A grand and luxurious cave mansion came into view.
Everyone realized—
The leader of the cultist organization was hiding inside.
The atmosphere was so tense a single spark could set it off.
Di Meng knocked Yu Lanzhi down with his hammer, handcuffed him, and grinned at the stunned man. "Never worn these before, huh?"
Yu Lanzhi: "…"
What shocked him was how a Level 6 Celestial Master could possibly knock him down!
Di Meng tossed him to the back.
Many cultists had been subdued in the melee, but not everyone received this special treatment.
Some lower-level cultists had damaged meridians and couldn't run; they were left lying on the ground for now. As for the high-level Celestial Masters, they had to be restrained with special handcuffs that sealed their spiritual power.
Yu Lanzhi was the first Level 7 Celestial Master to be cuffed.
Utterly humiliating.
Seeing Di Meng's action, the others snapped out of their shock and returned to the fray.
They wanted to watch Senior Qi Quan battle the cult leader, but there were still so many cultists right in front of them!
They couldn't focus on one and neglect the other.
So they had to finish this fight quickly, then join forces to cheer Senior Qi Quan on.
The morale of the official Mystic Order team soared even higher.
The scene of Qi Quan killing two Human Emperor realm cultists with a single move had thoroughly ignited the bloodlust of the investigators and Celestial Masters.
Charge!!!
The cultists, however, felt the opposite.
Having witnessed Qi Quan's immense power, they had almost lost their will to fight. With a god-like figure like her holding the line, could they possibly win?
An extremely deep gash on the cliff face served as a constant reminder that, with their level of strength, they weren't even qualified to face Qi Quan.
Except for that one person inside.
Yet, despite all the commotion, that person still showed no intention of revealing themselves.
Qi Quan hovered outside the cave mansion, calm and composed.
[Great One, what do we do now?] The system was extremely nervous.
Qi Quan: [I have plenty of blades.]
System: !!!
Another long blade materialized before the cliff face, its imposing aura even more vast than the previous one.
The cultists at the bottom of the ravine: ???
Are you serious? You still have strength to spare?!
The giant blade pressed down on the cliff wall and, with the force of a roaring tide and flashing lightning, slashed towards the resplendent golden cave door.
The cave door exploded with a thunderous boom.
Chunks of gold and jade flew, the rock wall and valley echoing with the roar.
No matter how sturdy, the cave door couldn't withstand a strike from the Human Emperor realm.
Qi Quan had even held back her strength.
Her power was focused inward, deep into the cave mansion, destroying the defensive formations inside without causing excessive damage to the mountain itself.
This person was truly afraid of death.
Two Level 9 formations on the outer perimeter, one Level 9 formation outside the cave, and layer upon layer of formations set up inside the cave itself.
And with this setup, he still dreamed of immortality?
An insult to heaven itself.
The formations inside the cave were mostly destroyed by her. No matter how critical a stage of cultivation the person inside had reached, they had no choice but to react.
Qi Quan chuckled lightly. "A Celestial Master at the peak of the Human Emperor realm can only set up Level 9 formations? Truly…"
Her voice, infused with spiritual power, could be heard clearly by everyone present.
No one misunderstood her unspoken meaning.
Qi Quan never belittled others' talent, but the person inside this cave... he deserved it.
"You turtle grandson inside! Stop hiding in your shell!" Di Meng shouted loudly. "Have the guts to come out! Didn't blink an eye when harming others? Scared shitless when it's your turn?"
The crowd burst into laughter.
The cultists' faces flushed with shame.
After all, this was the Venerable One they had served so carefully. To be disparaged like this was utterly humiliating for them.
Their already dwindling fighting spirit vanished completely.
Just as Qi Quan raised her blade to attack the cave again—
A sword light shot out from the cave, aiming straight for Qi Quan's face. Qi Quan blocked horizontally with her blade, her figure drifting back several meters.
As expected of the peak Human Emperor realm.
The smile on Qi Quan's lips deepened.
In her previous life, she cultivated to the first stage of the Human Emperor realm and was unmatched in the Mystic Order, her realm never loosening again.
In this life, at the Lu Manor, she received the merit light bestowed by Ji Shengzhe and, seizing the opportunity, advanced to the second stage of the Human Emperor realm.
Progressing further would likely be extremely difficult.
