Chapter 240: Press On, to the Next One

Qin Haoxuan calmly said, “Continue. To the next one.”

As he spoke, he collected the valuables and the badge from the Fourteenth-Leaf rogue cultivator’s body. He looked at Qin Yang, whose face was pale and on the verge of tears, and said, “Senior Brother Qin Yang, what’s wrong? Shall we continue?”

“Ah! No, let’s not continue…” When Qin Yang looked at Qin Haoxuan’s amicable face again, the sense of superiority in his heart had completely vanished. He shook his head and waved his hands, his tone showing a hint of panic. “It’s getting a bit late, and you’ve worked hard today, Junior Brother Qin… we should go back.”

As he spoke, he looked at Liao Qiankun. Liao Qiankun, who had not yet recovered from his lingering fear, could only nod blankly in agreement. Under Qin Haoxuan’s kind gaze, the two of them, who had been harboring evil intentions just a moment ago, were now as quiet as cicadas in winter.

“Since that’s the case, then let’s go back,” Qin Haoxuan said, moving his neck as if he hadn’t had enough, his tongue licking his lips, a sharp glint in his eyes.

Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun did not dare to meet his gaze.

When they had set out, Qin Yang had been leading the team, full of spirit and confidence. On the way back, it was Qin Haoxuan who led, his eyes indifferent, his demeanor at ease. Behind him, Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun walked as if on thin ice, not daring to even breathe too loudly. Qin Haoxuan’s already strong and tall body, now his back in their eyes, was like the towering Kunlun mountains, insurmountable and inviolable.

They walked through the formation and arrived at the registration office.

Many of the Taichu Sect disciples who knew Qin Yang greeted him from a distance. “Senior Brother Qin Yang, a good harvest today, I bet!”

“Senior Brother Qin, you killed two at the Eighteenth-Leaf last time. Did you kill a Twentieth-Leaf today?”

“Nonsense. Don’t look at Senior Brother Qin Yang’s grave expression. He must have won a great victory and slain a formidable rogue cultivator! Do you think he’s as superficial as you, making a fuss over a small achievement?”

Qin Yang shot them a fierce glare, his heart completely empty. He desperately wanted to beat these flatterers to death. It wasn’t that he felt ashamed, but that he was afraid their words would anger Qin Haoxuan.

Walking into the registration office, Qin Haoxuan took out four rogue cultivator badges. The elder in charge of registration, after verifying them, looked at the three of them with a strange expression, incredibly surprised that all four badges were in Qin Haoxuan’s hands. “The three of you, in total, have killed one Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator, one Twentieth-Leaf, one Seventeenth-Leaf, and one Fourteenth-Leaf. Is that correct?”

Qin Yang shook his head slightly.

The elder looked at him and said, “You killed them all by yourself?”

Qin Yang gave a wry smile and shook his head again. How could he possibly have such ability?

The elder looked at Liao Qiankun. “You killed them?”

Liao Qiankun’s head shook like a rattle drum, his long hair at the back of his head swinging back and forth, completely lacking the air of an expert.

“The two of you killed them together?” the elder asked impatiently.

They both still shook their heads in denial.

The elder’s cheeks puffed out, and he said angrily, “Who the hell killed them?” As he spoke, his gaze swept over Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun, but he didn’t even glance at Qin Haoxuan.

Qin Haoxuan smiled. “Elder, these four badges are all mine. Please trouble yourself to record them under my name.”

The elder shot to his feet as if there were a needle on his chair. He sized up Qin Haoxuan in disbelief, then his gaze fell on Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun again. “Is what he says true?” He looked at Qin Yang, unable to imagine how a Seventh-Leaf kid could have killed four rogue cultivators far beyond his realm. Were they just targets, standing still and letting him kill them?

But having seen a lot in his time, the elder, from their hesitant expressions, surmised that they must have been threatened by Qin Haoxuan and had their merits stolen. Although this was common in the Taichu Sect, an upright person like himself would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen. So, he said, “Is there some difficulty you’re facing? Speak up, and this seat will seek justice for you.”

Qin Haoxuan’s smiling gaze fell on Qin Yang. “Senior Brother Qin Yang, why don’t you say something?”

Being swept by his gaze, Qin Yang felt a sharp prickle on his back. He nodded slightly and said hesitantly, “Elder… it is indeed all Junior Brother Qin’s merit. He killed all of these rogue cultivators by himself.”

“What?!” The many disciples in the registration office who had been watching this scene all cried out in shock. “How is that possible?” Instantly, all sorts of speculations filled the air.

“A Twenty-Two-Leaf, a Twentieth-Leaf, a Seventeenth-Leaf, a Fourteenth-Leaf… every one of them is a hundred times stronger than him. Could it be that he threatened them and stole their merits?”

“Are you stupid? On what grounds could he threaten Senior Brother Qin Yang? Even if his master, Xuanji, stepped in, it would be impossible! The Nature Hall is so weak; would Senior Brother Qin Yang be afraid? Do you think the Ancient Cloud Hall is just for show?”

Since the parties involved had admitted it, although the elder was surprised, he still recorded the merits under Qin Haoxuan’s name. Qin Haoxuan, ignoring the discussions of the others, turned and went back to his camp. He had fought three high-intensity battles today and was also tired.

After his figure disappeared, Qin Yang and Liao Qiankun finally breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling he gave them was too terrifying.

The elder handed him a jade slip. “Your war contribution points have been recorded.”

