Chapter 32 - Xuan Yi's Intentions!

“Could this girl be someone Xuan Yi values? Then we must save her! Sun Essence Wheel, slash!” Leng Yan pointed with one hand, and the sun essence wheel flew out from behind him, rapidly rotating, slicing through the water as it charged towards the demon binding rope.

“Clang!”

With a crisp sound, the demon binding rope was severed by Leng Yan’s sun essence wheel.

“Who is it?” Qin Shou was shocked to see his low-grade spiritual weapon cut in an instant. He quickly retreated, joining the other two, nervously shouting.

“Does it matter who I am? What matters is that you bullied my junior sister, and that means you’re doomed!” Leng Yan strolled out from behind the coral, with a subtle, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.

Seeing someone come to her aid, Long Qing quickly moved behind Leng Yan, her eyes blazing with anger as she glared at the three on the opposite side.

As Leng Yan stepped out, Qin Shou was shocked; he hadn’t sensed when Leng Yan had approached. What was going on?

“This senior brother has misunderstood! We were helping this young lady kill demonic beasts!” Qin Shou awkwardly forced a smile, utterly shameless.

“Yes, this senior brother must have misunderstood!” The other two, seeing Qin Shou apologizing, realized they’d hit a tough spot and quickly bowed, smiling.

“Don’t call me senior brother! I’m merely an outer disciple in the magical power realm.” Seeing the trio’s demeanor, Leng Yan frowned slightly. How could they plead before even battling?

“Senior brother, please don’t joke with us! If you were a disciple in the magical power realm, how could I, being in the true essence realm, fail to detect your presence with my spiritual awareness, and also be unable to see through your cultivation level?” Qin Shou replied with an awkward laugh.

“My spiritual awareness couldn’t detect you; could it be related to the Dragon Emperor’s essence blood? As for not seeing my realm? Perhaps it’s because my master placed a seal on me, blocking others from probing with their spiritual awareness!” Leng Yan quickly realized what was happening.

So these three couldn’t discern his realm and mistook him for a master!

Though beneficial, it could also lead to trouble, so Leng Yan intentionally released some of his aura to make them believe it!

Several of you have misunderstood! I have a supreme-grade treasure tool that can block others’ spiritual awareness, but in reality, I’m only at the magical power realm!” Leng Yan feigned a naive, silly demeanor, aiming to provoke the three into making the first move, so he wouldn’t leave any evidence if things were investigated later.

“Why are you being so honest? Why tell the truth? You should pretend to be powerful and scare them off!” Long Qing initially thought Leng Yan was really powerful, especially when he said those bullying her deserved to die, which made her almost worship him. But now, Leng Yan seemed naive and innocent.

“Oh no! I blurted it out! Let’s run!” Leng Yan grabbed Long Qing’s delicate hand and turned to flee.

“Supreme-grade treasure tool! Brothers, stop him!” Qin Shou, consumed by greed, noted the faint aura of the magical power realm on Leng Yan and urgently commanded the other two to pursue. He himself summoned a flying sword, which flew towards Leng Yan to attack.

Having achieved his goal, Leng Yan turned around, sending the sun essence wheel spinning out to intercept Qin Shou’s flying sword in mid-air.

“I forgot to tell you! Even if I am at the magical power realm, you three are no match for me! Get lost!”

Leng Yan shouted fiercely, his dominating aura spreading around. Qin Shou, pressured by the aura, was filled with shock, stumbling back three steps before regaining his composure. He shouted, “Such strong aura! This person has hidden strength; this isn’t good! Retreat quickly.”

Hearing this, the other two halted, swiftly retreating mid-air.

“Flee now? Too late!” Leng Yan didn’t pursue; he simply stood his ground, still smiling. He relished this feeling of having control over the situation. He slowly raised his hands and gradually clenched them.

As Leng Yan performed this action, two enormous hands suddenly materialized behind Qin Shou’s group, blocking their retreat.

These hands were formed by condensed seawater, glowing with a deep blue hue.

The two beside Qin Shou had no time to react before the gigantic water hands tightly grasped them, pulling them before Leng Yan.

“If you were disciples of the Evil Sect, I would give you a swift death. But since you’re disciples of the Righteous Sect, yet capable of such despicable acts, I’ll let you properly experience the consequences.” Eight mystic ice blades severed the meridians in the two disciples’ limbs, leaving them writhing in agony on the ground. Leng Yan tossed them aside, their screams echoing in the water.

