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"Xiao Yan, can you... can you ask your elder brother not to kill my father?" Gu Xun'er suddenly spoke. After enduring so many harsh realities and watching the once-proud ancient Gu Clan be destroyed, she was no longer the arrogant noble lady who looked down on the world.
Upon hearing her words, Xiao Yan fell silent. He, too, was no longer the hot-blooded, reckless youth he once was. Having witnessed Qian Renhan wipe out numerous clans and sects and now planning to sacrifice tens of millions of lives to break through to the Dou Di realm, he no longer believed the values instilled through Huaxia's education could sway someone like Qian Renhan.
Xiao Yan suddenly shivered. Behind him, a murderous gaze locked onto him. The chilling aura it carried made the entire Starfall Pavilion noticeably colder. That gaze, naturally, belonged to Queen Medusa.
In the original story, Cai Lin was able to get along with Gu Xun'er because Gu Xun'er had truly given so much to Xiao Yan—her feelings were sincere and without deception. But the Gu Xun'er before them now had lost her memory. She hadn't sacrificed anything, and yet she was asking her husband to risk his life pleading with that great demon. Wasn't it Gu Xun'er's own reckless actions that led the Gu Clan to this point? Cai Lin would never allow Xiao Yan to be in any danger. His life belonged to her!
As for Cai Lin's attitude, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and the others said nothing. In their eyes, Cai Lin was the rightful wife of their young clan leader. Having reached this point in their growth, they hadn't forgotten how the Gu Clan once bullied the Xiao Clan, shamelessly trading a low-tier Xuan-level technique for the Xiao Clan's Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade. How could they not hold resentment? If Gu Xun'er hadn't once lived with the Xiao Clan and treated Xiao Yan well, Xiao Li would have already lashed out with harsh words.
In the Soul Realm...
Qian Renhan sat cross-legged in the skies. From within the massive array covering the Soul Realm, beams of light suddenly burst out, piercing deep into the ground at various points across the realm.
"Boom—!"
As the beams struck the earth, the entire Soul Realm quaked violently, as if an earthquake had erupted. The ground fractured, splitting apart. Gigantic black pillars of light surged upward. Wherever these black beams passed, the bodies of countless Soul Clan members exploded into clouds of blood and shredded flesh.
Members of the Soul Clan, Gu Clan, Yan Clan, and Lei Clan—tens of millions of lives—were obliterated by the black beams. In an instant, their blood formed a vast sea, drowning most of the Soul Clan's territory.
At the center of the Soul Clan lay a massive crater stretching ten thousand zhang wide. The blood within it lost all power, reduced to that of ordinary humans, its energy completely drained. The energy powering the black beams came from the Dou Qi of strong warriors' blood within this pool.
As the black beams enveloped the blood sea, streams of bloody energy rose into the sky, eventually forming crimson pillars that surged upward into the heavens—straight into Qian Renhan's body above.
At this moment, Qian Renhan resembled a pill being refined. The countless sacrificed lives and blood were like exotic flames, accelerating the pill's formation, pushing it toward completion.
At the Soul Realm's boundary, space tore open. Zhu Kun, now in human form, stepped out with a slightly annoyed expression. He had just returned from another trip to the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's tomb, having once again tried to gain recognition from the emperor's statue. But no matter what he did, the statue never acknowledged him, and not even his full power could make it budge.
"So it has begun?" Zhu Kun stood beside Zi Yan, quietly gazing at the ocean of blood in the sky. From within, he could sense an increasingly terrifying aura.
"Father, do you think Qian Renhan can break through to become a Dou Di?" Zi Yan asked, her beautiful eyes locked onto the blood sea since the moment the array had activated.
"In theory, yes," Zhu Kun replied calmly. "Qian Renhan has already merged with the embryonic Emperor-tier pill. That pill contains the source energy needed for a late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng to ascend to the Dou Di realm. But it lacks one thing—the Emperor-tier pill doesn't yet contain enough natural energy. Otherwise, it would already be a true Emperor Pill. What Qian Renhan is doing now is infusing it with sufficient natural energy to fully mature it."
Zhu Kun nodded slightly. He didn't find the blood sacrifice of tens of millions of lives particularly shocking. After all, he had once exterminated the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix Clan. If he had the same opportunity to devour an Emperor-tier pill, he would have done the same.
In the eyes of the strong, the weak have no place. The only thing the weak can do is pray they aren't the ones chosen.
Zhu Kun and Zi Yan's Conversation
Zhu Kun asked calmly, "Zi Yan, do you like Qian Renhan?"
"N-No…" Zi Yan instinctively lowered her head, her cheeks flushed pink.
Zhu Kun chuckled softly, clasping his hands behind his back. "You can't fool your father. The way you look at Qian Renhan is exactly how I used to look at your mother."
"Then Father, if I confess my feelings to Qian Renhan… do you think he'll accept them?"
Zi Yan asked hesitantly. Ever since she was born, she had been bullied, nearly died several times, had her father imprisoned, and lost her mother. Though Su Qian had taken her to Jia Nan Academy, her mischievous nature meant she had to grow up and gain strength before gaining approval. She constantly raided the academy's herb stores for medicinal ingredients, damaging her reputation. Su Qian couldn't shield her and was forced to let her roam free. Only Qian Renhan protected her, helped her escape danger, planned out a safe path for her growth, and even paid for her medicine.
"This isn't a matter of whether he would accept," Zhu Kun sighed, "but whether you can keep up with him."
"You've fallen for an outstanding man, and as your father, I'm happy. But you must understand—Qian Renhan isn't someone from our world."
"Not from our world?" Zi Yan blinked in confusion. She had been severely injured and fainted during Qian Renhan's confession and hadn't heard those words.
Zhu Kun recounted Qian Renhan's words and added, "Zi Yan, he is driven by the pursuit of strength. He won't stop because of emotions. He ascended from the lower realms and has cultivated to his current level. And yet, his bone age is still under forty."
"Under forty?!" Zi Yan was shocked. She had always assumed Qian Renhan was hundreds of years old—especially given his white hair.
"If you confess to him, he might accept. He would likely treat you well. But if you can't keep up with his pace, one day he will leave you behind. Is that something you're prepared to face?"
Zhu Kun's voice grew heavy. He didn't want his daughter to fall too deeply. This was why, after escaping, he had sought to meet Qian Renhan as an equal. There was also one thing he didn't say to Zi Yan: though Qian Renhan was unimaginably talented, his character was too direct. On the path to power, such people often break too easily under pressure. As her father, Zhu Kun could not bring himself to entrust his daughter to someone whose future was filled with such uncertainty—no matter how exceptional he may be.
(End of Chapter)