The Qin Clan Moves, the Lower Realm Trembles

Upper Thousand Provinces · Xuanming Realm.

Northern Region.

At the bottom of Xuantian Cliff, where blood mist pervaded the air, a Three-Leaf Dao Grass grew quietly from a crack in the rock. Its three crystal-clear leaves emitted a faint spiritual glow.

The Cliff Bottom was shrouded in strange miasma all year round, and ordinary cultivators could not muster even a shred of Spiritual Power here.

Thus, it was also known as Death Cliff.

No one dared set foot within, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were usually able to conceal themselves.

That was why this Spirit Grass had been able to grow here safely until now.

"Lord Blood Hand, it truly is the legendary Heavenly Fortune Creation Fruit!" A black-robed cultivator knelt on the ground, his voice trembling with excitement. "Whoever found it must have been blind beyond belief. They failed to recognize such a supreme treasure and only took a few leaves."

"But thanks to that."

"Once you consume it, Your Excellency will have a far greater chance of becoming an Emperor. Given time, you will surely ascend to become the First Person of the Xuanming Realm!"

The middle-aged man addressed as Lord Blood Hand stood with his hands behind his back, his scarlet robe stirring despite the absence of wind.

His face was sinister, a savage scar crossing his left eye. A suffocating pressure radiated from his body—

Blood Hand Yama, overlord of the Northern Region of the Xuanming Realm, a Quasi-Emperor.

He had once slaughtered three great sects through his strength alone, his vicious name resounding far and wide.

"Hmph. If I had not fled into the Cliff Bottom after being besieged, I truly would never have discovered it."

"After guarding it bitterly for two years, it has finally matured." Greed flashed through Blood Hand Yama's eyes. "Pass down my order: seal off a hundred-li radius around Xuantian Cliff. Anyone who trespasses—"

Before he could finish, the sky abruptly darkened.

Twelve Shadow Figures streaked across the heavens like meteors, arriving atop the cliff in the blink of an eye.

They wore uniform black battle armor, with a single black character embroidered on their shoulders against a golden background: "Qin."

Their auras were restrained, yet enough to make one shudder with dread.

"Who goes there?!" Blood Hand Yama roared, blood mist churning around him. "This is my territory. Withdraw at once—"

"Too noisy."

The leading Shadow Figure spoke indifferently and casually waved a hand.

"Boom!"

Blood Hand Yama was struck as though by lightning. His entire body flew backward and slammed heavily into the cliff wall, blood spraying from his mouth.

To his horror, he discovered that his peak Quasi-Emperor cultivation was as fragile as papier-mâché before that casual strike!

"The Qin Clan is conducting business. All unrelated parties, withdraw immediately!"

The Qin Clan!

The Xuanming Realm of the Upper Thousand Provinces naturally had branch families of the Qin Clan as well, but none of these people could have imagined that those before them had actually come from the higher-level Ten Directions Immortal Court.

They were members of the Qin Clan's main branch.

Yet even a branch family needed only the single word "Qin" to cow countless people into submission.

"M-Mercy, my lords!" Blood Hand Yama ignored his injuries and scrambled onto his knees. "This lowly one failed to recognize Mount Tai and did not know that envoys of the Qin Clan had arrived!"

The moment the words "Qin Clan" were spoken, the cultivators behind him went pale as death. They dropped to their knees in unison, foreheads pressed firmly to the ground, not daring to raise their heads even slightly.

The Shadow Figures were long accustomed to such reactions.

The leader walked directly toward the Three-Leaf Dao Grass and carefully pushed aside the roots, revealing the Heavenly Fortune Creation Fruit concealed beneath them.

He dug it out together with its roots and placed it inside a specially made Jade Box.

The hands of the Qin Clan Shadow Guard leader trembled faintly as he held the Jade Box. Within it, the Heavenly Fortune Creation Fruit flowed with a chaotic halo.

He recalled Ninth Young Master's casual instruction before their departure: 'Bring back the Heavenly Fortune Creation Fruit.' Now every word exploded within his heart like thunder—so the Cliff Bottom truly hid a supreme treasure seen only once in ten thousand years!

After all, the Heavenly Fortune Creation Fruit had been extinct for ten thousand years.

Yet the rhythm of the Heavenly Dao transmitted through his fingertips could not be false.

The innate Dao Patterns flowing across the fruit's surface were precisely the characteristic recorded in ancient texts: 'one fruit, one fortune.'

