Coming Home

Qin Chen snorted coldly, and golden light blazed from between his brows.

The power of his Ancestral Dragon Nascent Soul erupted instantly. A terrifying pressure of spiritual sense blanketed the sea for a hundred li around, almost tangible in its intensity.

The fleeing cultivators felt as though an earth-shaking dragon roar had thundered through their minds, severely wounding their souls in an instant. Those with lower cultivation bled from all seven orifices and plunged from the sky into the sea; even those with higher cultivation faltered, their heads threatening to split with pain.

Seizing the opening, Qin Chen became a streak of light and darted through the crowd.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Every time he paused, a head went flying. Like a merciless god of death, he reaped each life with precision.

"Stop! You little bastard, stop right now!"

Watching their sects' elites slaughtered like pigs and dogs, Yin Tianzheng and Jian Wuji could finally stand it no longer.

They exchanged a glance and simultaneously unleashed the full power of their late Nascent Soul stage cultivation, attacking Qin Chen from both sides.

"Blackwater Surging to the Heavens!"

Yin Tianzheng spat out a black pearl, his bonded treasure, the Blackwater Mystic Pearl. It swelled in the wind, transforming into a black water dragon hundreds of zhang long. Opening its bloody maw, it lunged to devour Qin Chen, carrying an icy, corrosive aura.

"Immortal Flying Beyond the Heavens!"

Jian Wuji staked everything as well. Biting the tip of his tongue, he sprayed a mouthful of blood essence onto his bonded flying sword. The sword became a dazzling streak of white light that seemed capable of slicing through space, stabbing straight toward the point between Qin Chen's brows.

The desperate strikes of two late Nascent Soul stage experts were indeed astonishingly powerful. The surrounding space began to warp, while tsunamis hundreds of zhang high rose from the sea.

Yet nothing but disdain remained on Qin Chen's face.

"Late Nascent Soul stage? Is that supposed to be strong?"

Qin Chen stopped and drew a deep breath.

The ten motes of Micro Star-Dust within him spun madly at that moment, their Star Force fusing perfectly with his Ancestral Dragon True Essence. His right arm instantly grew thicker, fine, dark-golden Dragon Scales appearing across his skin as a power capable of destroying heaven and earth gathered over his fist.

"Die!"

Rather than dodge, Qin Chen hurled a punch straight at the black water dragon and the dazzling sword light!

This punch had no name, only power in its purest form!

BOOM-!!!

The blast from his fist collided with the water dragon and the sword light.

There was no stalemate, no suspense.

The seemingly majestic black water dragon crumbled inch by inch from head to tail the instant it touched the blast from Qin Chen's fist, as though it were made of paper, scattering black water across the sky. Yin Tianzheng's bonded treasure, the Blackwater Mystic Pearl, gave a mournful cry and exploded into powder on the spot.

"Pfft!" Yin Tianzheng spewed a great mouthful of blood, his aura instantly weakening to the extreme.

Qin Chen's punch also forcibly knocked Jian Wuji's sword light off course. Without losing any momentum, his fist slammed directly into Jian Wuji's chest.

Bam!

Jian Wuji's chest caved in instantly, a huge hole bursting through his back as his heart was shattered outright.

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. Even in death, he seemed unable to believe that a mighty late Nascent Soul stage cultivator like himself could not withstand even a single punch from his opponent.

"You... what cultivation level are you really..." The sight of Jian Wuji's gruesome death terrified Yin Tianzheng so badly that his liver and gall seemed ready to burst. He turned to flee.

"Trying to run now? Too late."

Qin Chen took a single step and appeared instantly behind Yin Tianzheng, clamping his right hand around his neck like an iron vise.

"Don't... don't kill me! I'm the master of the Blackwater Palace! I have plenty of treasures! I'll give you everything! Please..." Dangling in midair like a chick, Yin Tianzheng struggled desperately and begged for mercy.

"Once I kill you, your things will still be mine."

Qin Chen's voice was icy as his right hand abruptly tightened.

Crack!

Yin Tianzheng's neck snapped under his grip.

Immediately afterward, black light flashed at Yin Tianzheng's dantian, and a miniature version of him shot out, its face filled with venomous hatred. It was his Nascent Soul. Moving at tremendous speed, it tried to teleport away.

But Qin Chen was already prepared. He opened his mouth and let out a low dragon roar.

The spiritual sense of his Ancestral Dragon Nascent Soul formed an enormous invisible hand, seized Yin Tianzheng's Nascent Soul, and squeezed hard.

"Aah-!"

With a piercing scream, Yin Tianzheng's Nascent Soul was crushed completely, his soul scattered into nothingness.

With that, the invading forces of the Blackwater Palace and the Heavenly Sword Sect were annihilated to the last man.

The sea breeze blew past, and the thick stench of blood filled the air.

Qin Chen stood in midair, his expression as calm as though he had merely crushed a few ants underfoot.

With a wave of his hand, all the Storage Rings and storage bags in the seawater below, aboard the shattered spirit boats, and on the corpses became streaks of light and flew into his hand.

A cursory scan revealed over two hundred storage treasures. Although most belonged to Golden Core stage cultivators, the Storage Rings of Yin Tianzheng and Jian Wuji, both late Nascent Soul stage sect leaders, were certain to contain plenty of good things.

"Not a bad haul. Another huge batch of resources. I'll have Xiaobai deliver them to Father again later. With the system's tenfold return, it'll be enough to take my Heavenly Cycle Star Body up another level."

Satisfied, Qin Chen put away all his spoils.

He turned his head, his gaze piercing layer upon layer of clouds toward the Qianlong Continent.

"I've already reached the Nascent Soul stage now. It's time to go home and sweep away those hidden threats once and for all."

A glint of cold light flashed in Qin Chen's eyes.

"Xiang Family ancestor, Xiang Yang... I wonder whether those old bones of yours can withstand a single punch from me."

Without another glance at the devastated stretch of sea below, Qin Chen became a streak of dark-golden light, tearing through the sky toward the Qianlong Continent.

Night lay deep over Yanjing City and the Eastern Pacifying Prince's Residence.

The top-secret underground chamber beneath the residence was brightly lit.

Qin De, the King Who Guards the East, sat in the seat of honor. Though dressed in casual everyday robes, he radiated an imposing presence that seemed wholly natural.

At that moment, Qin De's face glowed as he looked at his eldest son, Qin Feng, and his second son, Qin Zheng, seated below him.

"Feng, Zheng, how are the preparations for the Flying Eagle Plan?" Qin De lifted his teacup and took a sip, his voice brimming with irrepressible high spirits.

Qin Feng immediately rose, reporting excitedly, "Father, it's all thanks to those resources Third Brother sent back earlier! Eldest Brother has already reached the threshold of the Golden Core stage, and my cultivation has reached Xiantian Paragon. We've also trained a thousand Xiantian experts."

After listening, Qin De laughed heartily in satisfaction. "Good! Good! You and Feng are about to break through to the Golden Core stage, and my cultivation has reached the peak early Golden Core stage. Given a little more time to refine all those resources, I'm confident I can attempt the late Golden Core stage. We'll call Chen home then. The Xiang Family has monopolized the Chu State for so many years. It's time that came to an end."

"There's no need to wait that long, Father."

A voice rang out from nowhere. Qin De and his two sons were instantly shocked, before delight filled their faces.

Qin Chen stepped out of the void.