"Crack, crack, crack..."
The sound of cracking ice resounded from the Dragon Emperor's body, and then, the bloodstain from his forehead quickly extended all the way to his groin.
"Snap!"
Finally, his body split in two, falling to the ground in halves, landing heavily on either side.
"Whoosh—"
However, in the next moment, the two halves of the corpse simultaneously shot back up into the sky, instantly merging together, and once again, the Dragon Emperor reformed. Without hesitation, he turned into a streak of black light and charged toward Qin Chuan.
"Die!"
The Dragon Emperor roared, his right hand transforming into a pitch-black dragon claw that pierced straight through Qin Chuan's chest.
"Poof!"
A soft sound echoed. Qin Chuan's body froze, staring at the Dragon Emperor in front of him with disbelief and unwillingness, his voice hoarse as he muttered, "How... could this be... you were... already..."
"Heh, if I were that easy to kill, I would've died long ago. How could I have dominated the Nine Heavens Realm for tens of thousands of years?"
The Dragon Emperor chuckled arrogantly.
"I want... to die with some understanding..."
Qin Chuan's face turned pale, his voice weakening.
"Heh, you want to know why I didn't die?"
The Dragon Emperor's lips curled into a mocking smile, "Since you want to die knowing the truth, I... won't tell you!"
"Poof!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Dragon Emperor pulled his right hand out of Qin Chuan's chest. Instantly, a torrent of blood gushed out.
His expression was indifferent.
This is the price for opposing him!
The Dragon Emperor, who had risen from humble beginnings, had swept through his peers and ascended to the pinnacle of power, reigning over the Nine Heavens Realm for tens of thousands of years. He was no ordinary figure—he was a king who had walked a path paved with corpses and blood!
"Hmm?!"
But suddenly, his pupils shrank, and every hair on his body stood on end. He felt that something was wrong.
He abruptly retreated, looking at Qin Chuan's face, only to find that Qin Chuan was not panicked at all. Instead, he had a calm and leisurely smile on his lips.
"You... what are you...?"
The Dragon Emperor, unsettled by Qin Chuan's strange expression, grew increasingly uneasy, but he couldn't pinpoint why.
At that moment.
Qin Chuan, covered in blood, smiled at him and whispered softly, as if right next to his ear, "Time to wake up."
Whoosh!
At that moment, the Dragon Emperor's soul trembled as if struck by lightning, and he suddenly understood something.
Whoosh!
The next moment, he opened his eyes—everything that had just happened was an illusion.
At this point, he found himself bound by a shining golden rope, all his power completely sealed, leaving him immobile.
"You!!!"
His eyes blazed with fury as he glared at Qin Chuan, his gaze so intense it seemed as though he wanted to devour him.
"Not bad. In all these years, you're the first villain I've encountered who didn't reveal his secret even when he had the upper hand."
Qin Chuan looked at him approvingly, then suddenly thought of something, chuckling, "Of course, maybe I'm actually the villain here."
"Hmph! Victory or defeat—it's all that matters. I've lost today, so if you want to kill me, do it. Why waste words!"
The Dragon Emperor snorted coldly.
"Do you really want to die that much? Don't you have the backing of the Burial Grounds? Why not use it? Maybe I'll let you go."
Qin Chuan smiled faintly.
"I have dominated the Nine Heavens Realm for tens of thousands of years. Begging and groveling for mercy is beneath me. Moreover... that so-called backing means nothing to people like us. If you want to kill, you will kill regardless."
The Dragon Emperor replied coldly.
When he had risen to power, he had faced countless threats from the descendants of powerful factions among his peers. But he never cared. He would kill them without hesitation, even if it meant being hunted by their elders. He would just run!
"You see things clearly, and your backbone is commendable, but... in my hands, no one gets to stay noble."
Qin Chuan smiled slightly, and with a wave of his hand, the immobilized Dragon Emperor was absorbed into his inner world.
He would take him back.
Let Qin Xiaozhu handle him!
Under Qin Xiaozhu's torment, he could at least stir up a wave of hatred, helping him break through to the Jade Pool Realm. If lucky, they might even extract the secret of the Dragon Emperor's "immortality," giving Qin Chuan yet another trump card.
"What?!"
"The Hall Master... has fallen."
"Run!!!"
The experts of the Human Sacred Hall were stunned, their faces pale, and they all fled in panic.
"Stop!!"
Qin Chuan's shout rang out like thunder, booming in everyone's minds, almost making them faint on the spot.
Of course, some still tried to escape.
"Whoever dares to run will die!"
Qin Chuan said coldly, and at the same time, a huge golden net spread out, completely sealing off the surrounding space.
The heavens' net was vast, and there was nowhere to escape!
"You... what are you going to do?"
"Qin Demon King, I advise you not to commit more murders, or one day, you will face retribution from the heavens!"
The Sacred Hall's experts, their faces pale, still threatened him weakly.
"I won't kill you, but you must swear loyalty to me."
Qin Chuan said calmly.
