Qin Yang flew along the spatial rift for what felt like an eternity, unable to find a way around it. His anxiety grew with each passing moment.
Martial Heaven had consumed a Spirit-Gathering Pill to enter this secret realm, its effects lasting only two hours. He also needed to preside over Lou Mengyu's wedding, and time was slipping away. Martial Heaven would undoubtedly leave before the pill's effects expired, by which point the wedding ceremony would be complete.
The time remaining for Qin Yang was rapidly dwindling!
"There's a gap!"
Qin Yang halted abruptly, hovering in mid-air as the divine dragon illusion coiled around him like a living cocoon.
"The gap is shrinking! Can I make it through?"
Martial Heaven's maneuver had been brutally effective, splitting the secret realm in two with surgical precision.
"Nothing left to lose! All or nothing!"
Qin Yang's eyes narrowed to slits as he lunged forward.
His body vanished alongside the divine dragon illusion. The spatial rift twisted violently, its myriad micro-cracks merging into an impenetrable barrier.
The gap sealed itself!
Qin Yang reappeared on the other side, his success bittersweet.
Cold sweat beaded his forehead as his body spun wildly through the air. Only after several disoriented rotations did he manage to regain control.
As he passed through the fissure, the divine dragon illusion formed from his true qi was swallowed by the crack, nearly disrupting his flight.
Forcing more true qi only worsened the fissure's instability.
Fortunately, all ended well without lasting harm.
"Hm? Who's calling me?" Qin Yang was about to head toward the Qin Family when suddenly his heart stirred.
"Treasure Rat?"
Qin Yang frowned deeply and muttered angrily, "Just knew you'd cause trouble!"
The Treasure Rat had jumped away from him earlier, and now it seemed trapped in the Demon Hunter's Field.
Unable to abandon the creature, Qin Yang flew straight toward the hunting grounds.
Upon arrival, he found the once massive structure mostly destroyed, leaving only fragmented walls and ruins.
Like a mirage, the remains felt illusory, as if they might vanish like soap bubbles at any moment.
Guided by his inner sense, Qin Yang finally located the Treasure Rat.
Seeing Qin Yang, the Treasure Rat excitedly scurried over, carrying a long string of objects in its mouth.
"You..." Qin Yang began to scold, but paused as the rat presented the string of items to him like a precious treasure.
The Treasure Rat's jet-black eyes sparkled with anticipation as it gazed at Qin Yang.
So these were Qiankun Rings woven through wild grass by the Treasure Rat!
There were seven of them!
Qin Yang glanced between the Demon Hunter's Field and the Treasure Rat, his emotions swirling like a storm.
The Elder Qin and other Qin Family members had long been devoured, their scattered space rings likely remaining with broken limbs at the fissure's edge.
Obtaining these rings would be no less dangerous than traversing the crack he'd just crossed!
Yet these rings held no value for the Treasure Rat, nor did they likely contain anything it needed. It had taken such risks solely for Qin Yang's sake!
"Remarkable work," Qin Yang praised.
The Treasure Rat immediately leaped up in delight.
Qin Yang's expression hardened. "Never act on your own again!"
The Treasure Rat nodded vigorously.
Qiankun Rings couldn't be stored within other Qiankun Rings, so Qin Yang had no choice but to secure them on his person. With his clothes burned to mere undergarments and no time to change, he could only fasten them at his waist.
"Huh? These aren't Qiankun Rings?" Qin Yang paused. "Three of them are actually Demon Realm Rings?"
The Qiankun Rings could only store inanimate objects, with time frozen inside to preserve spirit medicines. The Demon Realm Rings, however, could contain spirit beasts that recognized their master, with time still flowing within. Moreover, the environment inside would gradually change according to the beast's attributes, causing the ring's appearance to transform accordingly.
These three Demon Realm Rings were pitch-black, containing no spirit beasts that recognized their master.
With a thought, Qin Yang claimed ownership of the three Demon Realm Rings and slipped them onto his fingers. There was no time to investigate the contents of the remaining four Qiankun Rings.
