In the Immortal Cultivation World, Qin Heng had seen true Artificers.

They were a group dedicated to wielding the power of Immortal Artifacts with mortal bodies, their refinement methods reaching the pinnacle, and their control over artifacts was incomparably exquisite. They called themselves Refiners.

In the hands of a Refiner, an ordinary Spiritual Treasure's might could rival that of a Divine Weapon, and an ordinary Divine Weapon's power could match that of a Holy Weapon!

Wielding a Peerless Saintly Weapon, one could contend with an Immortal Artifact.

It was said that a Refiner at the Earth Immortal level, during the Combined Dao Stage, once wielded a Peerless Saintly Weapon to vanquish a True Immortal who had descended to the Lower Realm!

This was a group of terrifying individuals who had pushed the art of 'Magic Items' to its absolute zenith.

Any Magic Item, in the hands of a Refiner, could possess inconceivably mighty power. This lineage of inheritance was touted as one of the strongest in all the heavens and myriad worlds.

Soldier Master. In the Immortal Cultivation World, this referred to a Refiner at the Nascent Soul Stage.

This Bai Zhanyun before him was merely a mortal. His own cultivation had not even reached the Transcendence Realm; he had forcibly elevated his strength to a level comparable to a Martial Saint solely by relying on the power of a Spiritual Treasure.

To brazenly claim the title of Soldier Master was simply laughable to Qin Heng.

Against such a weapon thrall, Qin Heng had ten thousand methods, not even needing to clash with him head-on!

However, Bai Zhanyun was clearly oblivious to this. Seeing Qin Heng dare to take the offensive, he sneered and said, "Qin Xuantian, it seems your rise has been far too smooth. You've never suffered a setback since your debut, leading to such arrogance. To show such disrespect to a Soldier Master—you're truly courting death!"

As he spoke, he raised his palm, in which a golden light flickered. A small golden bell seemed to materialize, forming a phantom image. A terrifying pressure spread out, instantly forcing the Li family members and others to their knees.

Only Li Jiao, standing beside the Red Flame Maiden and protected by her, remained unaffected.

Yet, she could still feel Bai Zhanyun's terrifying oppressive aura. It did not seem like something a human could possess; it was as if a Heavenly God from ancient times had descended, crushing everything in the Mortal World.

"Qin Heng! Be careful!" Li Jiao shouted with concern.

Although Bai Zhanyun's current display of power wasn't as overwhelming as Zhong Shenxi's had been, Li Jiao couldn't shake the feeling that Bai Zhanyun's true strength might even surpass that of the Zhong Shenxi she had witnessed previously!

Too terrifying!

This unknown fellow's strength was unbelievably formidable!

What exactly was a Soldier Master?

"Qin Xuantian is finished," the Red Flame Maiden murmured, lightly shaking her head and sighing. "The artifact Bai Zhanyun wields is the ancient Spiritual Treasure, the Golden Light Bell. It is said to be a Spiritual Treasure forged by a Daoist great from the Mythological Era, modeled after a Holy Weapon, and is immensely powerful. Over a hundred years ago, Bai Zhanyun relied on this treasure's power to forcefully suppress and kill a Martial Saint from the Metal Sword Sect, sending shockwaves throughout the world. No matter how strong Qin Xuantian is, he cannot compare to this artifact. The gap is simply too great."

"No, it can't be," Li Jiao couldn't accept it, saying, "Qin Xuantian is so powerful. Even Zhong Shenxi, known as the doomsday of all gods, was killed by his single palm strike. He… he can't lose so easily."

"Hahaha, Zhong Shenxi?" Bai Zhanyun sneered. "Even if Zhong Shenxi's master, the Palace Master of the Sun Temple, the revered Sun Saint Lord himself, were to appear personally, he wouldn't dare contend with my Golden Light Bell! The might of a Soldier Master is unstoppable! Die, Qin Xuantian! Pay the price for your disrespect!"

BANG!

