268: Intervening unexpectedly, crushing

The dust slowly dispersed, and Chu Wujiu's hundred-zhang Heaven and Earth Law, which had stood tall, vanished with it.

He himself slowly descended from mid-air, his robes fluttering, his expression calm, as if he had just casually swatted a fly to death.

"I say, Chu Wujiu, was it necessary to use Heaven and Earth Law?" Zhao Lingyun patted imaginary dust from his body, a hint of teasing in his tone, "You blasted him into a pulp; we almost got caught in the aftermath."

"I think he just wanted to show off," Yun Zexuan stood by with his arms crossed, his tone certain.

Ye Lingchuan nodded, in full agreement.

Chu Wujiu merely gave them a faint glance, a barely perceptible curve to his lips: "Just stretching my muscles."

"Also, stop pretending."

"If that kind of attack could affect you, then I'd have to wonder if you've been taken by Possession, or if you're fakes."

The few exchanged smiles, their confidence and unspoken understanding evident.

However, this seemingly ordinary banter, to Xie Qingshang's ears, was nothing short of a thunderclap.

No need to use Heaven and Earth Law?

Stretching muscles?

Although Xie Qingshang had long known these people were strong, the scene before her once again completely shattered her understanding.

Elder Xu was a Fourteenth Realm expert!

While this Realm wasn't excessively high, the problem was that these people, at their highest, were only... Thirteenth Realm?

The gap of a major Realm was like an unbridgeable chasm, not something that could be compensated for by numbers.

Logically speaking, even if all of them combined, they should never have been a match for Elder Xu.

However, for Chu Wujiu and the others, such a thing was quite normal.

Not to mention that each of them was a peerless Prodigy capable of cross-Realm combat, and thus could not be measured by ordinary standards.

Furthermore, Elder Xu had just been heavily wounded in his Divine Sense by Ye Lingchuan's soul-searching, and then doubly suppressed by Zhao Lingyun and Yun Zexuan's Formation and several Talismans, causing his mind to be in disarray, unable to even fully summon his own Heaven and Earth Law.

That wasn't a duel; it was a meticulously planned, foregone execution.

Indeed, there was no need to use Heaven and Earth Law.

But Xie Qingshang didn't know that!

She only saw a Fourteenth Realm expert instantly killed before several Twelfth and Thirteenth Realm Cultivators, utterly defenseless.

This impact, while filling her with even greater fear,

made her begin to search for the origins and backgrounds of these people, attempting to piece together their true identities from the clues.

But her thoughts simply wouldn't coalesce.

The fundamental reason was still the person beside her... Thinking this, Xie Qingshang's beautiful eyes fell upon Qin Wangchuan beside her.

How did he know that Elder Xu was the traitor?

This man seemed capable of seeing through everything, controlling the entire situation, making one feel both secure and, subtly, an indescribable sense of distance, making him unapproachable.

After the barbecue, everyone rested.

Over the next ten-plus days, the group continued to explore this Secret Realm.

The fallen leaves rustled underfoot, and the Spiritual Qi of the Secret Realm coiled around them like mist.

During this time, they also encountered some scattered Opportunities, but for the few of them, these were not considered major gains.

Seeing that the time was almost up, it was time to find Ma Hongchang.

Qin Wangchuan then said to everyone, "You all continue forward; I'm going somewhere."

"Are you going to eat alone, Young Master Qin?" Chu Wujiu raised an eyebrow, a hint of teasing in his tone, clearly curious about Qin Wangchuan's destination.

However, Qin Wangchuan ignored him, merely flashing and disappearing from the spot.

Chu Wujiu shrugged and said to Zhao Lingyun and the other two, "See? So mysterious. Sometimes I really don't know what he's thinking."

"Who doesn't have secrets?" Zhao Lingyun smiled, not probing further.

Yun Zexuan and Ye Lingchuan also said nothing; they had long grown accustomed to Qin Wangchuan's "unexpected, yet reasonable" way of doing things.

