Qin Yuansha showed no surprise, calmly stating, “If Senior insists on searching my soul, I can only comply. Everything I said earlier was the truth, not a single word was false.”
Though he knew death was certain, Qin Yuansha sneered inwardly. Search my soul? Your Great Dream Dao can do many things, but soul-searching isn’t one of them.
As if reading his thoughts, the red-robed woman said lightly, “I cultivate two daos. Besides the Great Dream Dao, I also practice the Suxin Dao.”
Qin Yuansha’s heart jolted, a trace of fear appearing in his eyes. He didn’t know what the Suxin Dao was, but he believed she wasn’t lying. Dual-dao cultivators were rare, especially those who reached the fourth step, but rare didn’t mean nonexistent.
Qin Yuansha suddenly sent a voice transmission, “All Qin family disciples, self-destruct immediately…”
But after speaking, he froze. His transmission had no effect in this space, as if he had shouted aloud for all Qin family disciples to self-destruct.
The space was no longer under his control. Not just him—none of the Qin family members could do anything in this space, including self-destruction.
The red-robed woman slowly raised her finger, about to touch Qin Yuansha’s forehead. His face turned ashen. He desperately wanted to erase certain Qin family secrets from his memory, but he was powerless.
At that moment, a long sigh echoed, “Alas…”
The red-robed woman instinctively whipped around, only to realise it was futile. She retreated two steps and sharply demanded, “Who’s there?”
“Qin Qingtian,” a hoarse voice replied.
“Ancestor…” Qin Yuansha’s voice trembled with excitement. Qin Qingtian was the Qin family’s ancestor, the reason they had remained in the Haoyuan Universe until now.
The Qin family held two beliefs: one, that their ancestor had gone to prove the fifth step and was no longer in this vast expanse; the other, that he had fallen while attempting to prove the fifth step, and the family’s strength was needed to awaken his soul.
The Qin family’s survival in the Haoyuan Universe, second only to Mengmu Dayan, was precisely because of their ancestor, Qin Qingtian, a fourth-step dao powerhouse. Everyone in the Haoyuan Universe knew he had gone to prove the fifth step. With such a formidable backing, even Lou Wuchen didn’t dare act recklessly against the Qin family.
“You’re Qin Qingtian?” The red-robed woman’s gaze fixed on a corner of the hall, her eyes icy. Qin Yuansha had repeatedly mentioned their ancestor, and now here he was.
No response came, but the spatial rules of the hall abruptly shifted. The red-robed woman’s expression changed, and she frantically retreated. At that moment, a massive void handprint grabbed at her. She felt herself bound by it, unable to move.
Fifth step? But she knew this wasn’t the time to ponder. Her dao charm surged wildly, and a mist of blood exploded. When it dissipated, she had vanished.
“We pay respects to the Ancestor,” Qin Yuansha and the others knelt in fervent excitement. Though the Qin family had suffered heavy losses, they had now welcomed back Qin Qingtian.
A voice came from the corner of the hall, “That woman won’t leave for now, but she’s not the threat. Begin rebuilding Tuopan Cloud Peak immediately…”
As if to confirm Qin Qingtian’s words, the red-robed woman’s voice rang out from outside the hall, “Qin Qingtian, you’re indeed strong, but can you leave this hall? I believe you’re now just a primordial spirit, and not even a complete one…”
Qin Qingtian’s tone remained utterly calm, “You’re after Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji. They’re the ones who destroyed your Mengmu Dayan’s dojo here. I assume you’re also curious how two cultivators of mediocre strength could wipe out Mengmu Dayan’s dojo?”
“I knew that man was lying to me earlier, but Qin Qingtian, if I’m not mistaken, you can’t leave this hall,” the red-robed woman sneered, unperturbed. Had Qin Qingtian not appeared, she would have already searched Qin Yuansha’s soul.
Qin Qingtian’s voice remained steady, “Though I cannot leave this hall, I can take my hall and leave this place. You’ve indeed stepped into the fourth step, but in my eyes, your fourth step is mediocre at best, barely qualifying, not even on par with Lou Wuchen.”
