Chapter 238: Chapter 236: Celestial Integration Realm
A few days later, the annihilation of the Thousand Kills Sect’s entire elite force struck like a cataclysmic earthquake, shaking the whole of Profound Island!
The news stunned the upper echelons of countless great families and major sects. It was almost too incredible to be true. Yet, the swift return of the Thousand Kills Sect’s disciples from outside the sect, along with the safe return of Qin Li’s party, silently confirmed the truth of the matter.
For a time, the Qin Family was inundated with visitors.
Nearly every visitor was desperate to learn the truth from the Qin Family.
’What kind of power would it take to so easily annihilate a High Level Sect?’ And what was most unbelievable was that the members of the Qin Family had returned without a single scratch on them!
Even for the Seven Great Superpowers, accomplishing such a feat would be utterly impossible unless a Venerable Realm powerhouse was involved!
But the problem was, why would a Venerable Realm powerhouse act so readily? After all, any battle involving a Supreme Powerhouse was a world-shaking event!
Take Bing Mengyun, the Sect Leader of the Four Seasons Sect, for example. After reaching that realm, she would almost never personally act against a junior. Whether on Profound Island or the Celestial Essence Continent, incidents that would compel a Venerable Realm expert to personally intervene were pitifully few and far between.
Many eyes turned toward the Thousand Mechanism Sect and the Lin Family, as everyone knew these two major powers were on good terms with the Qin Family. But in reality, the Lin Family and the Thousand Mechanism Sect were themselves wondering, ’Who on earth did this!’
The two powers had allied with the Qin Family partly because Lin Heng and Shen Le had a favorable impression of Qin Li, but the bigger reason was that they valued the Qin Family’s deep foundation and future potential.
The Elixirs Qin Li had produced were treasures that no family or sect could refuse!
Sometimes, if you couldn’t obtain something by force, then befriending the owner and purchasing it at a reasonable price was an excellent alternative.
After all, the ability to refine such Elixirs and possess so many miraculous Pill Formulas was extraordinary in itself. And that wasn’t to mention how Qin Li had casually brought up a forbidden land—a place even the Seven Great Superpowers dared not enter lightly.
The Qin Family of the past may have been overlooked, but with Qin Li’s meteoric rise, who would dare not take them seriously now?
Therefore, the Lin Family and the Thousand Mechanism Sect had Lin Heng and Shen Le stay behind in Fengsha City, ordering them to get to the bottom of the matter.
After all, there was a vast difference between a so-called alliance of equals and one where both parties were truly on equal footing in terms of strength.
The Qin Family’s current "equal" status had been bestowed upon them by the Lin Family and the Thousand Mechanism Sect!
It was like an Emperor telling his court officials, "You may all rise." You could only stand because the Emperor permitted it.
But if the Qin Family truly possessed the power to annihilate a High Level Sect with a wave of their hand, then everyone—the Lin Family, the Thousand Mechanism Sect, and even the Qin Family’s mortal enemy, the Cui Family—would have to take them seriously. They would have to carefully reconsider how to deal with the Qin Family from now on.
Otherwise, there could be severe consequences.
Qin Li, Shangguan Shiyu, and the others began cultivating in seclusion the moment they returned to the Qin Family, a retreat that would last for a full year!
Including the Little Fox, Linghu Feiyue, they all moved into the Qin Family Manor outside Fengsha City upon their return, undertaking arduous cultivation in its secret chambers.
Both Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu had been affected to varying degrees from using the Suppression Technique. It was hard to say whether this was a good or a bad thing.
Take Qin Li, for instance. His body had already been tempered numerous times, and his physique had reached the absolute peak a Martial Artist could achieve in this world.
However, using the Suppression Technique had once again forcefully and passively tempered it even further!
This was also thanks to Qin Li having previously consumed a flower from the Nine-Turned White Jade Lotus. It was only after learning its true value that Qin Li realized just how fortunate he had been!
’Something that takes ninety thousand years just to bloom for the first time... even if it were an ordinary plant, after ninety thousand years, it would be on the verge of becoming a sentient spirit, wouldn’t it?’
To say nothing of the fact that the Nine-Turned White Jade Lotus was a legendary Spirit Flower that had already completely reforged Qin Li’s body. Furthermore, a heaven-defying technique like the Suppression Technique could not actually be used repeatedly. According to the text it came from, using it once every three days would cause almost no harm. This was because when the Suppression Technique drew Spiritual Power from a Spirit Stone, it would also unavoidably draw upon the user’s own Primordial Power. How could their Dantians, which had not even reached the Celestial Integration Realm, withstand the kind of drain that could empty an entire Spirit Stone in an instant?
Forget the Celestial Shattering Realm; even a Martial Artist at the Celestial Embracing Realm would feel drained after using it just once!
Yet, Qin Li and Shangguan Shiyu had each used it more than once. They had used it in tandem to kill the eight Celestial Embracing Realm Elders from the Thousand Kills Sect. Afterward, when killing the hundred-plus Celestial Integration Realm Martial Artists, Shangguan Shiyu used it once more, while Qin Li had used it over ten times in quick succession!
By the end, if Qin Li had tried to use it again, the purple crystal in his Dantian would have likely been drained white!