Qin Haoxuan didn’t know what war contribution points were. He nonchalantly put the jade slip in his robes and then, under the astonished gazes of countless disciples, left the registration office. After he had gone, a disciple said in surprise, “Why didn’t he exchange his points? Is he so rich that he doesn’t even care about spirit stones?”

…

The moment the three of them returned, Li Jing received the news. However, he didn’t know what had happened at the registration office and rushed excitedly to Qin Yang’s tent.

“Senior Brother Qin, how did it go? Is the matter settled?” The excited Li Jing forgot to knock and walked directly into the tent.

Qin Yang had just returned. His mind was still replaying Qin Haoxuan’s three battles, and he was still in a state of lingering shock and fear. Seeing Li Jing suddenly appear, he erupted in a rage. “You sent me to frame a monster! Did you want him to kill me?”

Li Jing was startled, completely petrified. He never expected that with Qin Yang’s cultivation level, and with the Fifteenth-Leaf Liao Qiankun as backup, they still couldn’t handle a mere Seventh-Leaf Qin Haoxuan.

“Senior Brother Qin, don’t be angry. Can you tell me in detail what happened?” Li Jing’s voice changed with excitement, his brow twitching slightly, his face a mask of concern. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was worried about Qin Haoxuan’s life-or-death battle. But Qin Yang, seeing this, was shocked by his hypocrisy. A Purple Seed with such a bright future, so skilled in acting, constantly scheming against others. It was truly terrifying.

Qin Yang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down from his fear, and then looked at Li Jing. “After I led Liao Qiankun and Qin Haoxuan out of the main camp, we came to the enemy’s left wing and ambushed them in a bush. Before long, we saw a Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator. Whether it was a direct confrontation or a sneak attack, we had no confidence in killing him. But Qin Haoxuan jumped out.”

Li Jing’s brow lifted. A Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator. His first reaction was that Qin Haoxuan was a dead man. But then he remembered that he had returned alive and well, and he frowned again. “Qin Haoxuan killed him?”

Qin Yang nodded with a grim face, his voice slightly angry. “He suddenly grew two extra arms from his shoulders and simultaneously controlled three Talisman Beasts, killing that Twenty-Two-Leaf rogue cultivator.”

“What!” Li Jing leaped from his chair, his voice rising an octave. “Four arms… simultaneously controlling three Talisman Beasts… killed a Twenty-Two-Leaf!”

Even if a rogue cultivator’s combat strength was not as good as a Taichu disciple’s of the same level, their cultivation realm was still there. Even if the arts they cultivated were inferior, they were not someone a Seventh-Leaf fellow could kill. And what shocked him most was that Qin Haoxuan had four arms and could control three Talisman Beasts at once. What kind of spiritual art was that?

Qin Yang recalled the scene of him killing the men, especially how he had almost tried to snatch his spoils of war. Every time he thought of it, he was filled with lingering fear. He continued, “At that time, it was the best opportunity to anger him, but then I thought, even a Twenty-Two-Leaf cultivator fell at his hands. We’d better observe him first.” Hearing this, Li Jing cursed him inwardly for being a coward, but his face was still wreathed in a concerned and gentle smile.

Qin Yang then recalled how Qin Haoxuan had faced a Twentieth-Leaf rogue cultivator and had been simultaneously ambushed by a Seventeenth-Leaf one. At the critical moment, he had released two ghost slaves with the strength of a Twenty-Fifth-Leaf. The sinister ghostly qi and their formidable strength made him break out in a cold sweat even now. His voice trembled slightly as he said, “The second time, he was in a direct confrontation with a Twentieth-Leaf rogue cultivator and was ambushed by a Seventeenth-Leaf one. But he used two powerful talismans, releasing two ghost slaves with the strength of a Twenty-Fifth-Leaf. With one punch each, he killed the two rogue cultivators.”

Li Jing, seeing his increasingly pale face, felt his own eyelid twitch. To be able to frighten the Twentieth-Leaf Qin Yang so badly, one could imagine how formidable those two ghost slaves were. When had Qin Haoxuan become so powerful? Could it be that his master, Xuanji, had given him the entire family fortune of the Nature Hall to protect his life?

“At that time, we still hadn’t given up. We wanted to continue to find rogue cultivators and exhaust all the powerful talismans on him before we made a move…” Qin Yang recalled the final scene, Qin Haoxuan’s terrifying speed and the punch that had smashed the Fourteenth-Leaf rogue cultivator’s head. His body actually began to tremble. “We ran into a Fourteenth-Leaf rogue cultivator. The moment he saw us, he turned and ran. Even if I had chased him myself, it would have been difficult to catch up. But Qin Haoxuan easily caught up and smashed his head in with a single punch… That rogue cultivator’s protective spiritual energy was directly shattered, and his head was as fragile as an eggshell…”

By the end, his fear had turned to anger. Forgetting how powerful Li Jing would be in the future, he roared at him, “You sent me to deal with a monster, a demon! You almost got me killed! From now on, I don’t want to have anything to do with your affairs!” To think that Qin Haoxuan, who had only been in the sect for a year, had cultivated to the Seventh-Leaf, and his combat strength was so formidable, so formidable that he could easily kill him. Qin Yang couldn’t help but feel a mixture of jealousy and fear.

Being roared at by him, Li Jing’s heart was filled with extreme anger, but his face was still a picture of a smile. He said repeatedly, “Senior Brother Qin has worked hard. I also didn’t expect him to be so monstrous. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” As he spoke, he fled from Qin Yang’s tent in a wretched state, not even daring to look back.

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