Qin Wucheng didn't mind Qin Huarong's condition in the slightest.
After all, this was a woman who had once ruled the heavens.
A reborn empress wasn't someone who could be tamed with a few words of authority.
It didn't matter.
The important thing was that she had entered his sect.
From now on, the name Lingxiao Sect was etched into her fate.
There were no old masters awake in Lingxiao yet — only disciples, a few loyal aides, and the power of his own system.
Outsiders would not believe what Lingxiao truly was. They would see only mystery, and that was fine.
When the sect stood tall again, even those who once looked down on him would bow their heads.
Qin Wucheng was patient. He knew time would bring everything into place.
Qin Huarong, on the other hand, found herself quietly amused.
This so-called sect master spoke confidently, but she could not see through him at all.
Even when she activated the divine sense she had inherited from her past life, the young man before her remained hidden — a silhouette wrapped in endless chaos.
That was something even she, a former empress who had gazed into the laws of the upper realm, could not comprehend.
Still, immortals were immortals.
Who would dare speak of destroying one with a snap of the fingers?
If he was boasting, he was certainly doing it well.
"Zhao Han! Xueyao!" Qin Wucheng's voice rang out across the courtyard. "Come here — I've found a new junior sister for you!"
His tone carried a rare hint of excitement. A reincarnated emperor as his disciple — how could he not be in a good mood?
In the distance, Zhao Han and Luo Xueyao didn't seem to hear.
The two were standing near the wall, hands almost touching. The war drums from the skies of Great Qin echoed faintly above, but Zhao Han's focus was elsewhere entirely.
"Junior sister," he said, holding her hand with solemn sincerity, "the fireworks in the distance — they're like my heart, burning forever for you."
Luo Xueyao froze, her cheeks flooding red. "Senior brother, you're impossible…"
Qin Wucheng's face darkened instantly.
The skies of Great Qin were burning. The five dynasties were at their gates.
And these two were… flirting.
He glanced at Qin Huarong, whose cool expression hadn't changed. But in her eyes was something close to disbelief. As if she were thinking: This is the sect that claims it can slay immortals?
Qin Wucheng felt a vein twitch at his temple.
"Senior brother," Luo Xueyao whispered, finally sensing something was wrong. "Did you hear the Sect Master calling us?"
Zhao Han only smiled. "He's probably busy. Let's finish our discussion on… cultivation."
She blinked. "Cultivation?"
"Yes," Zhao Han said with great seriousness. "Heart cultivation."
Before he could elaborate, the air turned cold.
Zhao Han's smile stiffened. Slowly, he turned and found Qin Wucheng staring straight at him, his expression unreadable but radiating quiet killing intent.
Zhao Han immediately let go of Luo Xueyao's hand and dragged her over. "Sect Master! You called us?"
Qin Wucheng said nothing. His gaze alone made Zhao Han's knees soft.
He tried again, voice trembling slightly. "Master, we were… discussing cultivation techniques. We didn't hear you. Please don't be angry."
"Senior brother!" Luo Xueyao whispered urgently, realizing how bad this looked.
She turned to Qin Wucheng and bowed. "Sect Master, please don't be angry. We were truly discussing cultivation."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Finally, Qin Wucheng exhaled. "We'll talk about this when we return."
Zhao Han paled. When we return — that was never good.
Qin Wucheng turned to Qin Huarong. "This is your senior brother, Zhao Han, and your second senior sister, Luo Xueyao. From today, you three are fellow disciples of Lingxiao Sect."
The two turned toward her — and froze.
Qin Huarong's bearing was like frost and jade, distant yet impossible to ignore.
Zhao Han's heart skipped. For a moment, even his habitual grin faltered. He almost stepped forward, intending to play the elder brother's part, but Luo Xueyao's fingers clamped hard onto his sleeve.
"Don't even think about it," she hissed softly.
Zhao Han swallowed and stepped back. "Right. Of course."
Luo Xueyao, cheeks still slightly red, turned to Qin Huarong and smiled. "Junior sister, welcome to Lingxiao. I'm Luo Xueyao, your second senior sister."
