579 Prince Qing Cang
Now, he was receiving praise from a brat still wet behind his ears. “Future king tiers… In the span of my eight hundred and ninety years of existence, I’ve cultivated dozens of them,” he said, his aura beginning to surge. “Four have already ascended the throne.”
“Don’t get too confident in your victory!” The grand elder’s expression turned fierce as he glared at Qin Huai. “Your technique merely involves continuous release and suppression of top-notch king’s force, culminating in a timed explosion! As Qiong Sicheng and the Three Heroes of Qiong Qi said, your proficiency lies in ambushes. But that’s it!”
As his words ended, the grand elder charged at Qin Huai.
Whoosh!
Qin Huai spread his wings, and a powerful gust of wind swept up. The airborne feathers ignited into a rain of fire.
Unfazed, the grand elder produced a cold gleam in his hand, which momentarily hung suspended in the air before transforming into a massive swath of white light slashing at Qin Huai. Along its path, the rain of fire was wholly consumed, and even Qin Huai’s surging king’s force lost its potency.
“Qiong Qi secret technique, Devour Slash!”
“Interesting.” Qin Huai said, intrigued by the white light’s ability to devour something as ethereal as a king’s force. Quickly, he hoisted the little girl beside him, their eyes meeting.
She gave a snort and turned her head, the implication clear.
Without further ado, Qin Huai flung her into the fray. The little airborne bundle collided with the white light, stopping the previously unstoppable Devour Slash in mid-air.
Even the grand elder, emerging from the other end of the white light, was taken aback. He marveled at the two youths’ prowess – one possessing the aura of a top-notch king, the other resisting his devour slash.
In an instant, the grand elder reached the floating girl and pulled her from the devour slash, concentrating all his energy into his fingertips. An overwhelming force erupted, causing the grand elder’s face to redden. Yet, the girl remained unscathed.
“Spirit artifact, flowing dragon scaly armor? You’re a member of the dragon clan!” the grand elder exclaimed, instantly exposing the girl’s secret.
She reacted with feigned surprise. “I’m not! You’re talking nonsense!” she retorted, though her unconvincing denial confirmed the elder’s suspicion.
“Only two pieces of flowing rainbow dragon scales exist. One resides in the dragon cave of the imperial palace, the other in Prince Qing Cang’s residence. Coincidentally, the prince has a single daughter roughly your age.”
Having lived for more than eight centuries, the grand elder was well-versed in the imperial clan’s secrets. Almost instantly, he deduced the girl’s true identity.
He cast a glance at Qin Huai. “A prodigy of the azure heaven lineage… It seems Prince Qing Cang is aspiring for the throne.”
The grand elder’s feelings were mixed. He wondered if someone would genuinely emerge to turn the tide when the dragon clan was on the brink of collapse. Standing before him was the unseen Uncle Dragon Emperor and, behind him, the peak king’s force of the Qing Cang lineage.
“Prince Qing Cang!” The grand elder narrowed his eyes.
“What’s on your mind?” Qin Huai’s voice thundered in his ears. The grand elder felt a chill run down his spine as he saw Qin Huai’s fist heading for his chest.
Frantically, he slashed at Qin Huai’s arm. Yet, Qin Huai’s fist was relentless. A bloody hole materialized in the grand elder’s heart. It was only then he realized that Qin Huai’s arm had already impaled him.
“Illusion Realm Fist, Slow Form!”
“You…” The grand elder’s eyes brimmed with murderous intent. In an instant, his figure vanished, replaced by a surge of spiritual light flooding into Qin Huai’s body.
“Ding! Your spirit bone fusion rate +1%!”
“Ding! Your spirit bone fusion rate +1%!”
“Ding! Your spirit bone fusion rate +1%!”
“Current spirit bone fusion rate: 4%!”
Outside the secret chamber of the Qiong family, a cluster of youth squatted, watching as the elders exited.
Thirteen clan elders surrounded the grand elder, each bearing stern, solemn expressions.