A battle against a peak Human Emperor realm master was a rare, perhaps unique, opportunity for her.
She was looking forward to it.
Seeing his first strike miss, the person in the cave shot out another beam of sword light.
Qi Quan raised her blade and cleaved down. The sword light was actually split in two, dissolving into specks of white light that vanished into the air.
She raised an eyebrow with interest.
Was it because he couldn't attack freely, or was his attack power really this shallow?
If the people below heard her inner thoughts, they'd probably spit blood.
This is shallow?
A single beam of that sword light could kill them!
Qi Quan was not one to wait for others to make moves.
Spiritual power coalesced into a pale white longbow. A spirit arrow held in her palm, her fingertips released, and the arrow whooshed towards the cave's now-open entrance, plunging into the pitch-black den of iniquity.
Inside the cave, a man sat at the eye of a formation, continuously absorbing the life force and fortune transported from the base beneath the pool. The aura around him grew stronger and stronger.
This was a forbidden art, a formation specifically designed to seize the life force and fortune of others.
Through this formation, that life force and fortune could be transferred to himself, accelerating his cultivation speed.
It was said that those with great fortune were beloved by the Heavenly Dao, granted supreme talent, and could cultivate the path to immortality.
His fortune was already vast. He was just one step away from success.
It was a pity that twenty-two years ago, he hadn't dared to kill Qi Quan.
The forbidden text was right. Qi Quan was the greatest obstacle on his cultivation path.
He should have killed her back then!
The spirit arrow traversed the long, dark cave, shooting straight for his face…
No, for the formation stone!
The arrow tip struck the formation stone. With a crack, several fine fissures appeared on the stone.
The formation's glow suddenly dimmed, and the transmission of life force and fortune stuttered for an instant.
Before the man could react, another spirit arrow shot into the cave, striking the formation stone once more.
More cracks spread across the formation stone, now unable to continue supporting the formation.
A fierce light flashed in the man's eyes.
If this continued, the formation would be destroyed before he could advance to the Human Immortal realm.
He decisively stood up, his figure flashing, and appeared outside the cave.
On the steep cliffside, two figures stood facing each other from a distance.
The pressure unique to the Human Emperor realm spread throughout the entire valley, forcing everyone to drop their magical tools and even kneel on the ground.
When giants fight, ordinary folk cannot participate.
Qi Quan observed the man before her.
To be honest, he wasn't much different from what she had imagined.
Very ordinary.
So ordinary he'd be hard to pick out in a crowd.
He wore a flowing Daoist robe, his long hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, giving him a somewhat ethereal, immortal air.
System: [What an insult to Daoist robes. It looks so awkward on him!]
Suddenly, a voice full of shock and doubt came from below.
It was Yin Yi.
As a sect leader, he stubbornly resisted kneeling under the man's pressure, even managing to look up several times. Those few glances shocked him.
"You… you… you…" He stared at the man, struggling to speak. "I think I've seen you before!"
The man glanced down lightly, looking at him as one would an ant.
"Yin Yi." His voice was light, tinged with mockery. "After all these years, you're only Level 7."
Yin Yi: ???
A dignified sect leader, mocked in front of everyone. He wished he could burrow into the ground.
"Just who are you?" he roared, his face flushed with anger.
The man waved his hand dismissively, a surge of spiritual power striking Yin Yi, who vomited a mouthful of blood and half-knelt on the ground.
Fortunately, he still had the Unity Talisman on him, and his teammates shared the damage for him.
The man hissed in surprise, saying, "Your defense... shouldn't be this strong."
He had been focused on his cultivation earlier, paying no attention to outside matters, and was unaware of the peculiarities of the official team. Only after injuring Yin Yi did he realize something was wrong.
"No wonder," he said, looking at Qi Quan. "No wonder the officials dared to send these low-level masters. So they have something to rely on."
He sneered, "Using forbidden arts?"
Qi Quan replied, "You talk too much."
"..."
The man's expression turned icy. "Do you really think I can't kill you?"
Qi Quan said, "Try me."
Spiritual power gathered in his palm, this time forming a short blade.
Everyone thought: Great One, how many techniques do you actually know?
"I remember now!"
Yin Yi suddenly shouted.
"I remember now! You're Cai Ji! You're Cai Ji!"
