16: Crisis in Qinglan Realm

All Heavens Star Palace, by the spiritual spring in the back mountain.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged, a wisp of Chaos Qi swirling around his fingertips, attempting to place the newly subdued ‘Sky-Opening’ bronze battle axe phantom into the Chaos Weapon Refining Furnace for nurturing.

Within the furnace, Chaos runes flowed, emitting a low hum, gradually refining the fierce, malevolent aura remaining on the axe and repairing its ancient Dao patterns.

This was meticulous, energy-consuming work.

The faint spiritual power fluctuations from the front hall, like two squabbling cats, occasionally scratched at his nerves.

Huang Yan's undisguised fervent gaze, Yun Qingyao's icy, wary scrutiny, and the faint, almost imperceptible scent of gunpowder in the air, belonging to women…

“Tsk.”

Lin Xuan rubbed his brows in annoyance.

Wasn't the Ten Thousand Times Return fragrant enough?

Wasn't lying down and winning not exhilarating enough?

Why did he have to get involved in such an inexplicable Asura Field?

Lie Tian Divine Tiger lay to the side, its massive tiger head resting on its paws, its amber eyes looking sympathetically at its master, a low purr rumbling in its throat.

“You’re still the best,” Lin Xuan patted Heaven Splitting’s furry big head.

“Women only hinder this Venerable One’s speed in taking disciples!”

Just then, the ‘All Heavens Prodigy Harvester’ mission on the system panel, with its vivid red countdown, pulsed like a death warrant.

Mission remaining time: 359 days, 23 hours… Hint: The first target, Mortal Realm — Qinglan World coordinates have been locked, spiritual energy concentration is relatively high, and an SSS-grade talent fluctuation exists!

“Qinglan World?”

Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up, his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes instantly activated, his divine sense following the coordinates provided by the system, penetrating layers of spatial barriers.

In his perception, it was a world brimming with vitality and spiritual energy several times denser than Xuanhuang World, but at this moment… a heart-palpitating aura of destruction and plunder, like dark clouds, enveloped the world’s core!

“This is it!”

Lin Xuan decided immediately.

Taking disciples was serious business, and finding peace was an even more urgent need!

He abruptly stood up, his black robes fluttering without wind.

“Heaven Splitting!”

“Roar!”

Lie Tian Divine Tiger understood instantly, its massive body soaring into the air, fiery golden divine flames burning around it, its two front paws fiercely tearing at the void!

Tear—!

A spatial passage, its edges flowing with dense Chaos Qi and more stable than before, was forcefully formed!

The other end of the passage was no longer the desolate Burial God Abyss, but a beautiful land of mountains and rivers, yet subtly exuding an aura of solemnity and tragedy!

Lin Xuan took a step, landing on the tiger’s back, and without looking back, plunged into the spatial passage.

A swirl of Chaos Qi, and the passage instantly closed, leaving only the lingering starlight by the spiritual spring in the back mountain, and… the two graceful figures who, sensing the spatial fluctuation from the front hall, instantly rushed over.

“Senior!”

Huang Yan looked at the empty back mountain, her beautiful eyes instantly filling with loss and grievance, like a discarded small beast.

“Master… ran off again.”

Yun Qingyao looked at the lingering spatial fluctuation, a hint of helplessness appearing on her cool face, but then she relaxed.

It was good that he left, saving her from this Divine Phoenix Princess constantly clinging to Master with those eyes.

“Yun… Sister Yun,” Huang Yan suddenly turned, a fawning smile forced onto her exquisite face, cautiously probing, “Where did Sect Master Lin go? When will he return? This Star Palace formation… can I help look at it? I know a little about formations too!”

She had to stay!

Only the grand formation here could block the Heavenly Court’s detection!

And… she absolutely had to wait for Senior to return!

Yun Qingyao looked at this noble princess, who was now acting a bit pitifully and ingratiatingly, and some of her hostility inexplicably dissipated.

Alas, since Master hadn’t driven her away, he must have his reasons.

Although this princess was a bit infatuated, she didn’t seem… to be a bad person?

“Come with me,” Yun Qingyao sighed, her tone softening.

