pjbooks Chapter 129 Qin Xuanxiao's Death, Dragon Abyss Trembles
Chapter 129 Qin Xuanxiao's Death, Dragon Abyss Trembles
In the center of the White Pagoda ruins.
The smoke and dust had not yet dissipated.
Qin Xuanxiao knelt among the rubble, one hand supporting him on the ground, half of his body charred black by the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.
His battle robes, representing mountains and rivers, were completely shattered.
The true meaning of being granted the title of Marquis that once covered his entire body is now reduced to a few wisps of broken crimson-gold light, flickering in the cracks of his skin.
The mountain and river domain that once loomed over the white pagoda has also collapsed.
The barren mountain was shattered.
The long river has stopped flowing.
The bright, yellow sun was pierced through by a single punch, turning into countless dim fragments of light that scattered in the night wind.
Qin Xuanxiao raised his head.
He looked at the blood-red figure standing in front of him.
Black robe.
Blood-stained face.
The eight-armed, dark gold phantom had not completely dissipated.
The karmic fire of the Red Lotus still burns in the background.
The firelight reflected on the blood-red mask, making it look like a divine or demonic mask emerging from the abyss.
Blood Shadow looked down at him, his voice low, hoarse, and cold.
"Last words?"
Qin Xuanxiao let out a broken laugh.
The laughter was very soft.
Yet it carried an indescribable sorrow.
"Last words?"
"The Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator..."
"I have dominated Longyuan for a hundred years, but I never thought I would be defeated by someone like you."
With each word he spoke, a residual golden fist energy vibrated in his chest.
The power of the Great Wilderness and Desolation continued to collapse within him, crushing his last remaining true essence of mountains and rivers.
The crimson karmic fire, following the cracks in the true meaning, burned away his broken foundation of the Dao.
Qin Xuanxiao knew he was not going to survive.
He was in the middle stage of being granted the title of Marquis.
He knew his situation better than anyone else.
The mountains and rivers of the Marquisate collapsed.
The foundation of the road is broken.
Half of his body was destroyed.
The desolate, annihilating force of the fist had already penetrated deep into the internal organs.
Even if a powerful figure of the rank of Marquis were to come to their rescue now, they could only be kept alive at best.
But he was not willing to give up.
He wasn't unwilling to accept that he would die.
Rather, he was unwilling to die without being able to spread the truth.
Blood-faced Ancient Cultivator is not the true form.
At the very least, the blood-covered face before us is definitely not the complete original body.
This secret is more important than Qin Xuanxiao's death.
If Longyuan City continues to treat the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator as an independent powerhouse, then everyone will misjudge the situation.
The Qin family will misjudge.
The elders may misjudge.
The Zhenxing Army will make a misjudgment.
Even the entire Longyuan City might misjudge the situation.
The truly terrifying thing is not above the White Tower.
And at the foot of the White Pagoda.
On that young man at the first level of the Qi and Blood Realm, who was subconsciously overlooked by everyone.
Lin Yuan.
This name, like a cold thorn, finally pierced Qin Xuanxiao's heart.
He suddenly understood.
Why did the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator protect Lin Yuan and his sister to such an extent?
Why would Lin Yuan, a mere Qi and Blood Realm Level 1 cultivator, dare to storm the Resource Institute, disregard the Qin family, and tear up the White Tower's retest order?
Why was Lin Yuan always able to appear on surveillance footage even though Xuemian was outside during the Star Source Pool incident?
Why did the Blood Shadow, who had just been pushed to his limit, suddenly have his Star Bone appear and his combat power surge?
Because the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator wasn't protecting Lin Yuan at all.
The Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator might actually be Lin Yuan's possession.
A clone.
A bloody figure.
A terrifying combat avatar controlled, powered, and supported by that boy.
Qin Xuanxiao was deeply shaken.
He has to spread the word.
Even if only half a sentence gets out.
Even if it's just letting the Qin family know that "the Blood Face is not the real body".
That's enough.
Another bloodline communication talisman hidden in his sleeve quietly lit up.
This was the Qin family patriarch's last trump card.
This is not a regular message.
Instead, he used his own essence and soul fire as a guide to directly penetrate space and return to the Soul Lamp Hall, the ancestral home of the Qin family.
Even if the territory is blocked.
Even if the formation isolates them.
Even a fleeting glimpse of light can transmit a wisp of lingering regret.
