24: There are always more powerful people appearing

His body trembled uncontrollably, and Skull Demon Lord's mind had only one thought: “Escape!!”

However, before he could make any move, this Demonic Lord giant, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, found himself unable to move.

Is it a Magic Treasure? Or is it my own fear?

In a single breath, countless thoughts surged through Skull Demon Lord's mind.

The next moment, his thoughts suddenly broke off, because he clearly felt a terrifying Qi that transcended all Heavens had locked onto him.

Next to the carriage, an unremarkable old man turned his head and glanced over.

He was not like the Xuanjia guards, but a true Dao protector assigned by the Old Ancestor.

“How dare you.”

There were no lengthy speeches, no exchange of names.

The old man merely flicked his finger.

“Pfft—!!!”

Skull Demon Lord's astonished expression had not yet faded when his Demonic Lord body, carrying a terrifying aura, disintegrated inch by inch like ancient, decaying wood.

The Myriad Soul Banner, which had devoured billions of lives, its seventy-two sacred souls on the banner face had no time to wail before they silently vanished into ash, as if they had never existed.

Even with a supreme treasure in hand, he still had no chance to scream or struggle.

He died without any power to resist, just like the ants he had once crushed.

Skull Demon Lord's Primordial Spirit struggled frantically at the last moment, trying to escape, but was firmly imprisoned by some invisible force, only able to watch his Demonic Lord body turn into flying ash and his soul fire extinguish inch by inch.

“Just one step! Just one step and I could have reached the peak!”

“No… no! This Emperor… this Emperor has not yet…”

“Dream…”

However, even this last thought could not fully emerge before it was completely annihilated by the indifferent glance of the Nine-Headed Rift Sky Hou.

Skull Demon Lord, who had once slaughtered billions and dominated a Realm, thus silently… turned to ashes.

Not even dust remained.

Inside the carriage, Qin Wangchuan didn't even lift an eyelid, merely asking indifferently, “What is it?”

“Reporting to Young Master, a Quasi-Emperor blocked the way just now, but it has been resolved,” the old man respectfully replied, “We have now arrived at Xuanming Realm.”

Upon closer inspection, there was more than one such Heaven-Defying old man.

On the surface, there were at least ten.

This was no longer a Young Master descending to the Lower Realm; it was a Crown Prince on an excursion!

“Hmm.” Qin Wangchuan tapped his finger lightly on the window frame, his gaze sweeping over the sea of blood created by the Demonic Lord below, and said indifferently, “A very strong smell of blood.”

As soon as his voice fell, a Xuanjia guard waved his hand, and a gentle breeze blew, causing the corpses and bloodstains to instantly disappear.

“Perhaps some conflict occurred in this Realm,” the old man responded.

“Hmm…”

Qin Wangchuan stepped out of the carriage, his nine-year-old figure already showing extraordinary presence.

He wore a dark black brocade robe, with ancient Qin Family Dao patterns embroidered in dark gold thread on the collar and cuffs; as he walked, his robe moved slightly, as if stars were flowing.

His face was carved from white jade, his features clear and handsome, his lips thin as blades, pursed with an age-defying sternness, yet a youthful agility flashed in his eyes when he looked up.

Though his body had not yet fully matured, his every gesture already carried the momentum of a Dragon walking and a tiger striding.

It is worth mentioning that Ye Jianwei was not accompanying him.

She had been invited, but she said she needed to seize every moment to Cultivate.

Look how diligent the future Heavenly Emperor is.

So, this time, only Qin Wangchuan descended to the Lower Realm.

He glanced at the spot where Skull Demon Lord had died and whispered, “A strong one.”

The old man beside him paused at his words.

Strong?

A half-step Great Emperor, seemingly very strong.

But in reality, at most, he was just a Quasi-Emperor.

As long as one has not achieved the Emperor Realm, one is an ant.

There was no chance to resist at all.