“Look, I told you… No matter the issue, if the clan elders intervene, all difficulties will be resolved effortlessly!” The youth who had earlier made a wager smugly declared. But in the next moment, blood erupted from his neck like a geyser, his head nowhere in sight.
“Useless! A bunch of trash!” The grand elder suddenly materialized before the youth, his fearsome expression sending several of the Qiong Qi juniors sprawling on the ground. “A group of old fools who can’t even reach pureblood!”
The image of Qin Huai flashed across the grand elder’s mind, and then he glanced at the youth, so easily terrified. They were the future of the Qiong Qi clan, and the disappointment in his heart intensified.
“Cast these fools into the Great Desolate Field of the Barren State!” the grand elder commanded, and instantly, several burly figures descended from the sky.
“Grand Elder! Spare us!”
“Grand Elder, we won’t repeat our mistakes.”
The young men collapsed to their knees, pleading. The Great Desolate Field, teeming with the most vicious raiders, was the most tumultuous region in the Barren State. The Qiong Qi clan, fearing that these raiders could trigger significant unrest if they roamed freely, had specifically established an array to confine them. It was known as the Great Barren Field.
Undeterred by their pleas, the grand elder continued his stride toward the temple. Inside, the atmosphere was oppressively stifling. Thirteen clan elders, led by the grand elder, stood before a stone bench. Behind them were the three heroes of Qiongqi and Qiong Sicheng.
“Essentially, the Qiong Qi clan has been entirely eradicated in the spirit bone level,” the sect master of the Qiong Qi clan stated calmly, showing no signs of anger. “The two intruders are likely from Prince Qing Cang’s lineage. Even though the youngster possesses Kun Peng wings, they’re most likely an illusion. His king’s force emanates a formidable oppressive force, signature of the dragon clan.”
The sect master’s expression changed, his gaze growing deeper. “In these turbulent times, geniuses that are seldom seen in centuries of tranquility emerge like bamboo shoots after the rain.
“I recall a monster on the eastern battlefield wielding a five-colored heavenly flame, annihilating all in its path. There’s also a mutant clad in living armor, his body as robust as a demon’s – possibly a savage cultivator, a lion demon. He withstood the assaults of nine visceral prefecture realm experts for a full quarter of an hour without sustaining any injuries.
“Additionally, there’s a peculiar young man, who emanates light wherever he goes, as if he is a banished immortal reincarnated. According to investigations, both Taoist and Buddhist sects are vying fiercely for his loyalty. Legend has it that he might indeed be a reincarnation of a banished immortal.
“All these individuals share a trait: they gravitate towards the most dangerous situations. Consequently, they progress the fastest. This seems to be a characteristic of this generation’s young prodigies who can ascend to kingship.
“The grand elder was right to dispatch those young men to the Great Desolate Field. They are overly coddled,” the sect master murmured. “If one desires blood food, they must fight for it themselves. Otherwise, even if we survive the chaos instigated by the three sects, another will emerge. As we age, they may vanish into the annals of history like the Kun Peng clan.”
“Sect Master is wise!” everyone chorused, fists cupped in respect. Then, the temple fell into silence for a few breaths.
No one dared to breathe audibly, for the sect master’s change of topic signaled the complete obliteration of their spirit world base.
“Regarding the spirit world, let’s set it aside for now. The war is of utmost importance…” The Qiong Qi Sect Master said casually before his stone stool exploded beneath him. He leaped up and sprinted out of the temple.
“Sect Master! Where are you going?” Everyone scrambled to catch up, their voices tinged with anxiety.
“Obviously, to the Qing Cang Palace! Let’s see what Prince Qing Cang is up to!” the Qiong Qi Sect Master bellowed.
To them, the obliteration of the spirit world base was akin to losing a prime cultivation ground for the experts of the visceral prefecture realm. Such a transgression was worse than patricide.
This wasn’t the norm for trading blows. Prince Qing Cang had crossed a line.
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