“The Star Palace formation is incredibly profound, personally set up by Master; even Junior Brother Xinghe can only grasp its superficial aspects.

You can look if you want, but don’t mess with it.”

“Mm, mm! I’ll be good!”

Huang Yan immediately nodded vigorously, a small flame of hope rekindling in her eyes, and followed Yun Qingyao step by step towards the depths of the Star Palace.

Hmm… start by conquering the eldest disciple!

Save the country by a circuitous route!

...Qinglan World, Eastern Region, core of the Myriad Spirits Ancestral Vein.

This was originally the most spiritually rich and vital holy land in this world, but now it had become a bloody Asura Field!

The sky was torn open by a huge gap flowing with dark golden lightning!

Below, a massive sky-boat, like a mountain, cast from dark golden metal and covered with ferocious muzzles, hovered in the gap like a greedy behemoth.

Countless thick, dark golden chains, composed of pure plunder laws, extended from the bottom of the sky-boat, piercing deep into the earth, frantically extracting the source spiritualpulse of Qinglan World!

The earth wailed, spiritual energy withered, and countless spiritual plants instantly wilted!

“Roar! Fight these Heavenly Court lackeys to the death!”

“Protect the Ancestral Vein! We must not let the Heavenly Court plunder it!”

“Killing one breaks even, killing two is a profit!”

On the ground and in the air, shouts of battle shook the heavens!

Countless cultivators of Qinglan World, from Golden Core True Immortals to white-haired Deity Transformation Old Ancestors, rushed from all directions, their eyes bloodshot, burning their origins, like moths to a flame, launching a desperate charge towards the hovering sky-boat and the expressionless Heavenly Soldiers and Generals in standard golden armor pouring out from it!

They also had people to protect, and even if it meant mutual destruction, they had to fight.

The light of magic treasures tore through the sky, the roar of spells was deafening, and blood splattered like heavy rain!

However, the power gap was too great!

The lowest Heavenly Soldiers were at the peak of Golden Core, and the leading Golden Armored Divine Generals exuded the terrifying pressure of peak Deity Transformation!

The cultivators of Qinglan World fell in swathes, like waves crashing against rocks.

The self-detonation of Golden Core cultivators could only leave shallow scorch marks on the golden armor; the life-burning, desperate strike of a Deity Transformation Old Ancestor could only force the Divine General back a few steps, only to be immediately overwhelmed by more Heavenly Soldiers!

“Hahaha! Ants shaking a tree, overestimating yourselves!”

A peak Deity Transformation Golden Armored Divine General stood at the edge of the sky-boat, overlooking the slaughter below, a cruel sneer on his face.

With a casual wave of his long spear, entwined with dark golden lightning, a hundred-zhang thunder dragon roared out, instantly blasting a dozen charging Nascent Soul cultivators and the mountain beneath their feet into flying ash!

“The origin of Qinglan World is destined to add bricks and tiles to my Heavenly Court’s path to the heavens!

It is your honor to become the foundation stones of this path!”

Despair, like a cold venomous snake, gnawed at the heart of every Qinglan World cultivator.

The speed at which the Ancestral Vein was being extracted grew faster and faster, the spiritual energy concentration of the entire world plummeted, the sky grew dim, and the earth began to crack.

The crisis of world destruction was imminent!

A white-haired, decaying late-Deity Transformation Old Ancestor of Qinglan World withstood a heavy blow from a Golden Armored Divine General, spitting blood as he flew backward.

He looked at the continuously extracted spiritual light of the Ancestral Vein, at his continuously falling comrades, tears streaming down his face, letting out a mournful roar: “Is my Qinglan World… truly doomed today?”

Just at this moment of utter despair!

Buzz—!

The space above the core area of the Myriad Spirits Ancestral Vein twisted violently without warning!

A terrifying aura, as if originating from the primal point of Chaos, descended with a roar!

Tear—!

A huge spatial rift, its edges flowing with dense Chaos Qi, was forcibly torn open by a pair of giant claws burning with fiery golden divine flames!

“Roar—!”