Even if one successfully achieved the Emperor Realm and transcended the world, there was still a Heavenly Emperor above, suppressing them, unable to cause any significant stir.

They merely changed from ants that could be dealt with casually to monkeys that required some effort.

After thinking for a moment, the old man still flattered, “He is indeed very strong, but this kind of strength…”

The old man was interrupted by Qin Wangchuan before he could finish his sentence.

“I wasn't talking about him.”

Qin Wangchuan suddenly turned, his gaze piercing through the Void Realm, landing on a seemingly empty cloud a hundred zhang away.

“Since you are waiting for me here, why not show yourself?”

“If not him, then who?” Everyone's hearts trembled, and their gazes unconsciously followed the direction Qin Wangchuan turned.

The clouds parted, and several figures stood in the air.

At the forefront was a cold and aloof female figure.

The woman was about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a blue Phoenix Flowing Cloud skirt that swayed gently in the wind, with a green jade belt cinched at her waist, accentuating her tall and slender figure.

Her ink-black hair was loosely tied with a simple silver hairpin, with a few wisps falling beside her porcelain-white cheeks, adding a touch of coldness and aloofness.

What was most captivating were her eyes—her pupils were light as Colored Glaze, but the corners of her eyes subtly upturned, naturally carrying a three-tenths chill even when not smiling.

At this moment, she looked down, her long lashes casting a faint shadow beneath her eyes, making her appear as if carved from Nine Heavens Black Ice, exuding an inviolable chill.

“This Qi…” Qin Wangchuan frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on the young girl.

Although it was his first time seeing her, the Qi on her body felt inexplicably familiar.

As if he had encountered something similar somewhere before.

The young girl led the group behind her slowly down.

Qin Wangchuan was about to speak, but he saw her suddenly step forward two paces, her Phoenix eyes widening slightly as she spoke with an appraising look: “You…” Her voice trailed off, then she took a more detailed look.

“So the Qin Family's Young Master is born so…” She paused, seemingly pondering her words, “…handsome.”

She was very satisfied.

Handsome?

Qin Wangchuan's expression changed slightly, and so did those behind the young girl.

To actually hear the words 'handsome' from their Young Miss's mouth?

Was this still the aloof Li Qingluan?

But no matter what others thought, Li Qingluan subtly raised her sleeve, performed an ancient and solemn greeting, and then, looking at him, curiously asked, “I was indeed waiting for you, but how did you discover me?”

“Even with an Immortal Emperor Weapon, even an ordinary Great Emperor should not be able to detect it.”

Immortal Emperor Weapon?

You carry something like that with you?

Several old men gasped at her words, but they didn't pay too much attention.

After all, the identity of the person before them… One of the old men transmitted a message to Qin Wangchuan, “Young Master, this is Li Qingluan of the Heavenly Sword Li Family.”

(So it's the Li Family.) Qin Wangchuan nodded.

No wonder it felt familiar; it was a similar Qi to that Li Heavenly Emperor.

After speaking, the old man also briefly introduced some of her deeds.

Li Qingluan, the direct daughter of the Li Family, was aloof and disliked crowds.

Her talent was so exceptional that it was considered rare in a million years.

On the day of her birth, ten thousand swords sang in unison above the Li Family's ancestral land, and three thousand streaks of Sword Qi descended from the Nine Heavens, transforming into Phoenixes that circled the beams for three days without dispersing.

At the age of three, while playing in the Sword Pond, she inadvertently triggered the resonance of an ancestral sword that had been dormant for ten thousand years, its Sword Qi soaring into the sky and alarming Li Heavenly Emperor.

At five, she first began to Cultivate the Sword Dao, and after three days of practice, she caused the 'Sword Qi Rainbow' phenomenon, where the Spiritual Qi within a hundred-mile radius all transformed into sword shapes.

At seven, she entered seclusion in the Sword Tomb, and the hundred thousand ancient swords in the Sword Tomb trembled simultaneously, forming the 'Myriad Swords Returning to the Ancestor' spectacle.

