Boom! Boom! Boom!
After some time, the sky above the forbidden land began to flash with multicolored lightning, like a radiant flower of thunder blooming in the sky.
The overwhelming power of destruction spread downward.
"This is bad, the time is up!"
The tall, muscular man's face turned grim, as if an enormous world was pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to bear. His feet had even sunken into the ground, with cracks spreading out from beneath them.
"W-what's happening?"
Qin Zi raised his head in panic. Just a tiny portion of the oppressive force in the air made his soul tremble. This was truly the power of world-ending destruction!
"Zi'er, the meeting we had was through the secret technique your uncle used. He's reaching his limit, and you must leave now."
The woman in the white dress spoke with reluctance.
"I see..."
Qin Zi nodded thoughtfully, then solemnly said, "Mother, take care. I'll leave now, but Father and I will come rescue you soon."
"Yes, Mother will be waiting."
The woman smiled warmly, full of affection.
Qin Zi then looked at the muscular man who was now straining under the pressure and said gratefully, "Uncle, thank you for giving me this chance to meet with my mother."
Whoosh!
The muscular man's body trembled slightly, as if a soft spot in his heart had been touched. His emotions became complicated.
Child, I'm supposed to kill you...
But he couldn't bring himself to say this to Qin Zi. Instead, he simply responded softly, "Yes."
Crack!
The next moment, a sound like glass shattering echoed in the air, and Qin Zi's figure vanished.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Qin Zi disappeared, the multicolored lightning in the sky also faded, and the terrifying pressure dissipated.
The muscular man staggered and fell to one knee, using his right hand to prop himself up on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Huff... huff... As expected of the Celestial Realm, the backlash was too strong. Even after such a short time, I was almost crushed."
His voice was filled with fatigue.
Even though he was a powerful figure, the pressure from a Celestial-level world was still hard to withstand.
Luckily, the Mirror Flower, Water Moon secret technique didn't have any offensive capability. Otherwise, the backlash would have been even more terrifying.
"Brother..."
The woman in the white dress approached with concern, as if she wanted to help him. But halfway through reaching out, she withdrew her hand, her emotions conflicted.
This man was her brother, yet at the same time, he was also the leader of the Phoenix Clan and soon to be the executioner who would kill her child.
Even though that child wasn't her son...
But he believed it was!
As long as he was determined to kill her son, an unbridgeable wall would rise between them.
"Alas, I've done all I can."
The muscular man sighed, slowly rising to his feet. As he stood, his figure seemed to grow more imposing, filled with a sense of unyielding authority.
This kind of imposing presence came from his dignity as the clan leader, showing his firm and impartial attitude.
"Brother, I have one last request," the woman said hesitantly, struggling to find the words.
The muscular man remained expressionless, waving his sleeve dismissively as he started walking away, clearly not wanting to hear it.
"I beg you... at least let them die without pain!" the woman bent over, shouting with all her might, her voice hoarse.
The muscular man paused for a moment.
"Fine."
With that, his figure disappeared through the exit of the forbidden land.
As he left, it felt as though he took the last source of light from the area with him, plunging the forbidden land into darkness.
The woman in the white dress seemed to lose the last of her strength, collapsing weakly to the ground. Her expression was complex.
"Sigh..."
A long, sorrowful sigh echoed in the dimly lit land.
...
In the Celestial Realm, within a secluded cave.
Qin Zi opened his eyes, and the first things he saw were two familiar faces—those of Qin Chuan and Shui Qingrou.
"Father? Qingrou?"
He called out softly, still a little disoriented. Just as he was about to ask what had happened, a flood of memories surged into his mind.
He recalled everything that had just occurred.
"Zi'er, what happened?" Qin Chuan asked.
Of course, he had already used the system to find out about Qin Zi's situation, but he had to pretend to be in the dark.
"Father, I met Mother!" Qin Zi exclaimed excitedly.
"What?!"