A majestic tiger roar, piercing metal and splitting stone, shaking the entire battlefield, like a nine-heavenly thunderclap, instantly drowned out all shouts of battle androar!

The terrifying pressure of an ancient divine beast, like a tangible tsunami, fiercely washed down!

Whether it was the frantically charging Qinglan World cultivators, the coldly slaughtering Heavenly Soldiers of the Heavenly Court, or even the few peak Deity Transformation Golden Armored Divine Generals, their movements abruptly froze under this tiger roar!

A fear originating from the instinct of life instantly gripped their hearts!

Under the focus of countless gazes, some horrified, some despairing, some bewildered!

A majestic and powerful fiery golden giant tiger, as vast as a divine mountain, carried a black-robed figure, slowly stepping out from the Chaos rift!

Black robes fluttered, his posture as tall and straight as a solitary peak.

His face was calm, his eyes as deep as an ancient cold pool.

It was Lin Xuan, who had torn space and traversed realms!

“That… what is that?”

“Such terrifying pressure! Is it friend or foe?”

“A divine beast? And on the tiger’s back is… a person?”

The battlefield fell into an eerie silence, leaving only the wailing of the Ancestral Vein and the humming of the dark golden chains.

The peak Deity Transformation Golden Armored Divine General standing at the edge of the sky-boat, his pupils suddenly constricted!

He stared intently at Lin Xuan and the divine tiger beneath him, which exuded an aura that made his soul tremble, and shouted sharply: “The Heavenly Court is on official business! All irrelevant personnel, retreat quickly! Otherwise, kill without mercy!”

His voice carried a hint of false bravado.

He couldn’t see through the depth of the black-robed youth, but the aura of that divine beast definitely surpassed Deity Transformation!

Lin Xuan’s gaze indifferently swept across the tragic battlefield below, across the wailing Myriad Spirits Ancestral Vein, and finally landed on the sky-boat greedily extracting the world’s origin, and on the shouting Golden Armored Divine General.

His Law-Breaking Sword Eyes activated!

Instantly, the energy flow of the dark golden chains, the law structure of the sky-boat, the cultivation foundation of the Golden Armored Divine General… all illusions and essences, were laid bare!

Every detail was clear!

“Noisy.”

Lin Xuan spoke, his voice not loud, yet it clearly penetrated space, resonating in the ears of every living being, carrying an indifference that looked down on ants.

He didn’t even make any superfluous movements; it was merely those eyes, containing the divine charm of the origin of destroying all laws, that indifferently locked onto the peak Deity Transformation Golden Armored Divine General who had spoken!

Buzz—!

An invisible and intangible, terrifying pupil power that shattered laws instantly traversed space!

The fierce expression on the Golden Armored Divine General’s face instantly froze!

He only felt an irresistible, terrifying will from a higher dimension, fiercely piercing into his sea of consciousness!

His powerful peak Deity Transformation divine soul was as fragile as a bubble before that will!

“No—!”

He only managed to let out an extremely short, high-pitched scream filled with boundless fear!

Bang—!

Under the gaze of all horrified eyes!

That peak Deity Transformation Golden Armored Divine General, who had just waved his hand to annihilate Nascent Soul cultivators, his entire body, along with his golden armor and the thunder spear in his hand, instantly exploded from the inside out without warning, like a glass doll thrown into a shredder!

No flesh and blood flew!

No energy explosion!

Only countless tiny specks of light, like sand sculptures scattered by the wind, silently annihilated in the air!

Truly… body and soul utterly destroyed! Not even dregs remained!

Dead silence!

Absolute dead silence enveloped the entire Myriad Spirits Ancestral Vein!

The cultivators of Qinglan World gaped, their eyeballs almost popping out!

A peak Deity Transformation… was gone… with just a glance?

The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals of the Heavenly Court, for the first time, showed cracks in their cold, numb expressions, which turned into boundless horror and fear!

As if they had seen a ghost!

On the sky-boat, the remaining few Divine Generals felt their scalps tingle, their bodies turning icy cold!

A chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to their heads!

“Audacious monster! How dare you kill a Heavenly Court Divine General!”

