When Strength Falls Short, Use Strategy

"Celestial Being Realm!"

Only after Yuniang's reminder did Qin Wangchuan suddenly remember this obstacle.

If he were to force a breakthrough here, he could certainly enter the Ninth Realm, but he would also miss the "Heavenly Gate" baptism, causing his Immortal Bone to be unable to be fully utilized.

With that in mind, he immediately began to suppress it.

However, the vast, ocean-like Dragon Clan cultivation within his body continued to pour in wildly, completely out of control, as if it were about to burst him apart!

"I'll help you."

The Jade Sword Pendant around Qin Wangchuan's neck, which had been dormant for a long time, suddenly trembled, and the sword blade burst forth with a dazzling cold light.

The next instant, a figure in pure white stepped out from the sword— Yuniang's slender fingers were as white as snow, and as her clothes fluttered, the surrounding temperature plummeted, even freezing the surging Dragon Qi into tiny ice crystals.

'Where did this woman come from?!'

Qin Zhaoer's eyes widened, and she stood frozen in place.

"Our Young Master is quite lovable, even hiding a beauty in his sword pendant~" Qin Zhaoer pursed her red lips, her fingers unconsciously twisting her sleeves, her tone tinged with three parts sourness and seven parts annoyance.

You're such a flirtatious bastard!

I've spoiled you for nothing!

Yuniang didn't even glance at Qin Zhaoer out of the corner of her eye, and lightly touched Qin Wangchuan with her fair hand.

An extremely powerful force emanated from the Spirit Consciousness Platform, forcefully cutting off the surging torrent of Spiritual Power and temporarily sealing it within the meridians.

Even so, the Dragon Clan Maiden's power continued to surge forth, seemingly endless.

"It can't be suppressed any longer." Yuniang's eyes darkened, and she suddenly turned around and waved her sleeve.

"Walk!"

A streak of frosty white Sword Qi shot out, blasting a large hole in the thick stone wall, allowing the sunlight from the outside to pour in.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Wangchuan circulated his Spiritual Power and leaped out of the Side Hall through the broken opening.

"Hey!" Qin Zhaoer and the others stared blankly behind them, completely unaware of what had happened.

However, the Side Hall subsequently collapsed, burying the opening once again.

Meanwhile, outside the Forbidden Palace, many people noticed the unusual activity.

Gu Yuan stood in the crowd, a sinister smile appearing in his eyes.

Although Lu Chen has some tricks up his sleeve and can outmaneuver me, he is definitely no match for Qin Wangchuan.

This is the intuition of someone who is also strong.

So in reality, there's only one real opponent.

"Qin Wangchuan, oh Qin Wangchuan..." he murmured to himself, "You can't take this fortuitous opportunity away."

I'll think about it.

Gu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze slowly sweeping over the hundreds of cultivators present, his voice carrying Spiritual Power and resounding throughout the surrounding area:

"Have any of you sensed any unusual movement of Dragon Qi within the Forbidden Palace?"

Before the words were even finished, whispers began to circulate among the crowd.

"I can definitely sense it; it seems a priceless treasure has appeared in the world..."

"Not only that! I also faintly heard a dragon's roar!"

Gu Yuan's lips curled slightly as he continued, "While we were out fighting the Beast Tide, someone took advantage of the situation to steal the fortuitous opportunity that should have belonged to everyone."

"Who is it?" A burly, bare-chested man slammed his fist on the table and stood up, the Great Axe in his hand gleaming coldly.

"We fought a bloody battle here, and yet someone has done such a despicable thing!"

Anger intensified on everyone's faces, while a hint of smugness flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes.

"Right now, that person is probably enjoying his good fortune alone in the palace," he said quietly, his voice carrying just the right amount of resentment.

"The rules of the Secret Realm have always been that those with the right destiny will obtain it, but..." Gu Yuan suddenly changed his tone, his voice turning abruptly cold, "Such despicable behavior is truly hateful!"

"If someone shrouded in Dragon Qi breaks out of the palace later..."

