2025-08-10 08:12:51A thunderous roar tore through the earth’s tranquility.
BOOM!
A column of soil, stone, and splintered wood erupted a hundred meters into the heavens, blasting a gaping maw into the serene forest floor. From the heart of the explosion, a figure shot upwards, landing with impossible lightness amidst the falling rain of debris.
His robes, once fine silk, were now little more than tattered remnants clinging to his frame. His long black hair, unbound, drifted in the disturbed air. He stood silently in the center of the newly-formed crater, his jade-green eyes surveying the devastation with an unnerving calm.
Li Qingyan.
He took a slow breath, the first in a very long time. The air was rich with the scent of damp earth and shattered pine.
"One thousand years..." he whispered, his voice raspy from a millennium of disuse. "So the Qianqiu Mianqi Jue was a success."
The Thousand Autumns Slumbering Qi Sutra. A forbidden technique he had unearthed from a forgotten ruin, a desperate gamble. To seal oneself in a state of suspended animation, a hundred meters beneath the world, to passively absorb the natural Qi of the earth for a full millennium.
The goal was not immortality, not yet. It was to accumulate a foundation so terrifyingly vast that the path to eternal life would be paved before him. His lifespan, once that of a mortal man, was now a great, flowing river. But even the greatest river eventually meets the sea.
He looked down at his hands, pale and slender, yet coursing with a power that could sunder mountains. A thousand years, gone in what felt like a single, long night’s sleep.
Memories of his previous life emerged before his eyes.
He had been nothing, a lowly outer disciple in a middling sect, scorned for his mediocre talent. He was a stepping stone for others, an insect to be crushed at a whim. Every day was a struggle for the most basic cultivation resources, a life lived on scraps and enduring humiliation. It was that burning resentment, that unquenchable thirst for power, that led him to the Qianqiu Mianqi Jue.
“To abandon one life, to gain another.” Li Qingyan stated quietly to himself. There was no regret in his heart, only cold, hard calculus. The price was paid. Now was the time to collect the debt.
He willed his body to move, testing his newfound vessel.
With a single thought, he executed a lightness technique. His form flickered, leaving no impression upon the soft soil. He drifted like a fallen leaf, coming to rest atop a single blade of grass that bowed but did not break. He then shifted his weight, standing perfectly balanced upon a single, minuscule leaf on a low-hanging branch, a leaf no larger than his little finger.
The leaf did not tremble. The branch did not stir. Not a whisper of wind was generated by his movement. His control was absolute.
At that moment, his piercing gaze shifted towards the east. His spiritual sense, now an ocean where it was once a puddle, had detected ripples in the distance.
People were coming.
With another flicker, his form vanished from the leaf and reappeared high in the boughs of a towering, ancient pine tree, cloaked by the thick canopy and shadows. From his perch, he looked down upon the crater he had created.
Soon, five figures streaked through the woods and arrived at the edge of the chasm. They wore the matching blue-and-white robes of a local sect; cultivators drawn by the massive tremor.
They stared into the hundred-meter-deep pit, their faces a mixture of shock and avarice.
“Gods above! What power could have caused this? Was it a tribulation?” one of the younger disciples exclaimed, his voice trembling.
“No lightning residue. This… this feels like the birth of a rare artifact!” another speculated, his eyes gleaming with greed. “Such a powerful eruption of spiritual Qi! It must be a heaven-defying treasure!”
“Don’t be a fool!” a senior-looking man snapped, though his own eyes darted nervously into the pit. “Whatever emerged from there is powerful enough to obliterate us in an instant. We must proceed with caution.”
They bickered amongst themselves, a dance of fear and desire. Each wanted the potential prize for themselves, yet none dared to be the first to descend into the ominous darkness of the crater. They were paralyzed by their own craven hearts.
From his hidden vantage point, Li Qingyan watched on, a sliver of contempt touching his lips. A thousand years had passed, but the nature of men had not changed in the slightest. Still worms, squabbling over a crumb they did not understand and were too fearful to grasp.
He had seen enough. There was nothing for him here.
His focus shifted from the cultivators below to the vast world beyond. His business was not with ants like these.
As the cultivators continued their hesitant debate, Li Qingyan’s presence simply… faded. He dissolved into the shadows like a wisp of smoke caught in the wind, leaving no trace, not even a rustle of leaves to mark his departure. The forest was silent once more, save for the worthless chatter of five men standing at the edge of an empty grave.