This was largely thanks to Qin Li’s current body, which was like a divine physique. As for Shangguan Shiyu, the reason she could use the Suppression Technique twice was directly related to her Innate Spirit Body!
Had it been an ordinary person, using the Suppression Technique twice in a row—even if it didn’t kill them—would have likely caused their entire cultivation base to vanish in an instant!
What a terrifying side effect... Who would dare use it unless it was a matter of life and death?
Even so, this was one of Prince Wu’s most closely guarded secrets!
Other than Shangguan Shiyu, Qin Li had no intention of teaching this to any outsider.
Despite the risks, they both endured it. It had even been a blessing in disguise, as both of their bodies were tempered once more in the process.
In truth, a Martial Artist’s body is much like a forged sword.
There are ordinary iron swords. Once sharpened, they are quite keen and sufficient for a common person’s self-defense. Better than those are steel swords. Better still is a Fine Steel Sword, and then a Hundred Refinement Steel Sword! Beyond that are Top-Grade Treasure Swords forged from materials like Celestial Meteorite Iron, infused with other top-tier materials like refined gold and secret silver!
Or take Qin Li’s Blood-Drinking Sword, for example. The entire blade was forged from Celestial Meteorite Iron. Moreover, the Treasure Sword possessed a spirit, allowing it to recognize its master through a drop of blood!
In other words, if the Blood-Drinking Sword were to fall into anyone else’s hands, it would be nothing more than a sharp Divine Weapon, not a true Divine Sword!
Qin Li’s body, after repeated tempering, was now like a Top-Grade Treasure Sword. It was still a considerable distance from becoming a Divine Sword!
But it was precisely because of these repeated, insane actions—where he pushed himself to the brink of death and emerged stronger—that his body could be tempered again and again.
The benefits of withstanding that immense pressure were immeasurable!
In truth, almost every Martial Artist understood this principle, but those who were both as daringly reckless as Qin Li and possessed his kind of luck were few and far between.
And so, Qin Li succeeded.
In every era, there are influential figures who ride the winds of change and set the trends. Qin Li didn’t know if he counted as one of them, but for now, at least, no younger person had appeared who was more formidable than him.
Qin Li took comfort in that fact.
’I’ve never wanted to compete with anyone or make a name for myself on the continent. All I want is for my family and friends to live a little better than everyone else.’
’That’s all.’
On the day of the battle, Qin Li’s party had not returned directly to Fengsha City, as no one wanted to face the inevitable flood of people. It was a foregone conclusion that once news spread of the Thousand Kills Sect’s elite forces being all but wiped out, the Qin Family would be thrust into the eye of the storm.
At a time like this, keeping a low profile was paramount.
So, they had detoured directly to the Qin Family Manor outside Fengsha City. The manor was a place specially designated for Qin Family Martial Artists at the Celestial Integration Realm and above to cultivate in seclusion. It was quiet and had abundant Spiritual Qi.
Qin Li took out a large leaf from the Nine-Turned White Jade Lotus and gave a piece to both Shiyu and the Little Fox. After they consumed it, the Little Fox immediately went into seclusion to break through to the Celestial Embracing Realm.
Shiyu’s body was also tempered once more by the powerful effects of the Nine-Turned White Jade Lotus, and she too went into seclusion to attempt a breakthrough to the Celestial Integration Realm!
As for Qin Li, who had already reached the peak of the Celestial Shattering Realm, he successfully broke through to the Celestial Integration Realm during his year of seclusion. With his current power, he could practically kill an opponent of the same level in an instant. Even against a Celestial Embracing Realm opponent, he could defeat them instantly if he used a Spiritual Power attack!
However, the price of using a Spiritual Power attack was too high. For instance, his attack on Pang Weiran, the Sect Leader of the Thousand Mechanism Sect, had been effective in a single blow because Pang Weiran was only at the Celestial Integration Realm. But when he attacked the white-haired old man, he had only managed to injure him, not destroy his Sea of Consciousness.
And while Qin Li hadn’t dared to use his full strength on the white-haired old man at the time, the outcome still proved just how powerful a Celestial Embracing Realm Martial Artist was. They were simply on a different level from those at the Celestial Integration Realm.
Even now that Qin Li had reached the Celestial Integration Realm, if he were to attack the white-haired old man with Spiritual Power, he could certainly catch him off guard and inflict heavy damage. However, he himself would be left momentarily vulnerable, and in a battle between true experts, a single moment could decide everything.
At the very least, it would be no problem for his opponent to kill him.
Therefore, Qin Li decided it was best to use such a move as little as possible.
Just as with the Suppression Technique, the truth remained a mystery. To this day, no one could say for certain what had happened at the Thousand Kills Sect that day, and there was still no consensus on who was responsible. Even the survivors from the Thousand Kills Sect had only felt a mountain-like pressure from afar, with no idea of its origin.
The Lin Family and the Thousand Mechanism Sect offered no explanation, but many still suspected that Qin Li had a mysterious and powerful sect backing him.
In any case, not a single person suspected Qin Li and his party. It wasn’t that the thought couldn’t cross their minds; it was that they simply didn’t dare to entertain it.
If a youth of seventeen or eighteen truly possessed such heaven-defying power, then across the entire Profound Island, even the powerhouses of the Venerable Realm would tremble in fear!