Qin Chuan's brows furrowed deeply.
"Here's what happened..." Qin Zi then recounted everything that had taken place in detail.
"A secret technique that amazing?" Shui Qingrou's eyes widened in disbelief.
However, Qin Chuan's expression remained serious as he asked, "You said it was only your consciousness that was summoned, but why is your jade pendant missing?"
"Huh? The jade pendant?!"
Qin Zi was startled. He quickly checked himself and realized that the jade pendant was indeed gone.
"This..."
He looked at his father in confusion.
"You were likely deceived. Perhaps what they summoned wasn't just your consciousness, but your actual body," Qin Chuan said gravely.
"How could that be?!"
Qin Zi felt as though the sky had fallen. Was this all for nothing? Was his joy just misplaced excitement?
Did he just waste all those emotions?
The two con artists had stolen his jade pendant, and here he was, calling one of them "Mother" and the other "Uncle"?
"No wonder... No wonder I didn't feel a real connection with that woman! She wasn't my mother after all—that explains it!" Qin Zi suddenly realized.
He had felt that something was off the whole time but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Now he finally understood the truth.
"Let me check if they did anything else to you. I suspect their goal wasn't just to steal the jade pendant," Qin Chuan said seriously.
"Alright."
Qin Zi took a deep breath, spread his arms, and allowed his father to inspect both his body and soul.
Buzz!
Qin Chuan released a wave of divine energy and, pretending to investigate thoroughly, scanned Qin Zi's entire body.
"Father, what did you find?"
Qin Zi asked nervously.
"I haven't found anything unusual for now, but my intuition tells me this matter isn't so simple. If you feel any discomfort later on, you must tell me immediately," Qin Chuan instructed.
"Understood."
Qin Zi nodded, his mood heavy. He felt as though he had fallen into a deep trap.
Those two despicable con artists had clearly done something to him—perhaps some dark ritual, curse, or even a manipulation of karma itself, something deeply terrifying.
Qin Chuan patted his son's shoulder, reassuring him, "Zi'er, don't be afraid. As long as your father is here, no one can harm you."
"Mm!"
Qin Zi nodded firmly, then absentmindedly began to walk out of the cave, muttering, "Father, I'm going to go back and cultivate now."
Qin Chuan rolled his eyes and laughed, "This is your room! Where do you think you're going?"
"Huh?!"
Qin Zi stopped in his tracks, his face flushing with embarrassment.
"I told you there's no need to worry. As long as I'm around, there's nothing to be afraid of," Qin Chuan chuckled, shaking his head as he walked toward the exit.
"Father, take care," Shui Qingrou said quietly.
"Mm."
Qin Chuan responded as he stepped outside.
Once he left Qin Zi's residence, a mysterious smile spread across his face. With a flip of his hand, a phoenix jade pendant glowing with golden fire appeared.
The truth was, Qin Chuan had taken the pendant!
The moment the mysterious power descended, he had sensed it and quickly located the unconscious Qin Zi.
After noticing that something was wrong with Qin Zi, he used the system to investigate the situation and learned everything.
He had even peeked at the events that unfolded on the other side. Seizing the opportunity, he took the jade pendant and framed the culprits for it!
But why frame them?
Because the identity transfer had already been completed. The Phoenix Clan now fully believed that Qin Zi was the "illegitimate child," and even Lin Yi's mother had confirmed this. It had become an undeniable "fact."
As a result, Lin Yi's mother no longer had any use. In other words, Qin Zi would need a new mother!
After all, Lin Yi's mother wasn't actually his. The false couldn't be made real, so it was necessary to cut ties now—just like a stock market bubble that will inevitably burst. If they didn't get out in time, they'd end up buried.
Now...
What should be done with this jade pendant?
The answer was simple—return it to its rightful owner!
With a sly grin, Qin Chuan pulled out a messaging jade and sent a message: "Little Yi, come see me immediately. Uncle Qin has a gift for you."