Watching his companions subdued in an instant, Qin Shou was filled with terror. He controlled his flying sword and dashed towards the surface of the sea.

“In the water, and you think you can escape? Do you think I’m not here?”

Ever since his mastery of the Blackwater Emperor Technique had advanced, Leng Yan’s control over water had become increasingly effortless, as if it were an extension of himself.

“Raging Waves!”

Leng Yan smiled faintly as he spoke. As the words left his mouth, the water around Qin Shou began to spin, forming a massive vortex.

The swirling water disrupted Qin Shou’s sword control, and he slipped and fell. Leng Yan then conjured another massive hand of water, grabbing Qin Shou, severing his limbs’ meridians, and infusing them with cold air to prevent his wounds from healing.

“Ah! Mercy, senior brother! We didn’t recognize greatness when we saw it. Please, spare me!” Qin Shou cried out in pain from his severed meridians but quickly moved to beg for mercy. His desperate will to survive was palpable, and Leng Yan could sense the strong desire for survival emanating from all three of them.

Leng Yan, of course, wouldn’t let it go to waste, absorbing it all into his mind spirit.

“You all like indulgence, don’t you? Before you die, I’ll let you enjoy one last time! For now, stay put.” With a wave of his sleeve, Leng Yan swept the three of them into the space within the Immortal Land.

“Senior brother! You were amazing! I’m Long Qing. What’s your name?” Long Qing’s eyes shone with admiration as she watched Leng Yan dispose of the troublemakers with ease and grace.

“Just call me Leng Yan. Elder Xuan Yi sent you here, didn’t he?” Leng Yan replied with a smile.

“Yes! He did. He insisted I come all this way to hunt demonic beasts! But he mentioned someone would be helping me! It seems like you, Leng-Ge, are the one!” Long Qing chattered away, lively and enthusiastic.

Xuan Yi’s methods often seem erratic, yet they have hidden intentions. If he intended to test me, there was no need to journey so far to slay demonic beasts. Along the way, the most peculiar encounter was with Liu He; I even suspect Xuan Yi’s true purpose was to make me cross paths with him. As for Long Qing, she’s likely the Xuanwu Sect disciple Xuan Yi selected, possibly sending her to the Tide Sea so I could expand her horizons.

Seeing Leng Yan silent, Long Qing coughed a bit to draw his attention and then smiled, saying, “That old man also mentioned that you’d give me a gift. He said it should be at least a middle-grade treasure tool!”

“What the? Xuan Yi said that? I’m supposed to give you a magical treasure? Damn it! He’s got plenty of magical treasures, why should I be the one giving?” Leng Yan shouted. He’s always been the one to gain an advantage over others-when had anyone ever taken anything from him? To put it bluntly, Leng Yan is as stingy as they come!

“Leng-Ge, you swore!” Long Qing timidly noted Leng Yan’s displeasure.

Faced with such a pure-hearted girl, Leng Yan’s anger dissipated; perhaps he subconsciously viewed Long Qing as a little sister, unwittingly nurturing a protective instinct.

“No way! You must have heard wrong. Here, this is the Moonlight Ring. Take it for self-defense.” Leng Yan spoke softly.

His words were gentle, but inside, he was cursing Xuan Yi a thousand times. If Leng Yan knew Xuan Yi’s good intentions, he surely wouldn’t be swearing!

“A middle-grade treasure tool for real! Awesome! But it’s a ring, and I-” Long Qing hesitated, looking at the Moonlight Ring in Leng Yan’s hand.

Honestly, Leng Yan was reluctant to give it away. The ring was a gift from Shui Yunyao, holding sentimental value. However, the Sun and Moon Essence Wheel he possessed was a set of high-grade treasure tools, and he couldn’t part with it. The Netherworld Ghost Banner was imbued with his master’s seal, invaluable for survival. As for the Azure Sky Sword, Leng Yan needed it for sword control-one cannot go without a flying sword. The Golden Purple Bell was just a low-grade treasure tool, not suitable after the expectation set by the high praise. Thus, the Moonlight Ring was the only thing he could spare.

“Long Qing, don’t read too much into it. It’s just a magical treasure, nothing more,” Leng Yan said quietly as he handed over the Moonlight Ring.

“In that case, I’ll accept it. Thank you!” Long Qing joyfully received the Moonlight Ring, admiring it on her finger with delight.

“I’ve withdrawn my imprint. You should perform a blood recognition to bind it,” Leng Yan reminded her, noticing she was more caught up in its appearance.