"This... this is against the rules! We are not of the same race. One's heart is different if not of the same tribe. You are of the Tianheng Clan, and this..."
An elderly man stammered.
"Submit or die!"
Qin Chuan's voice was cold and forceful.
He didn't bother explaining.
He was not from the Tianheng Clan, but there was no need to explain, nor did he care if they believed him.
If they did not submit, they would die!
"You are too domineering!"
An old man angrily shouted.
"Boom—"
Before he could finish his sentence, his body exploded on the spot, turning into a cloud of blood mist.
"The Human Clan will never be slaves!"
A burly man roared toward the heavens, but his body also exploded moments later.
"I would rather die than yield!"
"I'll fight you to the end!"
Several of them, filled with unyielding spirit, charged at Qin Chuan like moths to a flame.
They streaked across the sky like shooting stars, but before they could get within a hundred meters of Qin Chuan, they exploded mid-air.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The radiant bursts of blood were eerily beautiful.
Then.
The remaining people fell silent.
Their faces were filled with fear, and the flames of resistance that had just ignited in their hearts were instantly extinguished.
They finally realized that resistance was futile and would only lead to a meaningless death.
"I... submit."
"I submit as well."
"So do I."
The high-ranking members of the Human Sacred Hall lowered their once-proud heads.
"Good. Now sign the contract."
Qin Chuan waved his hand, and a golden contract flew out, expanding instantly until it hung in the sky like a waterfall.
The crowd looked at the contract in surprise, realizing it was only a contract for a hundred years of loyalty.
A hundred years!
That wasn't too long!
Overjoyed, they hurriedly signed their names.
"Buzz!"
Soon, the contract burst apart, transforming into countless strands of light that dispersed in all directions.
This contract had sold the entire Human Clan. For the next hundred years, they would be unable to disobey Qin Chuan's orders.
And a hundred years later, even if they begged to continue following him, Qin Chuan might not care to accept them.
"Where is Qin Zi?"
Qin Chuan scanned the crowd and asked.
"Reporting to my lord, he's in a newly discovered ancient ruin. I'll take you there right away!"
A middle-aged man from the Sacred Hall's intelligence division replied.
"Good."
Qin Chuan nodded, then withdrew the golden net from the sky and followed the middle-aged man.
After a while.
The experts of the Sacred Hall watched Qin Chuan's departure with complicated expressions, sighing heavily.
Who would have thought that the Human Sacred Hall, which had stood for tens of thousands of years, would change hands in a single day!
Moreover, after signing the contract, they no longer even had the heart to rebel.
It was terrifying.
Qin Chuan flew with the Sacred Hall middleman, soon arriving at the ancient ruin where Qin Zi had entered.
It was a mountain shaped like a gourd!
The mountain had seven peaks, each colored differently—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—giving it an extremely strange appearance.
"My lord, this is the place. Someone saw him enter the ruins with their own eyes."
The middle-aged man cautiously said.
In truth, Qin Zi had been chased into the ruins by them, but he dared not say that.
"Why didn't you go in?" Qin Chuan asked, already knowing what had happened.
"Reporting to my lord, the relic is peculiar. Time flows much faster inside than outside, so we didn't dare go in."
The middle-aged man responded, his voice trembling slightly.
Time acceleration?!
Qin Chuan's eyes lit up. If that were the case, wouldn't Qin Xiaozhu's cultivation level rise rapidly?
He had recently noticed that Qin Xiaozhu's cultivation was too low, already limiting his development.
For instance, last time when Qin Xiaozhu attempted to provoke the old man in hemp robes with his usual taunting, it no longer triggered the old man's killing intent. The old man simply ignored him.
That was the gap in their levels.
When someone's strength surpassed yours by too much, no matter what you said, it wouldn't matter. They wouldn't even bother to acknowledge you.
"Ding! There's an ancient ruin ahead. Does the host wish to enter? It will only cost 1 million Fated Value to guarantee your safety."
At this moment, the system's persuasive voice sounded in Qin Chuan's mind.
"Get lost!"
Qin Chuan immediately rejected the offer.
This annoying system was always trying to find ways to drain his money.
He currently had only 1,002,000 Fated Value, and he needed to save it for life-saving situations. He couldn't just spend it recklessly.
Besides, there was no need for him to enter. All he had to do was sit outside, sip some tea, and wait for Qin Xiaozhu to emerge.
There was no way Qin Xiaozhu would perish inside the ruins. Moreover, once Qin Xiaozhu came out, the ruin would likely have been emptied.
If there were any treasures within, Qin Xiaozhu probably wouldn't be able to hold on to them, and in the end, they would still fall into Qin Chuan's hands.
Swoosh.
With a wave of Qin Chuan's hand, the surrounding terrain rapidly changed. The laws of earth and wood intertwined, and soon, a luxurious villa was built.
The entire Seven-Colored Gourd Mountain was enclosed within the villa's backyard, becoming his private property!
He sat down comfortably, ready to enjoy his tea while waiting for Qin Xiaozhu to exit the ancient ruin.