Chapter 529 - The Surging Pressure
Xu Ao wore an icy grin.
He had never suspected Duan Qing to be Qin Nan. He was only trying to annoy him, and have a look at Duan Qing’s Martial Spirit’s rank.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Nan swiftly reacted and snapped coldly, “Vice-Platoon Leader Xu! My Martial Spirit is my personal secret. I won’t show it easily to anyone! Besides, since the Heavenly-Illuminated Mirror showed no reaction, it is enough to prove that I’m innocent! I believe you are purposely picking on me!”
The words were uttered with a firm tone, striking the souls of the crowd.
Elder Yin and the others nodded their heads. It was reasonable for them to eliminate Duan Qing from the suspect list after using the Heavenly-Illuminated Mirror. There was no need for him to show his Martial Spirit.
“HAHAHA!” Xu Ao was incredibly cunning as he burst out laughing and said, “Duan Qing, are you scared to do so? What difference would it bring if you unleash your Martial Spirit? Are you implying that you are actually Qin Nan in disguise? Well, if you really aren’t Qin Nan after showing your Martial Spirit, I will apologize to you in front of everyone...”
Xu Ao would not go back empty-handed. He had to at least learn Duan Qing’s Martial Spirit’s rank.
However, before he could finish...
BANG!
Among the three palaces of the Vermilion Bird Platoon, the Cultivation Hall emitted a terrifying red glow from every possible gap of the building like an overflowing river.
An indescribable icy aura swept the entire Vermilion Bird Platoon like a hurricane.
Xu Ao’s voice stiffened as his eyes were filled with terror.
Wasn’t that man cultivating in seclusion?
How did such an insignificant matter grab his attention?
In addition to Xu Ao, Elder Yin, and the others shuddered violently too.
The bloody glow served as a warning from that man without a doubt!
Elder Wang let out a sigh while he snapped with a cold tone, “Still not planning to take your leave?”
“Err… We’ll go right away!”
Elder Yin and his crew exchanged glances with one another and immediately made up their minds.
They were only here to investigate Duan Qing as Xu Ao had promised them great benefits. They did not have high expectations from the beginning, and now that they had disturbed that man, it would not bring them any good if they were to stay there any longer.
Qin Nan let out a sigh of relief after seeing this. It appeared that he had survived the great crisis this time.
Buzz!
At that moment, a badge hanging on Lu Jian’s wrist emitted a brilliant glow, which attracted everyone’s attention.
Lu Jian was startled before he quickly took out the badge. Following a scan with his Divine Sense, his face was filled with astonishment as he blurted out, “Elder Yin, the shadows of the Trading Alliance have reported a new discovery. There is a half-Martial Sacred Realm expert protecting the Mystic Spirit Sect of the Luohe Kingdom!”
“What?”
Elder Yin, Song Yu, Miao Yuxin, and the rest were shocked.
Previously at the Ocean of Death, Sacred Leader Qinglong had revealed his tremendous power and wiped out the people of the Feiyang Sacred Area. Therefore, not a single half-Sacred Realm expert was left in the lower district. Why would a half-Martial Sacred Realm expert suddenly appear in the tiny Luohe Kingdom, let alone the Mystic Spirit Sect?
“Let’s go!”
Elder Yin uttered a roar and flung his sleeves, before flying rapidly into the distance.
“Cough cough… I’ll be leaving too. Sorry for disturbing.”
Xu Ao wore an awkward expression after seeing this. Not only did he fail to achieve his goal after summoning the inspection unit here, the situation had turned out worse than he had expected. He immediately flew into the distance without hesitation.
However, little did they know that Lu Jian’s words served as a great thunder in Qin Nan’s mind.
A half-Martial Sacred Realm expert; wasn’t that the Dragon Vein of the Qinglong Sacred Area?
Did that mean that the Four Great Factions were now spying on his family?
At that instant, a great sense of danger rose within his heart.
In the Martial World, there existed an unspoken rule; any conflict should not involve the families of both parties. However, the Four Great Factions had set their eyes upon the Luohe Kingdom.
Therefore, it was possible that the Four Great Factions would go crazy and hold Qin Tian and the others in custody just to force him to show himself.
“What exactly did this Qin Nan do to make the Four Great Factions so crazy to find him.”
“Yeah, a while ago, the Martial Sacred Realm experts of the Four Great Factions even searched the entire Heavenly Barrier Mountain Range.”
“Rumors said that he is an extremely talented genius. I would like to battle against him to be honest.”
The geniuses of the Vermilion Bird Platoon began to discuss among themselves after witnessing the farce before them.
“Wait!”
At that instant, a slightly hoarse voice suddenly exploded.
The crowd—including Xu Ao, who was currently flying out of the formation—could feel their hearts skip a beat after hearing the voice. Their figures were rooted in place, as if a curse had been cast upon them.
“Don’t think that you White Tiger Platoon can do whatever you want just because I’m currently in seclusion!”
The hoarse voice was filled with a hint of iciness.
BANG!
A terrifying bloody glow was fired from the Cultivation Hall, which transformed into a giant hand as if it possessed some sort of intelligence, before it slapped at Xu Ao’s figure.
“AH!”
A miserable cry of agony echoed in the sky.
Xu Ao’s figure was sent flying instantly like an arrow being loosed. He spat out mouthfuls of blood as his figure fell rapidly from the sky.
The geniuses of the Vermilion Bird Platoon stared with their eyes open wide.
Had he just sent the Vice-Platoon Leader of the White Tiger Platoon flying with a single slap?
That man...was utterly terrifying!
“Duan Qing, come to the cultivation hall!”
The hoarse voice appeared once again.
“Mm?”
