Chapter 32: A Little Wealthy Lady and a Professional Gigolo?

Lin Rou stared blankly at her senior brother, Qin Ming.
Was this really her senior brother? When had he become so powerful?
In her memory, Senior Brother Qin Ming had always been a sycophant to Liu Ruyan, blindly obedient and long-suffering. Before this, she had even assumed that he had taken the sect’s remaining resources simply to run away. Thinking about it now, she realized she had misunderstood him.
A wild, brilliant light flickered in Lin Rou’s eyes. She gazed at his profile, completely mesmerized. It had to be said that Qin Ming looked truly dashing at this moment, ascending toward the sky step by step.
The sheer pressure emanating from his body alone forced the arrogant Tuoba Yu to bend at the waist and kneel upon the ground. In the end, with a single flick of a finger against his brow, Qin Ming had ruthlessly executed him. Even the blessing of the Corpse Sect’s ancestor had been unable to save him.
At that moment, the heavens and earth fell into a silence so profound one could hear a pin drop. Not only was the Tongtian Immortal Sect stunned, but the Corpse Sect was equally bewildered. The cultivators of the Corpse Sect, in particular, wore expressions of pure shock. Their Daoist Successor was dead?
One had to realize that the Daoist Successor had been fortified by the Rootless Seal and blessed by their ancestor. Yet, he had still been killed by that man with a single strike. This duel of successors was reaching its conclusion with startling speed.
Across the vast mountains, the many hidden factions watching the scene were filled with shock and confusion. Many were ignorant of Qin Ming’s true situation. In their deeply ingrained impressions, Qin Ming was still the same sycophant as before. Although news of Qin Ming suppressing the Liu family had surfaced recently, many factions had dismissed it as false; some had even vowed on the spot that such a thing was impossible.
Now, it appeared those rumors were not without foundation. Countless gazes were fixed upon the young man in the green robe.
Qin Ming, however, remained composed. He helped Lin Rou back to the sect plaza and said softly, "I have returned."
This sentence was for Lin Yuan, and it was also for the many elders, senior veterans, and disciples of the Tongtian Immortal Sect.
"Senior Brother Qin Ming!"
"Daoist Successor!"
The disciples of the Tongtian Immortal Sect who had not yet evacuated were filled with excitement, their eyes brimming with tears. They shouted at the top of their lungs, venting the emotions they had held back. When the powerful figures of the Corpse Sect attacked and left them gasping for air, they hadn’t cried. When they were being humiliated by Tuoba Yu, they hadn’t cried. But at those words—"I have returned"—they broke down.
Their Daoist Successor, Qin Ming, hadn't abandoned them. He had returned in force!
"Leave the rest to me."
Fearing that the elders might try to persuade him otherwise, Qin Ming displayed his cultivation in full for the first time. He manifested his Bitter Sea, which spanned over ten zhang, hovering behind him like a golden barrier.

Only a sliver of the golden Bitter Sea water was revealed, resembling a small stream, yet it roared with a thunderous sound! It was as if a surging, vast ocean lay hidden behind that trickle. In truth, if Qin Ming were to manifest it to its full extent of several hundred zhang, the world would know the meaning of true awe. They would learn what it meant to say: "Within this world, there is only my golden Bitter Sea!"
"The Bitter Sea Realm!"
The elders of the Tongtian Immortal Sect wept with joy, their faces radiant. If their memories served them correctly, hadn't Qin Ming only just reached the Bone Sacrificial Realm a short while ago? What kind of monstrous cultivation speed was this? And it was a golden Bitter Sea at that!
Qin Ming stood before the disciples of the Tongtian Immortal Sect, his manifested Bitter Sea seemingly creating a world of its own, as if declaring that he, Qin Ming, would shield the Tongtian Immortal Sect.
"Roar!"
At that moment, a low, bestial growl echoed. The two nine-layer Bitter Sea Realm demonic beasts, their bodies covered in rotting flesh, glared with rage. The surrounding mountains trembled. Beams of light shot from their pupils, incinerating vast stretches of ancient forest and leaving scorched earth in their wake. It was as if they were firing miniature suns from their eyes.
