Nascent Soul!

"He clearly has no spiritual energy fluctuations. How could he have such terrifying strength?!"

"A monster! He's a monster!"

The remaining Liu family cultivators completely broke down, turned, and fled.

Qin Chen did not pursue them. He merely cast a cold glance at the corpses strewn across the ground and continued toward the harbor, still carrying Young Master Liu.

However, just as he was about to reach the harbor, an immensely powerful aura suddenly descended from the sky and locked firmly onto him.

"Little bastard, you think you can leave after killing so many members of my Liu family?!"

Accompanied by an angry shout, an old man in gray robes crashed down before Qin Chen like a meteor, smashing a large crater into the hard bluestone pavement.

The newcomer was none other than an elder of the Liu family, an expert at the early Nascent Soul stage!

The grand elder stared coldly at Qin Chen, his powerful Nascent Soul stage pressure bearing down on him like toppling mountains and overturning seas.

"Grand Elder! Save me! Hurry, save me! Kill him! Tear him into ten thousand pieces!" At the sight of the grand elder, Young Master Liu began screaming frantically, as though he had caught hold of a lifesaving straw.

"Shut up!" The grand elder glared at Young Master Liu, then turned to Qin Chen. "Boy, I don't care where you come from. Since you dared lay hands on my Liu family, you must die today!"

Facing the pressure of the early Nascent Soul stage, Qin Chen's expression remained unchanged. Not even his breathing faltered.

He looked at the grand elder, a mocking sneer curling his lips.

"The early Nascent Soul stage? Is that so strong?"

Qin Chen slowly raised his right hand, looking at Young Master Liu, who was still struggling frantically in his grip.

"You wanted him to save you, didn't you? Fine, I'll grant your wish."

Before his words had faded, Qin Chen abruptly tightened his fingers.

Crack!

A crisp sound of breaking bone rang out.

Young Master Liu's struggles stopped abruptly. His eyes bulged, and his head lolled limply to one side, all signs of life gone.

"You're courting death!!!"

The grand elder's eyes nearly split with fury as he let out an earth-shaking roar.

He had never imagined that this brat would dare crush the young master to death right before his eyes!

Boom!

The grand elder flew into an utter rage, unleashing his early Nascent Soul stage cultivation without restraint.

He formed seals with both hands, and a crimson flying sword radiating terrifying heat shot into the sky. It transformed into a giant flame dragon dozens of zhang long and roared toward Qin Chen to devour him.

"Just what I wanted!"

A gleam of excitement flashed through Qin Chen's eyes.

He had just broken through to the Golden Core stage and ignited his second miniature star. He had been wanting to find a Nascent Soul stage cultivator to test his skills against and see exactly where his current limits lay.

"Heavenly Cycle Star Body!"

Qin Chen gave a low shout, and the two miniature stars within him erupted with brilliant light at the same time. A faint layer of starlight vaguely appeared over his skin, as though he had become a star war god.

Rather than retreat, he met the flame dragon head-on and threw a punch!

Rumble-!

The radiance of his fist collided with the flame dragon in midair, unleashing a blinding light and a terrifying shock wave.

The surrounding buildings collapsed one after another beneath the rampaging shock wave, reduced to ruins.

Qin Chen felt an enormous force surge into his body through his arm, jolting his blood and qi into turmoil. He staggered back more than a dozen steps before steadying himself.

But his punch had also forcibly shattered the flame dragon!

"What?!"

The grand elder's pupils abruptly contracted, his face filled with disbelief.

A mere brat without any spiritual energy fluctuations had actually withstood his early Nascent Soul stage attack through physical strength alone?!

How was that possible?!

"The early Nascent Soul stage is nothing special."

Qin Chen wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning even stronger.

But he knew this was no time to fight to the bitter end. This was South City Market, the Liu family's territory. If he was held up until the Liu family head, or even their Void Insight realm ancestor, arrived, he truly would be unable to escape even if he grew wings.

"Old man, I don't have time to play with you today. Until we meet again!"

Qin Chen laughed loudly, then turned into a streak of light and sped toward the vast, boundless sea beyond the harbor.

"Trying to escape? It won't be that easy!"

The grand elder roared and rode his crimson flying sword after him, turning into a streak of fiery light in relentless pursuit.

The sea wind howled, and enormous waves towered toward the sky.

Pushing the Heavenly Cycle Star Body and Primordial Ancestral Dragon Art to their limits, Qin Chen became a streak of silver light, speeding just above the surface of the sea.

He used no flying treasure. Relying purely on the terrifying speed unleashed by his body and spiritual energy, he actually kept pace with a Nascent Soul stage cultivator flying on a sword for the time being.

However, the Liu family's grand elder behind him was, after all, at the early Nascent Soul stage, with abundant true essence. Riding his crimson flying sword, he stayed doggedly on Qin Chen's heels. Rather than widening, the distance between them was gradually shrinking.

"Little bastard, you can't escape! Submit to your death!"

The grand elder roared repeatedly, sending sharp streaks of flaming sword qi slashing at him from behind. They cleaved unfathomably deep trenches into the sea, throwing spray across the sky.

Qin Chen nimbly weaved through the sword qi. Though none struck him, they forced him into one perilous situation after another.

"This old man really is a haunting ghost that won't go away."

Qin Chen frowned slightly. Although his powerful body could withstand an early Nascent Soul stage attack, the gap in their cultivation realms remained. If the grand elder entangled him in a prolonged battle, he would be at a severe disadvantage.

Besides, they were still not very far from Penglai Immortal Island. Liu family reinforcements could arrive at any moment.

I have to get away as quickly as possible!

Xiaobai!

Qin Chen called out inwardly.

Xiaobai appeared in front of him and immediately began growing in the wind. That originally tiny body expanded in an instant, becoming a giant white beast several zhang long.

Mysterious spatial runes flickered in those eyes that resembled a silver starry sky.

Roar!

Xiaobai opened a huge, blood-red maw and let out a deafening roar.

Strangely, however, the roar did not travel far. Instead, it seemed to form a miniature black hole inside Xiaobai's mouth, emitting powerful spatial fluctuations.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Chen flashed forward and plunged straight into Xiaobai's vast, seemingly bottomless maw.

"What is that?!"

The Liu family's grand elder, still pursuing relentlessly from behind, was startled at the sight.

In all his long years, he had never seen such a bizarre demonic beast. It could actually swallow a person?

Could it be some kind of spatial treasure?

The grand elder was filled with doubt and uncertainty, but his hands did not slow in the slightest.

He frantically formed seals with both hands, pouring his true essence into the crimson flying sword without restraint.

"Heaven-Burning Flame Sword! Slash!"

The crimson flying sword swelled in the wind, transforming into a giant flame sword a hundred zhang long. Bearing the might to destroy heaven and earth, it slashed viciously down at Xiaobai.

The grand elder poured all his strength into this strike, determined to cleave both this bizarre white cat and Qin Chen in half!

However, just as the giant flame sword was about to strike Xiaobai, the spatial runes in those sapphire-like eyes blazed with light.

Hum-

A strange spatial fluctuation rippled outward.

In the instant before the giant flame sword descended, Xiaobai's enormous body, along with Qin Chen swallowed inside, actually rippled like water, and then...

Vanished into thin air!