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Chapter 168: Qin Zi Has Been Trapped
🕑 Added 2024-10-03 07:50:56 +0000 UTCQin Zi had always been kind-hearted and did not enjoy killing. Seeing the old man kneeling before him, he decided to let him go, feeling that it wasn’t easy for someone of his age to have survived this long.
"You can leave," Qin Zi waved his hand dismissively.
"Huh? Thank you, Senior!" The white-robed elder, surprised by Qin Zi’s quick decision, scrambled to his feet and hastily began to run away.
"Wait," Qin Zi suddenly called out.
"Senior, is there something el—" The old man turned back with a flattering smile, but before he could finish his sentence, a powerful force slammed into his head. His body spun like a top, and his vision blurred as the world flipped upside down.
Boom!
The next moment, the elder, like the previous two men, was driven head-first into the ground. His legs stiffened briefly before softening, forming a "W" shape.
"Heh, you think I didn’t know you were planning to bring reinforcements to trap me later? You think I’m stupid?" Qin Zi patted his hands in disdain and then flew forward.
The Southern Domain was vast, wild, and sparsely populated, with mountains and rivers teeming with venomous creatures and fierce beasts, exuding a savage, primal aura.
Qin Zi continued his journey.
Before long, he came upon a mighty river, stretching a thousand feet wide. On the mountain peaks on either side of the river, there were clusters of buildings. By the riverbank, many young disciples, likely from a sect, were fishing. They used ropes to tie cattle and sheep and then tossed them into the river. The water surged violently, and soon the ropes tightened, crisscrossing the river like taut lines.
"Lift it!"
"Come on up!"
The disciples strained with all their might, and soon, massive black-toothed fish, each over ten meters long, were pulled out of the water. These ferocious fish shook free of the cattle and sheep and immediately lashed out at the disciples with their tails, snapping at them.
Swish, swish, swish!
However, several sword lights flashed, instantly slicing the giant fish into neat sashimi slices. The fish skeletons were then tossed back into the water, while the sashimi was collected in large, energy-formed platters and frozen by disciples using ice-element techniques before being taken away.
They had formed an efficient production chain!
Qin Zi was dumbfounded.
He approached one of the disciples fishing and asked, "Brother, why don’t you just use your powers to fish? This method seems a bit slow."
What he said was true—if it were him, he’d cast a single divine net and haul up at least a hundred or so fish at once.
"Who are you?" The disciple turned around, startled by Qin Zi’s appearance, but quickly composed himself.
"Just a passerby," Qin Zi replied with a smile.
"Oh, we’re not just fishing. We’re also tempering our bodies. Fishing requires keen observation, quick reflexes, and explosive strength. By training without using divine powers, we build our bodies, which, in turn, makes using divine powers later far more effective."
The disciple stood up, patting the dirt off his pants.
With enthusiasm, he added, "Meeting is fate. I can see you’re no ordinary person. Why don’t you come to my place for a visit?"
"No need," Qin Zi waved his hand, his smile as bright as a flower, but he discreetly took two steps back.
"Come on, just come for a little while," the disciple urged with a smile, stepping toward Qin Zi.
"No, no, really," Qin Zi continued waving him off with a forced laugh. "I just remembered I have something urgent to attend to at home. I’ll take my leave."
"Hmph! You kill members of my Lijiang Sect and still think you can leave?! The road to heaven is open, yet you choose to enter hell instead!"
The disciple’s voice suddenly turned cold and aged, exuding an air of authority.
"Uh, what a coincidence… well, I’ll be off!" Qin Zi laughed awkwardly and bolted without hesitation.
He hadn’t expected that the random person he’d asked for directions would turn out to be one of Lijiang Sect’s old monsters.
"Hmph, if I let you escape today, how could I, the Lijiang Elder, maintain my standing in the Southern Domain?" the elder snorted, leaping into the air and striking the mighty river below with his palm. The water roared, and a hundred-foot-wide section of the river broke away, rising into the sky like a massive serpent, coiling toward Qin Zi.
