Qin Qingfeng turned and strode away.
In the Enforcement Hall, though the women were dissatisfied with the decision, they had no choice but to obey once Qin Qingfeng had spoken.
"Hmph, Qin Xuan, I’ll let you, this traitor, live for three more days."
Qin Fengwu drew her blade and pointed the tip directly at Qin Xuan. "I will be watching you closely these three days. If you dare to flee, I will personally hack you into mince!"
Qin Xuan ignored her.
He turned around and walked out of the Enforcement Hall with an indifferent expression.
With every step he took, a prominent bloody footprint appeared on the floor of the great hall.
Qin Xuan stumbled with almost every step.
However, guided by his memories, he walked all the way from the Enforcement Hall to his own living quarters without letting out a single groan of pain.
It was as if the trail of blood he left behind had nothing to do with him.
"So, this is my home?"
Qin Xuan stopped in front of a dilapidated shack, his eyes holding deep meaning. "To think that a direct descendant of the Qin Family would end up living in conditions worse than a common servant."
He sighed softly and pushed the door open to enter.
As for material possessions, Qin Xuan cared little.
Having ascended to the status of Immortal Emperor in his past life, he had slept in the wilderness and indulged in boundless luxury alike; such external matters were merely passing clouds to him.
After closing the door, Qin Xuan walked to his bed and sat cross-legged.
"This body... is truly weak to the extreme."
"Congenitally deficient; I can barely sense any spiritual energy in the meridians."
He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, yet he remained unconcerned. "That is fine. I recall a technique I obtained after razing the Celestial Demons' holy temple in my past life—a method to recover from injuries using the power of blood and energy."
As the thought crossed his mind, blood-colored mist suddenly erupted around Qin Xuan.
The dried blood on his body unexpectedly began to smolder, transforming into currents of gentle vitality.
Under the stimulation of this life force, the wounds on Qin Xuan’s body began to scab and fall off at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Even the internal injuries from the one hundred heavy strikes were rapidly healed by this vitality.
In the blink of an eye, an hour passed.
When Qin Xuan opened his eyes again, his wounds were almost completely healed.
Only his complexion remained slightly pale due to the depletion of his blood and energy.
"Three days."
Qin Xuan opened his eyes, his expression solemn. "My opponent is at the Zhoutian 9th Layer. I must at least reach the Zhoutian Realm to have a chance at fighting him. The time is barely sufficient."
With that, he began to search his mind, recalling the countless cultivation techniques he had collected in his previous life.
In his past life, although he eventually ascended to become an Immortal Emperor, his beginnings in martial arts were not illustrious. When he first entered the path, he practiced the most mediocre Yellow-tier technique, the kind that could be bought for a few hundred spirit stones.
It was only after encountering a stroke of fortune and rising to the heavens that he switched to a new cultivation path and underwent a transformation.
Yet, even so, the deficiency in his foundation remained his greatest regret.
Now, living a second life, although his body was weak, he finally had the chance to make up for that lingering dissatisfaction.
"Techniques in the lower realms are divided into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow grades."
"The techniques I created in my past life, while superior to Heaven-tier, are far too powerful for my current body to withstand. It would be better to enter the path with a top-tier Heaven-tier technique."
"Once I am stronger in the future, I can switch to my past life’s profound arts."
He quickly made his decision and located a top-tier Heaven-tier technique from his memories.
For others, three days would not even be enough to learn the technique, let alone enter the path.
But Qin Xuan was different.
In his eyes, a top-tier Heaven-tier technique was merely a transitional tool. Once his body grew stronger, he could abandon it at any time to switch to a superior path.
At this moment, having chosen his technique, Qin Xuan prepared to draw energy into his body and re-cultivate the Qi Condensation Realm.
However, the moment the essence energy entered his body, a black light suddenly erupted from the center of his brow!
Wherever this black light passed, the essence energy Qin Xuan had drawn in was instantly devoured.
Qin Xuan’s expression froze; he was all too familiar with this black light!
"The Black Pagoda?"
His pupils constricted slightly, revealing a look of astonishment. "That Black Pagoda was reborn with me?"
Before his words had faded, the black light passed through Qin Xuan’s body and slowly manifested in mid-air, transforming into a pitch-black, palm-sized pagoda about a foot tall!
Qin Xuan’s expression shifted.
In his past life, he had reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao only to have his divine core stolen by this very pagoda. Now, reborn at his weakest, he was utterly powerless to contend with it!
Just as Qin Xuan braced himself, the sealed gates of the Black Pagoda suddenly swung open!
The next instant, before Qin Xuan could even react, he felt an irresistible force pull him into the interior of the pagoda!
A moment later, the scene before his eyes gradually cleared.
He found himself in a pitch-black, void-like space. Apart from a radius of a few feet around him, there was only boundless darkness, so thick he could not see his own hand.
"This is the space inside the Black Pagoda?"
Qin Xuan was slightly stunned.
Just then, a distant, ancient sigh emanated from the endless void of darkness.
Immediately following, a massive torrent of information flooded into his consciousness without warning.
A wave of intense pain hit him.
Qin Xuan gritted his teeth and held on.
