"This... isn't really appropriate, is it?"
Qin Chuan wore an embarrassed expression, as if he felt a bit awkward.
"There's nothing inappropriate about it."
Dao Lord Qingye shook his head and encouraged him, saying, "You're the first to arrive here, a fated person of Qingye Celestial Sect. Even when the sect fully unseals, you'll be at the core, one of its most outstanding talents."
This old man was just painting a grand picture!
Qin Chuan had this thought flash in his mind.
On the surface, though, he appeared a bit excited, his face flushing as he cupped his hands and declared earnestly, "Disciple will not fail the mission!"
"Very well, go ahead. This small bit of my consciousness can barely extend outside my body and won't last much longer."
Dao Lord Qingye said with an air of exhaustion.
After speaking, he turned his back, and his figure began to fade, seemingly about to disappear.
"Wait a moment!"
Qin Chuan suddenly called out.
"What is it now?"
Dao Lord Qingye turned back, a trace of impatience flickering in his eyes—though Qin Chuan couldn't clearly see his face.
Scratching his head, Qin Chuan awkwardly said, "My son is just outside the sacred ground. Should I let him come in and pay his respects?"
Dao Lord Qingye thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Let him come in."
"Alright!"
Qin Chuan was overjoyed. He quickly called out to Qin Zi outside the sacred ground, "Xiao Zi, come in!"
"Coming!"
Qin Zi responded eagerly and soon ran in with bright eyes, expecting some good fortune.
"Buzz!"
A beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping Qin Zi. Instantly, the figure of Dao Lord Qingye also appeared in his mind.
The three of them seemed to have been pulled into the same group chat.
In this mental space, they could see each other.
"Xiao Zi, this is..."
Qin Chuan quickly introduced Dao Lord Qingye and then introduced Qin Zi as well.
"Hmm, very good."
Dao Lord Qingye took a look at Qin Zi, nodded slightly, and seemed to have a hint of appreciation in his tone.
Qin Zi humbly said a few polite words in return.
After a brief exchange, Dao Lord Qingye's figure finally vanished—his consciousness really couldn't stay outside his body for too long.
"That's... it?"
Qin Zi stood there dumbfounded, a bit confused.
He had come here to meet a senior, so shouldn't there have been some kind of meeting gift or special opportunity?
How come he didn't get anything?
If there wasn't any gain, why was he even called over?
"Of course, it's to set you up!"
Qin Chuan chuckled inwardly.
He had specifically called Qin Zi over to get him acquainted with Dao Lord Qingye, so that in the future, when things went wrong, the blame would naturally fall on Qin Zi.
As the saying goes, the debtor pays.
When Qin Chuan eventually tricked Dao Lord Qingye and went into hiding, if Dao Lord Qingye couldn't find him, he would naturally turn to his son.
A father's debts being paid by his son—perfectly justified!
"Let's go."
Qin Chuan smiled but didn't offer much explanation as he led Qin Zi away from the floating island.
From his earlier observations, he realized that Dao Lord Qingye's consciousness likely couldn't perceive anything outside the sacred ground.
Before he mentioned Qin Zi, Dao Lord Qingye hadn't seemed to notice his presence outside the square. And when he saw Qin Zi for the first time, there had been a slight look of surprise, probably due to being astonished by Qin Zi's talents.
Although Dao Lord Qingye had hidden it well, how could Qin Chuan, a seasoned actor, not see through it?
This meant that Dao Lord Qingye's awareness only extended to the square.
Moreover, after Qin Chuan had taken all those tokens, the floating island had remained still, likely for the same reason.
Thus, he was now certain that Dao Lord Qingye was in a deeply sealed state.
As long as he left the floating island, no matter how much he stirred up trouble, Dao Lord Qingye wouldn't be able to reach him!
Soon enough, father and son flew out of the floating island.
At this moment, hovering in the sky outside were over a dozen figures, all exuding an overwhelming aura, their presence mighty and imposing.
They were all Beast Clan Martial Emperors!
These individuals floated in the air, with black clouds swirling around their bodies, lightning flashing and rumbling, each one looking like a peerless expert.
"What did you take from inside? Hand it over!"