The scene fell silent.
Master Yin, even if you dislike him, you don't have to call him "Chicken," do you?
The evil cultivators were also stunned.
The Venerable One had never told them his name; they had always called him "Venerable One."
So, was it just because his name sounded bad?
Masters rarely change their names; unless they die, Cai Ji could only be Cai Ji.
Yin Yi's eyes reddened. "I never thought you were still around!"
Cai Ji's face was as cold as it could get.
He looked down at Yin Yi below the cliff, gathering vast spiritual power in his palm.
Qi Quan stood with her blade held horizontally, smiling lightly. "Your opponent is me."
Cai Ji turned to Qi Quan, asking solemnly, "Are you truly set on opposing me?"
"Not opposing you," Qi Quan said with a stern expression. "It's about seeking justice for the dead."
Cai Ji laughed heartily, disdainfully saying, "To be able to use their mediocre lives to achieve the status of a Human Immortal—that is their honor!"
Everyone thought: This is far too arrogant.
[Great One, destroy him!] The system shouted angrily.
Qi Quan asked, puzzled, "You don't actually think that after killing so many people, the Heavenly Dao would let you become a Human Immortal?"
"Why wouldn't it?" Cai Ji said fearlessly. "I cultivated through my own abilities. Why wouldn't it let me become a Human Immortal? Does the Heavenly Dao, claiming to be fair, resent me for finding a different path?"
Everyone: "..."
This person is truly deranged.
Qi Quan pointed her blade at him. "Let's begin."
"Wait," Cai Ji suddenly said. "Don't you want to become a Human Immortal?"
Qi Quan remained silent.
"If you're willing, I can share that fortune with you. The two of us can join forces, eliminate these annoying ants, and reign supreme over the whole world. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
...
Qi Quan shook her head firmly. "No."
"Why not?"
"You're too ugly."
Cai Ji: ?
Qi Quan: "Ugly in appearance, even uglier at heart. I never associate with the ugly."
"..."
Someone below couldn't hold back and snorted a laugh.
Cai Ji flew into a rage. He hated being looked down upon more than anything in his life.
He had been treated poorly because of his average looks, relegated to being a menial servant in the sect due to his inferior aptitude. Everyone looked down on him; everyone could curse and scold him at will.
Those sharp, mocking words seeped into his heart like poison, gradually corroding what little kindness and honesty remained, turning him sinister and cruel.
"Qi Quan, I should have killed you back then, rather than..."
"Rather than snatching me away from my birth parents, making my life full of hardships, and draining away my fortune?"
Cai Ji snorted coldly.
"It's not that you didn't want to kill me," Qi Quan said calmly. "You were just as timid as a mouse, not daring to defy the Heavenly Dao."
Cai Ji's spiritual power erupted from his entire body. "I'll kill you today!"
A spiritual sword materialized in his palm. He raised it and thrust towards Qi Quan, his figure moving like light, like lightning, too fast for the eye to follow.
Qi Quan didn't use her sword.
Her sword arts were her most powerful, but to deal with Cai Ji, she didn't need her sword yet.
The short blade was just fine.
A stab to the left, a thrust to the right, each strike drawing blood, each infused with overwhelmingly powerful spiritual energy that surged into Cai Ji's meridians.
Cai Ji was at the peak of the Human Emperor realm. Although his swordsmanship had grown rusty after so many years in seclusion, the depth of his spiritual power still matched his peak Human Emperor strength.
His realm was higher than Qi Quan's, so he wouldn't easily suffer damage to his meridians from her attacks.
The two fought fiercely in the air, the flashes of blades and swords leaving afterimages so fast that those below the cliff couldn't see clearly, yet they all watched, utterly captivated.
Di Meng also wanted to keep watching, but he was the commander.
He shouted, "All units, listen up! Speed up, destroy the evil cultivators' den!"
If they didn't charge into the base at the bottom of the pool while the Great One was fighting, when would they? Wait until she finished and then slowly rescue people?
The investigators and masters suddenly snapped back to attention.
Charge, ahhhhh!
By now, the evil cultivators were exhausted. In contrast, the official team members were full of energy, as if they hadn't been fighting at all.
Wait, that's right—they had been fighting in shifts, taking breaks!
Three ninth-level cultivators on their side had already died, two of whom were Human Emperors who had taken pills. And on the official side?