Another peak Deity Transformation Divine General roared in shock and anger, his voice filled with false bravado, frantically forming hand seals, attempting to activate the terrifying world-destroying cannons on the sky-boat!

However, Lin Xuan’s gaze had already indifferently turned to him.

Under his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes, the spiritual energy nodes operating within the Divine General’s body, the weak points of his divine soul core, were as clear as lines on a palm.

“You too… perish.”

A simple word, the same outcome!

Bang—!

The second peak Deity Transformation Divine General followed in the footsteps of the first, silently turning into countless specks of light, utterly annihilated!

“Flee!”

The remaining Golden Armored Divine Generals completely collapsed!

This was not a battle at all!

This was one-sided obliteration!

It was divine punishment!

Their proudly held power was even more fragile than paper in the eyes of that black-robed youth!

The sky-boat burst into dazzling light, attempting to forcibly break free from the dark golden chains and escape back into the spatial rift!

“Hmph.”

Lin Xuan let out an ambiguous cold snort.

He still stood on the tiger’s back, merely with a slight thought.

Within his Dantian, the projection of the All Heavens Star Plate beneath his Chaos Nascent Soul flickered slightly!

Buzz—!

That sky-boat, as vast as a mountain, forged from special divine metal, and possessing astonishing defensive power, was seized by an invisible giant hand!

The boat body groaned under the strain, its defensive runes instantly dimming and shattering!

“No—!”

Inside the sky-boat, the few remaining Divine Generals let out desperate roars.

Lin Xuan didn’t even bother to glance at it again, his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes sweeping towards the dark golden chains that had pierced the earth and were frantically extracting the world’s origin.

Wherever his gaze fell!

Sizzle sizzle—!

Those sturdy chains, imbued with the law of plunder, snapped, dissolved, and vanished into nothingness, like iron chains thrown into aqua regia!

The forcibly extracted ancestral vein origin spiritual light, like a freed dragon, happily reintegrated into the earth!

Rumble!

The entire Qinglan World seemed to let out a comfortable groan!

The depleted spiritual energy began to slowly recover, the cracked earth mended, and a trace of vitality reappeared in the dim sky.

And that sky-boat, under the invisible might of the All Heavens Star Plate’s projection, along with the Divine Generals and Heavenly Soldiers inside, was forcibly compressed and crushed!

It turned into a huge mass of violently energetic metal fragments and flesh-and-blood fireworks, exploding with a roar before the spatial rift!

The dazzling light illuminated half the sky, also reflecting the dazed and bewildered faces of countless Qinglan World cultivators below, who had survived a catastrophe.

In a flick of a finger, Heavenly Court Divine Generals turned to dust, and the plundering sky-boat vanished into thin air!

Lin Xuan didn’t even look at the exploding fireworks, his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes instantly locking onto an inconspicuous corner at the edge of the battlefield below.

There, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, covered in blood, was huddled behind a giant rock.

His coarse linen clothes were already tattered, his aura weak, with only an early Foundation Establishment cultivation; in the recent melee, he was as insignificant as an ant, capable of being shaken to death by the aftershocks at any moment.

But Lin Xuan’s Law-Breaking Sword Eyes clearly “saw” that within this boy, a vast, star-sea-like, profound and unfathomable pale green origin power was firmly locked by a powerful bloodline seal!

The essence of deduction, insight, and harmony with the Heavenly Dao contained within that origin power was precisely the SSS-grade talent fluctuation hinted at by the system—the Heavenly Derivation Dao Body!

What surprised Lin Xuan even more was that at this moment, an extremely faint wisp of sorrowful and pleading will was, thread by thread, entwining itself around this boy from the depths of the nearly depleted world ancestral vein!

That was the remaining, last World Will of Qinglan World!

It had chosen this boy as its final hope and entrustment!

The boy seemed to sense something as well, raising his head in confusion, his face stained with blood and dust, yet his eyes were exceptionally clear and bright, carrying a resilience not belonging to his age, meeting Lin Xuan’s gaze that pierced through space, seemingly able to see through everything.

Their eyes met.

Lin Xuan’s lips finally curled into a truly meaningful, somewhat devious arc, indicating “target found.”

“You’re the one.”