In the same year, she achieved a Breakthrough to the Fourth Realm.

Nine Innate Sword Qi descended from the Nine Heavens, transforming into a sword lotus that held her aloft for a hundred days.

Li Heavenly Emperor once personally declared that this girl was the Reincarnation of a 'Sword Dao Immortal', destined to walk an unprecedented path to the peak of the Sword Dao.

Don't let her current age of sixteen deceive you; her legend is spread throughout the Ten Directions Immortal Court.

“A Fourth Realm at seven?” Qin Wangchuan nodded.

That talent was indeed very good.

But it was still some distance from himself.

“Spiritual Qi.”

He suddenly spoke, making Li Qingluan momentarily stunned.

“What?”

Qin Wangchuan repeated, “I said Spiritual Qi.”

After speaking, he gave her a deep look.

Wasn't she said to be aloof? Why did she seem so naive, looking like she could be easily deceived?

“Even if one conceals their form and restrains their Qi, as long as a cultivator exists, the surrounding Spiritual Qi will be disturbed.”

“By observing the flow of Spiritual Qi, it's very easy to discover.”

“Perceive the flow of Spiritual Qi??”

If so, wouldn't it be possible to ignore all hidden Cultivation Techniques and Divine Abilities?

Li Qingluan's pupils suddenly constricted, and for the first time, her usually cold and aloof face showed a look of shock.

“Is that even possible?”

Even with her Realm of a Clear Sword Heart, she had never heard of anyone being able to control the flow of Spiritual Qi.

It was as difficult as a common person finding a grain of white sugar in a snowstorm.

This required an almost abnormal perception of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi…

“Young Master can actually…” Let alone others, even their own old men were greatly alarmed.

This was the first time they had heard of such a thing.

Qin Wangchuan looked back at the crowd behind him and asked in confusion, “Is it difficult?”

This was an ability he gained after consuming the heavenly fortune creation fruit.

His perception of Spiritual Qi had reached an abnormal level.

He had originally thought it was useless, but now it seemed, perhaps not?

“This is no longer a matter of whether it's difficult or not, Young Master, you are going against Heaven…” The old man who had just made a move murmured to himself. Now he understood why the Heavenly Emperor Old Ancestor had assigned several people to protect his Dao.

Such a Heaven-Defying figure must never perish prematurely!

Li Qingluan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, and lightly raised her jade hand, Sword Intent flowing at her fingertips.

“This is not the place to talk,” her voice was still cold, “Follow me.”

Before her voice faded, a ten-thousand-zhang crack suddenly tore open in the sky!

“Boom—”

A colossal ship, entirely cast from green jade, broke through the Void Realm, with a Phoenix divine bird carving on its bow, poised to fly, its wings spanning a thousand zhang, each feather flowing with sharp Sword Intent.

The ship's body was inscribed with ancient Li Family Dao patterns, gleaming with a chilling sharpness under the sunlight, as if the entire colossal ship was a peerless divine sword drawn from its scabbard.

Qin Wangchuan had never seen such a large flying ship, but the several Dao protectors behind him were well-traveled and knowledgeable.

“This is the Li Family's 'Heavenly Sword Flying Ship',” the old man introduced.

“Legend has it that this ship was forged by the Li Family's progenitor from Nine Heavens Black Jade, tempered with supreme Sword Intent for ten thousand years, and when it appears, it can cleave the sun and moon!”

After speaking, he also transmitted a message: “Since they have brought out such a flying ship, they either highly regard you, Young Master, or they have something to ask of you.”

Li Qingluan's robes fluttered, and she lightly stepped onto the wing of the Phoenix statue on the ship's bow.

She looked back at Qin Wangchuan, her hair flying in the wind, with an endless sea of clouds behind her and the colossal ship that seemed to pierce the sky.

“Please.”