The air itself trembled.
Qin Lu's aura surged, sweeping through heaven and earth like a rising tide. The pressure crashed down over the entire ancient city of Great Qin. Even those watching from far beyond its walls could feel their souls shiver beneath the weight of his presence.
"Half-Step Immortal King Realm…"
Across the torn sky, Jiang Yuan's face twisted slightly. He had not expected Qin Lu to have broken through. But there was no trace of fear—only cold fury. "So what if you have stepped into that realm?" he said, voice carrying across mountains. "Great Qin will still fall today."
Boom—
A second aura erupted from his body, matching Qin Lu's force blow for blow. The void cracked like glass between them, fissures of light spreading across the heavens.
"Sun Seal!"
Jiang Yuan raised both hands, and seals like molten gold spiraled around his arms. The sky split apart as a vast golden sun materialized above the Great Qin capital, its radiance blinding. The power it carried was suffocating—an annihilating weight crashing down toward the ancient city below.
The people looked up, faces pale, their eyes reflecting the falling sun.
"Is this… the power of a Half-Step Immortal King…?"
Even cultivators of the Soul Transformation Realm could barely stand. For mortals and low-ranked cultivators, the air was already too thick to breathe. The pressure of that golden sphere seemed to crush their hearts directly through their chests.
"Has the Sky Martial Dynasty gone mad?"
"Damn it—there are still foreign forces in the city! Do they plan to kill everyone?"
"The Primordial Commerce Pavilion is hosting an auction, and they still dare to strike—do they have a death wish?"
The various sect envoys and dynastic representatives who had come to bid could only stare in disbelief. But even as they turned to look for the Sky Martial delegation, they realized something chilling.
The Sky Martial Dynasty's people—every last one of them—had already vanished from their seats.
Horse-riding bastards… they'd planned this from the start.
"Break!"
Qin Lu roared. In his hand, a long spear appeared—cold, silver-black, its body humming with the pulse of divine runes. With a single thrust, its aura split the air, a beam of light piercing the golden sun above.
Bang—
The sun shattered. A roar like thunder followed as fragments of golden flame scattered across the clouds. The impact cleared the skies for thousands of li; clouds dissolved, and the heavens turned stark and bare.
The shockwave rolled outward in a single instant. Buildings trembled, mountains shook, and every cultivator under the heavens felt the echo of that collision in their bones. Even Soul Transformation experts spat blood as the wave passed.
Those who could still stand looked up at Qin Lu's spear in awe and dread.
"That weapon…"
"Impossible—it's a War Weapon!"
Jiang Yuan's pupils contracted sharply. That divine spear radiated the faint will of an Immortal King. "A War Weapon forged by an Immortal King Realm powerhouse," he breathed. "How could the Great Qin possess such a thing?"
He didn't believe it. Weapons like that could only be refined by Immortal Kings themselves—beings who stood at the peak of the mortal world, their every act shaping mountains and stars.
Qin Lu met his gaze coldly. "You talk too much."
He raised the spear again.
Buzz—
The sky darkened, trembling under the spear's pressure. Its edge left faint arcs of golden light that split the void into ribbons.
"Enough."
A new voice rippled through space—calm, old, and poisonous.
The void behind Jiang Yuan warped, and four more figures stepped forward, each radiating the same oppressive might.
Half-Step Immortal Kings.
Together, their presence blotted out the heavens.
Qin Lu's eyes narrowed. His face stayed calm, but a bad premonition crept up his spine. "So," he said, "the five great dynasties have joined hands?"
The five stood like gods across the horizon, their robes whispering with divine light. Together, they formed a wall that stretched from earth to sky.
"Qin Lu," one of them said lightly, "we do not wish for needless bloodshed. Hand over the Ancient Secret Realm Token, and we will withdraw. Refuse—and not only Great Qin, but all of Qingzhou will burn."
Qin Lu's expression finally shifted. The token? How do they know…?
It was true—the token lay sealed beneath the royal palace, an artifact left by the Ancients themselves. He had never spoken of it, never revealed its presence even to his own daughter. Yet these men knew.
A spark of fury flashed in his eyes. "Impossible. Even if the heavens fall, Great Qin will never bow to thieves."
