161: Should I avoid him?

Hearing this, Li Qingluan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she looked at Qin Wangchuan beside her, a hint of doubt flashing in her beautiful eyes.

To retreat at such a critical moment was not his usual style.

But seeing the undeniable seriousness in Qin Wangchuan’s eyes, Li Qingluan ultimately suppressed the Battle Intent in her heart and nodded.

“I can listen to you for now,” she said, sheathing her sword, her voice cool and clear, “but after we get out, you must explain everything to me.” This was her greatest concession.

Beside them, Shen Xinghe’s eyes flickered with a fleeting struggle.

The opportunity was right before him!

Although the invasion of the foreign races had brought chaos, it had also implicitly created a barrier—those Cultivators with ulterior motives were now trapped in the flames of war, making it difficult for them to stir up trouble again.

It was the best time to infiltrate the depths!

He no longer hesitated and immediately cupped his hands, saying, “Since the Divine Son and the Fairy wish to proceed first, then let us part ways here!”

With that, without waiting for a reply, he shot towards the deepest part of the Immortal Path, opposite the exit, at an astonishing speed.

His eyes burned with excitement and determination:

‘With abundant spiritual power and all my trump cards, I can succeed!’

In a blink of an eye, only Qin Wangchuan and Li Qingluan remained in this area.

Qin Wangchuan did not stop Shen Xinghe, nor did he even spare him a glance; he merely said to Li Qingluan, “Let’s go.”

The two quickly moved towards the exit.

Although the surroundings were already in chaos, it was not a problem.

After walking a considerable distance, Li Qingluan suddenly turned back.

She felt an extremely ominous aura.

“Is it a foreign race’s supreme treasure?”

“Yes,” Qin Wangchuan’s voice was low, his robes rustling in the strong wind.

She let out a soft breath, spiritual light swirling in her eyes: “To feel such an ominous aura from so far away, it seems the foreign races came prepared this time.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the person beside her, her tone carrying a hint of admonishment, “The foreign races’ weapons and Cultivation Techniques are all damaging to our Human Race. You must be extra careful when facing them, especially these supreme treasures with extremely terrifying auras.”

“Fortunately, we left early.”

After seeing the Immortal Path exit in the distance, Li Qingluan suddenly stopped: “Now, shouldn’t you tell me something?”

“It’s nothing but an ambush,” Qin Wangchuan said indifferently, “targeting you.”

“Targeting me?” Her pupils contracted slightly.

Qin Wangchuan did not answer, merely gazing at her silently.

Those eyes, usually so calm, now seemed to hold a millennia-old cold pond, with a faint hint of sorrow flowing within them.

Li Qingluan’s heart trembled at that gaze, but she ultimately did not press for an answer.

She feigned ease as she smoothed her hair: “Well, since we’re out, let the elders handle these matters.”

Her delicate hand gently lifted, subconsciously reaching for his hand, but unexpectedly grasping at empty air.

“You…” Li Qingluan looked up in astonishment, only to see Qin Wangchuan had already turned his back to her, leaving only one sentence:

“Let’s go.”

Li Qingluan’s hand hung in mid-air, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She gazed at Qin Wangchuan’s back, a sudden, inexplicable panic welling up in her heart—as if something important was slipping through her fingers, and she couldn’t grasp even a fraction of it.

This feeling was very unpleasant.

She quickly stepped forward to catch up with the young man’s retreating figure, just about to say something.

Qin Wangchuan’s footsteps paused, and his gaze turned towards her.

“What’s wrong?” Li Qingluan changed her question, a vague sense of unease rising in her heart.

“It seems I can only go this far,” his voice was still calm.

“You’re going back?” Hearing this, Li Qingluan’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and an unconsciously bright smile curved her lips: “That’s right, that’s more like you.”

The Battle Intent in her eyes sparked like starlight: “Then let’s go back and kill until the sky turns dark and the earth is dim. It’ll be a good chance for you to see my new moves.”

Before her words finished, Li Qingluan reached out again to pull Qin Wangchuan’s hand.

This time he stood still and did not dodge, and Li Qingluan breathed a sigh of relief: “Speaking of which, this is our first time fighting side by side…”

Her words stopped abruptly.

Because her hand passed through Qin Wangchuan’s arm without any obstruction!

The sensation was empty and illusory, without any real flesh-and-blood feeling, as if she had touched only a condensed, cold, and ethereal phantom of light.

Li Qingluan abruptly withdrew her hand, her pupils suddenly contracting as she looked at the figure before her in disbelief.

Qin Wangchuan’s face still held that faint smile, but his figure began to blur and become transparent at a visible speed, like a reflection in water, swaying unsteadily.

Only his eyes still gazed at her calmly, with a faint, almost helpless hint of apology hidden deep within them.

Without leaving any words, the phantom, like a wisp of smoke blown away by the wind, completely dissipated on the spot.

“You…” Li Qingluan instantly understood something, her voice trembling slightly with shock, “Illusory World Book?!”

After realizing this, she stood frozen in place.

When was it?

Was it at the beginning of the foreign race invasion?

Or even earlier?

When was the last time their bodies touched?

Various scenes flashed through her mind.

Complex emotions surged into her heart, first doubt, then worry, and then all transformed into a raging fury.

More importantly, since he had deployed an Incarnation to lead her away, he must have a profound reason.

The true core of the storm was probably far more complex than what met the eye.

“Qin—Wang—Chuan!”

Li Qingluan gritted her teeth fiercely, forcefully suppressing her churning emotions, and the cold, sharp light in her eyes re-condensed.

She looked towards the depths of the Immortal Path and turned without hesitation.

Just as she was about to move, a long, strong hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.

“Get lost!” A cold light flashed in Li Qingluan’s eyes, and she struck out with a fierce sword energy with a backhand.

This strike, born of anger, was extraordinary.

But the person merely flicked a sleeve casually, and the sword light immediately shattered like glazed glass.

“I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t rush yet.” The newcomer didn’t even look at Li Qingluan, but instead looked up towards the depths of the Immortal Path, sensing the extremely ominous aura, his expression slightly solemn.

“It’s another black nail… Since you’ve come this far, it means it is indeed dangerous inside.”

“It’s our turn!”

In an instant, the light curtain at the entrance of the Immortal Path violently fluctuated as if boiling!

The next moment, countless figures, like a surging flood, crossed the light curtain and poured into this world!

Streaks of Escape Light (escape light) lit up one after another, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple—various colorful streams of light instantly illuminated the originally dim Void Realm as if it were daytime!

“You foreign race brats, your grandpa is here!”

“Where’s Qin Wangchuan?”

“Does this count as doing him a favor?”

The clamor instantly drowned out the sounds of distant fighting.

Excitement and nervousness were on countless faces, but more than that, there was eager Battle Intent, as if they were not rushing to a battlefield of life and death, but to a long-awaited grand hunt.