With the arrival of the great powers from every state, the atmosphere outside the Great Qin Dynasty's ancient city became suffocating.
Before a single warship had even descended, the cultivators gathered near the city gates could already feel waves of oppressive aura rolling through the air like thunder across the heavens.
Each breath carried divine pressure that pressed down on the crowd's shoulders until their faces turned pale.
It was as though invisible mountains had fallen from the sky.
Soul Transformation Realm.
The crowd's hearts trembled.
Every one of these auras had long surpassed the Grand Sea Realm—each was unmistakably from a true powerhouse of the Soul Transformation Realm.
They had expected high-ranking cultivators to appear, perhaps a few Grand Sea experts or ancient family elders, but not this.
Even among the dynasties, a single Soul Transformation Realm expert was enough to found a lineage that endured for millennia.
Yet now, dozens of such presences hung in the sky.
The pressure alone distorted the air and made the cultivators below feel as small as dust.
"So this is the foundation of a state-level overlord force…"
Someone whispered, trembling.
Even Luo Jingtao and Luo Xueyao, standing behind Qin Wucheng, wore sober expressions.
Wang Ming's eyes narrowed—then he casually waved his sleeve, and all that oppressive force vanished like mist before the wind.
The cultivators from Qingzhou gasped in relief, not realizing that it was the Lingxiao Sect's Soul Transformation guard who had casually neutralized the spiritual weight of entire states.
Qin Wucheng, seated calmly atop a floating jade platform, watched the gathering warships with a faint smile.
"So these are the great overlords of the Southern Wilderness," he thought. "Not bad. This auction might be more useful than I imagined."
A deep voice boomed from the foremost warship—its hull engraved with roaring golden dragons and the sigil of the Sky Martial Dynasty.
"Hmph! Is this how the Great Qin Dynasty welcomes its guests?"
The voice was domineering, carrying spiritual might that surged across the entire city. "My Crown Prince has descended in person, yet not a single representative came to greet him?"
A visible ripple of sound traveled through the air, shaking nearby cultivators to their knees.
The one who spoke was Yang Shan, a Soul Transformation Realm powerhouse of the Sky Martial Dynasty, standing proudly beside a young man in a black-gold python robe—Jiang Taixu, Crown Prince of the Sky Martial Dynasty.
Jiang Taixu reclined lazily in his seat, his expression calm yet sharp, like a blade half-drawn from its sheath. The arrogance of one born to rule radiated from him effortlessly.
Even the seasoned Soul Transformation expert beside him treated him with near-religious respect.
To most, it was shocking—why would someone of Yang Shan's level bow his head before a youth who had only reached the Divine Hidden Realm?
But within the Sky Martial Dynasty, Jiang Taixu's reputation was unmatched.
At only twenty years old, he had already stepped into the Divine Hidden Realm and was hailed by the Sky Martial ancestor himself as the future of their bloodline—one destined to ascend to the Heavenly King Realm and beyond.
The two neighboring states, Tianzhou and Qingzhou, had clashed for millennia.
Both dynasties—Sky Martial and Great Qin—possessed deep heritages, each backed by a slumbering Half-Step Immortal King.
Neither could overpower the other, yet neither would yield.
A century ago, a Soul Transformation powerhouse of Great Qin had fallen to Sky Martial hands, deepening their feud.
Now, with the auction as pretext, Jiang Taixu had come to repay blood with humiliation.
"Good," Jiang Taixu said softly, his voice like frost.
"All the great forces have arrived—yet not one from Great Qin comes forth to greet us. Such discourtesy should be punished."
Murmurs of agreement rose from the nearby warships.
"Their arrogance knows no bounds," sneered a gray-haired elder who stepped from the Gu Family's vessel. The sigil of Fengzhou's Gu Clan glowed behind him like a burning sun.
"If Great Qin thinks itself above protocol, this old man will remind them of their place."
With a flick of his sleeve, the elder released his aura.
Boom—
A tide of Soul Transformation might surged outward.
The air quivered. Clouds evaporated. Space itself rippled like disturbed water.
The pressure struck the crowd like an invisible hammer.
Cultivators below Grand Sea Realm clutched their chests as blood spurted from their lips.
"P-Power of the Soul Transformation Realm…" someone gasped before fainting.
"Old monster! Are you trying to start a war in Qingzhou?"
A furious voice roared from the city gate as the Imperial Guards of Great Qin stepped forward.
The guard commander, clad in brilliant golden armor, unsheathed his halberd.
His aura—ninth stage of the Grand Sea Realm—blazed to life as he shouted,
"This is the capital of Great Qin! Dare to act here, and you insult our dynasty itself!"
The Gu Family elder sneered. "A Grand Sea insect dares bark before me?"
"Boom!"
