“Yes, we cannot act rashly. However, if we know that a genocide is going to take place, we must act immediately. Furthermore, even if our Martial Ancestor is not going to take any action, there should be another way to defeat Zhou Bao. Don’t forget, no matter how powerful he is, he is merely a Level Nine expert. Even if he is able to slay Venerables, it is all due to his powerful Yin and Yang Heavenly Sword. I believe there must be someone who is powerful enough to do battle with him!”
“Does this mean, you have come up with a plan to defeat him? Tell us about it!”
“Actually, I haven’t. I think we must report this matter to our Martial Ancestor because there are many things that need his intervention. We’re not capable nor authorized to make any decisions when it comes to these affairs!”
“Haha, how is it that you only remember our Martial Ancestor at this moment? When you decided to unite with the Divine Wind Palace, you did not even bother to ask for his permission.”
“Qin Yueming, you’ve gone too far. Don’t forget that our family is badly in need of the Mysterious Gold Mine, and acquiring it is also a task given by our Martial Ancestor. I did it in order to fulfill his objective! Do you think that I did it for myself?”
“Alright, that’s enough!” While listening to the two Elders arguing, Qin Zheng looked very annoyed. He hit the table hard and interrupted their argument.
“This matter is of great importance, so we must report it to our Martial Ancestor and come up with some plans!” After he had finished talking, he stood up and prepared to leave. Suddenly, a voice rang out in the room, saying, “There’s no need to do that. I’m aware of it already.”
“Martial Ancestor!” Everyone in the room was shocked. They all stood up and knelt down in obeisance.
“All right, get up! I’m going to meet with that rising star. You just stay here and wait for the news!”
In the Crane-lingering Inn which was located at the Mountain City of the Qin Family.
A sardonic grin flashed across Zhou Bao’s face as he looked out at the mountain city. He was quietly enjoying the night scene outside the window. After a few seconds, a resonant voice came into the room.
“South Mountains Qin Haoran, paying my respects to Fellow Taoist Zhou!”
“Interesting! I’ve never expected that there will be an expert at the Venerable Realm in Qin Family. What a surprise!” thought Zhou Bao. He smiled and waved his hand. Automatically, the door opened and he said, “Come in.”
A black-robed elder appeared in Zhou Bao’s room. In his 60s, this man looked dapper even though he was not very tall. From his eyes, Zhou Bao could easily tell that he had a shrewd character. Although Zhou Bao did not show him any courtesy, he could sense the dangerous vibes emanating from Zhou Bao, as he was an expert at the Venerable Realm. It was a feeling he had not experienced for centuries.
“Haha, good! As expected, the younger generation will surpass the older. Even at such a young age, your cultivation is already on par with mine. God takes good care of talented people. I really admire you!” Qin Haoran eyed Zhou Bao’s youthful appearance with envy.
“There is nothing worthy of admiration. It is only because luck is always on my side. Senior, I too admire you for having lived such a secluded life.” Zhou Bao wore a smile and added, “No wonder the Qin Family is able to dominate the South Mountains for 3,000 years!”
“You really hold me in high esteem. I’m just an old bag of bones!” Zhou Bao let him in but did not offer him a seat, which was quite rude. However, the old man was not bothered about his lack of manners. With a humble look, he said, “I am here for two reasons: first, I’d like to clear up the misunderstanding between us; second, I would like to share a great benefit with you as an atonement for my past behavior. What do you think?”
“As people age, they become craftier, and you’re no exception. What makes you think that I’ll make a deal with you? Originally, the purpose of my coming here is to kill several experts of the Qin Family to avenge my cousin’s death and to teach your family a lesson. However, I didn’t expect that you would come to me. Haha, you’re a Genuine Immortal at the Venerable Realm. If I killed you, your family’s strength will definitely plummet to the depths of utter decline!”
“How dare you…!”
Zhou Bao suddenly disappeared. Noticing that, Qin Haoran’s expression changed abruptly and, in a flash, a purple ray shot out from his body.
Boom!
The entire floor of the inn that Zhou Bao was at collapsed. A purple shadow shot out toward the peak of the Mountain City of the Qin Family. But before he could do anything else, he was drawn into a maelstrom made up of black-red Sword Qi.
“Zhou Bao, how dare you! Oh, no…”
Qin Haoran roared in great alarm, the sound emerging strongly from the midst of the maelstrom. He had never expected that Zhou Bao would be so unreasonable as to attack him even before he had finished speaking.
However, little did he expect that Zhou Bao was sneering at him.
He wanted to lure Zhou Bao by promising him a great benefit, but he was not aware that Zhou Bao had just obtained the Azure Secret Area and had the experience of creating a world. Zhou Bao’s vision was far beyond his imagination.
Therefore, Zhou Bao did not think that Qin Haoran would be able to offer him any tempting benefit. Even if he could, it did not matter.
He possessed many cultivation methods, resources, and some fairy weapons. Additionally, he was quite powerful. So, even if Qin Haoran were to offer him a fairy weapon, it would not be of any great value. Killing Qin Haoran would give him more pleasure.
But he had not expected that Qin Haoran would be able to fend off his attack.