Qin Xuanxiao's lips moved slightly.
"Blood face..."
"no……"
hum.
The bloodline communication talisman lit up with a faint light.
But the next moment.
Blood Shadow raised his hand.
Pointing out with one finger.
The dark gold energy condensed into a single point and landed on Qin Xuanxiao's sleeve.
Click.
Before the bloodline communication talisman could be fully activated, it was crushed by that bit of dark gold blood energy.
All lingering resentment of bloodlines dissipated.
Qin Xuanxiao's pupils suddenly contracted.
He suddenly looked up, staring intently at the blood-red shadow.
"you……"
Blood Shadow's voice was calm:
"Too slow."
A genuine fear finally surfaced in Qin Xuanxiao's eyes.
It's not about death.
Rather, it is a clear understanding of the existence before our eyes.
He was actually guarding against me sending messages from beginning to end.
He is not just strong.
He also knew what he wanted to do.
This kind of calmness is more chilling than sheer force.
Qin Xuanxiao hissed:
"What exactly are you?"
Blood Shadow did not answer.
Qin Xuanxiao looked at the faintly visible dark gold star bone within Xueying's body and suddenly chuckled.
He laughed so hard he coughed up blood.
"I understand."
"You are not the original body..."
"You are just a..."
He hadn't even uttered the last two words.
Blood Shadow had already raised his fist.
The dark gold energy collapsed inward at the point of the fist.
The vast wilderness was utterly desolate.
Qin Xuanxiao's expression changed.
He struggled to raise his hand, trying to gather the last wisp of true meaning from the mountains and rivers.
But the moment that wisp of true meaning appeared, it was burned to nothingness by the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.
Blood Shadow landed a punch.
There was no earth-shattering noise.
There were no landslides or earthquakes.
This punch seemed to have poured all its power into Qin Xuanxiao's body.
Qin Xuanxiao's chest suddenly caved inward.
The remaining true meaning of the mountains and rivers has been completely shattered.
The illusory images of the desolate mountains, the lingering shadows of the long river, and the dim, yellow sun behind him all turned to dust at that moment.
The light in Qin Xuanxiao's eyes dimmed little by little.
Even in his dying moments, he kept staring intently at the blood-red shadow.
There was resentment in his eyes.
There was fear.
There was also a belated sense of regret.
If only he had known earlier that the Blood Face was just an avatar.
If only he had known earlier that Lin Yuan was the source.
If the Qin family hadn't touched Lin Xiaoya in the first place, hadn't pressured Lin Yuan, hadn't tested Xuemian...
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.
Blood Shadow looked down at him, his voice indifferent.
"Mid-stage of being granted the title of Marquis."
"That's all there is to it."
boom.
Qin Xuanxiao's body collapsed completely.
The patriarch of the Qin family.
Mid-stage of the Marquisate Realm.
A veteran powerhouse from Longyuan City.
It perished in the ruins of the White Pagoda.
This moment.
The entire city of Longyuan fell silent.
……
The Qin family headquarters.
Deep in the ancestral land.
Inside the Soul Lamp Palace.
The crimson gold soul lamp that had hung high in the very center for a hundred years suddenly shook violently.
The Qin family members guarding the soul lamp initially thought they were seeing things.
That was the soul lamp of Ancestor Qin Xuanxiao.
Mid-stage of the Marquisate Realm.
The true foundation of the Qin family.
Even though Qin Wujiu's Supreme Soul Lamp had been extinguished, and even though the Qin family's Grandmaster Guards had all been wiped out, this Soul Lamp remained suspended high and unmoved.
But now.
The flame of that soul lamp actually began to dim from its crimson gold color.
The flames shook violently.
Fine cracks appeared on the lamp body.
The guards were pale.
"No……"
"impossible……"
next moment.
boom!
The crimson gold soul lamp exploded.
Fragments flew everywhere.
The flames went out.
Inside the Hall of Soul Lamps, all was deathly silent.
The guard's legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
After a long while, he rushed out of the Soul Lamp Hall like a madman.
"The ancestral spirit lamp has shattered!"
"Our ancestor has fallen!"
The sound echoed throughout the Qin family's residence.
The Qin family headquarters.
Inside the Blackwood Hall.
Qin Qingcang is awaiting news from the White Tower battlefield.
He knew that the patriarch had made a move.
He knew that the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator was very strong.
But he never imagined that his ancestor would be defeated.