Not a single serious injury so far!
How could they possibly compete?
Looking up at the sky, the Venerable One and that woman had been fighting without a clear winner. That woman had killed Human Emperors with ease; perhaps she could even finish off the Venerable One directly.
So what was the point of resisting anymore?
Just give up. Everyone, just give up.
Those with weak willpower were the first to throw down their magical tools and surrender.
One led to many.
More and more evil cultivators gave up resistance, allowing the officials to subdue them.
Some tried to flee, but their escape skills were too pathetic. The professionally trained investigators had them in their sights, every single one.
No one escaped the official net.
As evil cultivators surrendered one after another, the pressure on the official team lessened considerably. Di Meng led half of the investigators towards the base at the bottom of the pool.
The entrance to the base was set beside the water pool, concealed by a high-level formation that lower-level masters would find hard to detect.
Yin Yi was quite skilled in this area.
He pointed to the Gen position of the water pool. "An eighth-level formation is set here. To enter, you either need to be... a member of the organization, or you must break the formation."
Di Meng pondered. If they wanted to enter, they would have to break the formation.
Should they attack with talismans or decipher the formation?
"I can attempt to break the formation," someone said, arriving gracefully.
It was the Fu family's eighth-level female elder.
She was an eighth-level formation master; the forbidden art formation used to save Fu Jiuge back then was set up by her.
Di Meng said happily, "We'll trouble you, Elder."
The Fu family had substantial heritage. The female master was intimately familiar with various formations and quickly found the anchor point to break this one, successfully dismantling it.
As the formation vanished, a dark, sinister staircase was revealed, descending deep into the pool's depths. A faint smell of blood wafted up.
Everyone's expressions turned extremely grave.
Yin Yi's brow was tightly furrowed.
Because Cai Ji had once come from the Guiyuan Sect, even if only as a menial servant, it still brought shame to Yin Yi's old face.
He said in a heavy voice, "I'll go down first."
Di Meng said, "Let me do it."
They had received professional training and might react faster in the face of danger.
Yin Yi understood his reasoning and patted his shoulder. "After all, Cai Ji came from the Guiyuan Sect. I might be more familiar with his methods."
Di Meng didn't refuse further.
Yin Yi went down the stairs first, followed by Di Meng second, the female master third, and the investigators behind them.
They brought all the video recording equipment and memory-retaining talismans.
The steps were dark and deep. A flashlight beam shone to the bottom, revealing a narrow, long passageway.
Di Meng threw out a pebble, one he had just picked up by the pool.
The pebble vanished from sight the moment it was thrown.
"Another formation," Yin Yi sighed.
The female celestial master followed the same method to break the formation.
Perhaps because Cai Ji had set up several ninth-grade formations outside and felt overconfident, he hadn't placed very high-grade formations inside the base, nor any traps. The female celestial master broke through them one after another, leading everyone safely through.
After passing through the long passageway, they finally reached an iron door.
"Judging by this location, we should be at the bottom of the mountain now. The room behind this door should be connected to Cai Ji's cave dwelling," Yin Yi said.
Here, "connected" meant connected through formations.
Di Meng said, "Break it down."
The investigators used formation talismans to erect a protective barrier, ensuring their own safety before using talismans to blast the iron door.
The talismans were all eighth-grade, even some ninth-grade ones, diligently drawn by Xie Lanzhou these past few days. With just one or two strikes, the iron door exploded violently. Shattered fragments of iron slammed against the protective barrier and were flung back, leaving deep marks on the stone walls.
Amidst the flying debris and dust, crimson blood slowly flowed.
Blood. Blood filled the entire room.
A thick, pungent smell of blood assaulted everyone's nostrils. The cruel and bloody scene served as a stark reminder that this was a living hell.
Yin Yi and the female celestial master could hardly bear to look, softly reciting scriptures.
Di Meng's eyes nearly burst with rage, rendered speechless by fury.
This was an enormous underground base.
The moment the door was blasted open, someone was in the act of slitting the wrist of a three-year-old child, placing it over a container to let the blood drain.
Di Meng was the first to charge forward, roaring, "Save them, now!"
The base interior also had its own security forces.
After the door was blown open, many evil cultivators poured out, and battle commenced without a word.