She was genuinely happy. For so long she'd been the only female disciple. Now there was finally another woman — and not just any woman, but the most famous genius in Qingzhou.
It was said that Princess Qin Huarong had already broken through to the Grand Sea Realm before she turned twenty, and that she might become the youngest in the Southern Wilderness to reach the Spirit Transformation Realm.
Qin Huarong nodded politely. "Senior sister."
Her voice was calm, neither cold nor warm. She had been an empress once — such formalities meant little to her now.
"Junior sister," Zhao Han said quickly, eager to show initiative, "I am your senior brother. If you need help with… cultivation, you can always ask me."
Qin Huarong merely looked at him.
A long pause.
Zhao Han laughed weakly to fill it. "Heh… anytime."
Qin Wucheng sighed inwardly. "If you discuss cultivation," he said evenly, "do it somewhere that doesn't embarrass the sect."
"Yes, Sect Master!" Zhao Han and Luo Xueyao replied instantly.
At least they could still follow orders.
Before Qin Wucheng could say more, a thunderous roar echoed from the heavens.
"Qin Lu!"
"I'll have your head!"
The sound shook the capital. Everyone instinctively looked up.
The fleets of the five dynasties — Tianwu, Cangwu, Tianfeng, Hongyuan, and Jingtu — had encircled Great Qin entirely. Explosions lit the clouds. From the walls of the ancient city, thousands of cultivators watched the war unfold above.
"Come," Qin Wucheng said quietly.
The four of them stepped onto the battlements. From there, the scale of the battle came into view.
In the skies, five rulers surrounded Qin Lu, each radiating the power of a Half-Step Immortal King Realm.
Below, legions of soldiers clashed in a sea of flame. The armies of Great Qin fought with iron discipline, pushing back against overwhelming numbers.
Qin Wucheng's eyes flickered with a trace of admiration. "No wonder Great Qin rules a state."
Even among its soldiers, there were dozens of cultivators at the Soul Transformation Realm. Few forces in the Southern Wilderness could match that.
But even with that strength, the enemy's numbers were crushing.
In the distance, streaks of light began to approach — one after another, forming a river of fleeing cultivators.
"Look!" someone shouted from below. "The forces of Qingzhou are coming this way!"
"It's over!"
"They're fleeing!"
"Qingzhou is doomed!"
The panic spread like fire.
A terrified cultivator near the gate cried out, "Behind them! Look behind them!"
When the others turned, their faces went pale.
Behind the retreating sects of Qingzhou, tens of thousands of warships filled the sky — the combined armies of the five dynasties, pressing forward in relentless pursuit.
Each ship bristled with spiritual artillery. Armored troops filled the heavens like a black tide. The formation stretched to the horizon.
"How many soldiers did they send?"
"Tens of millions!"
"Their commanders — look! They're all Soul Transformation Realm!"
It was true.
The five dynasties had deployed an overwhelming force.
Hundreds of experts, tens of millions of troops. The entire Qingzhou was burning.
Only Great Qin and Grand Xu still stood.
Within Grand Xu, three men held the line: Wang Ming, Wang Xuan, and Wang Lin — three of Lingxiao's most powerful guardians.
Each one was a powerhouse who could suppress an entire realm.
When they fought together, even a Half-Step Immortal King would hesitate.
Without them, the Grand Xu Dynasty would have been erased within hours.
In the sky, Qin Lu and the five rulers exchanged earth-shattering blows. The heavens split open. Space warped. The ground quaked like a living thing.
From the wall, Luo Xueyao gripped the parapet tightly, worry flashing in her eyes. "Master, my father, mother, and ancestors are still in Grand Xu. I'm… worried for them."
"Don't be," Qin Wucheng said calmly. "With Wang Ming and the others guarding that land, no harm will come to them."
Zhao Han nodded. "Junior sister, trust in the Sect Master. The three seniors are unmatched. With them present, Grand Xu will not fall."
Luo Xueyao drew a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Xueyao also believes in the strength of Senior Wang Ming and the others."