Qin Nan immediately collected his thoughts while his eyes flickered with curiosity. The person inside the Cultivation Hall was none other than the Platoon Leader of the Vermilion Bird Platoon, one of the top three experts of the Sky-Scorching Ancient Kingdom. Why was he asking him to go inside?
Despite the doubt, he had no choice but to obey the order. He immediately sprang into the hall with a flicker.
The geniuses were startled once again.
The man had just attacked and sent Xu Ao away, and he was asking Duan Qing to enter the Cultivation Hall. Why was that?
Could it be...
At that instant, countless possibilities emerged from their hearts.
Mu Chengye’s icy blue eyes glistened upon seeing this.
He was there specifically for the Art of the Immortal Vermilion Bird. Otherwise, with his seventh-grade Di ranked Martial Spirit, he could easily find a better faction to join. Besides, he had spent a significant time understanding the man’s personalities before coming here.
Unless the person had greatly contributed to the Sky-Scorching Ancient Kingdom or attained some impressive achievements, the man would not show himself even if an eighth-grade Di ranked Martial Spirit was recruited into the Vermilion Bird Platoon. Therefore, it was less likely that he would demand a newly-recruited genius to enter the Cultivation Hall.
Meanwhile, Elder Wang wore a thoughtful expression.
...The Cultivation Hall, in the main area...
As soon as Qin Nan entered, the bloody glow filling the hall was absorbed toward its center by some mysterious force, which vanished in the blink of an eye.
At the center of the hall was a chair made of ice, and on top of it sat a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man had long black hair to his waist. It felt like his facial features were carved with a knife, resulting in deep contours. On his shoulder hung a fiery mink coat while his chest was bare, filled with dense scars, giving him an intimidating appearance.
The middle-aged man had a pair of deep eyes, which were now staring at Qin Nan’s figure, as if they were able to see everything about him.
“Greetings, Platoon Leader… I’m not sure why you’re asking for me…” Qin Nan brought his hands together and said.
“My name is Zhou Bihua—you can call me Uncle Zhou.” Zhou Bihua’s lips curled upward as his eyes emitted a shocking glow, “So should I call you Qin Nan instead?”
Buzz!
Qin Nan’s brain vibrated vigorously.
How did this man know his identity? Did he see through his disguise?
Zhou Bihua waved his hand and said, “Don’t panic yet. A few hundred years ago, an old man who called himself Qinglong stumbled into me and told me that I should expect a young little fellow to join my Vermilion Bird Platoon.”
After saying this, Zhou Bihua flung his hand and an ancient scroll landed in Qin Nan’s hand.
There was not a single word written on the scroll, but it had a mysterious ancient aura—the aura of the Divine God of Battle.
“Sacred Leader Qinglong?”
Qin Nan was utterly stunned.
What was going on? Why did the Sacred Leader know that he would be coming to the Vermilion Bird Platoon since a few hundred years ago? Did he already know everything that would occur to him?
Countless doubts rose within his heart.
“Phew.”
Qin Nan exhaled and withheld the doubts in his heart. Be it either Sacred Leader Qinglong or the left eye of the Divine God of Battle, there were many things that he could not figure out for now, and it was also a waste of time if he were to think about them.
Besides, the Four Great Factions had now set their eyes upon the Luohe Kingdom.
“Brother Zhou, since you know who I am, I will be straightforward. I have to pay a visit to the lower district at once.” Qin Nan said.
Although he was clueless as to whether Zhou Bihua was his ally or enemy, he had no choice but to be frank.
“No need for that.” Zhou Bihua waved his hand and calmly said, “In the lower district, the Luohe Kingdom is being protected by the Martial Serendipity Pavilion. Unless it is with its permission, the experts of the upper district will find it impossible to enter the lower district. Otherwise, the Four Great Factions would have already captured your family and forced you to show yourself! They can only send cultivators of the Martial Dominator Realm there to gather some information.”
“The Martial Serendipity Pavilion?”
Qin Nan was surprised.
Why was the Martial Serendipity Pavilion protecting the Luohe Kingdom?
However, Zhou Bihua had no reason to lie to him. Besides, there must be a reason why the Four Great Factions had not achieved their targets yet.
“This Martial World is full of dangers. The Four Great Factions would do anything just to acquire my ‘secrets’, and even established an inspection unit and investigate anything that is related to me. If it weren’t for the Martial Serendipity Pavilion protecting the Luohe Kingdom, if it weren’t for the extraordinary talents of my brothers, they would most likely fall into misfortune because of me…”
Qin Nan quickly thought as his eyes became icy while his fists were clenched tightly.
He had never been scared of anything in his life.
However, his brothers, family, and friends were precious to him.
If they were to be killed because of him, Qin Nan would blame himself for the rest of his life.
“As what the Sacred Leader has mentioned, the Martial World obeys the law of the jungle, thus the only way is to grow stronger!”
Qin Nan’s eyes turned firm and sharp.
Only by growing stronger would he be able to protect his family and friends.
Only by growing stronger would he be able to break the rules and pursue his dream.
“Only by growing stronger will I be able to crush the Four Great Factions!”
It was as if a spark had been lit in Qin Nan’s eyes.
Zhou Bihua gazed at Qin Nan in silence. He fully observed the change of his expression, which left him in awe. This young man was pretty similar to himself when he was young—unwilling to give up.
“But, Qinglong, this young man only has a sixth-grade Di ranked Martial Spirit. He could only be considered as a great talent in the Eastern Continent, not even a top genius. Why are you so fond of him?”
Zhou Bihua mumbled while he suddenly recalled something, “Well, you did mention that he is the hope I’ve been looking for to resurrect the Blood-Winged Vermilion Bird. I would like to see if he’s able to do that. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being cold-hearted.”
Zhou Bihua’s eyes switched between an icy look and a warm look continuously.