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Chapter 26: The Serene Smile of Death
The morning sun cast a bright, cheerful light over Jade River City, a light that held no hint of the darkness that had transpired during the night. At the Jade Pavilion restaurant, the staff began their daily chores. It was a junior waiter who first noticed something was amiss. The lavish private room on the top floor, the one booked by the dazzling Whispering Silks Troupe, had never been cleared.He knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time. Silence. With a nervous gulp, he pushed the heavy door open.He did not scream. He was too shocked to make a sound.A wave of heat, thick and humid, washed over him. The air was heavy with a cloying, sickly-sweet and coppery scent that made him gag. The opulent room was a disaster. Overturned chairs, shattered plates, and silks were strewn everywhere. The floor was slick and wet, covered in spilled wine and condensation that clung to every surface.And then he saw the bodies.Scattered around the room were the beautiful dan
Chapter 25: The Price of a Vile Art
Qin Luosha’s twisted declaration of love was met with utter silence. Li Qingyan’s eyes, which had held a flicker of cold anger, turned into pits of absolute, ancient indifference. To him, her perverse desire was not a compliment; it was merely another symptom of the vile art she practiced. It was a disease, and he was the cure."You still don't understand," he said, his voice flat. He released her throat.For a heartbeat, she thought he might be showing mercy. Then, she felt it. A new strand of Qi, his Qi, entered her body. It did not attack her meridians. Instead, it acted like a master key, seizing control of the potent aphrodisiacs in her system, hijacking the 'Seven Moons Fragrance' in the air and the 'Lover's Draught' in her blood. He was turning her own trap against her.Simultaneously, the same invisible force washed over her dozen paralyzed subordinates.The effect was instantaneous. A chorus of sharp, involuntary gasps filled the room. Then came the screams. They were not scr
Chapter 24: The Taste of a Lie
A slow smile spread across Li Qingyan's face, a smile that, for the first time, seemed to hold a flicker of the heat that permeated the room. The women watching let out a collective, anticipatory sigh. Their prey was finally succumbing."A fair request," Li Qingyan conceded, his voice a low murmur. He slowly, deliberately, began to untie the sash of his white outer robe.Seeing him comply, seeing this god-like man finally yielding to the trap she had so meticulously laid, sent a jolt of triumphant, predatory lust through Qin Luosha. She could wait no longer.Like a starving wolf, she pounced across the low table, scattering dishes of exotic food. She landed before him, her hands pressing against his chest as her tongue, hot and wet, began to trace patterns on his skin. She licked him with a fierce, possessive hunger, tasting the salt of his skin, reveling in her apparent victory.For a moment, Li Qingyan allowed it. Then, his hands came up and shoved her back firmly. She landed on her
Chapter 23: The Siren's Banquet
The Jade Pavilion was the most expensive restaurant in Jade River City, and the private room Qin Luosha had reserved was its most secluded and opulent. When Li Qingyan was led to the heavy, sound-proofed door, he could already smell the trap.The air that wafted out as the door opened was hot and thick, heavy with the cloying scent of 'Seven Moons Fragrance,' a potent aphrodisiac designed to inflame the passions of any male cultivator below the Core Formation realm. Crude, Li Qingyan thought, his face impassive.The scene inside was a calculated tableau of hedonism. Dozens of the most beautiful women from the Whispering Silks Troupe were arranged throughout the room, lounging on silk cushions and furs. All of them were completely naked, a living, breathing tapestry of temptation. Their bodies were slick with fragrant oils, and their eyes, already hazy from the aphrodisiacs in the air, turned to him with a single-minded, predatory hunger.At the center of it all, at the head of a low t
Chapter 22: A Dance of Silk and Venom
The Great Hall of the Huang Clan was a sea of solemnity and quiet pride. Today was the Spring Rite, the most important annual ceremony where the clan paid respects to its ancestors and reaffirmed its strength. Every Elder was present, their faces carved with the gravity of their station. Every Division Head stood at attention. At the high table, Clan Master Huang Jianshu presided, looking more confident than he had in weeks.And in the seat of highest honor, beside the Clan Master himself, sat Li Qingyan. He was an outsider, yet no one questioned his position. The tale of his god-like intervention had spread like wildfire through the clan's upper echelons. Behind him, standing as both disciple and guard, was Huang Lianxue, her posture perfect, her eyes sharp.The initial ceremonies concluded, and Huang Jianshu clapped his hands. "For the entertainment of our honored guest and esteemed Elders, we have invited the renowned Whispering Silks Troupe to perform!"In the weeks leading up to
Chapter 21: The Price of a Secret
The next day, Xiao Wei’s heart hammered in his chest. It was a fool’s errand, abandoning his patrol route in broad daylight, but Meili’s whispered promise of a 'private token of her gratitude' was a siren’s call he was powerless to resist. She led him away from the bustling square, into the quiet area where the Whispering Silks Troupe had parked their wagons.She guided him to a large, opulent wagon at the rear of the caravan. The moment the door closed, his senses were assaulted. The air inside was heavy with the same intoxicating jasmine incense from the night before, but thicker, mingled with the scent of wine and warm female skin. Before him, on a bed of exotic furs, lounged not just Meili, but three other dancers from the troupe, each as beautiful as the last, and each wearing nothing but a seductive smile.The young soldier froze, his mind reeling. This was beyond his wildest, most secret fantasies."Don't be shy, Sir Cultivator," Meili purred, taking his hand and leading him fo
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