Qin Hao's reaction was the last thing Lingxiaozi had expected.
He had assumed that although Ancestor Yanshi had sealed off the Myriad Phenomena Hall and Tianshui City with the Black Flame Laws, he would not threaten the people inside. At most, he would keep them trapped.
In that case,
even if Qin Hao was at another's mercy, he could still take part in the Azure Flame Grand Tournament. As for Ancestor Yanshi's demand that he support Shi Youbing, Lingxiaozi had thought nothing of it.
The Azure Flame Grand Tournament was the Azure Flame Sect's main way of recruiting disciples. It mattered enormously to the sect. Did anyone really think its members were fools who could not spot someone throwing a match?
But Lingxiaozi had never imagined that before leaving, Ancestor Yanshi would strike Qin Yuntian with his palm!
That was bad enough. He had also left behind two Ninth-Order Origin Laws to torment Qin Yuntian day and night, eating away at his body and soul.
Three months of torment.
Qin Yuntian had been reduced to skin and bones, a lamp with its oil almost spent.
Lingxiaozi could see that Qin Yuntian did not have long to live.
"This is trouble. I should have told Qin Hao sooner. Now he's trapped in his own thoughts, and I can't help him."
Lingxiaozi grew anxious.
He was not the only one. At Elder Shuixian's words, the Third Elder, the Fifth Elder, Qi Yuelan, Qin Xiongfeng, and the others all went pale.
Qin Yuntian was at death's door. If anything happened to Qin Hao as well, the Qin family would be finished.
"Hao... Hao'er..." Pain twisted Qin Yuntian's face. Black flames flickered faintly at his chest, burning through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians inside him.
Yet he ignored the pain and called out in a