Enraged by the sheer evil before them, the investigators and the two celestial masters held nothing back, their weapons showing no mercy.
Devils! These were a pack of devils...!
Fighting spirit grew amidst the flames of anger.
Di Meng fought while rescuing people, swinging his peach wood hammer at a sixth-grade evil cultivator. The cultivator was no match; his dantian was directly shattered by Di Meng's spiritual power, and he collapsed in agony.
Di Meng felt not a shred of pity.
These evil cultivators could no longer be called human. Having harmed so many innocent lives, the suffering they endured now was far from enough to repay the debts they owed!
Yin Yi and the female celestial master, with their high cultivation levels, quickly eliminated a large number of evil cultivators.
The base being breached was sensed by Cai Ji.
But he was currently focused entirely on his battle with Qi Quan and had no attention to spare for that.
If he didn't kill Qi Quan today, he himself would die.
Cai Ji gripped his long sword, his eyes filled with fierce malice, aiming specifically for Qi Quan's vital points.
Qi Quan's protective spiritual energy defense was extremely high; she showed no fear of his sword energy. Her short blade hacked fiercely at his shoulder. The blade edge broke through his protective spiritual energy, leaving a bloody gash on his shoulder!
"How is this possible?!" Cai Ji questioned in shock. "You're only at Human Emperor second rank. How could you break my defense?"
Qi Quan swung her blade at his long sword. The sword formed from spiritual energy instantly chipped.
She said, "A gentleman carries a sword. Are you worthy?"
Cai Ji: Aaaaaah! He must kill this woman!
He couldn't understand why Qi Quan's spiritual power was denser than his. Was it just because she was a person of great fortune, favored by the Heavenly Dao?
He refused to accept it, he truly refused!
Moreover, after fighting this long, most of his spiritual power was already depleted, so why did she still seem so effortless?
And those official team celestial masters below, why did they still have so much spiritual power?
He had lived for so many years. Apart from being bullied at the Guiyuan Sect, he had never suffered setbacks at the hands of others. Yet, at the critical moment when his great achievement was nearly complete, this Qi Quan appeared, and then this Investigation Department appeared.
The Heavenly Dao was simply unjust!
His eyes gradually darkened, like a madman on the verge of demonic possession.
"You cannot win against me." A sinister, cruel smile appeared at the corner of Cai Ji's mouth.
The system couldn't stand it anymore, indignantly saying: [Big shot, as long as you don't kill him, beat him to death! Anyway, we still have Ling Sheng's logistical support!]
Qi Quan: ...
Before coming, she knew she would be facing a Human Emperor realm criminal, possibly even a peak Human Emperor realm criminal.
She was only at Human Emperor second rank. Although she could challenge those above her level, accidents could always happen.
Qi Quan did not like accidents.
She had made thorough preparations for herself.
Ling Sheng stayed at the Longlin City Investigation Department, bound to her with a Unity Talisman. As long as the Unity Talisman was activated, he would draw upon the world's spiritual energy to provide her with a supply.
Of course, this was just a backup plan.
It wasn't time for that yet.
She wanted to see what her true limits were.
Cai Ji fiercely slashed his sword downward, attempting to use the people at the bottom of the cliff as hostages to force Qi Quan to rescue them.
The fierce sword energy was about to fall upon the crowd. Qi Quan's figure flashed over at extreme speed. Her spiritual blade severed the sword energy, which dissipated into the air after its force was spent.
And this just gave Cai Ji the time he needed.
He spread his arms and loudly recited an incantation.
The incantation was short, lasting only a few breaths. As the last word fell, a faint rumbling sound emerged from within the valley. Black mist surged forth, shrouding everyone's heads.
Qi Quan heard his incantation clearly, her expression turning slightly grave.
[Big shot, what is he doing?] The system was somewhat worried.
Qi Quan: [A forbidden technique.]
[What forbidden technique?]
Qi Quan gripped her short blade and said: [He is going to extract all the spiritual power and life force from his puppets for his own use. The lives of the puppets will become his.]
[What's the use of that?]
Qi Quan: [To kill me.]
[Then let's interrupt him quickly!]
Qi Quan: [It's too late.]
Almost the instant the incantation ended, all across the country, every evil cultivator who had been implanted with a Puppet Talisman suddenly had their spiritual power and life force extracted, collapsing into dried corpses.