“Why am I afraid to kill you? I did not expect you to possess a protective Pure Yang Celestial Device. However, even so, you will still die under my Yin and Yang Heavenly Sword!” Zhou Bao laughed grimly and his laughter reverberated around the mountain city.
“No!”
“It’s our Martial Ancestor!”
“He fell into a trap!”
“How bold Zhou Bao is that he dares to attack the Qin Family!”
“Hurry up! Go and activate the City Protection Formation!”
Although Zhou Bao and Qin Haoran had just commenced fighting, they created such a ruckus that everyone could hear. The mountain city was the headquarters of the Qin Family in South Mountains, hence, there were a dozen experts whose cultivations were above Level Seven and, some Elders were level Eight or Level Nine experts. They were all shocked by the fighting. They immediately swathed themselves in the Gang Qi and flew up into the sky to surround Zhou Bao completely. But given Zhou Bao’s power, no one had the guts to approach him.
“It’s really good to have you all here, so I won’t have to hunt for each of you. Members of your family had killed one of my family, therefore, I definitely will take revenge against his killers. Otherwise, you will not understand the value of my family!” Zhou Bao uttered these words grimly and flicked one of his fingers. The surrounding air suddenly vibrated violently, as if a giant object had been forcibly sucked out of the water.
As the air vibrated, the surrounding space immediately gave out a “buzzing” sound, and invisible ripples rolled out everywhere.
“Oh, no…!”
“Depart immediately!”
“What the hell is this?”
28 experts from the Qin Family came to hold Zhou Bao under siege and they could all sense the great danger at this moment. Three of the most intelligent Elders who were at the highest cultivation-Level Nine, hurriedly retreated toward the city as they felt that something was not quite right. However, the other 25 experts were barely aware of the faint ripples penetrating their bodies before they realized that something was happening. Soon afterward, they fell unconscious, without even having time to give their last screeches.
The three experts who had managed to escape in good time witnessed a most bizarre scene; the bodies of the 25 experts suddenly froze in mid-air and abruptly disintegrated into fine powder, and then disappeared in the wind.
“What kind of skill is that?”
“How could it be so powerful?”
“It’s Infinite Trembling Contemplation, the legendary Infinite Trembling Contemplation! How is he able to use this secret skill?”
Some of the more knowledgeable Elders had managed to figure out the skill that Zhou Bao used, but it was already too late.
The 25 experts were the backbone of the Qin Family, and the one who was still trapped in the maelstrom was their key resource. However, in a short while, all of them had been wiped out. The members of the Qin Family were in a state of utter turmoil, having no time to react at all and not knowing what to do next.
Below the mountain, several experts who were responsible for protecting the mountain city had activated the City Protection Formation as their last resort.
Watching the purple light rising from the city and Qin Haoran who was struggling in the maelstrom, Zhou Bao smiled grimly. He pointed at the center of the maelstrom and, a cloud of dark-golden flame surged upward in the Sword Qi.
A short muffled groan rang out. The Sword Qi disappeared, and the Martial Ancestor of the Qin Family, Qin Haoran, was turned into a human torch falling from the sky. His life ended with him turning into ashes in mid-air.
It was the Great Fusion Technique!
By now, members of the Qin Family had finally realized what had happened.
“Zhou Bao, we are now at daggers drawn!” In the Mountain City of the Qin Family, Qin Zheng shouted in a great rage.
“Oh? Then I must kill you too!” Zhou Bao replied with great indifference. His green robe was blowing strongly as if in a gale and his eyes glittered. Although he had felt an invisible pressure emanating from the purple light in the city which was headed toward him, he merely smiled and clapped his hands together to make an Incantation Gesture.
As the Incantation Gesture took shape, an enormous strength emanated from Zhou Bao’s body and totally warded off the surrounding pressure. Zhou Bao’s power was invisible yet at the same time extremely strong. It attacked the City Protection Formation of the Qin Family with full force. The formation failed to exert enough pressure on Zhou Bao, but it was about to collapse anytime due to his enormous power.
Meanwhile, a giant gold seal that was completely made of Real Essence floated in front of Zhou Bao.
It was the Flipping Sky Seal!
This was Zhou Bao’s first time to use the Flipping Sky Seal after he had reached the Mysterious Realm. He had never thought that it would have such an amazing effect.
The giant seal grew larger in the wind and instantly turned into a 100–foot tall creature. It glittered with a golden light and complex talismans emerged from it. It was really a dazzling sight to behold.
Watching this scene, Zhou Bao was somewhat surprised. He had never expected that the Flipping Sky Seal would be so large. The most important fact was that he could feel unusual movements of the Real Essence inside his body this time. Originally, he needed to guide the Real Essence to follow the working flow of the Flipping Sky Seal and this was the only way he could use it. However, this time, the experience was quite different from before. After the seal took shape, it continued to absorb his Real Essence in a mystical way. He figured out that within a few seconds, the Real Essence of a Genuine Immortal at the Venerable Realm would be totally spent. Luckily, he had opened Real Dragon’s Nine Acupoints and possessed the essence of the Innate Deity in his body, so the quantity of his Real Essence far surpassed that of ordinary experts. Otherwise, he could not afford to be continuously absorbed by the Flipping Sky Seal.