Chapter 330 - 329: The Arriving Woman
BOOM! The Thunder Sword Qi and the Demon Power Palm Qi collided, erupting with sky-shattering might!
The aftershock rocked more than half of the Gong Family estate. The crowd hastily retreated for hundreds of yards, but even from that distance, they could still feel the immensity of the two energies!
As they watched the energies collide, cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. They knew that if they faced such power head-on, they wouldn’t have the slightest chance of survival. Even Huaa Que, Nangong Wen, and the three old ancestors—the ones with the highest cultivation—were utterly shocked!
They weren’t surprised that the Venerable Lord could unleash such energy.
But what about Qin Ya? He was just a Sky-Controlling Martial Artist, so how was he fighting against the Venerable Master Black Robe? ’Is he... really just a Sky-Controlling Martial Artist?’
It was difficult for the crowd to comprehend. Qin Ya had only been back for two days, yet the shocks he delivered were unlike anything they had experienced in their lives: slaying Extraordinary cultivators with ease, standing against the three old ancestors, producing miraculous Elixirs, and now, this scene before their very eyes.
"Damn it, this Qin Ya actually possesses such combat strength!"
"Just how many more trump cards is he hiding?"
"Sigh... to think such a terrifying genius actually exists in this world."
Everyone gasped in amazement. Even Huaa Que, who had always believed he understood Qin Ya, couldn’t help but be stunned by his constant, shocking displays.
’This kid... he really knows how to hide his true strength!’
The corners of Nangong Wen’s mouth curled up. "With a genius like Teacher Qin on our side," he said, his voice a mixture of joy and awe, "we can win this!"
"Mm, that’s right."
As the aftershocks gradually dissipated, the crowd looked on to see two figures standing tall.
One, clad in a black robe, emanated a formidable demonic aura.
The other, in robes as white as snow, projected an aura that soared to the heavens.
The black-robed figure’s expression was incredibly grim. On his right hand, arcs of purple lightning danced, penetrating his Demonic Qi to injure his flesh. He immediately circulated his Demonic Qi to destroy the Sword Qi, then looked toward Qin Ya—no, to be precise, at the sword in his hand!
’What a fine Divine Sword!’
He could tell that this Divine Sword played an indispensable role in Qin Ya’s ability to fight him head-on. Greed instantly flared in his heart.
As if sensing the greed in the man’s eyes, Qin Ya held the Ting Xiao Sword, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Want it?" he asked coolly. "Then come and take it."
The black-robed man’s pupils contracted, his gaze turning probing as he stared at Qin Ya.
’Is he truly confident, or is he just bluffing?’
At that moment, his wariness of Qin Ya reached its absolute peak. Not even Huaa Que, hailed as the number one master in the Yunxiao Empire, had ever earned this much caution from him.
A Celestial Human like him was actually feeling hesitant and fearful of a mere youth!
’This boy is unfathomable. I cannot act rashly.’
’For now, I’ll call a temporary truce. Once I’ve fused with the Demon Heart and my cultivation soars, he’ll be completely at my mercy. That Divine Sword will be mine sooner or later.’
’There’s no need to rush.’
A thousand thoughts raced through the black-robed man’s mind before he let out a cold laugh. "Hmph. I’ll let you off the hook for today. I’ll allow you a few more days to live. Be sure to treasure them."
"How boring." Qin Ya curled his lip, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
When the black-robed man saw the look of disappointment in Qin Ya’s eyes, he became even more certain of his suspicions. ’This Qin Ya is as cunning as they say. It’s a good thing I didn’t fall for his trap.’
’Hmph. Just wait until I fuse with the Demon Heart. I’ll make every last one of you pay.’
The black-robed man shot Qin Ya one last, deep look, then his figure flickered and vanished into the distance. Lu Lihuang and the others saw this, exchanged a glance, and immediately followed him.
Huaa Que and the others wanted to give chase, but they sighed and gave up, knowing they were no match for the Venerable Master Black Robe.
"Kid, why didn’t you go after him?"
