These past days, Qian Wutian had risked everything to unleash his bloodline power, his speed surpassing even that of the former Qian Wushuang, subtly suggesting he might be the optimal candidate for the ultimate awakening of this generation's Elven King bloodline warriors!

Qian Zhanxuan even suspected that two individuals from the Qian family in this generation might achieve the ultimate awakening! If that truly came to pass, the Demon Race would surely be exterminated, and the Qian family's standing within the Zhence Dynasty would definitively rise above the other two major houses.

Now, one of the Qian bloodline inheritors who held the potential for ultimate awakening was dead! How could Qian Jin still be alive? Even the death of a Saint-level Fabredris could not compare in value to Qian Wutian!

“Snake Emperor, what is this? Are you conspiring with the Demon Race?” Qian Zhanxuan’s gaze returned to Pan Hongji. Dealing with a powerhouse of this caliber demanded direct eye contact to show respect; anything less would be an insult.

And insult! For a warrior, there was usually only one recourse: a duel!

Qian Zhanxuan had witnessed countless duels, growing weary even of ordinary ones. He used cutting words to corner Pan Hongji and Bahuang Wusheng. A warrior and a Demonic Swordsman joining forces against another warrior—this was tantamount to treason.

Pan Hongji smiled faintly. Three against two! This situation wasn't a guaranteed victory, but killing either Qian Zhanxuan or Qian Zhanri should certainly be achievable. As for the other, they would most likely retreat, and even their full effort might fail to detain the survivor.

However, killing Qian Zhanxuan? Pan Hongji frowned slightly. Bahuang Wusheng was, after all, a powerhouse originating from the Demon Race. If his side succeeded in slaying Qian Zhanxuan, the one who would be most delighted probably wouldn't be Qian Jin, but rather the Great Demon King of the Demon Race, who could enjoy sleepless nights of glee for a month.

“Brother Zhanxuan, there’s no need to provoke me with such words.” Pan Hongji offered a faint smile. “I certainly don’t care for you much, perhaps even detest you. But, absent necessity, I have no intention of acting in a way that diminishes the overall fighting strength of the Zhence Dynasty.”

“Of course!” Pan Hongji gestured to Qian Jin beside him, who was currently on the verge of a berserk state. “If Brother Zhanxuan insists on murdering my ally, then I must intervene. Never mind teaming up with the Bandit King, I would even ally with the Great Demon King if necessary. Do you believe me?”

“Kill my ally?” Pan Hongji let out a cold chuckle and said no more.

Ally! For ordinary strata, this word didn't carry much profound meaning.

But for vast, powerful families, the term 'ally' held more importance than gold, diamonds, or even Sacred Artifacts! If a family failed to uphold its allies, its credibility and glory would suffer massive blows, making decline inevitable.

Qian Zhanxuan’s eyebrows twitched twice. An ally! The protective talisman on Qian Jin was indeed highly effective, but just leaving like this...

“To kill the person I intend to protect outside the passes,” Bahuang Wusheng sneered coldly, “unless I die first!”

Qian Zhanxuan’s brow jumped again. Bahuang Wusheng’s success in becoming the Bandit King beyond the passes, ensuring relative stability in the region over the years, was undeniably linked to his personal combat prowess.

Whether it was the Demon Race, the Barbarian Race, or the Zhence Dynasty faction, eliminating Bahuang Wusheng would likely cost the life of at least one Heaven-Rank Awakened bloodline powerhouse. Such an outcome would be readily welcomed by the other two major powers.

Because of this calculus, no one dared provoke Bahuang Wusheng! Qian Zhanxuan was confident that in a one-on-one engagement, without interference from others, he could defeat and kill Bahuang Wusheng.

But under the current circumstances... Qian Zhanxuan sighed with rare despondency. He had calculated countless possibilities, even accounting for the timely arrival of Bahuang Wusheng and Pan Hongji, but he had utterly failed to account for this woman, Isabella!

That previously unremarkable little girl, at best a genius bloodline warrior, had progressed with astonishing speed over the years—Heaven-Rank Awakening!

With just one additional person, the final outcome of the battle trajectory would change monumentally, especially with a Saint-level Mu Guiwuxin nearby.

While Mu Guiwuxin’s raw strength wasn't overwhelming, when a battle reached a brutal climax, a Saint-level expert could genuinely determine the final result.

To fight? Without risking everything, what chance did he have of killing Qian Jin... Qian Zhanxuan suddenly felt his mouth go dry; less than a half-percent chance!

If he disregarded all consequences, throwing his very life aside, he could certainly still kill Qian Jin! But... Qian Zhanxuan’s brows furrowed deeper. To trade his noble life for the life of someone like Qian Jin was a guaranteed loss.

Qian Zhanxuan had never hesitated like this before. If the target had been someone else assuredly destined for death, he would have given up facing this lineup long ago. But the target he needed to eliminate was named Qian Jin.

The young man who emerged from the Qian family, upon returning to the Zhence Dynasty, was already famed throughout it. Countless people would later say the Qian family lacked vision for failing to recognize such talent.

As a top-tier powerhouse, Qian Zhanxuan could disregard the mockery of the entire Zhence Dynasty or even the Demon Race, but he could not completely ignore the Dou Soul that Qian Jin had just condensed.

