"Big Nephew?"
This form of address exploded in the minds of Daoist Lieyang and the surrounding elders like Nine Heavens Profound Thunder mixed with World-Destroying Heavenly Fire.
The air froze like ten-thousand-year profound ice. The expressions of everyone present—whether it was Daoist Lieyang or the surrounding elders—were frozen in shock. Their eyes bulged so much they nearly popped out of their sockets, and their mouths were wide enough to fit a fist.
What did they just hear? This Golden Core Realm young man, who had just caused a massive uproar, was calling their supreme Vice Sect Master, whose cultivation had already reached the Immortal King Realm, "Big Nephew"?
This was no longer just a matter of having a strong background. What kind of world-shocking generational hierarchy was this?
All the color drained from Daoist Lieyang's face, and he felt the blood in his veins run completely cold. Lord Vice Sect Master was this kid's big nephew? Then who on earth was this kid's father?
"I'm doomed! I'm dead for sure!" This thought seized his mind like a demonic curse. Fear washed over Daoist Lieyang like a tidal wave, completely submerging him.
Su Qingyue was also completely dumbfounded. She jerked her head up to stare at Qin Hao's profile, her beautiful eyes filled with unbelievable shock. She knew Qin Hao was mysterious, powerful, and had an unfathomably deep background.
But she had never dared to imagine it would be this deep. The Vice Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Holy Land, a supreme mighty figure at the Immortal King level, was actually his nephew?
Just who was he? What kind of unimaginable family did he come from?
Upon hearing Qin Hao call him "Big Nephew," Qin Zhongtian's refined and peaceful face twitched uncontrollably, a trace of helplessness and awkwardness flashing deep in his eyes.
Qin Zhongtian coughed lightly. Instead of correcting Qin Hao's form of address, he turned his head to look at Daoist Lieyang.
"Lieyang, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Facing an Immortal King mighty figure like Qin Zhongtian, how could Daoist Lieyang dare to say anything? His body trembled uncontrollably as he kowtowed incessantly to Qin Zhongtian.
"Spare my life, Vice Sect Master! I was blind to have offended your uncle! Please spare my life, I will do my utmost to make amends!"
Qin Zhongtian looked at Lieyang with an icy expression and then spoke,
"Effective immediately, you are stripped of all your duties and titles. You will be cast into the deepest level of the Nine Nether Purgatory and suppressed there for ten thousand years."
The Nine Nether Purgatory, suppressed for ten thousand years... Hearing this punishment made everyone present shudder involuntarily. A place like the Nine Nether Purgatory was a realm of ultimate torment, even for a single second.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
However, Daoist Lieyang felt the joy of surviving a catastrophe. Thank goodness, it was only a punishment; Lord Vice Sect Master didn't intend to kill him.
"Thank you, Sect Master, for sparing my life."
Immediately after, Daoist Lieyang turned to Qin Hao and banged his head heavily against the ground several more times.
"Thank you, Uncle, for sparing my life."
Qin Hao curled his lip. Who said I wasn't going to kill you? Forget it, forget it. Since my big nephew has already spoken, and he is an Immortal King expert after all, I can't make him lose face.
Thinking of this, Qin Hao waved his hand, signaling for Daoist Lieyang to scram and get out of his sight.
Following that, Qin Hao took Su Qingyue's hand and pushed her in front of his big nephew, Qin Zhongtian.
"From now on, she is the Holy Maiden of your Profound Heaven Holy Land. Remember, she's under my protection. If she gets bullied, I won't let you off."
Qin Zhongtian's expression stiffened. He was an Immortal King expert, after all; Qin Hao acting like this was really giving him no face. He glanced at Qin Hao, only to see that Qin Hao's glabella was dark and shrouded in misfortune. This was a certain-death situation of being forsaken by the Heavenly Dao.
Thinking that Qin Hao did not have much time left, Qin Zhongtian sighed. Forget it, he wouldn't bicker with him.