He raised the spear. "If you want to fight—then fight."
He flung his arm toward the city below. "Great Qin Army—defend your home!"
Boom—
The gates of the capital burst open. From the avenues of the royal city, legions poured out like a golden flood. Thousands of cultivators in armor surged forward, their roars shaking the ground.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The words rose in a single deafening wave.
At their head rode Zhang Han, commander of the Imperial Guard. His silver armor gleamed beneath the blood-red sky, and the spear in his hand burned with spirit fire.
"Ice-Breaking Army—advance!"
Zhang Han's voice cracked the air. He leapt skyward, his spear thrust like lightning, tearing through the first wave of the Sky Martial forces that had breached the outer walls.
War erupted across the heavens. The armies of the five dynasties, their warships blotting out the horizon, answered with a storm of divine light and cannon fire.
"Fools," Jiang Yuan sneered. "Since you refuse to yield, perish."
The five Half-Step Immortal Kings rose together. Runes coiled around them like suns, their combined power making the sky scream.
Qin Lu's eyes hardened. The War Weapon in his grip pulsed violently, divine light blazing along its edge.
"Come, then!"
Their clash split the sky. For an instant, Qingzhou itself seemed to turn upside down. Mountains collapsed. Rivers boiled into steam. The spiritual veins of the land howled under the weight of their power.
In the chaos below, the world had become a sea of fire. Cultivators of every realm fought and died. Entire warships detonated, their fragments falling like rain over the capital.
"The Cangwu Dynasty!"
"The Tianfeng Dynasty!"
"The Hongyuan Dynasty!"
"The Jingtu Dynasty!"
Cries rose as people recognized the banners of the attackers.
"The five great dynasties… they've truly joined forces to destroy Qingzhou!"
"They've lost their minds!"
"So what if there are five? Are we Qingzhou ants to be crushed?"
"Kill them all!"
A blast of crimson light swept the sky as Xia Yang, ruler of the Great Xia Dynasty, ascended from the battlefield, his aura blazing. "You dare invade my land?" he roared. "Then die!"
He punched once.
An entire enemy warship exploded into fire.
That single strike ignited every Qingzhou cultivator's blood. All across the province, sects and clans rose to defend their soil, their shouts mingling with the sound of blades and thunder.
Within the Primordial Commerce Pavilion, the auction hall had long since been abandoned. Qin Wucheng stood near the shattered window, watching the battlefield's flames lick the sky. The roar of War Weapons echoed from afar, shaking his bones.
He exhaled. "So much for a peaceful auction."
Beside him, Luo Jingtao's face was grave. "Sect Master, the Great Zhou has joined the battle. I've received a summons from the capital—they're surrounded."
Qin Wucheng turned his head slightly, calm as still water. "Then we'll move."
He looked to his right. "Wang Lin. Wang Xuan. Wang Ming. Take Lord Luo and return to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Sweep the field."
The three guardians clasped their fists. "Yes, Sect Master!"
A ripple of light flared—and they were gone.
Luo Jingtao's heart trembled. He had seen many Half-Step Immortal Kings in his life, but these three men, even suppressing their auras, felt deeper than the sea. What kind of sect has guards like these…?
"Master," Zhao Han asked quietly, "if they run into danger… what if—"
Qin Wucheng gave him a flat look. "Danger?"
He almost laughed. "You really underestimate them."
Before Zhao Han could answer, a sudden chill swept the room.
From the shattered doorway, a girl stepped through the dust. She wore a flowing white dress, her long hair falling like ink down her back. Her eyes were clear and cold, her skin radiant as carved jade. The faint divine light around her seemed to part the smoke without effort.
Her presence silenced the hall.
Even Luo Lingxue felt a strange awe, instinctively lowering her eyes.
Qin Wucheng studied her for a heartbeat. There was something in that calm face—something vast, and unbearably lonely. He recognized it instinctively: the mark of reincarnation.
A moment later, a crisp mechanical chime rang in his mind.
[Ding! The system has detected a peerless genius.]
[New task: Recruit the target into your sect.]
[Completion reward: one lottery spin, one cultivation card, and an intermediate summoning card.]