When he tried to store the Treasure Rat in a Demon Realm Ring, the creature stubbornly refused. With no other choice, Qin Yang had to let the Treasure Rat perch on his shoulder.
Activating the Dragon Soaring Steps, he channeled true qi to form a divine dragon illusion around himself. With a twist of its serpentine body, the dragon seemed to vanish into space, leaving no trace behind.
When the illusion reappeared, it was already a hundred zhang away.
The dragon flickered in and out of existence, reaching the pinnacle of speed.
Copy: Three-headed Flame Hound ability - Hell Flame
Qin Yang's eyebrow twitched. He twisted his body, the dragon illusion nimbly evading a pillar of fire.
That same pillar of fire that had once terrified Qin Yang - capable of reducing even Zongshi Realm experts to ashes - now couldn't even make him feel warm.
Qin Yang halted, his figure silhouetted against the sky as he observed the scene below.
The panda stood in tense confrontation with three demonic beasts, among which loomed the Three-headed Flame Hound - its crimson flames casting eerie shadows across the battlefield.
Without activating his hunting stance, Qin Yang remained visible. His sudden appearance naturally drew the attention of all four demonic creatures.
The Three-headed Flame Hound's ancient fire revealed Qin Yang's presence with a single breath.
As the human form materialized, the panda froze in shock, the Three-headed Flame Hound's three heads tilted in unison, and the Thornstone Turtle's armored carapace trembled.
The final beast, the Nine-Tailed Ice Phoenix, regarded its companions with frosty curiosity.
"What's wrong with you all?" the phoenix's voice chimed like silver bells, its icy timbre cutting through the tension. "It's just a human."
"That boy was at the peak of the Qi Sea Realm when I last observed him," the Thornstone Turtle rumbled.
"Same here," the Three-headed Flame Hound's three heads nodded in unison, their fiery breaths creating a crimson halo around Qin Yang.
"Before? How long ago?" Nine-Tailed Ice Phoenix asked, puzzled. These two ancient demons were actually astonished by a human's strength?
The panda's expression grew even more spectacular. He had been the last to see Qin Yang, and the time that had passed since then was merely...
"True to being my master," the panda said lazily, unwilling to think too much. "Now that you've reached the peak of the Zongshi Realm, let's teach these three suicidal beasts a lesson!"
The panda roared with laughter, addressing the three demonic beasts: "You're ganging up on one person? We'll let you have one! If we don't beat you down today and make you shout 'Tian Swallowing Beast is the greatest under heaven,' I'll change my name to 'Shit Swallowing Beast'!"
Qin Yang's forehead creased with black lines. This bastard was really too good at causing trouble!
Shit Swallowing Beast... Ew~ Disgusting! The mere thought of it was unbearable.
The panda whispered, "I've already subdued all the other beasts. Only these three remain..."
"I don't have time," Qin Yang said softly.
The panda froze. "What could possibly be more important than a fight?"
"Kill them," Qin Yang said coldly. The murderous aura around him was impossible to conceal, and he hastily suppressed it.
The four demonic beasts wore strange expressions. Could Qin Yang's killing intent truly be so profoundly terrifying?
"Hmph, even if this brat comes, what can he do? Can he change the outcome?" The Three-headed Flame Hound sneered, arrogantly preparing to fight with numerical superiority.
One of its heads immediately spat out a pillar of fire, while the other two heads spoke in unison: "If I reduce you to ashes, don't blame me for not remembering your past kindness!"
Qin Yang was growing impatient. He had no time to waste on a panda's foolish games, but the Fire Dog's attack had ignited his temper.
"Get out of my way if you don't want to die!" Qin Yang roared furiously. "You think you're the only one who can breathe fire?"
He formed a hand seal, pressed his fingers to his lips, and took a deep breath. His chest puffed out as he leaned back slightly.
"Hell Flame: Fire Breath!"
His divine sense resonated like heavenly decree, booming like thunder.
A thicker and hotter pillar of fire erupted from Qin Yang's mouth!