The Song Ends and the Guests Depart, Tasting the Fine Feast Alone

Amidst the exclamations of the cultivators in the distance, the golden pillar of light that had pierced the heavens suddenly contracted, surging into Qin Wangchuan's body like a whale swallowing the sea.

The vague, majestic Emperor Shadow behind him gradually faded away along with it.

In the end, only wisps of Dao aura remained, proving that the earth-shaking spectacle just moments ago was no illusion.

The solidified space began to flow once more; dust continued to dance, and the candlelight flickered back to life.

Li Qingluan was the closest, and she felt the impact most intensely.

She stared blankly at Qin Wangchuan, witnessing for the first time the heaven-defying comprehension of her little fiancé—

Enlightenment at the age of ten!

At this rate, he was highly likely to become the youngest Great Emperor in history!

The wind blew past, carrying the scent of blood and a hint of chill. The Dao patterns in Qin Wangchuan's eyes slowly subsided.

The edge that had resonated with the myriad Daos was slightly restrained, but his entire temperament had undergone a fundamental transformation.

He was like a divine sword hidden within a heavy scabbard.

Though its brilliance was temporarily concealed, it contained an edge capable of cleaving heaven and earth.

Yet, what Li Qingluan cared about was still the moment Qin Wangchuan had shown his anger earlier.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the complex emotions surging in her heart, and stepped forward slowly.

"That youth named Han Han earlier..." Li Qingluan's voice was as soft as the spring rain in March, laced with a hint of worry and concern:

"I still have a few Chaos Green Lotus Seeds; they can allow a remnant soul to reconverge and reshape a body as it was before."

She assumed he was angry because of that youth's death.

If that was the case, why not simply resurrect him?

Qin Wangchuan slowly raised his head, his gaze landing on Li Qingluan's worried face.

Those eyes, which had just calmed from the Dao patterns, became deep and unfathomable once again.

It was as if he were trying to look through her eyes to see the causality and the vortex behind all of this.

"Thank you, but there is no need."

Qin Wangchuan suddenly chuckled, the Dao patterns lingering on his fingertips flickering in the night.

"If he had wanted to live..."

He paused, "Then why would he have risked his life to give that thing to me?"

Before his voice had even faded, he turned and strode away.

The moonlight stretched his silhouette long, casting a sharp shadow upon the ground.

"I'm off." He waved a hand without looking back, yet the moment he brushed past Li Qingluan, he whispered into her ear:

"You little—liar!"

The voice was as light as a breeze brushing through the night, causing Li Qingluan's pupils to constrict sharply.

A flush of crimson spread rapidly from the tips of her ears to her cheeks, like sunset clouds staining the sky.

She spun around abruptly to watch his retreating figure, her red lips parting slightly.

Yet, it was as if an invisible force had seized her throat; for a long moment, she could not utter a single word.

"How... did you guess?"

Under the moonlight, Qin Wangchuan's back grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

With so many details, it would be truly laughable if he hadn't figured it out.

Before, he had just wanted to tease her.

But now.

He no longer had the interest.

[Task Completed: Game Breaker]
[Task Details: Uncover the Wang Clan's conspiracy and crush the undercurrents of the Ten Directions Immortal Court.]
[Reward: Directional Simulation unlocked.]

Above the Tenth Heaven.

"To think it was this lineage causing trouble."

The Ji Heavenly Emperor looked down at the farce below, slowly lifting the suspended Black Nail in his palm, a flicker of coldness crossing his eyes.

"It is my Ji Clan's failure in discipline that allowed such collusion with foreign realms to occur."

He pinched the Black Nail between his fingertips, and the nail immediately let out a piercing shriek. "Fortunately, no great disaster was wrought. It is just as well to purge this scourge early."

"Old Man Qin, I owe you a favor."

"Two."

Qin Taiyi stood with his hands behind his back, his tone brooking no argument.

"One!" The Ji Heavenly Emperor, who had just moments ago possessed the air of an otherworldly sage, suddenly bristled, his beard twitching as his robes billowed without a breeze.