One body, three souls! Qian Zhanxuan’s gaze instantly turned as cold as snow. Three Dou Souls? How was this achieved? Even the current Great Demon King, with his Dual Dou Souls, could only transform into a second soul during bloodline activation and could not utilize both simultaneously.

One body, three souls! Just a single finger strike, though it shattered a terrifying Saint-level Thunderstorm Dou Technique, could not conceal the terrifying might of one body housing three souls!

Saint-level attainment was a beautiful yet eternally unreachable dream for ordinary warriors. Yet, this Qian Jin right before him was someone capable of forging Soul Weapons!

If he couldn't reach Sainthood, Qian Zhanxuan could utterly disregard Qian Jin's existence! But if Qian Jin truly could reach Sainthood, even constrained by the impure Dou Qi of an ordinary warrior, destined to forever linger in the realm of the Pseudo-Saint, those three Dou Souls, if fully manifested as three Soul Domains, would still possess devastating destructive power.

At the very least, for all future young warriors of the Qian family, Qian Jin would become their recurring nightmare.

Miscalculation! Qian Zhanxuan stared at Pan Hongji and let out a cold smile. Just a few days ago, he had assumed Qian Jin’s rampage at the Qian family entrance was due to the Snake Emperor employing a newly developed secret technique within the family! Therefore, the Snake Emperor’s subsequent involvement was merely to observe the results of that secret art.

Unexpectedly... Qian Zhanxuan’s cold laugh now held a hint of admiration. This Snake Emperor, Pan Hongji, was truly inscrutable. His decision to go with those youths to the Qian family back then now looked like a deliberate ploy to mislead others, making them believe the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family had developed a new secret art and was testing it on such a kid merely to spite the Qian family.

“Brother Zhanxuan, your might has always stemmed from your decisiveness,” Pan Hongji gently raised his hand in a gesture of farewell. “If you lose your decisiveness, your path as a warrior… hehe...”

“The Snake Emperor speaks correctly; I was perhaps too fixated,” Qian Zhanxuan laughed heartily, retracting most of the killing intent he harbored. “Since this attempt to kill failed, we will let Wushuang kill him on the Newcomer King stage. The ignorant clamor of the Qian family populace will vanish after the Newcomer King tournament concludes.”

Pan Hongji merely smiled without replying, his eyes holding faint admiration and appreciation. This head of the Qian family truly did not care about public opinion. His actions today were primarily for the sake of the younger and juvenile generations within the Qian family.

Though someone as formidable as Qian Zhanxuan was indifferent, it didn't mean the other warriors of the Qian Elven King bloodline, who possessed an intense sense of honor, were unconcerned. Killing Qian Jin would naturally relieve other warriors of distractions.

“Snake Emperor, I, Qian Zhanxuan, will certainly repay this debt in the future,” Qian Zhanxuan declared, sharply throwing back his sleeve as he turned and strode in the opposite direction from the outer passes. “Bahuang Wusheng, in the future! I, Qian Zhanxuan, will personally pay you a visit.”

Bahuang Wusheng casually tilted his chin up slightly, an aura of dominance immediately radiating from within him. “I too deeply desire to clash with the current foremost warrior of the Elven King bloodline.”

“There will be a time.”

“Trying to leave? Give me back my brother’s life!” Mu Guiwuxin suddenly roared, the corners of his eyes, already split with rage, streaming blood. His battle-axe, trailing his body, carved a path of ferocious thunder toward Qian Zhanxuan’s head: “Die!”

“You are not yet worthy.” Qian Zhanxuan raised a hand without turning back, his five fingers like five grasping bolts of lightning, snatching the battle-axe firmly in his grip.

The next instant, the massive battle-axe shattered inch by inch. The immense force channeled through the fragments shot straight toward Mu Guiwuxin’s chest, blasting him high into the sky.

“You are first and foremost a warrior sworn to protect the Zhence Dynasty, and only secondly are you Fabredris’s brother. If next time you still cannot discern which is more important, I would not mind slaying the last remaining commoner warrior to reach Sainthood.”

Qian Zhanxuan arrived suddenly, and he departed just as abruptly, vanishing from everyone’s sight in a flash, only his voice echoing through the air.

Thud...

Qian Jin’s body gently pitched forward, his eyes clamped shut and refusing to open again. The three Dou Souls that had been radiating from his body instantly vanished without a trace.

At some point, Qian Jin had already lapsed into a coma. Only a single thread of will had propped his body up to stand; once Qian Zhanxuan suddenly disappeared, that will dissipated as well.

“Comrade...”

“Qian Jin...”

“He should be alright,” Bahuang Wusheng said calmly, observing the fallen Qian Jin. “Severe physical and mental trauma must have caused him to faint temporarily?”

Pan Hongji nodded halfway in agreement when the unconscious Qian Jin suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, no longer purely red.

Within the crimson blood were streaks of dark gold, as if some form of metal had mixed into the fluid. His skin flickered between flushing red, gaining a metallic sheen, and occasionally shining with other colors.

“This...” Pan Hongji’s nod changed to a shake of his head. “I suspect it’s more than just a temporary faint?”

“Then what are we staring at!” Duan Fengbuer caught Qian Jin, embracing him horizontally in his arms, his expression anxious as he looked at Bahuang Wusheng. “Let’s go! First to your place, we need medicine to save him!”