148: Chapter 148 First Meeting!

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In the center of the wilderness, brilliant golden celestial light crashed down like a sword of judgment!

Yang Xiao's final roar came to an abrupt halt, his body along with his not yet dissipated soul instantly disintegrated into a mist of blood under that peerless divine power, leaving not even a trace of a remnant soul behind.

The extremely dense spiritual energy and life essence were swept up by the divine light surrounding Luo Huang and entirely absorbed into his body.

The next moment—

Boom—!!

An aura ten times more violent and a hundred times more terrifying than before suddenly exploded from within Luo Huang!

Heaven and earth changed color, thunderous roars faintly echoed from the sky of the secret realm, and the spiritual energy of the entire wilderness surged backward frantically, forming a massive vortex visible to the naked eye as it all poured into his body!

The celestial light around him was no longer a gentle gold, but transformed into a terrifying divine radiance as brilliant as the moon and as majestic as the Heavenly Dao. His aura surged all the way, breaking through shackles and crushing boundaries, rushing straight toward a fearsome realm that even Qin Daofan could only look up to!

Luo Huang, who was originally only at the Star Radiance Late Stage, had actually stepped directly into a terrifying realm after devouring Yang Xiao and several trial-takers!

The terrifying pressure was like a divine mountain pressing down, sweeping in all directions, even compressing the air until it made overburdened cracking sounds.

Qin Xiner and Qin Daofan, hidden behind the pile of rocks, suddenly stiffened all over, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their blood seemingly freezing completely at this moment!

The color instantly drained from Qin Daofan's aged face, turning it as pale as paper. His lips trembled uncontrollably, and his eyes surged with the deepest despair.

That was a height that the two of them, grandfather and granddaughter, might not be able to reach even in a thousand years!

Before such an existence, they didn't even have the qualification to struggle, nor was there any room to escape.

A chill rushed from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads. The two froze in place, not even daring to breathe too heavily, feeling as if the Death God's scythe had already been silently placed against their necks.

"How much longer do you intend to hide?"

A cold voice carrying a bone-chilling frost suddenly pierced the shadows of the dense forest. Luo Huang slowly stepped out from the black mist, his golden eyes sweeping over the two trembling figures, while a dark gold Burning Refinement True Fire had already condensed at his fingertips.

The air was instantly distorted by the high temperature, and the vegetation around him turned to ash inch by inch.

A faint, indifferent smile curled at the corner of his lips:

"Since you can't hide, then obediently let me refine you and turn into nourishment for my path through the secret realm."

The true fire suddenly surged, completely enveloping the two of them!

"Xiner, run!"

Qin Daofan suddenly pulled Qin Xiner behind him, his spiritual power surging frantically, his expression solemn to the extreme:

"I'll hold him off. You immediately summon your beast and escape. Don't look back!"

Before a powerhouse of the Yuehuang Realm, they were no different from lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Now, Qin Daofan's only thought was that he must preserve a member of the Qin Clan bloodline, otherwise the Qin Clan Immortal Clan might decline because of this...

He had already waited nearly a thousand years for this genius God of Beast Taming...

But Qin Xiner gripped his sleeve tightly, her small face pale yet her eyes stubborn, refusing to retreat even half a step: "Ancestor, if we leave, we leave together!"

Luo Huang stood opposite them, watching the scene of the two sharing such deep affection. A cold and contemptuous smile slowly curled on his lips, his tone indifferent but carrying bone-chilling killing intent:

"No need to agonize over it; neither of you is going anywhere!"

As he spoke, the Burning Refinement True Fire around him surged again. The golden-red flames coiled through the air like giant pythons, completely sealing off all their paths of retreat.

Seeing this, Qin Daofan no longer hesitated, and the Beast Taming Seal in his palm suddenly lit up.

Purple lightning tore through the air as a Totem Grade Thunder Leopard leaped fiercely out of the thunderous light. Its lithe body was covered in menacing lightning patterns, its ferocious beast pupils locked onto Luo Huang, and a low growl rolled from its throat!

"Xiner, call the Golden Crow!"

Qin Xiner bit her lip hard, her fingertips moving rapidly to form the Beast Taming Art.

The next moment, blazing golden light broke through the clouds. An ancient Golden Crow spread its heaven-burning wings, crimson-gold flames coiling around its body. It hung in mid-air, tilting its neck to cry out long and loud. The heatwave of the Solar True Fire swept in all directions, and together with the Thunder Leopard on the left and right, it protected the grandfather and granddaughter in the center.

The auras of man and beast merged, the Beast Tamer's spiritual power intertwining with the natal beast's ferocious might. The atmosphere was tense to the breaking point, a fight to the death about to erupt.

At this critical moment, two figures stepped through the air without warning, landing lightly in the battlefield as if taking a leisurely stroll...