I never imagined that my ancestor would die.
Because that was Qin Xuanxiao.
The Qin family's ability to suppress the Resource Institute, secure a place among the four major families, and command respect from the Elders' Council is not due to Qin Yue, Qin Zhao, or the Third Elder of the Qin family.
It was Qin Xuanxiao who helped.
Mid-stage of being enfeoffed as a marquis.
As long as the patriarch is alive, the Qin family will not fall.
But when the words "The Ancestor's Soul Lamp is shattered" entered the main hall, Qin Qingcang froze on the spot.
He seemed not to have heard clearly.
"What did you say?"
The tribesman knelt at the entrance of the temple, trembling all over.
"Master..."
"The ancestral soul lamp... is shattered..."
Qin Qingcang's face gradually lost its color.
"impossible."
"Our ancestor was in the middle stage of being granted the title of Marquis."
"How could he possibly lose when he's burning with his true power?"
No one answered.
No one dared to answer.
Because the soul lamp was broken.
The Soul Lamp doesn't lie.
Qin Qingcang swayed slightly.
He gripped the table, his knuckles turning white from the effort.
Qin Zhao is dead.
Qin Yue is dead.
Qin Wujiu is dead.
Qin Yuanlie and Qin Shanhe were seriously injured.
Now, even Qin Xuanxiao is dead.
The Qin family's sky has fallen.
Inside the main hall, all the members of the Qin family bowed their heads, their faces pale.
They finally realized that this time, the Qin family had not lost face.
It's not a loss.
It is a fault.
A true gap in combat power.
Of the three sages, one is gone and two are crippled.
The ancestor who was granted the title of Marquis has passed away.
The Qin family's prestige in Longyuan City was abruptly shattered that night.
Qin Qingcang looked up and gazed in the direction of the White Pagoda.
There was resentment in his eyes.
There is fear.
There was also an overwhelming sense of bewilderment.
"The Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator..."
"What kind of monster are you?"
……
Temporary council chamber of the elders.
Dead silence.
True deathly silence.
All projections were frozen in place.
The elders who had just voted to stand by now all looked increasingly grim.
Qin Xuanxiao is dead.
They had considered this outcome.
But that's just the most extreme and least likely scenario.
Because Qin Xuanxiao was in the middle stage of being enfeoffed as a marquis.
Because he ignited the true meaning of mountains and rivers.
Because the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator had clearly been pushed to his limit before.
But now, the facts are clear.
Qin Xuanxiao died at the White Pagoda.
He died in front of all of them.
more importantly--
They tacitly allowed Qin Xuanxiao to suppress the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator.
As a result, Qin Xuanxiao was not able to control the situation.
What's next?
Will the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator remember the Elders' Council's attitude?
Will they include bystanders in the calculation?
An elder spoke with difficulty:
"Qin Xuanxiao...is he really dead?"
No one answered.
In the central projection, Qin Xuanxiao's body lay in the ruins of the White Pagoda.
Blood Shadow stood beside him.
The black robe was stained with dust.
The blood-red mask hung low.
The karmic fire of the Red Lotus behind them has not yet been completely extinguished.
This scene is the answer.
Another elder's voice was hoarse:
"What do we do now?"
No one spoke immediately.
They just said that the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator is an uncontrollable factor.
It would be a blessing for Longyuan City if Qin Xuanxiao could suppress him.
But now, this uncontrollable factor has killed Qin Xuanxiao.
How else could an ancient cultivator who had killed a mid-stage Marquis-level cultivator possibly "control" him?
Marquis Zhenxing stood on one side of the council hall, remaining silent.
He looked at the projection of the white pagoda.
Looking at Qin Xuanxiao's corpse.
He also watched as the dark gold star bone within Blood Shadow's body gradually faded away.
He felt no relief.
Instead, it felt even heavier.
With Qin Xuanxiao dead, the open battlefield is indeed nearing its end.
But at the bottom of the White Pagoda, an even more terrifying fluctuation still lingers.
Blood Shadow Slashes Qin Xuanxiao.
This was enough to shake Longyuan City.
But Zhenxinghou vaguely felt that what would truly determine everything tonight was not this battle to defeat a mid-stage Marquis.
Rather, it was the unseen, clandestine battle taking place at the bottom of the White Tower.
He whispered:
"Don't be too happy yet."
Several elders looked at him.