In the valley, before everyone's eyes, except for Yu Lanzhi, all eighth-grade evil cultivators lost their lives in the blink of an eye.
They died without even knowing how.
Yu Lanzhi: ???
Because he was a sect leader who often went out on business, Cai Ji, worried that the Puppet Talisman might be discovered, hadn't implanted one in him. He narrowly escaped this fate.
He stared in terror, utterly unable to speak.
He only knew the Puppet Talisman prevented leaks; he never knew it could also instantly take one's vitality!
An immense amount of spiritual power and vitality gathered within Cai Ji. The aura around him grew increasingly violent and terrifying.
"Is this... about to breakthrough?" someone asked, trembling.
If Cai Ji truly became a Human Immortal, could any of them still leave here alive?
Only Qi Quan's eyes burned brightly, showing no fear at all.
She flew up to stand before Cai Ji. The short blade in her hand disappeared, replaced by a pale golden long sword.
The sword light was pale gold, signifying she had comprehended a sword path of her own, recognized by the Heavenly Dao.
Cai Ji looked at her, shock mixed with boundless jealousy.
"It's just so unfair."
Why were some people born blessed with great fortune?
Qi Quan said calmly, "The Heavenly Dao is fair. Having studied the Dao for so long, are you not aware of the concept of merit and virtue?"
To bear great fortune in one's life is generally due to accumulating immeasurable merit in a past life.
To be born ordinary, perhaps it is because one's past life was simply ordinary. But if one performs many good deeds and accumulates merit in this life, it is not impossible to become a person of great fortune in the next.
Cai Ji snorted with a laugh. "I only acknowledge the 'me' of this life. Whether it's a past life or a future life, is that still me? It's nothing but empty talk meant to persuade people to be good."
"You only acknowledge the 'you' of this life, yet you do not accept the 'you' of this life. How contradictory."
Qi Quan raised her sword. The golden light on the blade echoed the brilliant sunlight.
The sword's aura was vast and righteous, specialized in vanquishing evil demons and wicked paths.
Cai Ji simultaneously raised his sword.
His sword had already turned black-red, steeped in the blood of countless people, roiling with a nauseating stench of blood.
He said, "Qi Quan, with your strength alone, can you shake the spiritual power of countless people? Give up now, and I will spare your life."
In response, there was only the blazing light of her sword.
In mid-air, two swords of immense power collided. Their vast spiritual powers clashed against each other, instantly stirring up an extremely terrifying wave of spiritual energy that exploded outwards in all directions.
The spectators had learned their lesson and hurriedly took shelter within protective arrays.
The scattered spiritual energy waves struck the array shields, which flickered several times as if on the verge of failing the next second.
Filled with nothing but shock, the crowd immediately replaced them with new spirit talismans, re-establishing the arrays.
These were ninth-level array talismans personally crafted by Senior Qi!
If the mere energy waves were so domineering, how powerful must the two at the center of that energy be?
No, the powerful one... was only Senior Qi.
That Cai Ji was nothing but a shameless thief.
This strike from Qi Quan had nearly exhausted all the spiritual power in her dantian. The pale golden sword light intertwined and contended with the black-red sword light. The collision of energies at the Human Sovereign Realm, capable of nearly destroying heaven and earth, was something even she found slightly hard to withstand.
Yet, precisely because of this, she felt an unprecedented excitement.
Battling an opponent of the same level was an endless delight!
Cai Ji was also shocked by her profound spiritual power.
The density of her spiritual power was actually heavier than that of a peak Human Sovereign Realm cultivator!
Why on earth was this?
Qi Quan's expression remained composed. "Your cultivation is quite hollow."
Cai Ji's face instantly turned green.
In fact, his spiritual power density was the normal one; it was clearly her who was abnormal!
Qi Quan dared to fight a peak Human Sovereign Realm expert not without confidence.
She enjoyed challenging those above her level.
In her previous life, when she defeated a Ghost General, she hadn't actually reached the Human Sovereign Realm yet; she was only at the ninth level, third stage. It was after destroying the Ghost General that she advanced to the first stage of the Human Sovereign Realm.
Qi Quan once again squeezed the spiritual power within her body, coalescing it into a short sword.
