348: Chapter 348 Name Your Conditions

"Save me, and I will gift you a treasure, plus I can agree to one condition of your choosing."

Qin Lin looked at her face on the holographic screen; the bloodstains could not hide her features.

Her eyes were dark brown and very bright, like two gemstones washed by water.

Her lips were chapped, but their shape was beautiful.

Her body was very thin, but the lines were excellent—not the sickly kind of thin, but rather a lean, powerful physique honed by spiritual energy.

Qin Lin's gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before shifting away.

He took a deep breath and said into the speaker: "Did you hear that? She asked me to save her."

The middle-aged man's expression grew even uglier. He gritted his teeth, his hand pressing against the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Your Excellency, I will say this again: this is a private matter of the Murong Family. If Your Excellency insists on interfering, you will be making an enemy of the Murong Family. Do you know what status my Murong Family holds in the Central Region?"

Qin Lin did not know, and he did not care.

He glanced at Qing Yue, and Qing Yue shook her head: "Never heard of it."

Qin Lin looked again at the eight pursuers on the holographic screen; their expressions had shifted from shock to impatience.

The middle-aged man leading them had already moved his hand away from his sword hilt—not because he was giving up, but because he was preparing to strike.

His fingers were forming a seal, spiritual energy gathering at his fingertips.

"Since Your Excellency refuses to be reasonable, then do not blame me for being discourteous."

His voice turned cold: "The affairs of the Murong Clan are not something just any stray cat or dog can manage. If Your Excellency leaves now, I can pretend nothing happened. If you insist on not leaving, then stay behind."

The few people behind him also drew their Magical Artifacts one after another.

There were swords, sabers, a horsetail whisk, and one even pulled out a bronze mirror, its surface glowing with an eerie red light.

Qin Lin looked at those Magical Artifacts, thinking that these people were likely considered prominent figures in the Cultivation World, but in front of The Ark, they were no different from ants.

He reached out and tapped the control console.

The targeting reticle of the energy cannon moved from ten meters in front of the pursuers to their very center.

The armor plating at the bottom of The Ark slid open to the sides, revealing a silver-white cannon barrel.

The barrel was not long, only about two meters, with pale blue energy patterns flowing across its surface.

The muzzle aimed at the pursuers below. Without a sound, without any warning, a blue-white beam of light about half a meter in diameter shot out from the muzzle and struck the ground directly.

There was no explosion.

No fire.

No smoke.

The moment the beam hit the ground, the earth silently caved in, and a circular crater over ten meters in diameter and about three meters deep appeared at the feet of the pursuers.

The edges of the crater were as smooth as tofu cut by a knife, with no cracks or debris.

The soil and rock were directly vaporized by the high temperature of the energy beam, leaving not even ash behind.

The crater was less than two meters away from the nearest pursuer.

That Cultivator's face was as white as paper, and the sword in his hand dropped to the ground. He did not pick it up because he could no longer stand steadily.

The expressions of the others were no better; some were trembling, some were retreating, and some had already turned around, preparing to run.

The middle-aged man stood where he was, motionless.

His complexion was pale and greenish, his lips trembling, but he did not run because his legs would not obey him.

Qin Lin's voice came from the speaker, unhurried:

"I do not like to kill. You may leave. Go back and tell your master that I am protecting this person."

He was not afraid of retaliation from the people behind them because he could enter the starry sky to cruise; if they wanted revenge, they would have to catch him first.

Qin Lin only spoke so boldly because he had this confidence; otherwise, he would not leave behind any evidence.

No one moved.

Qin Lin's finger tapped lightly on the control console, and the silver-white cannon barrel turned slightly, aiming in the direction of the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's pupils contracted sharply, and he finally moved.

Not charging forward, but retreating—retreating very quickly, using almost all his life's cultivation.

The others followed suit and ran, abandoning their Magical Artifacts; swords were dropped on the ground, sabers were dropped, and the bronze mirror was dropped as well.

They ran very fast, disappearing behind the ruins within a few breaths.

Qin Lin closed the attack System interface and leaned back in his chair.

On the holographic screen, those eight pursuers had already run out of the detection range, leaving only Murong Xue standing in place.

She looked up at The Ark, the bloodstains on her face washed away in streaks by sweat, revealing the fair skin beneath.

Qing Yue glanced at Qin Lin.

Qin Lin stood up and walked out of the Bridge.

The hatch of The Ark opened.

Qin Lin walked down the boarding ramp, with Qing Yue following behind him.

Murong Xue stood on the wasteland, a dozen steps away from them.

Her white dress was torn in several places, the hem only remaining halfway, revealing her calves below the knees.

Her calves were slender and very white, with several wounds on the skin where the blood had already congealed, forming dark red scabs.

Qin Lin stopped in front of her and looked at her.

Murong Xue also looked at him; her eyes were very bright, like two gemstones washed by water.

The bloodstains could not hide her features; her face was very small, with a pointed chin, a high nose Bridge, and thin lips.

Her hair was loose, with a few strands sticking to her face and a few hanging in front of her chest.

Her body was trembling slightly, not because of fear, but because of exhausted spiritual energy and excessive blood loss.

"Thank you for saving me."

Her voice was hoarse but steady: "I keep my word. The treasure is here; name your terms."

She untied a jade pendant from her waist and handed it to Qin Lin.

The jade pendant was pale green, irregular in shape, with fine patterns on the surface that looked like a miniature map of mountains and rivers.

Qin Lin took the jade pendant, and the System popped up a notification.

[Item: Murong Clan Heirloom Jade Pendant, containing a small storage space, storing several Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, and Magical Artifacts.]

[Value: Extremely High, can be used for The Ark upgrade.]

Can it upgrade The Ark?

That would be great.

Qin Lin put the jade pendant into his pocket and looked at Murong Xue.

"The second condition, you state it." Murong Xue's voice was even hoarser.

Qin Lin looked at her—her bloodstains, her torn dress, her exposed calves.

Her skin was chillingly white under the gray light of the wasteland; that whiteness was not a sickly pallor, but a clean, pure white that seemed to shine from within, nourished by Spiritual Qi.

Her legs were long and straight, the calf muscles smooth, and her ankles very slender.

Qin Lin's gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before shifting away.

"Come up; we can talk once you are up."

Murong Xue looked at him, was silent for a moment, and nodded.

She took a step forward, her legs went weak, and her body tilted forward.

Qin Lin reached out to support her; her hands were very cold, her arms slender but firm.

Qin Lin supported her as she walked up the boarding ramp and into The Ark.

The moment Murong Xue stepped into The Ark, her footsteps paused.