He raised his hand, forming a vast palm of condensed spirit force that descended like a collapsing sky.
The commander roared, pouring his qi into a golden barrier—but the difference between realms was absolute.
Crack!
The barrier shattered.
The commander was struck head-on, hurled across the wall, and crashed through three towers before embedding into stone.
Blood streamed from his mouth; his aura flickered weakly.
"Commander!" the guards shouted in anguish.
Several Great Qin Imperial Guards, each at least fifth stage Grand Sea Realm, surged forward, their halberds drawn and killing intent blazing.
Nine against one.
Their courage drew murmurs of respect from the crowd—but everyone knew courage meant nothing before absolute power.
"Heh," the Gu elder chuckled coldly. "No matter how many ants gather, they remain ants."
His eyes glowed crimson as he uttered a single word:
"Perish."
A surge of black-gold qi burst from his body like a hurricane.
The nine guards were instantly swept into the air, their armor shattering mid-flight.
Just as the crushing aura was about to consume them entirely—
Bang!
A ray of sword light streaked down from the heavens, splitting the space between them.
The impact dispersed the black-gold energy, scattering it like dust before a storm.
The world fell silent.
From the direction of the city, a beam of silver light descended and condensed into a figure.
The newcomer wore pristine white robes embroidered with faint celestial patterns, his hair flowing like ink, his eyes calm and deep as an ancient sea.
He raised one hand. The faint trace of his sword intent alone made the surrounding Soul Transformation experts stiffen unconsciously.
"Enough," said Wang Ming, the Soul Transformation guard of the Lingxiao Sect.
His voice was soft—but it carried the weight of law.
"You dare raise your hand in the capital of Great Qin, before the sect master of Lingxiao himself?"
The moment the words "Lingxiao Sect" left his mouth, the entire square fell deathly quiet.
Even the elders from the various states froze.
They had heard whispers of a mysterious sect that had recently risen in the Southern Wilderness, but none had seen its members in person.
Rumors claimed this sect was a relic of the ancient era, one whose existence had been erased from history.
Few believed such tales—until now.
Jiang Taixu's eyes narrowed. "Lingxiao Sect?"
Wang Ming ignored him and turned to the battered guards.
"Withdraw. None of you need to die for pride."
They hesitated, but at Qin Wucheng's silent nod from the distant sky, they saluted and fell back behind the walls.
The Gu elder snorted coldly, unwilling to show weakness before so many watching eyes.
"Lingxiao Sect, is it? I have not heard of this name among the ten great ancient powers."
Wang Ming's eyes lifted slightly. "Then remember it today."
The Gu elder opened his mouth to retort—but suddenly, a golden pressure swept across the sky, cutting through all others.
A voice as steady as a mountain rolled across the heavens.
"Who dares shed blood before my Great Qin's gates?"
The entire ancient city trembled.
A golden figure appeared above the palace spires, hands clasped behind his back. His body glowed faintly with runes that seemed woven from divine law.
Even the Soul Transformation experts fell silent.
It was the Great Qin Emperor, a peak Soul Transformation cultivator whose strength was said to rival even Half-Step Immortal Kings.
He stood there without anger, yet his presence alone pressed upon the heart like a divine decree.
Yang Shan's expression flickered, but Jiang Taixu merely smiled faintly.
"So the old emperor came out after all."
The Great Qin Emperor's gaze swept over the crowd, then paused briefly on Qin Wucheng and Wang Ming. His eyes narrowed slightly, as though sensing something profound—but he said nothing.
"The auction will begin soon," he said coldly. "Let any who wish to cause trouble remember where they stand."
His words were not loud, but they carried divine resonance that left cracks in the void.
Then, as suddenly as he appeared, he vanished into light.
The oppressive atmosphere slowly dissipated.
The warships began to descend one by one toward the massive Primordial Commerce Pavilion that loomed at the center of the ancient city.
Qin Wucheng watched them from afar, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"So that's the Sky Martial Crown Prince… Jiang Taixu."
His eyes glimmered faintly. "Interesting. A prodigy born with arrogance and destiny… exactly the kind of pawn fate likes to move."
Luo Jingtao stepped closer. "Sect Master, shall we also enter the city?"
Qin Wucheng nodded. "Yes. The show is about to begin."
As the Lingxiao Sect's group passed through the golden gates of Great Qin's capital, every cultivator nearby unconsciously stepped aside.
The name Lingxiao Sect—once only a rumor—had now been spoken openly before all the overlords of the Southern Wilderness.
And as they entered the city, above the distant clouds, a faint mechanical chime echoed in Qin Wucheng's mind.
[Ding! The host has triggered the side mission.]
[Make Lingxiao's name resound across the Southern Wilderness.]
[Reward: One random summon and a sect-wide fortune blessing.]