"Hahahahaha," Cai Ji laughed wildly and unrestrainedly. "Have you run out of spiritual power? Reduced to using a short sword?"
Black-red spiritual power, shimmering with sin and blood, transformed into a massive long blade.
"You like long blades, don't you? I'll return the favor!"
The black-red long blade, carrying a terrifying energy, pressed down upon the slender figure in mid-air.
Qi Quan raised the short sword.
The tip of the sword met the descending blade edge.
Compared to the giant blade, the golden light emitted by the short sword was as faint as a firefly's glow.
Cai Ji grinned, laughing maniacally. Victory was right before his eyes!
Qi Quan forced out the last trace of her spiritual power; the short sword was about to vanish.
[Great One, quickly activate the Unity Talisman!] The system was frantic with worry.
The short sword vanished; the black-red blade pressed down.
"Senior!"
"Great One!"
"Ahhhhh no!"
The crowd cried out in anguish.
Cai Ji watched as the giant blade chopped down towards Qi Quan. In the next moment, it would reduce her to ashes...
Suddenly, an extremely dazzling light suppressed the black-red giant blade.
The giant blade was actually forced to flip over completely, and beside it, another identical giant blade appeared!
What... was this?!
The system reacted, howling excitedly: [Ahhhhhh! Great One, you are the most, most, most, most amazing! This is the Retribution Talisman, right? This is the double retribution talisman you mentioned before!]
Previously, when Qi Quan went to the Fu family to treat Fu Jiuge, the system had worried on the way back about the danger if she exhausted her spiritual power. Qi Quan had explained the existence of the Retribution Talisman to it.
Just now, Qi Quan feigned weakness precisely to lure Cai Ji into using his ultimate move.
Now, one ultimate move had become two ultimate moves.
Could he swallow the move he himself had fed?
Under Cai Ji's gaze, filled with terror and confusion, the two black-red giant blades simultaneously slashed towards his body.
Without a Retribution Talisman of the Human Sovereign Realm, he could only endure it head-on.
"Ahhhhhhh—"
The black-red giant blades completely engulfed him.
Before Qi Quan could plummet to the bottom of the cliff, she was enveloped by a frenzied surge of heaven and earth spiritual energy.
Cai Ji had picked a good location.
This place was extremely rich in spiritual energy. From the continuous mountain ranges, countless streams of heaven and earth spiritual energy, summoned, poured into this valley.
The spiritual energies joyfully drilled into Qi Quan's meridians and dantian, causing them to continuously fill, fill, and fill some more...
They supported Qi Quan's body, suspending her in mid-air, bathing her in the golden sunlight, as if she were a noble and transcendent deity.
The crowd: Ahhhhhhh!
Only the word "ah" could express the unparalleled excitement here.
Once the spiritual energy in the mountains was fully absorbed, Qi Quan still didn't stop.
More and more spiritual energy swarmed in from all directions. Even the spiritual energy of the Hengshan Sect couldn't help but rush to Qi Quan's side, merging into her body.
Yu Lanzhi: ???
The sect has a grand protective array! How could the spiritual energy run over?!
Cai Ji was still screaming miserably under the shroud of the black-red giant blades.
Qi Quan, carried by the spiritual energy, rose higher and higher, and the aura around her grew increasingly terrifying.
"Is Senior... about to advance?"
Someone asked with trembling lips, voicing everyone's thoughts.
No one answered him.
Everyone held their breath and waited.
Qi Quan was indeed advancing.
With the aid of the heaven and earth spiritual energy, she progressed from the second stage of the Human Sovereign Realm directly into the third stage, gradually climbing towards perfection.
But she had a premonition; this time she would not become a Human Immortal.
Sure enough, at the brink of reaching perfection, her advancement stalled.
She faintly touched a trace of the power of laws.
After reaching the peak of the Human Sovereign Realm, her spiritual sense grew even stronger, and her connection with the heaven and earth spiritual energy became even closer.
On the other side, Cai Ji's physical body could not withstand the two black-red giant blades and was utterly pulverized beneath them.
But he was quite cunning. Just as his body was about to be destroyed, at the cost of instantly shattering his flesh and blood, he allowed his soul to separate from his physical form, attempting to escape amidst the chaos.
He had almost fled beyond the boundaries of the Hengfeng Sect when he ran into Qi Quan, who had just advanced.
