Qian Zhanxuan’s eyelid twitched twice; one of the three Battle Souls emanating from him was… Fabredis! No miss! That tall and imposing Battle Soul bore at least an eight-tenths similarity to Fabredis, blazing with scorching flame power, its majestic appearance masking an imposing, heroic spirit—truly like the Fire God of legend!

“Today, you must die…” Qian Zhanxuan’s killing intent wasn't just in his eyes; it permeated his entire being. “Three Battle Souls—though you have no chance against Peerless—if I let you live, who knows how many Elf King bloodline warriors of the Qian family you might ambush and kill in the future.”

“Qian Zhanxuan, you son of a bitch, show me!” The colossal axe swept through the air! Its brute force felt capable of cleaving the very earth apart!

Mu Guwuxin, with his bear-like physique, materialized not far from Qian Jin’s body, his crimson bear eyes fixed upon the standing corpse of Fabredis.

“Another ordinary warrior reaching Sainthood?” Qian Zhanxuan frowned. “If only you, Qian Jin, had not opposed me. The Dynasty would surely have seen more ordinary Saints born, creating a favorable situation on the Human-Demon battlefield. Too bad you became my enemy! Keeping you alive is nothing but a blight…”

“Qian Jin,” Mu Guwuxin looked back at Qian Zhanxuan without turning his head, his voice filled with sorrowful resolve. “Take them and leave. I want to stay here a while longer with Old Fa.”

“Scram!”

Mu Guwuxin suddenly roared, directly cutting off Duan Fengbuer, who was about to speak. “Get the hell out of here, all of you!”

“Trying to leave?” Qian Zhanxuan coldly watched the group. “No one is leaving today. You will all die here…”

“Is that so? Qian Zhanxuan, you won’t be killing anyone today, or I’ll write the name of Snake Emperor Pan Hongji backward…”

In the sky, Pan Hongji suddenly appeared, his face sinister and filled with murderous intent. A snake-shaped longsword, steaming with countless strands of Dou Qi, descended slowly before Qian Jin. “You are truly formidable. You used the Imperial Edict twice to obstruct me, precisely because you feared I would arrive to render aid.”

“I simply didn't want to waste unnecessary effort,” Qian Zhanxuan observed Pan Hongji lightly. “I didn't want the True Policy Dynasty to suffer more losses. Your suppression of the Demon Race has value; you are also quite powerful. You’ve been plotting since the moment you first encountered Qian Jin, keeping his existence suppressed until a critical moment when you unleashed everything, making his fame so loud that even I couldn't suppress or kill him…”

“The Northern Wastes is the only place where you have such a direct opportunity to kill Qian Jin,” Pan Hongji gazed quietly at Qian Zhanxuan. “I know, and you know it too.” “That’s why you sought out the Emperor to delay my arrival with the reading of the Edict.”

“The expedition into the Demon Race—that fame for Qian Jin wasn't your doing either?” Qian Zhanxuan stated calmly, showing no intention of making a move, though his peripheral vision never left Qian Jin. According to the intelligence he had gathered, the moment this young man appeared in the True Policy Dynasty, the presidents of the major guilds would immediately converge, and after a simple test, they would confer upon him the position of the General Guild Master.

At that point… Qian Zhanxuan was well aware that in such a scenario, he couldn’t simply draw a blade and kill him openly without consequence. Even assassinating Qian Jin would cause the Qian family to face boycotts from the major guilds for a considerable time. The Qian family could ignore one guild, but they could not ignore all of them simultaneously. Action had to be taken in the Northern Wastes! This was precisely why Qian Zhanxuan had chosen this location! Yet, first came Fabredis, then Mu Guwuxin, and now the most troublesome presence of all, Snake Emperor Pan Hongji!

But it didn’t matter! Qian Zhanxuan’s eyes still held immense confidence; his younger brother, Qian Zhanri, would arrive soon! With his brother, whose power was not far beneath his own, assisting him, they could easily suppress Pan Hongji and slay Qian Jin.

Pan Hongji turned and looked admiringly at Qian Jin. This young man’s growth was too swift… It was a pity he couldn't stay by his side to protect him constantly; that would only hinder the improvement of his strength. Moreover, a fledgling under an eagle’s wing could never soar into the sky on its own! Fame! It was too important for a warrior! Pan Hongji did not want people in the future speaking of Qian Jin as someone who grew up under his shelter. More importantly, if such talk became widespread and reached Qian Jin’s ears, it would inevitably create a rift between them.

“The Demon Race? That wasn't my doing,” Pan Hongji smiled. “Though Lou had considered it, I hadn't yet implemented it…”

Pan Hongji then looked at Duan Fengbuer, his eyes alight with boundless delight. The young warriors of the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family were indeed not inferior to any other bloodline warrior. Even though their first natural awakening came very late, with sufficient power, he was now growing rapidly—much faster than anticipated. Furthermore, the young man carried a strange, inexplicable aura, something he would have to inquire about later.

“Is that so? Then at least you saved yourself some effort. You should thank me,” Qian Zhanxuan offered a faint smile. “Snake Emperor, even with your appearance, you cannot save Qian Jin! I will grant you face; I won't touch Duan Fengbuer.”

