Chapter 61: An Miaoling's Enemy

There were already quite a few people gathered inside the valley.

Qin Tian paid them no mind, choosing a secluded patch of grass where he set up a defensive array all around.

Zong Wu, acting sensibly, went off into the distance to scout the situation.

It was currently afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly.

Qin Tian flopped straight down onto the grass, crossed his legs, and bathed in the warm sunlight.

An Miaoqing sat quietly right beside him.

Before he knew it, Qin Tian's gaze drifted toward An Miaoqing. Illuminated by the sunlight, she looked breathtakingly radiant, fresh, and refined.

Her face was as alluring as a calamity to kingdoms, featuring a delicate, upturned nose, skin as white as snow, and a pair of mesmerizing eyes.

Finding herself stared at so intently, An Miaoqing grew somewhat self-conscious.

A faint blush crept across her cheeks.

Qin Tian patted the ground beside him and said, "Lie down for a while and keep your master company."

An Miaoqing hesitated for a moment before lying down, though she maintained a slight distance from Qin Tian.

Seeing this, Qin Tian consciously shifted a little closer toward her. Inhaling the delicate fragrance of the young maiden, he felt slightly intoxicated.

"Once we get our hands on the dragon vein, we'll go into secluded cultivation for a period, and then we'll set out to avenge you."

Vengeance?

Those two words instantly stirred the depths of her soul. This was a matter she had never once forgotten.

"We can gather intelligence on the situation first when the time comes!" An Miaoqing replied.

After all, her enemies were all long-established experts at the Third Realm of the Emperor Stage.

Just as Qin Tian was about to say something more, the surroundings grew noisy.

Zong Wu came running back and announced, "The powerhouses of the Kunyuan Empire have arrived."

Qin Tian looked a bit blank, as he was not familiar with the factions in the Central Province.

However, he noticed that An Miaoqing's expression had turned icy.

Could this Kunyuan Empire be Miaoqing's enemy?

He hadn't expected that before they could even go looking for their foes, the enemy would proactively show up at their doorstep. Perhaps this was the karmic repercussion triggered by the blood moon.

Qin Tian patted An Miaoqing's shoulder. "This time, they won't be returning alive."

Hearing this, An Miaoqing looked at him. "You figured it out?"

"Isn't it written all over your face?"

An Miaoqing nodded and said, "Among the people who made a move against me back then was the Kunyuan Emperor himself."

Standing nearby, Zong Wu was utterly bewildered, unable to fathom why the Kunyuan Emperor would target a mere half-saint.

For Qin Tian, confirming this information was enough.

Originally, he had planned to bide his time and keep a low profile before helping An Miaoqing exact her revenge, but he hadn't expected the enemy to deliver themselves right to him.

Afterward, Qin Tian instructed Zong Wu to continue gathering intelligence to gauge the opponent's strength.

He was not in a hurry to make a move either, because his own power had not yet been unsealed. If the opponent happened to be at the Third Realm of the Emperor Stage, he would not be able to defeat them.

After a short while, Zong Wu returned. "The one who came isn't the Kunyuan Emperor, but his older brother, Kunyuan Xian."

"And he is a formidable expert at the Third Realm of the Emperor Stage."

"I see!"

Meanwhile, deep within the valley, the ground began to tremble.

"The treasure is about to manifest!" someone shouted not far away.

Gradually, the tremors grew more violent, and everyone's nerves tightened to a breaking point.

Roar!

A shadowy phantom of an azure dragon suddenly burst forth from beneath the earth.

"Th... Is this a dragon vein?" someone exclaimed in shock.

"My Thousand-Blade Sect claims this dragon vein! Anyone who dares to contest it with us will fight to the death!" an elderly man at the Second Realm of the Emperor Stage shouted as he flew into the sky, his eyes burning crimson.

"Since when does the Thousand-Blade Sect count for anything? This dragon vein belongs to my Mystic Weapon Sect."

The entire valley erupted into chaos. The factions that had arrived were growing frantic; once a sect secured a dragon vein, it could guarantee its prosperity for at least ten thousand years.

Zong Wu was also somewhat tempted. If he could cultivate atop the Azure Dragon Vein, his cultivation speed would increase manifold.

"Young Master, when do we make our move?"

"There's no rush. With so many people around, let's sit back and watch the tigers fight from the mountain."

With that, Qin Tian led An Miaoqing and Zong Wu back a little further.

