CHAPTER 555: CHAPTER 0547: SECT HIERARCH, WHERE ARE THE OTHERS?

Qin Xiangtian did not stop them and instead looked at Lin Fan, speaking slowly: "I’ll leave Qin Yang in your hands from now on. I hope you can guide him well."

"Alright," Lin Fan replied.

Qin Yang glanced at the two of them, feeling that something about this conversation was off.

"Second Uncle, I’m an adult. I can take care of myself."

He wasn’t a child anymore, yet the way this was phrased made it sound like some kind of last will and testament, leaving him utterly baffled.

To think, me, Qin Yang—while I might be a little weak—it’s still me, a grown adult. Why would I need this kind of care? Of course, if I’m being honest, I’m actually kind of strong. I just haven’t shown it much.

"You rascal, get moving already," Qin Xiangtian said.

Meanwhile, Emperor Qin—caught between the Demon Crossing Scripture and the Burning Sky Destruction divine skill—roared angrily, "Stop them for me!"

"Alright, alright."

Qin Xiangtian looked at his elder brother, suppressing a laugh, agreeing with every word but taking exactly no action.

Lin Fan quickly pulled Qin Yang and the others away, withdrawing in an instant.

Watching their retreating figures, Qin Xiangtian said nothing further. Instead, he turned to his elder brother and noticed that he was putting on a convincing act—acting as though he had truly been stopped. It was so believable that even Qin Xiangtian hadn’t expected his brother’s acting skills to be this incredible.

He truly hadn’t noticed before.

Who knows how much time had passed.

A sudden sound echoed through the air.

Emperor Qin broke free of the divine skills and appeared by Qin Xiangtian’s side. He had something to say but ended up remaining silent.

"Elder Brother, your acting skills are impressive," Qin Xiangtian remarked.

"What acting?" Emperor Qin looked at his younger brother in confusion, clearly unsure of what he was talking about.

Qin Xiangtian laughed, "Elder Brother, weren’t you just pretending to let Qin Yang and the others get away? Otherwise, with your strength, could those mere divine skills possibly hold you back? So, deep down, you’re actually quite happy to see how much Qin Yang has grown, aren’t you?"

"I’ve just been observing carefully—Qin Yang really is quite good. He’s been progressing rapidly. If he keeps it up, he’ll reach Daluo Golden Immortal soon enough."

Emperor Qin looked at his younger brother, at a loss for words. Could he even say that he had not been pretending and that the combined effects of those two divine skills had genuinely been tricky to deal with?

The truth was precisely what Qin Xiangtian mentioned, about pretending and playacting.

Except the reality was, he had indeed been stopped.

"Didn’t expect you to see through me. I thought my acting was flawless," Emperor Qin said.

Admitting it was out of the question.

Even though he was usually quite a serious person, in situations like this where saving face mattered, he had to bluff a little.

"Elder Brother, I’ve lived alongside you for so many years. How could I not see through your behavior? But to be honest, staying with that boy might actually be good for Qin Yang. That boy—I think he has the potential to become an Immortal Sovereign, so maybe..."

"Younger Brother, Immortal Sovereigns no longer exist," Emperor Qin said. His words sounded casual, but internally, he was even more shaken than Qin Xiangtian could ever imagine. After personally clashing with that boy, he had realized just how extraordinary his strength was.

He wasn’t even an Immortal Emperor, nor even an Immortal King.

Yet the mana he unleashed was truly astonishing.

The most shocking and inconceivable thing was how the divine skills he had used bore no resemblance to any technique Emperor Qin had seen before. It was as if he had trained his skills to such an extraordinary level that they touched upon the very edges of the "Dao," resulting in these unique transformations.

The two divine skills he had unleashed just moments ago—while clearly of the Heavenly Dao level—shouldn’t, under normal circumstances, have posed any sort of threat in front of an Immortal Emperor.

Yet that boy had succeeded.

He had managed to confine Emperor Qin for a significant period of time.

If this incident were to spread, who knows what kind of waves it would cause?

It might even shake the entire Immortal Realm to its core.

Qin Xiangtian studied the calm expression on his elder brother’s face, thinking inwardly, I knew it. Elder Brother is definitely someone who cares about saving face. I’m not blind to what just happened.

He spoke casually, as though gossipping, but didn’t expect Emperor Qin to keep up the façade so seriously.

Once again, he was astonished at this new layer of his elder brother’s character.

"Let’s go back," Emperor Qin said.

"Elder Brother, are we really not going after that boy?" Qin Xiangtian asked.

Emperor Qin glanced at his younger brother, feeling as though he had intentionally posed the question. His gaze turned increasingly strange, as though trying to say, Have you known all along and are just messing with me now?

Qin Xiangtian noticed the quirk in his elder brother’s gaze and merely chuckled, deciding not to press the matter further. Understanding was enough; asking too much would take the fun out of it.

In the distance—

"Brother Lin, Brother Xiang, to be honest, just now, I was scared out of my wits. Thankfully, Brother Lin remained as steady as ever. Otherwise, I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened," Qin Yang said.

If his father caught him, there was no escaping a round of punishment.

Not to mention, there was also the possibility that the family elders would gang up on him and beat him black and blue.

The thought alone was terrifying.

Lin Fan said, "What a pity. We went through so much trouble to find such a good place to gather resources, only to have it ruined by your father. Now we’ll have to look elsewhere."

"Let’s leave this place. It’s clearly not safe to stay here any longer."

He couldn’t help but feel regretful about this place.

It had been a prime location to reap great rewards.

But a small unforeseen issue had caused everything to fall apart. Such a shame, truly. Otherwise, they could’ve gained so much more—how blissful that life would have been.

Take a look at Qin Yang and Xiang Fei.

They were so carefree and happy.

Without even needing to cultivate, they could gain mana. If others found out, they would no doubt hunt them down out of sheer envy.

The thought was genuinely terrifying.

Meanwhile, Lie Xiong slunk back to the Sky Demon Sect in disgrace, vowing never to forget today’s events. That mysterious expert had injured him gravely with nothing but a single glance. If that expert had wanted him dead, just that one look would have sufficed.

Such was the tragedy of being weak.

After cultivating for so long, he was still no better than an ant in the eyes of a true powerhouse.

Thinking of how the elders and disciples who had accompanied him had inexplicably vanished, his heart bled. Damn it, it was utterly infuriating.

"The Sect Hierarch has returned!"

The elders guarding the Sky Demon Sect were energized at the sight of the Sect Hierarch’s return. They had known he was leading disciples into a Secret Realm.

Now that he was back, it must mean he had achieved something monumental.

Seeing the expectant smiles on the elders’ faces, Lie Xiong felt even more uncomfortable.

He wanted to yell, All of you, get the hell out of my sight!

Looking at your stupid faces just makes me angrier.

But he knew he couldn’t act that way.

"Sect Hierarch, what have we gained?" an elder asked.

Lie Xiong stared at him, saying nothing. The meaning was clear: Just take a look at me—do I look like someone who’s gained anything?

"What do you think?" Lie Xiong threw the question back.

Several elders chimed in, "With the Sect Hierarch personally leading, there’s bound to be a bountiful harvest."

"Huh? Where are the others? Weren’t they with the Sect Hierarch?"

They were full of doubt.

Those who had gone with the Sect Hierarch were nowhere to be seen.

It was indeed strange.