Chapter Eighteen: Zhou Xian Withdraws, Immortal and Demon Annihilated

In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed. Qiankun spent nearly all his time on Peng Demon Island, occasionally guiding Zong Jue, leading him to comprehend the ways of heaven and earth. Zong Jue benefited greatly, and his respect and admiration for Qiankun deepened. Unknowingly, their relationship became exceptionally close.

Over a year ago, Qiankun suddenly left Peng Demon Island and had not returned since.

On the Hidden Dragon Continent, in the southwestern territory of the Ming Dynasty, Gui Shui City nestled between mountains and rivers. To the west of the city lay graceful ranges, and a winding, beautiful river—the Li River—ran between the city and the mountains, painting a scenic landscape.

Qiankun, clad in a blue Daoist robe, came from outside the city. His pace seemed to shrink the earth beneath his feet; with just a few steps, he entered Gui Shui City.

"A city so beautiful as this should not witness bloodshed, nor should it be destroyed," Qiankun murmured to himself. His gaze immediately fell upon two young men standing opposite each other on a busy street. The one in black was Qin Yu; the one in white hailed from the Divine Realm, the prince of Thunder Punishment City, Zhou Xian.

Zhou Xian plucked a branch from a roadside tree. As it swung, a wave of azure energy swept forth like a giant scimitar. Qiankun's figure blurred, and in the next moment, he stood before the fully alert Qin Yu. With a single point of his finger, the space before him rippled gently. The azure wave faded like wind over water, dissolving into the void.

"Master!" Qin Yu was startled at first, then his eyes lit up with delight.

"Hmm?" Zhou Xian, who had seemed aloof and above all, now narrowed his eyes at Qiankun, his expression darkening as a flash of lightning passed through his gaze. "Who are you? How dare you intervene?"

"As the prince of Thunder Punishment City, and a high-ranking god of the Divine Realm, should you so casually slaughter mortals?" Qiankun replied calmly.

Zhou Xian's expression shifted, his face turning dark and ugly. He stared fixedly at Qiankun. "Just who are you?"

"Who I am is not important. What matters is that you should leave," Qiankun said.

Zhou Xian shook his head and laughed, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes. "Heh, do you really think it's your place to meddle in my affairs? Since you're unwilling to reveal your identity, there's no need. After all, I'm not interested in knowing the identity of a dead man."

"You wish to stop me? Then let's see what you're capable of," Zhou Xian smiled brilliantly at Qiankun. "Experience my power—Annihilation!"

As he spoke, Zhou Xian raised his forefinger to the sky. A radiant glow shone at its tip, so dazzling it seemed to eclipse the sun.

In an instant, the brilliance spread and enveloped everything. At that moment, silently, as if glass were shattering, the entire space surrounding Gui Shui City began to fracture.

"Humph!" Qiankun let out a cold snort, his expression darkening. With a thought, an invisible wave of spatial energy swept out, restoring the fractured space to normal.

A flash of lightning appeared in Zhou Xian's eyes as his aura surged, causing the surrounding space to tremble and threaten collapse. Clearly, Qiankun's repeated interference had enraged Zhou Xian, forcing him to reveal his true power.

"Spatial Bind!" Qiankun, his expression changing slightly, quickly reached out toward Zhou Xian. Instantly, the space around Zhou Xian warped and twisted, attempting to restrain the surging energy emanating from him.

Yet Zhou Xian was a high-ranking god, his strength formidable. Though Qiankun could barely restrain him with his mastery over space, he could not subdue him.

This duel allowed no room for error; even a stray burst of energy could destroy Gui Shui City. Feeling Zhou Xian's aura grow ever more violent and sharp, Qiankun prepared to use spatial transference to take Zhou Xian into the starry cosmos. Suddenly, a calm yet slightly angry voice sounded, "Enough, Zhou Xian. Stop!"

Zhou Xian’s angry expression changed at once. He quickly retracted his aura, and in a flash, adopted a friendly demeanor.

"Greetings, Uncle Lan. Father has missed you greatly during your long absence from the clan. Before I came, Father instructed me to send you his regards," Zhou Xian said respectfully.

Qiankun glanced at Jiang Lan, who had suddenly appeared in midair, feeling relieved as he withdrew the spatial binding.

Jiang Lan cast a cool glance at Zhou Xian. "Zhou Xian, you may leave now."

"My uncle's task is completed, and I should indeed return. My cousin is bored at home, so I shall go keep her company. Uncle Lan, I take my leave," Zhou Xian bowed. Seeing Jiang Lan nod, Zhou Xian soared into the sky. A black hole opened, and he passed through it, vanishing.

After Zhou Xian left, Jiang Lan nodded slightly at Qiankun, then approached Qin Yu. "Little Yu!"

"You two talk, I’ll be going," Qiankun said, and with a thought, vanished instantly.

Moments later, when Qiankun teleported back to Qin Yu’s side, Jiang Lan had already departed.

"Little Yu, before your Uncle Lan left, he must have given you a Sword Immortal Puppet, right? Bring it here so I can study it for a couple of days," Qiankun instructed.

Qin Yu hesitated for a moment, but handed over the Sword Immortal Puppet without delay. "Master, please feel free to study it. I don’t need it for now anyway."

Afterward, Qiankun and Qin Yu returned briefly to Yan Capital of the Qin Dynasty. While Qin Yu was in seclusion cultivating, Qiankun studied the structure and forging methods of the Sword Immortal Puppet. Once Qin Yu emerged, Qiankun returned the puppet to him. Hearing that Qin Yu planned to hunt fierce beasts in the Chaotic Star Sea to refine inner cores and strengthen himself, Qiankun volunteered to stay and protect Yan Capital, so Qin Yu could go without worry.

On Donglan Mountain outside Yan Capital, Qiankun, who had been quietly cultivating the Dao of Space at Cloud Mist Manor, suddenly ended his meditation and stepped out of his guest room, squinting toward the distant east. "So they've finally arrived."

To seize the Heaven-Breaking Diagram, the loose devils, led by Wu Kongxue, accompanied by the Fire Devil, Wu Hei, and Lady Lian Yue—three great eleven-tribulation loose devils—plus ten, nine, and eight-tribulation loose devils, nearly twenty in all, descended upon the Hidden Dragon Continent, their sights set on the capital of the Qin Dynasty.

Trailing behind the loose devils were the loose immortals, led by Ming Liang Zhenren, a twelve-tribulation loose immortal, hoping to play the role of the cunning predator.

However, before Ming Liang Zhenren could approach Yan Capital, he witnessed a scene so terrifying and unbelievable that it chilled him to the core.

Buzz... The loose devils flying ahead were suddenly enveloped in an invisible wave of spatial energy. Their bodies froze in the night sky, and in an instant, each one collapsed into a cloud of blood mist.

Qiankun, clad in a blue Daoist robe, appeared in the night sky, and with a wave of his hand, gathered all the remnants left behind by the dead loose devils.

"Since you've come, don't expect to leave," Qiankun said, glancing toward Ming Liang Zhenren’s hidden location. He reached out, and Ming Liang Zhenren, whose figure appeared in the distance, managed only a desperate, terrified scream before dissolving into a blood mist.

Soon, news of the deaths of Wu Kongxue and the loose devil elites, as well as Ming Liang Zhenren, the foremost loose immortal, spread across Tenglong Continent, causing an uproar among the other loose immortals and devils.