Qin Zhongtian looked at Su Qingyue. He had personally witnessed the scene of her passing the assessment. Her talent, temperament, and fortune were all impeccable.
With this in mind, Qin Zhongtian spoke,
"No problem. From today onward, Qingyue will be the Holy Maiden of my Profound Heaven Holy Land, and I shall personally instruct her."
Hearing Qin Zhongtian say this, Qin Hao quickly shot Su Qingyue a meaningful look.
Snapping back to reality, Su Qingyue quickly caught on. Following Qin Hao's hint, she performed a grand bow to Qin Zhongtian.
"Master above, please accept your disciple's bow."
Qin Zhongtian lightly flicked his finger, and a storage bag floated in front of Su Qingyue. "Here is my greeting gift to you. In the future, whatever cultivation resources you need, feel free to take them from the Treasure Pavilion. Your master will cover the costs."
Qin Zhongtian felt this arrangement was quite nice. Su Qingyue and Qin Hao were of the same generation. Now that he had become Su Qingyue's elder, it was equivalent to being Qin Hao's elder. Regardless, they would just address each other on their own terms.
[Ding! There are less than ten hours left until the end of this order. Host, bid a proper farewell. We need to take on new orders.]
[Ding! Host has received one Immortal King Experience Card. Upon activation, you will gain an Immortal King's cultivation base for one hour.]
The sudden notification sound in his mind made Qin Hao tremble slightly. He cast a complicated look at Su Qingyue beside him, his gaze abruptly turning profound.
Bid farewell? Honestly, after spending a month together, he was truly a bit reluctant to part.
Qin Hao quickly suppressed the stray thoughts in his heart. His professional ethics as a rented Dao Companion reminded him that the more it came to times like this, the more clean-cut he needed to be to avoid entanglement.
Since leaving was inevitable, he should bid a proper farewell and draw a perfect close to this order.
"Big Nephew, go busy yourself first. I still have some things to talk about with Qingyue in private."
Qin Hao's words made Su Qingyue's body tremble. Calculating the time, the rental period between her and Qin Hao was almost up.
Su Qingyue clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Qin Hao gave Su Qingyue a smile and held out his hand.
"Come, take a stroll with me."
Su Qingyue took Qin Hao's hand, letting him lead her toward the back mountain of the Profound Heaven Holy Land.
The afterglow of the setting sun gilded the immortal mountains of the Profound Heaven Holy Land with a golden edge, while also elongating the shadows of Qin Hao and Su Qingyue.
The clamor faded, and the crowd dispersed. A gentle breeze brushed past, bringing the fresh scent of mountain vegetation, yet it could not blow away the faint, lingering stagnation of impending separation in the air.
Holding Su Qingyue's small hand, Qin Hao arrived at the edge of a secluded cliff. Below the cliff, a sea of clouds surged, and the distant mountains looked like dark silhouettes. The setting sun was slowly sinking into the sea of clouds, dyeing the horizon in a brilliant golden-red.
Qin Hao didn't speak; he just quietly accompanied Su Qingyue as they watched the sunset for a while. Su Qingyue didn't speak either. She was afraid that once she opened her mouth, the moment she didn't want to face would arrive.
The sun would eventually set, but this was not the end, for a sky full of stars would light up the heavens.
"The spiritual energy here is who knows how many times better than in Clear Wind City. Your cultivation speed will be much faster here in the future." Finally, Qin Hao spoke, breaking the dead silence.
"Mhm," Su Qingyue replied softly. Her grip on Qin Hao's hand tightened a bit more, as if he would disappear the moment she let go.
Feeling the strength coming from Su Qingyue's hand, Qin Hao turned to look at her and smiled gently.
"Our rental period is almost up. Let me give you a farewell gift."
Having said that, Qin Hao silently called out in his heart,
"System, use the Immortal King Experience Card."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