Marquis Zhenxing's gaze fell on the bottom of the White Pagoda.
"This isn't over yet."
……
The Black Tower of the Celestial Patrol Bureau.
Gu Changye stood on the top floor, the black notebook floating in front of him.
He remained silent for a long time after witnessing Qin Xuanxiao's death.
After a long while, he took a deep breath.
"Mid-stage of being granted the title of Marquis."
"He's dead."
The subordinate behind him trembled in his voice:
"My lord, the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator... has slain Qin Xuanxiao."
Gu Changye nodded gently.
"Yes."
The subordinate then asked:
"So, what's the current danger level of the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator...?"
Gu Changye chuckled.
The laughter was somewhat low.
It's also somewhat complicated.
"Danger level?"
"How would you rate a clone that's only at the mid-stage of a Marquis-level cultivation level?"
The subordinate suddenly looked up.
"My lord, you mean... a clone?"
Gu Changye offered no explanation.
He slowly wrote in his notebook:
The White Pagoda Bloodbath.
Bloodstained face slays Qin Yue.
The outer layer of the White Pagoda was destroyed.
Zhan Qin Xuanxiao.
The three-stage prototype has emerged.
Mid-stage of being granted the title of Marquis.
He paused for a moment after writing this.
Then another line was added.
Before his death, Qin Xuanxiao seemed to realize that the blood-faced figure was not his true form, and the attempt to communicate failed.
Finally, his hand holding the pen paused slightly.
Write down a more weighty sentence.
Lin Yuan's true form is suspected to still be at the bottom of the White Pagoda.
His real opponent was not Qin Xuanxiao.
Rather, it was the sect leader's first wisp of will.
After writing these few lines, Gu Changye closed his notebook.
He looked up at the white pagoda.
His eyes were burning with excitement, yet also filled with an unprecedented seriousness.
"Lin Yuan".
"After tonight, you probably won't be able to hide for much longer."
……
White Pagoda Ruins.
Blood Shadow stood beside Qin Xuanxiao's corpse.
The eight-armed, dark gold phantom slowly dissipated.
The karmic fire behind it gradually subsided.
However, the imposing aura emanating from him, which had been used to kill someone who had reached the mid-stage of the Marquis level, did not dissipate.
No one dared to approach the area surrounding the White Pagoda.
The Zhenxing Army dared not.
The law enforcement hall dared not.
The Resources Institute dared not do that either.
The White Tower researchers huddled in a corner of the ruins, barely breathing.
They finally realized that they had survived not because of the majesty of the White Tower.
It's not because of the Elders' Council.
It wasn't because of Qin Xuanxiao either.
It's just because Blood Shadow didn't include them on the kill list.
This realization is more terrifying than death itself.
Blood Shadow looked down and glanced at Qin Xuanxiao's corpse.
Then, he turned to look at the cracks at the bottom of the white pagoda.
There, the eerie blue light suddenly surged.
boom--!
A beam of dark blue light shot into the sky from the bottom of the white tower.
It was more glaring than ever before.
Even colder.
Even more terrifying.
The crowd, who had just recovered from the shock of Qin Xuanxiao's death, changed their expressions drastically once again.
"What happened next?"
"What kind of aura is that?"
"Not the Blood-Faced Ancient Cultivator!"
"It's not Qin Xuanxiao either!"
What else is beneath the White Pagoda?
In the projection of the elders' council, many elders appeared pale-faced.
Marquis Zhenxing's eyes suddenly darkened.
Gu Changye suddenly looked up.
Ning Wushuang, Ji Qinghe, Song Li, and others also looked towards the bottom of the White Pagoda.
Blood Shadow stood before the crack.
The gaze behind the mask seemed to pierce through the ruins, looking towards Lin Yuan's true form in the deepest part.
The open battle is over.
Qin Xuanxiao is dead.
But the battle on the dark side is only just beginning to draw to a close.
The base of the White Pagoda.
Inside the sealed well.
The sect leader's first wisp of will completely erupted.
The giant, dark blue eyes stared intently at Lin Yuan.
The voice was so deep it seemed to come from behind a thousand doors.
"The Gate Swallower".
"You killed a marquis."
"But you can't swallow me."
Lin Yuan held onto the broken piece of door frame and looked up at it.
The Ultimate Star Furnace began to spin with a roar.
Dark gold starlight shimmered in his eyes.
"Give it a try."