Xie Qingshang stood by, taking in their conversation.

She lightly bit her lower lip, her curiosity about Qin Wangchuan having reached its peak.

This man truly made her heart itch.

Several more days passed.

In a dense forest in the northwest of the Secret Realm, the smell of blood permeated the air.

Ma Hongchang was covered in wounds, pinned firmly to the ground by several Cultivators, unable to move.

"Go on, run!" Ma Liu, the leader, savagely stomped his head into the mud, his face contorted in a sneer.

The crowd parted, and Song Yuan, dressed in a beautiful long dress, slowly walked over. The dagger in her hand glinted with a cold blue light. She looked down at the young man on the ground, a cold curve on her lips: "Hongchang, look at you now."

"To be honest, I was actually a little scared, scared that you would get some immense Opportunity and soar to success... If that happened, I wouldn't be able to rest easy anymore."

Looking at his former childhood sweetheart, Ma Hongchang was filled with anger and despair.

His jaw trembled, but he was powerless to resist.

Just then, from the shadows of the forest path, a Figure in Black Robes slowly emerged, breaking the deadly silence.

Ma Liu and the others immediately turned back alertly. When they saw that the newcomer was just a young man with an ordinary aura, seemingly a Mortal, their vigilance instantly turned into blatant contempt and impatience.

"Where did this wild brat come from, daring to meddle in your Sixth Master's business?" Ma Liu spat on the ground, cursing viciously, "Today, your Master is in a good mood, and doesn't want to add another corpse. Get lost!"

However, the Figure in Black Robes seemed not to have heard.

He didn't even glance at Ma Liu, his steps unwavering, walking unhurriedly towards the crowd, as if strolling in his own garden.

It wasn't until his gaze fell upon the young man being trampled underfoot that Qin Wangchuan finally spoke, his voice low, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"Ma Hongchang?"

His tone was calm, yet carried a hint of inquiry.

This call made a bright light suddenly erupt in the dead eyes of the dying Ma Hongchang on the ground!

He knows me!

There's still hope!

I can't die! I still need to get revenge!

But this thought only arose for an instant before he himself extinguished it.

Ma Hongchang could feel that the newcomer's aura was ordinary, like a Mortal. How could he possibly contend with so many Cultivators?

Despair once again filled his heart.

"You're asking for death!"

Ma Liu, ignored, flew into a rage. He and several of his subordinates stepped forward simultaneously, their Spiritual Qi surging, ready to tear this arrogant brat to shreds.

Facing their encirclement, Qin Wangchuan's steps did not falter in the slightest.

He merely casually raised his right hand, his slender index and middle fingers together, and lightly pointed at the Void Realm.

An ancient character for "Slay," formed by golden light, instantly took shape in the air, exuding a heart-pounding pressure.

Ma Liu's pupils had just reflected the golden ancient character, and the sneering expression on his face hadn't even had time to change.

The character's image suddenly dissipated, transforming into an invisible ripple that gently brushed past, as if it were just a breeze rustling through the treetops.

The forest fell into an eerie silence.

The wind stopped, and the birdsong abruptly ceased.

Ma Liu and all his subordinates remained frozen in their forward-charging postures.

One second.

Two seconds.

Thump, thump, thump... More than ten heads, like ripe fruit, rolled off their necks in unison.

And those headless bodies, carried by inertia, rushed forward two more steps before collapsing with a crash, blood gushing skyward like fountains, staining the ground a bloody red.

The only one still alive, Song Yuan, was already terrified, her face pale, and she collapsed to the ground.

In an instant, she understood that the person before her was a profound expert, hidden in plain sight. Tears streamed down her face, and her voice was weak and pleading: "Senior, spare my life! This little girl knows she was wrong! Please... please have mercy!"

However, facing the girl's tear-streaked, pitiful appearance,

Qin Wangchuan's steps did not falter in the slightest, nor did his peripheral vision even glance at her. He walked straight past her.

The next moment, Song Yuan's head also silently flew up, her face frozen in extreme terror.