"Are you sure?"
Qin Zi looked at Bai Shuize.
"What, are you scared?"
Bai Shuize's lips curled into a smirk, his head held high in arrogance.
"As cultivators, why should we fear a fight?"
Qin Zi snorted coldly, waved his hand, and a vast, overwhelming aura surged out, sweeping across all directions.
"So strong!"
"That aura… As expected from the Lord of Xuanyuan Heaven. He's incredibly powerful, likely having entered the Forbidden Realm."
"The Forbidden Realm, where one is nearly unbeatable within the same realm!"
The crowd was shocked. Qin Zi's power was something they expected, but seeing it firsthand left them stunned.
"Not bad, you're strong enough for me to make a move!"
Bai Shuize's eyes flashed with a hint of bloodthirsty madness as he darted toward Qin Zi with lightning speed.
"Senior Brother Bai!"
"Don't be impulsive!"
Several young kings of Taiqing Heaven shouted anxiously. After all, Bai Shuize's power was being suppressed by tenfold. Fighting someone in the Forbidden Realm under such conditions was akin to suicide. Who could be ten times stronger than a Forbidden Realm expert?
It was unimaginable.
Even though Senior Brother Bai was hailed as Taiqing Heaven's number one anomaly, they were still worried—there was no playing around with a Forbidden Realm cultivator.
But Bai Shuize had already rushed forward.
Buzz!
With a ripple in space, the two figures disappeared and reappeared on the battle platform in the sky.
"Hand of the Gods!"
Bai Shuize thrust his right hand toward Qin Zi, and instantly, a massive crystalline hand, nearly covering the entire platform, pressed down on Qin Zi. The hand carried an unstoppable force, seemingly capable of crushing everything.
However, in the face of such a terrifying attack, Qin Zi stood with his hands behind his back, calm and unmoving, without even preparing to defend.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed, and the crystalline hand shattered into pieces. Qin Zi's robes fluttered, but he remained completely unharmed.
A faint glow radiated from his body, like the sole source of light in the universe, exuding an eternal, indestructible presence.
"Your power is suppressed by tenfold. If you could still shake me like this, how could I call myself the Lord of Xuanyuan Heaven?"
Qin Zi, standing with his hands behind his back, spoke coldly.
At that moment, he exuded an unprecedented sense of dominance. Perhaps after playing the role of a supreme figure for so long, he had begun to believe it himself, manifesting the aura and dignity of a true peerless powerhouse.
"As expected, it's no good."
Bai Shuize nodded to himself, then squinted and smiled, "How about… you also suppress your power by tenfold, and we have a fair fight?"
"Ridiculous."
Qin Zi glanced at him indifferently. Only a fool would willingly bind their own hands and feet.
"It seems you're not willing? In that case… let me help you!" Bai Shuize grinned wickedly. Suddenly, a sharp light shot from his eyes as he roared, "Water Mire… Kingdom!"
Boom!
In an instant, waves surged from Bai Shuize's body, flooding the sky and earth. A terrifying sealing force spread outward.
"What?!"
Qin Zi's face changed as he let out an enraged roar. It seemed as if ten thousand stars were exploding within him, releasing endless divine light.
Yet despite this, the overwhelming waters of the Water Mire Kingdom surged forward, engulfing him.
To his horror, Qin Zi realized that his power was being rapidly suppressed by some mysterious rule, weakened by tenfold!
"Don't be surprised. This is my innate divine ability, the Water Mire Kingdom, which happens to suppress an opponent's strength by tenfold."
Bai Shuize boasted proudly, "Don't ask how I trained such an ability—because I was born with it. And let me remind you, I have several more similar innate abilities."
The crowd felt as if they had been struck by lightning.
They couldn't help but clench their chests in frustration!
What kind of absurd luck was this? Such a terrifying divine ability, born with it? And he had several? How were they supposed to compete?!
"Kill!!"
Just as Bai Shuize was reveling in his pride, Qin Zi suddenly moved. His body flickered, faster than light and electricity!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
In an instant, dozens of Qin Zi's figures appeared on the battle platform, sweeping across like a storm, attacking Bai Shuize from all directions.
"You're not playing fair!"
Bai Shuize screamed in disbelief, but by then, Qin Zi's attacks had already landed on him.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
In mere moments, Bai Shuize suffered dozens of blows, blood splattering as cracks spread across his body.
He had taken severe damage.
By now, Qin Zi had long entered the Forbidden Realm, his attack power nearly unmatched. Within the same realm, he was practically unstoppable.
"It's useless. I have an immortal body!"
Bai Shuize gritted his teeth and growled. The cracks on his body emitted a golden glow and began to heal rapidly, like metal being welded back together.
This was the Dragon Emperor's innate ability!
