"Don't go near it! That's the Qiling Holy Lotus. It can devour all living beings. No matter how strong you are, you can't defeat it!"
The goateed cultivator's voice drifted over, warning Su Yi.
Although he couldn't stand Su Yi, the King of Great Wei had ordered him to bring Su Yi back to Great Wei and make him serve the kingdom.
Su Yi ignored him completely and leaped straight down.
He punched the Qiling Holy Lotus with one hand while wrapping his other arm around Nan Xiaopao's waist, trying to pull her free. But the Qiling Holy Lotus had her tightly bound, and he was afraid of hurting her, so he didn't dare pull too hard.
"Su Yi, don't worry about me."
Nan Xiaopao woke with a start. Seeing the anxiety on Su Yi's face warmed her heart, and she hurriedly spoke.
"What stupid thing are you saying?"
Su Yi snapped. He immediately turned his hand over and brought out the Zhouwu Sword, ready to cut the Qiling Holy Lotus apart.
"Damn it! The Qiling Holy Lotus! Kid, don't do anything rash!"
Feng Long, the Sword Soul, cried out in Su Yi's mind. The Zhouwu Sword trembled, unwilling to let Su Yi wield it against the Qiling Holy Lotus.
Su Yi was furious and cursed inwardly, Weren't you always so cocky? You don't even dare cut down this lousy lotus?
"I... This isn't an ordinary lotus. If you cut it, you'll be tainted by endless misfortune!"
Feng Long sputtered in exasperation. Why was this stupid kid so impulsive?
Su Yi immediately put the Zhouwu Sword back into the Dao Vault. He grabbed a petal of the Qiling Holy Lotus with his left hand, ready to tear it apart with his bare hands.
"Don't! Su Yi, stop! It won't hurt me!"
Nan Xiaopao hurriedly stopped him. Her words brought Su Yi's hand to a halt.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Su Yi barked, thinking she'd been possessed.
Nan Xiaopao's eyes cleared. She said earnestly, "These past few days, it's been calling to me, saying I have some kind of Qiling Holy Body. Now it wants to help me awaken it."
A Qiling Holy Body?
Su Yi's expression turned strange. He said gravely, "Come on, we're both Earthlings. Don't you know whether you have a Qiling Holy Body or not?"
Nan Xiaopao's face reddened with anger. She huffed, "What if some incredible god lived among my ancestors?"
Su Yi thought about it and admitted that made sense. After all, they'd both ended up in the Desolate Ancient.
Even he'd been possessed by the Great Dao, founded the Emperor Su Sect, and now had fallen into the demonic path.
No matter how outrageous something seemed, it was possible!
"Trust me. Do you think I'm being foolish right now?"
Nan Xiaopao stared at Su Yi and said earnestly, "I don't want you to protect me all the time. I want to protect you too."
Su Yi was moved. He could only let go.
"If you're in danger, I'll still step in."
Leaving those words behind, Su Yi leaped up and flew out of the pit.
Nan Xiaopao smiled faintly, then closed her eyes and sank into the Qiling Holy Lotus.
Back on the street, Su Yi saw countless vines rampaging through the surrounding buildings. No one dared approach within five hundred meters.
Boom!
A vine as thick as a train lashed into a towering skyscraper and smashed it apart. Shards of glass rained down like a torrential downpour. The building collapsed with a thunderous crash, and billowing dust surged up, swallowing Su Yi.
Even the pit was buried.
"That Half-Demon..."
Far away, atop a giant fan, the goateed cultivator wore a grim expression.
Could that Half-Demon be the Qiling Holy Body?
Why else would he have rushed over so recklessly?
The other three elders thought the same. As for Nan Xiaopao, they ignored her. They'd even forgotten she was there, assuming she'd met a grisly end.
"It's that Half-Demon!"
Mo Haosheng stood on a flying sword and gritted out the words.
The newly arrived Luoshui Sect disciples all looked over curiously, including Wu Qingyao.
Earlier, Su Yi had moved too fast for them to make out his face.
"Why did he go over there? Could it be..."
One of the Luoshui Sect disciples asked hesitantly. They'd heard the legends about the Qiling Holy Lotus too.
Whenever the Qiling Holy Lotus appeared, it drew forth the birth of a Qiling Holy Body.
Could Su Yi be the Qiling Holy Body?
Wu Qingyao closed her eyes and asked in the Emperor Su Sect chat in her mind.
Wu Qingyao: Senior Emperor Su, is that person you took an interest in a Qiling Holy Body? Is that why you chose him?
Old Lord Qiyang: A Qiling Holy Body? Isn't that just a legend? Have you lost your mind?
Demon Wolf Star: The Qiling Holy Body isn't a legend. You old coot, you've occupied the Qiling Land, and you still dare question whether the Qiling Holy Body exists?
Azure-Fed Demon Lord: Could the Qiling Holy Lotus have appeared in the Qiling Land?
Sword Saint Xia Tianyi: A Qiling Holy Body? Interesting. If one joins our sect, we'll become even stronger.
The Emperor Su Sect's members often chatted in their minds. Though they hadn't fully integrated, they'd already begun to accept their identities. After all, Emperor Su often promised them a glorious, invincible future for the sect.
Emperor Su didn't answer them, because at that moment Su Yi was covered in dust.
He leaped up through the billowing dust and landed on the roof of a nearby shopping mall. He wiped his face, never taking his eyes off the spot where Nan Xiaopao was.
The entire block was now buried in dust. The vines writhed like flood dragons surging through a river, an astonishing sight.
The Qiling Holy Lotus's initial display of power was enough to make anyone tremble!
The Four Elders of Great Wei noticed Su Yi's body and mind were intact, and all breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Su Yi wasn't the Qiling Holy Body.
A helicopter flew over with a reporter aboard, broadcasting the crisis in the East District to the whole city.
One had to admit, humanity adapted remarkably well.
Xiwan City had returned to stability. Even as the citizens cultivated, they hadn't abandoned technology.
Tan Quanming had made communications and city defenses key priorities. The former could unite the whole city, while the latter could protect its people; neither could be neglected.
And so, the Qiling Holy Lotus's vines were broadcast live, stirring an uproar across the city.
"My god! What is that?"
"Are those vines? Or snakes?"
"What's hidden underground?"
"Why is there something in the city too? Damn it! Can't we live in peace?"
The citizens buzzed with nervous discussion.
But compared to before, they were only tense, not panicked.
Most of them had grown stronger and officially embarked on the path of cultivation.
Whoosh—
A sound split the air, accompanied by the rumble of wind and thunder.
The Four Elders of Great Wei, Wu Qingyao, Mo Haosheng, and the others turned to look. A golden streak came hurtling across the sky.
"That's..."
The goateed cultivator's face grew dark, and his eyes filled with deep apprehension.
As it drew closer, they saw a monk clad in a kasaya, enveloped in golden light. He stood atop a Golden Disk, his face resolute and his brows brimming with righteousness.
"Kuang Chu'e of the Western Buddha Dynasty!"
The female cultivator among the Four Elders of Great Wei gritted her teeth. His name alone put all four of them under immense pressure.
Wu Qingyao, Mo Haosheng, and the others weren't connected to Kuang Chu'e's circles. They didn't know him, but his powerful aura and striking appearance made him easy to identify.
"Someone from the Western Buddha Dynasty!"
Everyone in the Western Buddha Dynasty believed in Buddhism—even the imperial family practiced it. Kuang Chu'e was a member of the royal family and the younger brother of the current ruler of the Western Buddha Dynasty.
It was worth noting that among the Seven Dynasties, the Western Buddha Dynasty hated demons the most!
Midnight Bomb!
Before you continue