Instantly, a melee broke out inside the valley, with countless powerful martial arts techniques and cultivation methods exploding all around.

Viewed from a distance, it looked just like a colorful display of fireworks.

At the same time, sounds of anger and resentment echoed from the valley.

People began to die.

Watching this, Zong Wu felt a lingering wave of fear, and then said to Qin Tian, "It's fortunate that the Young Master is wise."

Gradually, the sounds of fighting within began to subside, followed by the sound of a verbal exchange.

"Kunyuan Xian, how dare you people from the Kunyuan Empire run wild within our Haotian Empire?"

"So what if I've come? With just the likes of you, you think you can compete with me?"

Qin Tian took the lead, walking over to take a look, only to find that it was Xiao Zhan.

At that moment, Xiao Zhan had already been injured by a middle-aged man dressed in green robes. This green-robed man was none other than Kunyuan Xian.

Aside from Xiao Zhan, there were quite a few corpses and wounded individuals scattered nearby.

"Should we make a move?" Zong Wu asked.

Qin Tian thought for a moment before saying, "Wait a little longer!"

Seeing that no one else was stepping forward, Kunyuan Xian wore a triumphant smile.

Then, he abruptly slammed both palms down onto the ground.

Another dragon roar resounded.

Following that, an azure dragon spirit burst out from beneath the earth.

This was the true physical manifestation of the dragon vein.

Upon seeing the dragon vein emerge, Kunyuan Xian lunged forward swiftly and brought his hands together.

Two massive palms formed from condensed spiritual energy clamped down fiercely onto the spiritual body of the dragon vein.

The dragon vein began to struggle frantically.

Qin Tian exchanged a glance with Zong Wu. "Get ready to strike."

The dragon vein's struggles grew increasingly violent, yet it simply could not break free.

The corners of Kunyuan Xian's mouth curled upward, his face filled with excitement.

If he could capture this dragon vein and take it back to his royal estate, he would never have to worry about his lineage failing to prosper.

Realizing it could not break free, the dragon vein prepared to execute a spiritual self-detonation—igniting a portion of its own spiritual energy to trigger an explosion.

As the spiritual body of the dragon vein began to swell, Kunyuan Xian's smile vanished instantly.

He was well aware of the dragon vein's intentions, but he could only grit his teeth and endure it; if he let go, the dragon vein would escape.

"Attack!"

Qin Tian issued the command.

At that very instant, the dragon vein exploded, and Kunyuan Xian was directly caught in the blast and injured.

Before he could even recover his wits, he sensed someone slashing down from behind him.

He turned his head to look and saw that it was Zong Wu.

Samsara Slash!

Zong Wu unleashed his most powerful move directly.

Sensing the immense power of this attack, Kunyuan Xian decisively abandoned the spiritual vein and turned around to block Zong Wu's blade.

If he didn't block it, he would sustain further injuries.

And afterwards, the opponent would continue pressing the attack; he couldn't possibly take every blow head-on.

The moment Zong Wu let go of his restraint on the vein, Qin Tian immediately embraced the dragon vein and began sealing it.

Kunyuan Xian was knocked back repeatedly by Zong Wu's slash.

A flash of golden light crossed his eyes. "An Emperor Weapon?"

He directly drew his own Emperor Weapon, the Primordial Dragon Spear.

Seeing that Kunyuan Xian had also produced an Emperor Weapon, Zong Wu felt a momentary urge to retreat, but he knew he could not back down.

Because Qin Tian was currently sealing the dragon vein and needed him to buy time.

Bearing this in mind, Zong Wu decided to risk everything.

Kunyuan Xian saw through Zong Wu's intentions, but he didn't care.

If someone else wanted to help him capture the dragon vein, he would let them do the work; he could simply snatch it back later.

Kunyuan Xian dragged his long spear with one hand and charged toward Zong Wu with an overbearing stride.

He was determined to take the Emperor Weapon in Zong Wu's hands.

Swinging the spear in a sweeping half-moon arc from back to front, he smashed it down toward Zong Wu.

Zong Wu gripped his saber with both hands and met the attack head-on.

Boom!

The long spear bounced back, but the shockwave caused Zong Wu to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Stabilizing his footing, Kunyuan Xian executed a horizontal sweep. Zong Wu parried sideways with his saber and was once again driven back several steps.

He was completely suppressed and beaten down.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhan also joined the fray, teaming up with Zong Wu to fight the enemy.