"Immortal? Who can truly be immortal?"
Qin Zi snorted coldly, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them sharply. Suddenly, a massive golden eye radiated from his body, like a burning sun, engulfing Bai Shuize.
"Ahh!!"
Bai Shuize screamed as he felt his body melting. "What is this?!"
Qin Zi's voice was icy, "An 'immortal body' is merely the result of particles in the body reorganizing to avoid damage. But if every particle of your body is obliterated, let's see how you reorganize them!"
The secret of the immortal body was something Qin Zi's father had told him long ago. It had been revealed by none other than the Dragon Emperor himself.
"Indeed, that's true. I didn't think you'd be so clever, but do you think this is enough to defeat me?!"
Bai Shuize roared, stretching out his limbs as an endless glow erupted from his body. Then, a black and a white sphere flew out from within him, rapidly expanding and rotating around him.
Boom!!
The two spheres were immensely powerful, unstoppable. They instantly tore through the fireball that had trapped him and shot toward Qin Zi.
"Nirvana!"
Qin Zi spread his right hand open, and light burst from his palm, radiating brilliant energy that illuminated his face, sending his long hair flying.
Whoosh!
Two enormous birds, one red and one blue, emerged from his palm. They spiraled upward, intertwining, and their combined power surged into an indescribable force.
Boom!!!
The two great birds collided with the two spheres. The impact created a sound so overwhelming it was barely audible. The world dimmed as everyone's vision went blank.
Boom, boom, boom!
The next moment, a series of explosions echoed from the endless light, each punch and blow striking hard, creating a ferocious battle.
It was clear that the two had entered close combat, exchanging raw, primal blows like two wild beasts unleashing their full power.
After a long while.
Finally, the dust settled.
The once indestructible battle platform was now shattered, covered in cracks, as if it could collapse at any moment.
The ground was stained with blood.
Two figures hovered in the air, their clothes reduced to ashes, exposing their upper bodies, which were covered in bloodied scars, making for a gruesome sight.
"You've lost," Bai Shuize declared.
"On what grounds?"
Qin Zi asked calmly.
"Because I haven't used my full power yet. I still have several innate divine abilities left!" Bai Shuize crossed his arms proudly.
"Then use them."
Qin Zi looked at him with disdain.
"Heh, no need… Anyway, you've already lost." Bai Shuize shrugged, muttering quietly, "As long as I haven't used my full power, no matter how strong you are, I haven't lost."
"Blegh!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he coughed up a mouthful of steaming hot blood that sizzled as it hit the ground.
Hurriedly wiping away the blood, he maintained a straight face and pointed at Qin Zi, saying, "For today, I'll let you off. Once you're strong enough for me to use my full power, I'll suppress you!"
"Alright."
Qin Zi nodded seriously.
"Huh?"
Bai Shuize was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly smiled and saluted Qin Zi before flying off the platform.
Watching Bai Shuize's retreating figure, a serious expression flashed across Qin Zi's eyes. This person was incredibly strong, far beyond what he had imagined…
Boom, boom, boom!
At that moment, Qin Zi noticed that meteors were still raining down on his previous position, piling up into a small mountain.
Looking up at the World Tree in the sky, Qin Zi's face twitched. Was this good luck? No, this felt like a setup!
He looked around at the crowd and said, "Everyone, I only need one hundred of these World Seeds. The rest are free for anyone who wants them."
Whoosh!
The entire crowd was stunned, staring at Qin Zi in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"
"You're not joking?"
Qin Zi selected one hundred World Seeds, cradled them in his arms, and then stepped back a few paces, saying, "Feel free to take the rest."
The crowd hesitated for a moment.
Then, the prodigies from the great factions exchanged firm looks and walked over.
"Thank you, Lord Qin!"
"Lord Qin, your generosity is as vast as the heavens!"
"This favor, I, Ding Xie, will never forget!"
"Immortal Mountain owes you a favor."
They bowed respectfully to Qin Zi and each took a World Seed, beginning to refine them.
Even the young kings from the two great heavens couldn't resist in the end. Though they felt reluctant, they accepted Qin Zi's gift.
After all, there's a saying: "Once you've accepted someone's favor, you owe them."
"Sigh, you didn't have to do that."
At that moment, a deep, resonant voice echoed in Qin Zi's mind, and his eyes widened as he looked toward the sky.
That voice… it was the World Tree!
"Come here."
The voice of the World Tree sounded again. Qin Zi felt an irresistible force envelop him, and in an instant, he disappeared from where he stood.
In the next moment.
He found himself in a gray, misty space. Endless chaos energy swirled around like a vortex, containing infinite creation.
Not far ahead, a towering tree stood. This tree was only about a hundred meters tall but was unmistakably a miniature version of the World Tree!