Golden light from Bai Zhanyun's palm clashed with Qin Heng's hand, emitting a deafening roar. A massive shockwave exploded outward from them, sending the Li family members flying, slamming them against the walls, and inflicting severe injuries.

"Close your eyes," the Red Flame Maiden said with regret, shaking her head as she spoke to Li Jiao. "Qin Xuantian cannot withstand the power of the Golden Light Bell. In such a head-on confrontation, he will surely be shattered into powder. You'd best not witness such a ghastly sight."

"Master, Qin Heng… Qin Heng hasn't been shattered!" Li Jiao's voice rang out, filled with surprise. She cheered, "Qin Heng seems to have suppressed Bai Zhanyun! He has suppressed the Soldier Master!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt

"Impossible!" The Red Flame Maiden looked over in utter astonishment, then froze on the spot. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints, and her entire body stiffened as she murmured, "How can this be? How can he be so overwhelmingly strong?!"

Qin Heng, far from being blasted apart by Bai Zhanyun's palm strike, had instead gripped Bai Zhanyun's hand, twisting his arm and leveraging his joints to force him down to one knee.

BANG!!

Bai Zhanyun knelt on one knee, and the floor of the Li family's villa shattered on the spot, dense cracks spreading out in all directions.

"Aaah!! Impossible! This cannot be!" Bai Zhanyun roared in disbelief. Looking up at the still composed Qin Heng, he shouted, "How can you possess such immense strength? You… how can you withstand the might of an ancient Spiritual Treasure?!"

"You mere ant, because you're just a weapon thrall! Before me, let alone a bell-shaped Spiritual Treasure, even the Primordial Chaos Treasure, the Chaotic Clock, wouldn't dare act presumptuously!" Qin Heng sneered. "You piece of trash, you are utterly unworthy of possessing such a Spiritual Treasure! Come to me!!"

At this command, golden light flared from Bai Zhanyun's entire body. The ground trembled as if an incomparably terrifying entity was silently emerging. The blinding golden light began to condense between Bai Zhanyun's eyebrows, his face contorting in excruciating pain, every feature twisted.

"Aaaah!! What are you doing?! No! No, no!! Beast! You want to seize my Spiritual Treasure! How dare you! If the Divine Weapon Palace finds out, they'll tear you to pieces!!"

Qin Heng turned a deaf ear to Bai Zhanyun's furious curses. His fingers danced, executing a spell he had learned from the Refiners: the 'Seizing Myriad Treasures Technique.'

This technique could forcibly seize any unowned Magic Item and claim it for his own use.

Bai Zhanyun called himself a Soldier Master, but in reality, he was not qualified to be the master of a Golden Core level Spiritual Treasure. The treasure was merely stored within his body; fundamentally, it was still an unowned Magic Item.

Soon, the golden light between Bai Zhanyun's eyebrows grew denser and more dazzling. The terrifying pressure pervading the air became increasingly pronounced. A small golden bell gradually took shape, slowly emerging from between Bai Zhanyun's eyebrows.

The appearance of a Golden Core level Spiritual Treasure!!

BOOM! BOOM!

Flames involuntarily erupted around the Red Flame Maiden. The Spiritual Treasure within her body was reacting, resisting the Golden Light Bell's pressure to prevent her from being forced into submission.

"How is this possible? My heavens, what am I seeing?!" The Red Flame Maiden stared at Qin Heng in disbelief, her beautiful eyes wide with utter shock. She exclaimed in horror, "You can actually seize the Spiritual Treasure from within a Soldier Master's body?!"

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Waves of air dispersed. Qin Heng grasped the Golden Light Bell in his hand, and the oppressive aura that filled the surroundings instantly vanished. He swept his gaze towards the Red Flame Maiden, a smile that was not quite a smile on his face, and said, "How about it? Do you also wish to contribute the Spiritual Treasure within your body?"

Upon hearing this, the Red Flame Maiden immediately tensed. Her alluring body froze on the spot, and her eyes, as she looked at Qin Heng, were filled with fear.