One of the lion-headed Martial Emperors barked coldly, his tone commanding, as if his words were law.
"Scram."
Qin Chuan spat out a single cold word.
"Boom—"
At the same time, the pressure of his Forgotten Self Realm, like divine punishment from the heavens, descended upon the lion-headed Martial Emperor.
"You?!"
The lion-headed Martial Emperor was struck with terror, unable to react in time, and his body crashed into the ground like a meteor.
"Boom!"
The ground shook, sending dust and debris flying.
A massive crater, a kilometer in diameter, appeared on the surface, its bottom filled with cracks like a spider's web. In the center of the pit lay the lion-headed Martial Emperor, sprawled out in the shape of the character "大," utterly defeated.
"Lion Emperor!"
"An Extreme Realm expert?!"
"This..."
The surrounding Beast Clan Martial Emperors were all shocked, their faces turning pale. In fear, they bowed respectfully to Qin Chuan.
"We didn't know a senior was here. Please forgive our lack of manners, Senior."
"Please, Senior, forgive us!"
Qin Chuan glanced at them indifferently and said, "Ignorance is no crime. No need to panic."
"Thank you, Senior!"
"Senior, you are truly magnanimous!"
The Beast Clan Martial Emperors all breathed a sigh of relief and expressed their gratitude, some even offering flattery.
Qin Chuan smiled faintly and said, "You all must have heard that ancient voice earlier, right?"
"We heard it! We heard it!"
"That voice was some sort of rare divine technique, capable of spreading far and wide. It should have been heard throughout the Nine Heavens."
The Beast Clan Martial Emperors all nodded in agreement.
With a smile, Qin Chuan continued, "In that case, spread the word—let everyone know that all the tokens are with Qin Chuan. If anyone wishes to obtain a token and enter Qingye Celestial Sect, they only need to defeat Qin Zi."
"You... you are Qin Chuan?!"
"This... this..."
"Hiss—"
The Beast Clan Martial Emperors gasped, nearly passing out from shock, their hands and feet growing cold with fear.
Qin Chuan!
This was the same man who had single-handedly crushed the ten great kings of the Beast Clan! His reputation as a terrifying figure had already spread far and wide among the Beast Clan, instilling fear in the hearts of all.
They had unknowingly come face-to-face with this demon king.
The fact that they weren't dead yet was truly a stroke of luck.
As for the lion-headed Martial Emperor lying in the pit, he simply rolled his eyes back and stuck out his tongue, playing dead.
"Heh."
Qin Chuan chuckled softly. Without paying them any more attention, he and Qin Zi soared into the sky and disappeared.
Only when the two of them had left did the Beast Clan Martial Emperors finally exhale in relief.
"Whew, they're finally gone."
"That was terrifying! So that's what the presence of a true demon king feels like. It's leagues above the ten great kings."
"Absolutely terrifying!"
...
In no time, a month passed.
And the news about the tokens, spread by the Tianheng Clan and the Beast Clan Martial Emperors, swept across the Nine Heavens.
Everyone now knew that Qingye Celestial Sect had released numerous tokens, all of which were in the hands of the great demon king Qin Chuan. To obtain a token and enter the sect, one had to challenge and defeat Qin Zi in an open duel!
As for what Qingye Celestial Sect was, Qin Chuan generously offered a free explanation, hyping it up to the extreme.
An ancient sect of peerless might.
A prehistoric titan.
A supreme celestial sect!
An ancient, glorious sect that had reached unparalleled heights. Even a single disciple from it would be enough to dominate the current Nine Heavens!
In fact, this might even be true.
Regardless, the entire Nine Heavens was in an uproar, especially among the recently ascended Chosen Ones. They were all raring to go.
Chosen Ones all believed they were destined for greatness.
They naturally felt that all the opportunities in the world were meant for them, and everyone else was simply a stepping stone.
And so, they moved.
One by one, the formerly cautious Chosen Ones emerged, setting their sights on Qin Zi, the "stepping stone."
To accommodate this, Qin Chuan even set up an arena, right at Beiwang Mountain in the Ziyun Region!
This was where Jin Zhi had once crushed Lu Gan, the young master of the Lu family, all for the sake of... protecting his junior brother's honor.