...inappropriately breaking the deadlocked atmosphere.

Luo Huang's killing intent suddenly froze. Qin Daofan and the Thunder Leopard stiffened their bodies simultaneously, and the Golden Crow's true fire also paused slightly. Four pairs of astonished eyes fell in unison upon the newcomers.

The leading man was dressed in plain clothes, but his posture was extraordinary. His eyes held a hint of nonchalant playfulness. In this murderous atmosphere, he simply spoke calmly:

"Go on with your business, don't mind me."

Upon hearing this voice, Qin Xiner's whole body shook violently. The moment she looked up and saw that face clearly, her originally pale face instantly lit up with unbelievable brightness.

It's Chu Ran!

And beside Chu Ran stood a quiet, pure, and ethereal woman. Dressed in plain clothes like an immortal with a stern aura, she was the very master she relied on day and night and had been constantly thinking of since entering this place—

Fengtian God Lin Yuhen!

The heartstrings hanging on the edge of life and death suddenly relaxed. Qin Xiner's tense body went completely limp, the fear in her eyes dissipated entirely, and she finally showed the relief of having survived a disaster.

Although the auras of the two people who suddenly appeared had not broken through the Star Radiance Realm, after seeing the calmness on the young man's face, Qin Xiner could no longer feel even a hint of fear. Only one thought remained in her heart...

We're safe!

...

Luo Huang gave a casual wave, and the lightning of the Totem Grade Thunder Leopard exploded before his eyes. A Totem Grade attack no longer posed any threat to him...

He turned his head to size up the two figures who had suddenly arrived.

A look of confusion appeared on his face when he glanced at Lin Yuhen, but when his gaze landed on the plain-clothed youth beside her, a look of scrutiny rose in his eyes.

Even though this was their first meeting, he could easily catch the scent of those familiar people on the other party!

Ming Guang, Ji Xuan, Zhao Zhen, Li Zhaoyao, and Meng Qingzhao had actually all died at the hands of the person before him!

He also hadn't expected to encounter the person he wanted to meet most at this very moment!

Heavenly Profound!

The cold contempt in the depths of Luo Huang's eyes suddenly exploded, turning into undisguised ecstasy and ruthlessness!

He chuckled low, his laughter carrying a long-suppressed excitement. The Burning Refinement True Fire around him surged violently due to his agitation, nearly incinerating the entire space along with it:

"It truly is a case of finding by chance what one has searched for in vain! Heavenly Profound God! My entry into the secret realm this time was originally to slay you, seize your divine bone, and refine your divine essence. Now you've actually delivered yourself to my door, saving me quite a bit of trouble!"

Hearing this, Chu Ran's brows twitched slightly, his tone still casual and playful, as if he were listening to an insignificant joke. He replied nonchalantly:

"Oh? There are many who want to kill me, but all of them have failed."

Luo Huang's face darkened, and he immediately sneered sharply, his tone full of disdain and violence:

"I'm not at all surprised they died. They're just a bunch of trash; how could they possibly be compared to me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his aura surged violently, and a brilliant, moon-like silver-white halo rose from within his body.

The terrifying pressure of the Yuehuang Realm pressed down like a mountain, making Qin Daofan's Totem Thunder Leopard's limbs tremble. Qin Xiner's Golden Crow instinctively folded its wings and let out an uneasy cry.

Under such realm suppression, it became incredibly difficult for the two of them even to breathe!

Luo Huang looked up, his gaze like a knife, fixed firmly on Chu Ran. Word by word, with overwhelming killing intent, he said:

"I have now entered the Yuehuang Realm, while you are but in the Star Radiance Realm... A single realm's difference is as vast as the heavens and the earth!

Today, all of you can only serve as stepping stones for my ascension to godhood!"

Before he even finished speaking, the Burning Refinement True Fire in his palm condensed into a blade. With undisguised killing intent, he pointed it directly at the space between Chu Ran's brows. The air of the entire secret realm seemed to be ignited by him...

Hearing this, Chu Ran laughed instead of getting angry. He lightly raised the hand he had held behind his back, his fingertips nonchalantly playing with a wisp of flowing light. His tone was as light as if he were discussing the weather:

"The Yuehuang Realm, is it..."

Facing Luo Huang's extremely mocking interrogation, Chu Ran didn't show the slightest bit of fear. He didn't even bother to look at him anymore, but merely tilted his head slightly, looking toward the edge of the battlefield...

There... a woman with disheveled hair and tattered clothes was running frantically in a panic, her face full of alarm. She had clearly just narrowly escaped from a pursuit...

After seeing that bedraggled face clearly, a sinister smile appeared on the corner of Chu Ran's mouth, and he said softly:

"I should be there soon as well..."

...