The Ting Xiao Sword at Qin Ya’s waist vibrated lightly, transmitting a Divine Thought.
"Don’t forget, he’s a Celestial Human Martial Artist, and he hasn’t even used his Dharma Aspect. Even if I went all out, my chances of victory wouldn’t be high. Besides, Elder Huaa, Nangong Wen, and the others are all here. If I were to fail, you can imagine what would happen to them."
"You’ve really thought this through."
"Yeah. If this were anywhere else, I wouldn’t have held back. Even if I couldn’t win, I could have retreated safely. But I can’t do that here."
Qin Ya sighed lightly as he spoke.
"So, what’s your plan?"
"Heh. Just give me some time to prepare. I have my own way of dealing with him."
Just then, the sound of synchronized footsteps echoed from the distance. Over a thousand well-equipped soldiers of the Red Flame Army, all with cultivation at the Earth Element Realm, arrived under the command of Muui Yunlie.
"Your Majesty, I have arrived late."
Muui Yunlie said, approaching Nangong Wen and seeing that the battle was already over.
"It’s no matter." Nangong Wen smiled faintly.
Muui Yunlie was confused. ’The Gong Family has suffered such a disaster, so why does His Majesty seem to be in such a good mood? Has he gone mad from grief?’
He shook his head, immediately casting the thought aside.
"Teacher Qin, you’ve truly left us all speechless this time,"
Nangong Wen exclaimed as he approached Qin Ya’s side. Muui Yunlie, who had just arrived, overheard this and immediately began questioning an Extraordinary cultivator standing nearby.
After learning what had transpired, Muui Yunlie was left completely dumbfounded.
’What in the world?’
’He killed Sky-Controlling Martial Artists as if they were dogs!’
’Fought the ancestors of the Three Great Noble Families to a standstill!’
’Repelled that so-called Venerable Lord with a single strike!’
To Muui Yunlie, it all sounded like something out of a storyteller’s epic.
He practically stomped his feet in frustration, furious that he had arrived too late to witness the events with his own eyes. Walking up to Qin Ya, he said, "Teacher Qin, it seems you won’t be satisfied until you’ve scared us all to death! Be honest, what other skills have you been hiding?"
Qin Ya just smiled and said nothing.
Afterward, everyone returned to the Imperial Palace.
As for Qin Ya, he immediately gathered a batch of medicinal herbs and entered secluded cultivation.
............
「Two days later, at the gates of the Imperial Capital.」
A woman in a black robe slowly approached. Her footsteps were light, yet they carried an indescribable weight, as if heaven and earth themselves submitted beneath her feet.
The woman’s black hair cascaded over her shoulders, her brows arched like distant mountains. A faint, hostile aura lay hidden in her violet-black eyes. She was breathtakingly beautiful, yet she also radiated an immense sense of authority.
It was as if, in all of heaven and earth, she alone was supreme.
The woman arrived outside the city gates, her brow furrowing slightly.
’I haven’t been here in over a decade, yet it’s become so desolate. Something must have happened. Are you really here... Ah Xiang?’
Only when she thought of that name did the hostility in her eyes recede. Just then, her shadow rippled, and a figure shrouded in black mist emerged, bowing respectfully to her.
"Emperor, I sense the aura of our kind here."
"Mm, I know,"
the woman said softly, gazing at the Imperial Capital before walking inside.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the Lu Family estate, the black-robed man suddenly felt an inexplicable palpitation in his own heart. The heart before him, which had been continuously absorbing Earth Evil Qi, began to beat violently, its rate of absorption increasing severalfold.
Through his connection to the heart, the black-robed man sensed an unprecedented emotion—a feeling that was like worship, or perhaps even reverence...
’What in the world is going on?’
’I’ve never seen the King’s Heart act so strangely before.’
’And that palpitation I just felt... what caused that?’
"The strange occurrences in this Imperial Capital are piling up. First, there was Qin Ya, and now the King’s Heart is reacting so bizarrely. Sigh... It seems I must accelerate my fusion with the King’s Heart," the black-robed man muttered to himself.