It Wasn't Like This Before

Chen Wan took a deep breath, her illusory figure slowly straightening up. Her gaze moved away from the Soul Devouring Banner and finally landed on Qin Hao's face.

"Young man," Chen Wan spoke, her voice no longer carrying its previous arrogance, but instead bearing a touch of solemnity.

"I admit that with an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon in your hands, you do make me wary. But you must understand that I am an Immortal King after all. Even though I am only a remnant soul, I am not a pushover to be easily manipulated."

Qin Hao raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.

Chen Wan continued, "I am determined to have this girl. She possesses the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, and I hold a supreme inheritance that perfectly matches her."

"My remnant soul has waited bitterly here for tens of thousands of years, just to find a suitable successor for my master. Now that I have finally found one, it is absolutely impossible for me to let go so easily!"

Hearing this, Xia Lingxi hurriedly tugged at Qin Hao's sleeve and said to him, "Brother Qin Hao, I don't want her inheritance. She wants me to cultivate the Dao of Ruthlessness. I don't want to cultivate that. If I do, I won't like you anymore."

Cultivate the Dao of Ruthlessness? What a joke! He still had to rely on affection points to farm rewards from Xia Lingxi. If she cultivated the Dao of Ruthlessness, how was he supposed to keep exploiting that?

Qin Hao glanced at Chen Wan, a trace of chilliness in his eyes. "And what if I simply refuse to let her go?"

Chen Wan looked deeply at Qin Hao. She didn't answer his question directly, but instead changed her tune:

"It doesn't matter if she doesn't cultivate the Dao of Ruthlessness. That is my own path. I can give her my master's inheritance instead."

Upon hearing this, Xia Lingxi shook her head repeatedly. "Brother Qin Hao, she must be lying. The longer people like her live, the less truth there is in their words."

Qin Hao pinched Xia Lingxi's small face and chuckled lightly. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, she can't force you to do anything."

A sharp glint flashed through Chen Wan's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.

"Young man, I have no intention of committing further slaughter. Leave this girl behind, and I can pretend nothing ever happened. You walk your broad road, and I'll cross my single-log bridge; we will mind our own business."

"But if you insist on making an enemy out of me, heh, my corpse lies deep at the bottom of this cliff. As long as I wish it, I can detonate the remaining Immortal King origin within my remains at any time."

"When that happens, not only the Heavenly Sword Sect, but half of the Southern Region will be reduced to ashes! Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Are you threatening me?" Qin Hao remained expressionless, not even sparing Chen Wan another glance. He merely raised his hand gently, pulling Xia Lingxi behind him.

Chen Wan said in a deep voice, "Young man, I am not threatening you, merely stating a fact. This remnant soul of mine cannot last much longer. If you sever my lineage, I would rather drag you down to be buried with me."

"Buried with you? A mere remnant soul like you isn't worthy!"

"Immemorial Dragon Emperor Avatar!"

Qin Hao took a step forward.

Boom!!!

An indescribable coercive pressure suddenly erupted from Qin Hao's body.

Chen Wan felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She subconsciously wanted to retreat, only to find her body frozen in place, unable to move a single inch.

That feeling was like a mere ant suddenly facing a divine dragon soaring through the nine heavens.

No, it wasn't just like it—it was a real dragon.

Behind Qin Hao, the void distorted, and a massive phantom slowly emerged.

It was a dragon entirely golden in color, its scales dazzling. Ancient emperor patterns flowed across every single scale.

It coiled behind Qin Hao, as if stepping through time and space from the primordial era, carrying a crushing aura that suppressed everything.

The mighty dragon aura intimidated all living beings. Entities like souls and remnant spirits naturally had no resistance to this kind of pressure. The trembling originating from the depths of her soul made it impossible for Chen Wan to even muster the thought of resisting.

"This aura! How can this be! Just who is he? Even if he comes from a prominent background, he is still merely a Void Refinement realm cultivator. How could he possess such terrifying pressure?"

"Crack—"

With a soft sound, Chen Wan looked down, horrified to discover a crack appearing on her illusory figure.

Immediately after, a second, a third...

Dense cracks spread out like a spider web, instantly covering her entire remnant spirit.

"Oh no!"

Chen Wan was greatly alarmed. She hastily channeled the remnant Immortal King origin within her corpse, hoping to draw power from it to resist this aura.

However, the majestic pressure of the Immemorial Dragon Emperor's dharma idol acted like an invisible cage, firmly trapping her consciousness. No matter how she called out, she could not establish a connection with her corpse.

Chen Wan was horrified. This dragon aura could actually sever her connection to her corpse!

"Young man, you forced my hand. I have no intention of making an enemy of you or the faction behind you, but now, I have no choice!"

Chen Wan's initial thought was simply to find an heir for her and her master's legacy. She didn't want this heir to end up struggling every step of the way in the Three Realms and Nine Heavens, so she was unwilling to make an enemy of Qin Hao.

But now, she was about to die. Seeing that the legacy was about to end in her hands, she had to do this.

Chen Wan reached her illusory hand into her robes and slowly took out an item.

It was a needle, pitch-black all over and as fine as a cow's hair. At first glance, it seemed completely unremarkable, but the moment it appeared, the temperature at the bottom of the cliff plummeted. Even the Immemorial Dragon Emperor's dharma idol behind Qin Hao paused slightly.

"What is this?" A solemn look flashed across Qin Hao's eyes. It was his first time encountering a treasure that could affect the Immemorial Dragon Emperor's dharma idol.

"Hehe, this is called the Soul-Devouring Needle, passed down to me by my master. Although it is not an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon, and doesn't even have a grade, it is far more terrifying than an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon!"

"Because it cannot kill the physical body, but it can obliterate the soul!"

"No matter how strong an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon is, it still requires a master to activate it. But this Soul-Devouring Needle, once unleashed, will not stop until its target is dead. It locks onto the target's soul, and no matter if you flee to the ends of the earth, or how many protective treasures you have, it will pierce through all defenses and directly strike the divine soul."

"Three Immortal Kings have died under this needle. For a mere Void Refinement realm cultivator like you to force me to unleash such a treasure, you should be proud enough!"

As Chen Wan's voice faded, she hesitated no longer. Her remnant spirit burned violently as she activated the pitch-black, fine needle in her hand, locking onto Qin Hao.

Qin Hao did not panic. When descending to the bottom of the cliff, he had put on the Void Emperor Robe in advance. Within ten moves, he was invincible.

"Swish—"

The Soul-Devouring Needle transformed into a spectral light, so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible. It pierced through the void, heading straight for the center of Qin Hao's brows, exactly where his divine soul resided.

Seeing this scene, Chen Wan breathed a sigh of relief. With the Soul-Devouring Needle unleashed, this young man had absolutely no way to survive.

However, in the very next moment, Chen Wan's mouth fell open, a look of sheer disbelief spreading across her face.

Right before the Soul Devouring Needle could pierce the space between Qin Hao's eyebrows, it came to an abrupt halt. It simply hovered there in front of him, its tip trembling slightly and emitting a faint humming sound.

Then, the Soul Devouring Needle slowly began to circle around Qin Hao. This sight completely shattered Chen Wan's understanding of reality. What was going on? The Soul Devouring Needle had never acted like this before.