Gradually, the information in his mind clarified, forming a complete cultivation technique!
"Primal Devouring Heaven Formula"!!
"This is..."
Qin Xuan contemplated the technique briefly, and his expression shifted. "This Primal Devouring Heaven Formula is even more mysterious and profound than the technique I created in my past life... Who could have created such a powerful art?"
Just as he was filled with awe, streaks of energy within the endless void of the Black Pagoda transformed into black lightning, piercing through Qin Xuan’s body in an instant.
Within moments, Qin Xuan felt his congenitally deficient origins rapidly growing stronger under the stimulation of the black lightning!
Not only that, but these black lightning bolts contained astonishing spiritual energy.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Xuan realized he had re-entered the path, his cultivation instantly bypassing the Qi Condensation 1st Layer and stepping directly into the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer!!
What was even more shocking was that this spiritual energy remained within his meridians.
As he began to circulate his internal art, the spiritual energy was absorbed almost instantly, without any obstruction.
In just a moment: Peak of the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer!
Qi Condensation 3rd Layer!
A moment later: Qi Condensation 4th Layer!
"What astonishing speed!"
Even with Qin Xuan’s composure, he couldn't help but be amazed.
As the spiritual energy from the lightning dissipated, Qin Xuan was surprised to discover that the spiritual energy within this Black Pagoda space was countless times denser than in the outside world!
The energy absorbed in a mere two or three breaths was equivalent to refining a low-grade spirit stone!
"The space within this Black Pagoda has such a function?"
Qin Xuan took a deep breath.
After only a moment of surprise, he adjusted his mood, sat cross-legged, and began to run the Primal Devouring Heaven Formula, absorbing spiritual energy with all his might to elevate his cultivation!
In the blink of an eye, two days slipped by.
When the third day arrived, Qin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes within the Black Pagoda space!
Boom!!
A sound like an explosion of spiritual energy rang out like a thunderclap on flat ground!
Inside the Black Pagoda, waves of spiritual energy rolled around Qin Xuan’s body.
Imperceptibly, these currents followed a unique rhythm, forming a complete cycle of their own!
"Zhoutian Realm!!"
A look of satisfaction flashed in Qin Xuan’s eyes as he withdrew the energy into his body and restored his expression to calm. "Very good. I reached the Zhoutian Realm a day early, faster than I expected."
He exhaled a long breath.
He looked around. The space within the Black Pagoda remained as it was—beyond the few feet around him, everything else was a pitch-black void.
"But I wonder, how do I leave this place?"
No sooner had the thought occurred to him than the scene before his eyes twisted.
When his vision returned to normal, Qin Xuan found he was back in his room.
"To think this Black Pagoda is such a supreme treasure."
Qin Xuan quickly calmed his emotions, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "I already have the experience of a previous life, and now with the help of the Black Pagoda, I fear I shall return to my past peak sooner than expected."
"This time, I will certainly take that step beyond what I could never surpass in my past life."
...
...
The next morning.
This was the day of the life-and-death duel between Qin Xuan and Qin Qingfeng.
At the break of dawn, Qin Xuan was still in deep meditation, consolidating his cultivation.
Clang—
With a loud crash, the gate to his courtyard was kicked off its hinges. A woman in black tight-fitting attire stepped into the courtyard, acting arrogant and overbearing. "Qin Xuan, get out here at once!"
Qin Xuan’s eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing within.
He pushed the door open and stepped out.
Qin Fengwu stood in the courtyard, her form-fitting outfit highlighting her voluptuous figure. She stood with arms crossed, her sword at her waist, looking haughty.
Seeing Qin Xuan emerge, she sneered, "Hmph, I thought a loser like you might try to sneak away. You’re lucky to be alive, but if you dare to run, I’ll chop you into mincemeat!"
"Do you think you’re worthy?"
Qin Xuan’s expression was icy, his tone indifferent.
The moment his voice fell, Qin Fengwu felt a blur before her eyes. The next instant, the figure of Qin Xuan she had been watching simply vanished.
"What?"
Her expression shifted. She instinctively looked around, only to find that Qin Xuan had appeared behind her at some point, idly playing with a two-foot-long short blade.
It was none other than Qin Fengwu’s own sword!
"You... you loser, how is that possible..."
Qin Fengwu’s face turned pale. Sensing the ceaseless circulation of energy around Qin Xuan, forming a perfect cycle, she gasped in shock: "You... you have become a Zhoutian Realm warrior?"
Qin Xuan couldn't be bothered to explain. He tossed the sword aside casually. "Did Qin Qingfeng send you?"
"Hmph."
Hearing that name, Qin Fengwu seemed to find her backbone again. She sneered, "That’s right. Big Brother Qingfeng has already requested the Clan Head's presence at the Clan Hall. I am here specifically to escort you there."
"Qin Xuan, I don’t know what kind of crooked tricks you used."
"But even if you have entered the Zhoutian Realm, you are no match for Big Brother Qingfeng!"
"Daring to challenge Big Brother Qingfeng, you are destined to bring humiliation upon yourself!!"
"Too much nonsense."
Qin Xuan glanced at her coldly, his tone remaining distant. "Since you’re ready, lead the way."