Only after the Jade Box vanished into ripples of space did the Shadow Guards' taut backs relax slightly.

Someone could not help muttering in a low voice, "Even a supreme treasure hidden in a place like this could not escape the Young Master's discerning eye... Could he truly possess the ability to foresee the future?"

"Silence!" The leader glared at the speaker. "Ninth Young Master's Supernatural Powers are vast and boundless. How could people like us possibly speculate about them?"

As the few of them spoke.

"My lord!" Blood Hand Yama hurriedly pulled a brocade pouch from his robes without even wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "This is a Ten-Thousand Year Blood Ganoderma treasured by this lowly one. Though it cannot compare with the Heavenly Fortune Creation Fruit, it is still a rare item. Please accept it, my lord!"

The leader of the Shadow Figures glanced at it and revealed a disdainful look. "You dare present such trash? Keep it for yourself."

Blood Hand Yama did not dare grow angry. Instead, he repeatedly kowtowed. "It is this lowly one's blessing to be of service to the Qin Clan! Might my lord require a guide? This lowly one knows the surrounding area like the back of his hand—"

"No need." The Shadow Guard leader cut him off. "We have another task."

Before his words faded, the twelve figures had shot into the sky and disappeared beyond the horizon in an instant, leaving the cultivators at the Cliff Bottom standing stunned as wooden chickens.

"My lord... are we really just letting them leave?" the black-robed cultivator asked unwillingly.

That was a Quasi-Emperor!

Had they not said Quasi-Emperors were utterly invincible?

Why had he acted like a dog?

"Shut up!" Blood Hand Yama backhanded him, sending him flying while vomiting blood. His eyes were filled with mockery:

"The Qin Clan of the Central Region of the Xuanming Realm is impressive enough, isn't it? But as far as I know, that is merely one branch of the Qin Clan! The true Qin Clan main branch resides in the legendary Heaven Above Heaven. It is a colossal existence that even the Heavenly Dao must yield to by three parts!"

His cold gaze swept across the crowd, his voice carrying a grim chill:

"The fact that they only took the Spirit Medicine today was already giving you and me face. If we truly angered the Qin Clan..." Blood Hand Yama suddenly gave a savage grin, his hand forming a Five-Finger Claw as he grabbed through the air. A distant mountain peak exploded with a thunderous crash:

"Extermination of one's sect? That would be the quickest and most painless way to die!"

After saying that, he looked toward the direction in which the Qin Clan envoys had departed, lingering fear and reverence filling his eyes:

"It does not matter if the supreme treasure is gone. The world is vast and boundless, but nothing is greater than one's life."

"Being alive is already the greatest fortune..."

Lower Thousand Provinces · Canglan Sea Realm.

Northern Region, Qinglan Holy Land.

At the summit of cloud-wreathed mountains, the bells of Qinglan Holy Land rang out ceaselessly.

Upon the White Jade-paved square, several hundred disciples stood in neat ranks, their expressions solemn.

Kneeling in the front row was a girl in a plain white dress, around thirteen or fourteen years old. Her skin was like congealed cream, her brows and eyes picturesque.

Her head was lowered, and she appeared respectful, but the corner of her eye kept drifting toward the middle-aged man beside her—Third Elder of Qinglan Holy Land, her master, Mo Qianjue.

"Qiyue, focus." Mo Qianjue sent her a voice transmission, a gentle smile on his face. "A great figure will arrive today. Do not lose your manners."

Yin Qiyue nodded softly, but sneered repeatedly in her heart.

It had been three years since he brought her to the sect.

Over those three years, she had not only secured the position of Holy Maiden through her heaven-defying talent.

She had also long since discovered this "benevolent master's" True Face—

The senior sisters who had vanished without explanation, the shrill screams that came in the middle of the night, and the occasional scent of blood drifting from her master's room... every sign pointed to a horrifying truth.

Master recruited female disciples on a grand scale. On the surface, it seemed like an act of kindness, but in truth, he was secretly cultivating an Evil Art!

Even I am merely a furnace he has raised. Though I bear the title of Holy Maiden and seem noble in status, once I mature, it will be the moment he harvests me. From then on, I will be reduced to an object for his lust.

If I can use today's opportunity... She silently calculated, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her robe tight.

Suddenly, the clouds at the horizon churned as nine golden beams tore through the sky!