Qi Quan's spiritual sense was spreading out. Capturing the soul brimming with sin, she couldn't help but let out a light laugh. Her spiritual power transformed into a rope, easily pulling it back and tossing it into a peachwood tablet.
When Cai Ji activated the forbidden technique, all the evil cultivators implanted with puppet talismans turned into desiccated corpses and died. Thus, the chaotic battle in the underground base ended instantly.
Di Meng and the others had rescued the children who had not yet been harmed and had returned to the surface.
They gazed up at Qi Quan, who had landed gracefully, their eyes filled with fervent worship.
The peak of the Human Sovereign Realm—that was the peak of the Human Sovereign Realm!
Senior Qi is truly too incredible!
Although they had much they wished to say to Qi Quan, the children in their arms still needed to be settled.
Qi Quan landed back at the bottom of the cliff and was about to withdraw her spiritual sense when she suddenly froze, looking towards a spot not far away.
[Huh? Why is Ling Sheng here? Wasn't he at the Investigation Department?] the system exclaimed in surprise. [He looks a bit disheveled.]
Ling Sheng ran over swiftly, his amber eyes filled with panic. In his urgency, he opened his mouth and asked without thinking, "Why didn't you use a talisman?"
He had been at the Investigation Department, using his spiritual sense to monitor the battle here the entire time.
When he "saw" Qi Quan lose her spiritual power and be engulfed by the black-red giant blade, his mind went blank. Without a second thought, he rushed over at his fastest speed.
The young man's eyes were rimmed red, his face pale, and his voice trembled as he asked.
Qi Quan fell silent.
The others present also fell silent.
So, Physician Qi could actually speak?
System: [Wahhh, Ling Sheng was so frantic he even cut his arm.]
Qi Quan looked at his arm.
The mountain forest was dense... and rushing over at high speed made it difficult to control spiritual power for protection; the slightest misstep could lead to cuts from branches.
As a natural spiritual body, his wounds healed quickly. The fact that this wound still looked deep showed how severe the initial cut must have been.
Qi Quan took his wrist and cast a cleansing spell. The wood splinters and grime near the wound on his arm all vanished.
"You..."
Qi Quan placed her palm over his lips and smiled, "Don't speak for now. I'll tell you when we get back."
The young man stared at her blankly.
Qi Quan withdrew her hand. "Be good."
Holding the young man's wrist, she turned as if to leave the valley, but was suddenly pulled back by him.
Her body fell into an embrace.
A faint scent of green grass enveloped her, vibrant and fervent, yet also incredibly awkward, tinged with a hint of cautiousness.
The onlookers: Oh ho.
System: [Hehehe.]
Qi Quan: ...
She was just about to tell Ling Sheng to let go when the young man, blushing, released her and didn't dare to look at her further.
Fine, a hug is just a hug.
The others stayed behind to clean up the aftermath, while Qi Quan took Ling Sheng back to the Longlin City Investigation Department first.
Longjing City, the Yan Family.
The family competition had reached a fever pitch, with the disciples taking the stage being the best of the best.
The two sides facing off were a master from the Yan Family's main branch and a master from Yan Fengqing's line.
A fifth-level against a sixth-level was a tough fight.
Just as the main branch contestant was about to be defeated, a commotion suddenly erupted not far away.
Yan Huai immediately stood up.
The steward came to report with a strange expression: "Young Master, something has happened in the rest area."
The rest area was specifically provided for the family servants.
The heads and contestants from each branch, more or less, had servants and attendants with them. These people, not suitable to enter the competition arena, were arranged to wait in the rest area until the matches concluded.
Yan Huai hurried to the rest area immediately.
By the time he arrived, many servants were crowded outside the rest area, their faces panicked and at a loss.
The steward pointed inside the room. "You'll understand once you go in and see."
Yan Huai stepped into the rest area.
A desiccated corpse lay collapsed on the sofa, thoroughly dead.
This person was Yan Fengqing's steward. When he passed through the detector at the entrance to the competition arena, a black marker had appeared.
He had been implanted with a puppet talisman.
The steward asked, "What should we do now?"
"Wait."
"Wait? Wait for what?"
Yan Huai gripped his phone tightly, a flicker of anticipation rising in his eyes.
"Wait for some news."
