured it all without uttering a sound.
He raised his hand, and an aura swept over her. His voice was calm, completely unlike that of a child:
"The Ye Clan has been annihilated."
"All mortal ties have been severed."
"Find a good place to bury your mother. From today onward, you need only remain at my side and cultivate wholeheartedly."
Ye Jianwei's fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes.
It was... for me?
Her mother's nails digging into her shoulder, the bloody stench seeping into the straw mat on rainy nights, those nightmares that had tormented her for five years—all of them had been swept away so easily by the young man's single sentence.
So this is what it feels like to be protected.
The crisp scent of snow pine lingered beneath her nose. Ye Jianwei lowered her eyes and softly replied, "Yes."
The response was almost inaudible, yet it sounded like the fastening of a lock upon fate.
My life belongs to you.
The Immortal Boat soon arrived at the Qin Clan Ancestral Grounds.
When the Flying Ship landed upon the Immortal Ship Platform, Qin Wenhe, who had long been waiting, hurried forward with a group of servants.
He first gave Ye Jianwei, who stood behind Qin Wangchuan in ragged clothes, a deep look before stepping forward and respectfully saying:
"Young Master, the Old Ancestor requests your presence."
Qin Wangchuan nodded. He was not in a hurry to leave, however, and instead turned to the guards behind him. "First, give her mother a proper burial."
The guard respectfully accepted the order. "Yes, Young Master."
Every word and action of this youngest Young Master carried an authority that did not need anger, and all the accompanying guards felt deep reverence for him.
After saying that, he looked at Ye Jianwei. "You should go as well. See your mother off on her final journey."
Ye Jianwei's body trembled slightly. "Thank you, Young Master," she said softly.
Seeing her tattered clothes and dry yellow hair, Qin Wangchuan instructed a maid nearby, "Take her to wash and change. Give her a clean set of clothes."
"This servant understands." The maid curtsied in response.
After giving his instructions, he followed his teacher toward the Grand Ancestor Hall.
When Qin Wangchuan stepped into the hall, Qin Taiyi slowly opened his eyes, his gaze as deep and boundless as the sea.
"Chuan'er, come here."
Qin Wangchuan walked forward and respectfully bowed. "Old Ancestor."
Qin Taiyi did not beat around the bush and directly asked, "What is going on with your Origin Source?"
Before you continue