"Welcome, immortal lords!"

The Sect Master of the Holy Land shouted loudly and was the first to kneel.

From the elders above to the servants below, everyone in Qinglan Holy Land fell to their knees in unison, their foreheads pressed to the ground.

Yin Qiyue stole a glance upward and saw nine cultivators in golden armor standing in the air, their auras immensely powerful.

The same black character on a golden background was embroidered upon their shoulders: "Qin."

Though these golden-armored cultivators were not as suffocating as the black-clad group from the Xuanming Realm, the pressure radiating from their bodies was still as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea, making everyone present unconsciously lighten their breathing.

Simply meeting their gazes made one's entire body prickle with pain.

It was the suffocating sensation that, with a mere gesture, they could reduce the entire Holy Land to ashes.

"All members of Qinglan Holy Land, heed this order!" The leading golden-armored cultivator spoke like thunder. "By His Highness's decree, we have come to find someone!"

The Sect Master raised his head tremblingly. "May I ask whom the immortal lords seek? This lowly one will certainly cooperate with all his strength!"

The two golden-armored cultivators ignored him and exchanged a glance.

One of them took out a Jade Slip. "Do the conditions match?"

The other scanned the crowd below for a moment, then took out another Jade Slip. "Qinglan Holy Land, Qingshi Town. It should be correct."

"Is the Daughter of the Yin Clan here?"

Yin Qiyue's entire body trembled as she lifted her head blankly.

She had never imagined that such great figures had come for her!

"Qiyue, answer quickly!" Mo Qianjue urged anxiously, a strange glint flashing through his eyes.

"This disciple... Yin Qiyue is here." Yin Qiyue slowly rose to her feet, her voice trembling faintly with nervousness.

"Yin Qiyue?"

"We are looking for the Daughter of the Yin Clan." The golden-armored cultivator frowned. "Answer yes or no."

(I am the Yin Clan's only daughter. It should be me.)

Too nervous to think further, Yin Qiyue hurriedly replied, "Yes!"

The golden-armored cultivator's gaze flashed like lightning as it swept over her. He nodded faintly. "Where is Mo Qianjue?"

Joy appeared on Mo Qianjue's face as he hurried forward. "This lowly one is here! May I ask, immortal lord—"

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, Mo Qianjue's body suddenly exploded, flesh and blood flying everywhere!

The entire scene fell into Deathly Stillness.

Yin Qiyue's eyes widened as she stood frozen in place.

That master who had seemed as powerful as a god in her eyes, that nightmare which had kept her awake night after night... had simply died like this?

In an instant, he had been reduced to a mess of flesh.

Without even leaving behind a final word?

"By His Highness's decree, Mo Qianjue has been executed." The golden-armored cultivator withdrew his hand, his tone as calm as if he had merely swatted a mosquito to death. "Task complete."

With that, the group prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Yin Qiyue suddenly cried out, her voice sharp with agitation. "That... that His Highness, who is he? Why did he save me?"

"Save you?"

Sneers immediately rang out.

"You are nothing but an ant from the Lower Realm. Stop putting gold on your own face."

"His Highness naturally had his reasons for today's matter."

As he spoke, the golden-armored cultivator turned back and glanced at her. "As for who His Highness is, you have no need to know." He paused, his tone carrying lofty pity. "You only need to know that he is a great figure you could never reach even if you cultivated for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand lifetimes."

Golden light flashed, and the nine figures vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a scene of devastation and the stunned people of the Holy Land.

Yin Qiyue staggered backward and collapsed onto the ground.

She stared at Mo Qianjue's mangled corpse, feeling as though everything were a dream.

The fear that had clung to her bones like gangrene for three years had been... lifted just like that?

"That His Highness..." she murmured, stormy waves surging in her heart. "What kind of existence is he?"

Only then did the Sect Master and the others recover. They rushed forward one after another. "Qiyue, when did you come to know such a great figure?"

"Why did those lords kill Elder Mo?"

"Did Elder Mo provoke some disaster?"

"Just who are you..."

The surrounding questions buzzed noisily, but Yin Qiyue heard none of them.

She raised her head and looked toward the sky.

The clouds she had once been able to see now became an endless vault of heaven.

The sky was actually so vast.

Its end could not be seen at a glance.

Then, an unprecedentedly bold thought took root and sprouted within her heart—

She wanted to meet this mysterious great figure and personally offer him her thanks.