"Two."

"Just one!" The Ji Heavenly Emperor's eyes widened. "Don't think I didn't notice—that brat of yours is using my Ji Clan's secret technique!"

As he spoke, he suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Though, it is a fragmented copy..."

"How about this."

"I'll have someone send the complete version over another day," the Ji Heavenly Emperor huffed, stroking his beard. "Add a pair of Void Divine Feathers, and that should be enough to settle one favor."

"Two pairs."

Qin Taiyi suddenly looked up, his gaze deep as an abyss. "And the Heavenly Abyss Ancient Scroll."

"You!" The Ji Heavenly Emperor was about to lash out, but after considering Old Man Qin's temperament, he sighed helplessly. "Fine. One favor, the complete secret technique, and two pairs of Void Divine Feathers."

"As for that Heavenly Abyss Ancient Scroll, that is absolutely impossible!"

The corner of the Ji Heavenly Emperor's eye twitched, his white beard fluttering as he laughed in cold fury. "Old Ghost Qin, don't you dare try to extort me!"

Qin Taiyi's expression remained unchanged. With a light flick of his sleeve, an image suddenly manifested in the void—

It was the scene of Qin Wangchuan making his bold declaration.

If a Heavenly Emperor cannot do it, then an Immortal Emperor!

If an Immortal Emperor cannot do it, then beyond the Immortal Emperor!

"Looking at this, do you dare say your heart is as still as water?"

The Ji Heavenly Emperor was silent for a moment. After a long while, he let out a cold snort.

"...So that's how it is."

"Forcing me to place a bet, are you?"

He took a long look at Qin Taiyi. "I can give you the Heavenly Abyss Ancient Scroll, but I have two conditions—"

"One."

"Go to hell!"

The Ji Heavenly Emperor did not argue. Instead, he raised his hand, and a golden light shot straight into the clouds, transforming into a contract rune that blotted out the sky.

"First, before this kid attains the Dao, he must go to the Ji Clan to preach three times."

"Second... he must make a trip to the Outer Realm for me and retrieve that lost Mirror Rune!"

It was no coincidence that the Wang Clan could obtain items from the Outer Realm through the hands of the Ji Clan.

Back then, that Ji Clan Holy Son, who possessed the Void Sacred Body, not only stole the core Dao runes of the Void Mirror but also blood-sacrificed three guardian elders when he defected.

He had established the Void Heaven Pavilion in the Outer Realm, dedicated to opposing the Ji Clan.

Although the Ji Clan had turned the Void Heaven Pavilion to ash with a mere flip of their hands, that Mirror Rune seemed to have vanished into the void, impossible to find for ten thousand years.

Qin Wangchuan is imbued with the Great Dao; perhaps he might have some success if entrusted with this task.

Qin Taiyi was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Agreed."

As the word fell, the contract formed into a rune and vanished into the void.

Another long silence followed.

The Ji Heavenly Emperor's gaze pierced through the void, his voice sounding as if it came from the end of time:

"Can he truly reach the Immortal Emperor realm, or even beyond?"

"Likely."

"If he can, then we..."

The sentence remained unfinished; both fell into silence.

As Qin Wangchuan had said, the weak live in constant fear, and even the strong find no peace.

Even after becoming a Heavenly Emperor, one always yearns to take another step forward.

As the banquet gradually dispersed, the guests transformed into streaks of light and departed, leaving only the moonlight bathing the courtyard.

Inside the Wangchuan Pavilion.

The mountain of gifts piled up in the courtyard radiated treasures of various colors, making the entire space shimmer with brilliant light.

Outside the door, maids dressed in plain silk held gilded brocade boxes, moving in a continuous stream like flowing water to deliver the treasures.

Qin Wangchuan was casually browsing the gift list while exploring the new functions of his system.

Suddenly, his eyebrows arched slightly, his gaze lingering on a few lines of text.

"A sacred relic of the Flame Clan, the Nine-Flame Golden Crow?"