"Break!" Qin Zi unleashed a divine strike, slicing through the incoming river, sending water flying in all directions, creating vibrant rainbows in the sunlight.
But water cannot truly be severed.
The split river quickly reformed and continued to pursue Qin Zi, tightening its grip like an ever-shrinking noose.
In moments, Qin Zi was encased in a massive water sphere, ten thousand feet in diameter. The surface of the sphere bulged as Qin Zi frantically attempted to escape, looking like a bug trying to break free from a balloon.
"Heh, not bad, kid. If it were anyone else, they might have escaped. But with my cultivation at the Ninth Heaven level, do you really think I’d let a mere Saint Sixth Stage brat slip away?"
The elder sneered as he clenched his fist. The immense water sphere began to shrink rapidly—from ten thousand feet to a thousand, then a hundred, and finally just ten feet in diameter.
Now resembling a blue orb, the water sphere trapped Qin Zi inside, rendering him immobile.
This was a powerful artifact, crafted by the Lijiang Elder using a section of the great river, one hundred feet wide and ten thousand feet long. When compressed, its density increased exponentially, creating immense pressure that immobilized those inside.
"Boy, why did you kill disciples of my Lijiang Sect?" the elder asked coldly.
Qin Zi blinked, his mouth unable to open.
Seeing this, the elder created a small hole in the sphere near Qin Zi’s mouth, allowing him to speak.
Qin Zi said, "Senior, there’s probably been a misunderstanding."
The elder laughed coldly. "Heh, everyone says that when they’re caught."
Qin Zi chuckled awkwardly before composing himself and speaking seriously, "At this point, there’s no hiding it. Yes, I did kill one of your sect’s disciples!"
"But… mmph!"
Before Qin Zi could continue his explanation, the small hole in the water sphere was sealed shut again.
"Admitting it is enough. I’ve been worried about finding a suitable candidate for the Star Sanctuary’s sacrificial offering, and now you’ve fallen right into my lap. It’s not bullying the weak if you’re being used for such an important ceremony," the Lijiang Elder said with a smirk.
Then, addressing the disciples below, he commanded, "I’m off to the Star Sanctuary. Keep fishing and no slacking off."
With that, the elder flew off, dragging the water sphere containing Qin Zi behind him like a balloon tethered by his energy.
"An offering? Could this be some sort of grand opportunity? Perhaps the sanctuary is recruiting disciples?" Qin Zi mused, trying to figure out what was happening.
However, when they arrived at the destination, Qin Zi’s face turned dark—it was clearly a sacrificial altar!
The altar was ancient, constructed from roughly hewn stones, with several tall pillars adorned with strange symbols that looked like scribbled drawings. The ground of the altar was a dark red, stained from countless sacrifices over the years, and the air was thick with the smell of blood.
"Lijiang Sect offers an enemy of our sect, a young man of extraordinary talent, perfect for sacrifice," the Lijiang Elder announced gleefully.
"Oh? This young man looks rather remarkable. Are you sure he doesn’t have a powerful background?" asked the rooster-crowned elder from the Star Sanctuary.
"None!" the Lijiang Elder replied decisively.
Whether the boy had a background or not didn’t matter. They had already captured him—there was no turning back. As long as the Star Sanctuary acted quickly and dealt with him cleanly, who would know?
And even if there was a grudge, it would fall on the Star Sanctuary, not Lijiang Sect.
Would this boy’s family or sect dare challenge the Star Sanctuary for answers?
Absolutely not!
At most, they would gnash their teeth in anger and silently resent the Star Sanctuary, blaming them for the loss.
The Lijiang Elder suspected the boy did have some backing, but it wasn’t strong enough to rival the Star Sanctuary. If it were, the boy’s first words wouldn’t have been “This is a misunderstanding.” Instead, he would have immediately declared his powerful lineage or who his father or master was.
He knew second-generation elites all too well.
No one understood them better than him.
After all, in his younger days, when his family hadn’t yet been destroyed by the Star Sanctuary, he had been just like them…
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