“Why don’t you, Brother Zhanxuan, grant this King a little more small favor?” The voice of Ba Huang Wusheng sounded, and his body appeared right beside Qian Jin, his hands also clasped behind his back. The soaring, dominating aura he exuded was in no way inferior to Qian Zhanxuan’s, and his demonic eyes stared provocatively at Qian Zhanxuan.

“Bandit King!” The confidence on Qian Zhanxuan’s face wavered for the first time. Bandit King! Ba Huang Wusheng! The true overlord of the Northern Wastes! Now he moved with the gait of a dragon and the stride of a tiger, appearing with overwhelming dominance in this inexplicable battlefield.

“The small favor the Bandit King seeks is…” Qian Zhanxuan focused his gaze on Qian Jin. “As long as it isn't this traitor who betrayed the Qian family, I can discuss matters with him.”

“Hahahaha…” Ba Huang Wusheng suddenly threw his head back and laughed, his overt dominance spreading outward. “What a coincidence! One of the people I, Ba Huang Wusheng, desire is this very brat.”

“One of them?” Qian Zhanxuan was momentarily stunned, then understood. Ba Huang Wusheng had come to take everyone away. “Then I apologize, Bandit King. I cannot grant you face concerning Qian Jin.”

“Hehe… Hahahaha… Hahahahaha…” Ba Huang Wusheng laughed repeatedly, his shoulders shaking. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Qian Zhanxuan. “Qian Zhanxuan, your arrogance seems to have muddled your judgment.”

“Here in the Northern Wastes!” Ba Huang Wusheng raised his hand and fiercely jabbed his index finger toward the ground. “I, Ba Huang Wusheng, am the King! What I say is the Imperial Edict! Only I have the final say here! To grant you face is already showing you respect! Everything here belongs to me, Ba Huang Wusheng!” Domineering! Domineering! Domineering! The aura of dominance surrounding Ba Huang Wusheng burst forth in layer after layer with his words. Every movement exuded an indescribable tyranny.

“Then today, this King of the Northern Wastes needs to be replaced…” Another confident voice echoed. A hint of a smile returned to Qian Zhanxuan’s face as he looked at the Elf King bloodline warrior walking towards him, bearing a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to himself.

“Whether the King of the Northern Wastes changes or not, I don't care. But anyone who makes trouble for my student, Isabella, today, this old hag will cut them down! Qian Zhanri, do you believe me?” The clear, crisp female voice sounded in the sky, powerful bloodline energy permeating the desolate lands of the Northern Wastes. Isabella of the Conquest Academy descended slowly before Qian Jin, wearing a perfectly tailored, tight-fitting warrior suit that accentuated her sexy and mature figure, holding a massive cleaver.

A Cleaver! Qian Jin was momentarily stunned upon seeing the weapon in Isabella’s hand. Such a beautiful woman wielding such a domineering weapon! The young Isabella, appearing suddenly, possessed an aura and strength that were in no way inferior to any established bloodline warrior present.

“Isabella, you truly are a genius among bloodline warriors,” Qian Zhanxuan nodded slowly, his expression appreciative. “You’ve reached the Heavenly Extreme Awakening in just a few short years. Next, you should be focusing on honing your own combat skills, developing your personal techniques. Coincidentally, I have some insights and techniques that might suit you.”

“I thank you in advance then,” Isabella smiled faintly, raising a hand to rest on Qian Jin’s shoulder, affectionately pulling him close. “But one thing is one thing. I thank you for the gift you gave me, but if anyone tries to touch my student who has skipped so many classes? My damn cleaver will not be polite to anyone.”

“Kid, you’ve skipped so many classes, do you know you might be expelled?” Isabella clamped her arm around Qian Jin’s neck, completely unconcerned as she pressed his head almost against her full chest, grinning smugly. “Only an educator like me can tolerate a skipping student like you! You aren’t going anywhere during the holidays! You’ll stay with me and catch up on your studies, understand?” “Uncle Snake Emperor…” Isabella’s expression shifted, becoming like a little girl addressing an elder as she smiled sweetly. “Thank you for helping discipline these students. But even with your help, Duan Fengbuer, the student who skipped class, still needs to be punished and beaten. Can you be biased?”

The Snake Emperor’s faint smile was tinged with happiness. “I have no objection. Punish him severely. If you can discipline him until he willingly agrees to return to the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family, I will give you anything you desire! Even if you want to marry Qian Jin, and others oppose a teacher-student romance, I will approve it for you!”

The vast Northern Wastes, a wasteland saturated with killing intent. Normally, though warriors and Demon Martial Artists would enter to prospect for resources, few top-tier experts of the current age ventured there; everyone maintained a degree of restraint. Today, Qian Zhanxuan, Qian Zhanri, Pan Hongji, Ba Huang Wusheng, Isabella—every one of them was a preeminent warrior or Demon Martial Artist of the era. The formerly expansive Northern Wastes suddenly felt somewhat cramped when these several top-tier experts converged, as if the immense territory could no longer contain these peak figures.

Qian Zhanxuan’s face was gloomier than the star-strewn night sky. His initial plan for bringing Qian Wutian here to kill Qian Jin included having the younger generation participate, but he hadn't expected that instead of succeeding in murder, Qian Wutian would be killed by a single poke from Qian Jin!