The watching cultivators scrambled to retreat, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire. They snapped out of their stupor, their faces pale with terror. They realized they not only lacked the qualifications to participate in this conflict, but it seemed they didn't even have the right to watch.
"You killed our sect’s successor... you... deserve to die."
With a loud *clang*, the lid of a blood-red coffin was thrown aside. An aged figure slowly rose into the air. He was shriveled and appeared to be in the twilight of his life. Yet, this old man, who seemed to possess no aura at all, merely tapped the heads of the two demonic beasts gently, and they instantly became docile.
"A Spirit Bridge Realm cultivator!"
Lin Yuan clutched his chest, his breathing ragged. He was overwhelmed by the shock. His brows knit together as he looked at Qin Ming with a grave expression. He had raised Qin Ming since childhood and knew his personality well; the boy was not foolish. He would never do anything without being certain of his ground. Lin Yuan simply didn't know where Qin Ming’s trump card lay.
It was currently night, and that aged, withered figure standing in the sky appeared all the more sinister. He was the Sect Master of the Corpse Sect!
The Corpse Sect Master opened his mouth and let out a long howl, causing the spiritual energy of the surrounding heavens and earth to surge toward him in an endless stream. Whirlwinds formed across the land. Having devoured such vast amounts of power, the Corpse Sect Master’s flesh began to fill out. He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed like torches upon the mountain gate of the Tongtian Immortal Sect, finally settling on Qin Ming.
"You have guts, remaining fearless in the face of danger, and your cultivation is quite strong."
"It is a pity, however, that you are destined to never have another chance to rise."
Even as an opponent, the Corpse Sect Master had to acknowledge Qin Ming’s talent. "I am curious: where does your confidence come from?"
Facing two nine-layer Bitter Sea Realm demonic beasts and a first-layer Spirit Bridge Realm expert like himself, how could a cultivator who had only just stepped into the first layer of the Bitter Sea Realm be so confident?
The black clouds in the sky had not yet dissipated, and lightning continued to flash, as if something were brewing. This made the Corpse Sect Master quite irritable. First, he found that he couldn't see through the young man before him. Second, the flashing lightning held a restraining power over their Corpse lineage. Fortunately, it was night, so the impact was minimal.
Just as the Corpse Sect Master was about to order his two beasts to attack, a bright young girl arrived, steering a furnace through the air. The cultivators of the Corpse Sect exchanged glances, their expressions turning solemn, yet they dared not attack her. They had recognized the totem on her robes.
It was someone from the Heaven’s Treasure Pavilion! And a direct descendant at that, a second-tier artifact refiner. The influence of the Heaven’s Treasure Pavilion radiated across the entire Xuanxiao Continent. There were even rumors that the pavilion had presence in the Immortal Realm itself.
The Corpse Sect Master’s eyes flickered. He realized in a flash where Qin Ming’s confidence came from. So, he knew a noble from the Heaven’s Treasure Pavilion. No wonder he dared to be so reckless!
Qin Ming, however, looked at the sudden arrival with a strange expression. Wasn't this Lin Yao, whom he had met at the Heaven’s Treasure Pavilion? Why had she come to their Tongtian Immortal Sect for no reason?
"Qin Ming, right? I finally found you. I want to keep you; from now on, I’ll look after you!"
Her voice was crisp and melodious. It echoed throughout the entire Tongtian Immortal Sect and the surrounding wilderness, leaving countless onlookers stunned.
*Keep him?*
So that was why Qin Ming was so confident—daring to face the Corpse Sect alone and challenge their Sect Master. It turned out he was living off the support of a direct descendant of the Heaven’s Treasure Pavilion. In fact, he could be called the "King of Soft Rice"!
Everyone was caught off guard by the unexpected arrival of Lin Yao. Though Lin Yuan and the other elders wore strange expressions, a glimmer of hope ignited in their eyes. They naturally knew Lin Yao’s identity: the number one genius artifact refiner in Qingzhou, whose master was the Pavilion Master of the Heaven’s Treasure Pavilion’s headquarters in Zhongzhou! Her status was highly esteemed. To put it bluntly, she was a "little wealthy heiress" of the mortal world.
Qin Ming... was being kept by a little wealthy heiress.