"Why don't we join forces, kill that despicable person first, and then discuss the distribution?"

"That's not a good idea..." a thin cultivator suddenly spoke up timidly, "What if he's from the Aristocratic Clan..."

Before he could finish speaking, the burly man with a thick beard next to him slapped him on the back of the head. "Bullshit! Just because someone comes from the Aristocratic Clan doesn't mean they can steal chickens and dogs!"

"Exactly!" another female cultivator sneered. "We've been risking our lives here, only to have him benefit from our efforts?"

An uproar erupted in the crowd. "Who cares who he is!"

"He got the fortuitous opportunity, he should give up the rest!"

"Yes! At least leave the Storage Bag behind!"

"I agree!"

Seeing the escalating outcry, Gu Yuan calmly took a half-step back.

He noticed that several cautious monks had quietly slipped away from the crowd, but the eyes of most other monks were burning with greed.

Gu Yuan coldly swept his gaze over the group of cultivators blinded by greed, a sneer forming in his heart: 'A bunch of fools, certainly qualified to be cannon fodder.'

He had already planned it all out:

If Qin Wangchuan is exhausted, seize the fortuitous opportunity; if he still has strength, immediately withdraw and flee.

Either way, it's a sure-fire way to make money.

Ultimately, he never truly intended to take Qin Wangchuan's life.

If something were to happen to the esteemed heir of the Qin family while I was in charge, that would be a huge problem.

But to have this prodigy suffer a silent loss and have his fortuitous opportunity snatched away, Qin Wangchuan's composed face revealed a look of resentment...

Just thinking about it made Gu Yuan feel exhilarated.

How satisfying it would be for others to hear this!

"No matter how talented you are Qin Wangchuan..." He narrowed his eyes, silently crushing a Black Jade Chess Piece into dust between his fingers, "Today you will also stumble at my hands."

As for the Qin Clan's retaliation, that was not in his consideration.

Gu Yuan didn't believe that the younger generation's squabbling could provoke the Qin Clan's higher-ups to take action.

Just then, the dome of the Forbidden Palace suddenly exploded!

A figure entwined with Dragon Pattern patterns soared into the sky, its dazzling golden light pouring down like heavenly fire, coating everything within a ten-mile radius with a dazzling golden glow.

The dazzling light formed a natural barrier, making it impossible for outsiders to see its true form.

But Gu Yuan knew very well that, apart from Lu Chen, only Qin Wangchuan and his group had entered the depths of the Forbidden Palace.

The person before them was flying through the air; this was something that Lu Chen, with his mediocre strength, could never possess.

The answer is obvious.

"Really..."

Gu Yuan turned his head and revealed a smug sneer.

The eyes of all the cultivators present turned a greedy crimson red under the golden light.

It's unclear who shouted first:

"Dragon Qi soars to the heavens! A supreme treasure must have appeared!"

"Treasure hunt!"

"Rush!"

Like pouring cold water into a pot of boiling oil, hundreds of cultivators instantly erupted!

Gu Yuan quietly took three steps back, watching with satisfaction as the crowd surged towards the golden light.

"Thanks for being so easy to control, you idiots."

Qin Wangchuan was flying towards the exit of the Secret Realm, coldly watching the cultivators surging in below like a tide, about to make his move to suppress them—

"Don't waste time." Yuniang's cold voice suddenly rang in my ears, "Force your way out."

But how can one break through the encirclement of hundreds of cultivators without using Spirit Art?

Just as he hesitated, he suddenly heard a faint whisper in his ear.

The sound was dreamlike and ethereal, seemingly both near and far, like an echo drifting from ancient times, or like ripples rising from the depths of one's own blood.

Qin Wangchuan listened intently, and the sound gradually became clearer—

"...Contract..."

"... with me..."

"...Nian... Long..."

The voice carried an irresistible rhythm, like a destiny's call.

Qin Wangchuan was in a daze, his lips involuntarily parting slightly as he uttered the name following the voice—

"Dragon Scale!"