The red-robed woman fell silent, standing outside Tuopan Hall with a grim expression. Before, she would have scoffed at such words, but now, Qin Qingtian had nearly killed her with just a sage’s dao intent. Of course, that was partly because she was inside his Tuopan Hall.
“Your dao is imperfect. To me, even those two ants, possibly not even at the Yanjie Realm, could outwit and kill you,” Qin Qingtian’s faint voice continued.
The red-robed woman frowned but before she could respond, Qin Qingtian spoke again, “What Qin Yuansha told you earlier was true. The ones who destroyed Mengmu Dayan’s dojo were indeed two ants named Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu. When I learned of them, their strength was still at the Creation Dao Realm. Whether they were at the Yanjie Realm when they destroyed Mengmu Dayan, I’m not certain. But I can tell you with certainty, with your current strength, going after these two is no different from seeking death.”
“You can’t even leave this hall with your primordial spirit, how would you know?” the red-robed woman said disdainfully.
Qin Qingtian was unfazed by her attitude, continuing, “When I was still in slumber, they visited one of my territories. There, I sensed the aura of a universe-opening treasure, and a very powerful one at that. If I’m not mistaken, your Mengmu Dayan’s treasury was likely taken by them using this treasure.”
At this, the red-robed woman’s expression grew serious.
Qin Qingtian’s tone remained unhurried, “Cooperate with me. I not only have a way to perfect your dao, making you a true fourth-step dao powerhouse, but I can also help you obtain at least one universe-opening treasure…”
“Ancestor…” Qin Yuansha exclaimed in shock, about to protest that the red-robed woman had killed countless Qin family disciples—how could they cooperate with her?
“This is none of your concern. Leave now,” Qin Qingtian’s voice remained calm.
“What…” Qin Yuansha was stunned. The red-robed woman was right outside—going out would be suicide.
But before they could question further, everyone felt a lightness around them, and they suddenly found themselves outside Tuopan Hall.
The red-robed woman looked at Qin Yuansha and the others in surprise, not expecting them to dare come out. However, she refrained from killing and instead stared at Tuopan Hall, saying, “Speak, how do we cooperate?”
As if anticipating her agreement, Qin Qingtian said slowly, “If you trust me, come inside to discuss. Otherwise, speaking like this risks leaking all our secrets.”
“Fine, I’ll come in,” the red-robed woman replied, thinking that even if Qin Qingtian tried to attack her, she could escape Tuopan Hall.
As she entered, her sage domain expanded, and she remained on high alert. To her relief, Qin Qingtian made no move against her.
“Tell me, how do we cooperate,” she asked again, her tone noticeably softer, perhaps because she was in Qin Qingtian’s hall.
“Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji carry great secrets. As for the Creation Realm sages following them, they’re insignificant. These two cultivate their own great daos…”
“Their own great daos?” The red-robed woman interrupted in shock. She had seen many who cultivated their own daos, but none who had reached the Creation Dao Realm, let alone Mengmu Dayan’s ancestor, who was said to not fully cultivate his own dao.
Qin Qingtian affirmed, “Correct, they cultivate their own great daos. If I’m not mistaken, they know their strength is insufficient and are likely in seclusion somewhere, attempting to break through to the Creation Sage Realm.”
“Heh,” the red-robed woman scoffed, Creation Sage Realm? To her, they were still ants.
Qin Qingtian sighed, “Don’t be dismissive. If they truly achieve the Creation Sage Realm, your fourth step will still mean death at their hands.”
The red-robed woman didn’t argue, instead asking gravely, “Do you know where they are?”
Qin Qingtian said, “Though they have some enmity with Mengmu Dayan, it wouldn’t typically drive them to destroy its dojo. Their sole purpose in doing so was likely to seize Mengmu Dayan’s treasury. Why seize the treasury? For its materials and dao veins, of course. I suspect they’ve chosen a planet or domain to seclude themselves and attempt the Creation Sage Realm. The materials and dao veins are for their breakthrough. In this vast universe, places suitable for attempting the Creation Sage Realm are few and far between, easily counted.”
