Chapter 4: Breaking Through Like a Dragon’s Roar

Qin Ming’s lips curled into a smirk, his expression one of a schemer whose trap had been sprung.

What a complete fool! To actually agree to this?

In truth, Qin Ming did not even recognize Ye Chen. There had been far too many geniuses surrounding him on the Heavenly Path, and just as many had perished by his hand. This fellow, Ye Chen, was nothing more than one of the many who had cheered and clamored on the sidelines of that path.

Lin Rou’s expression turned anxious; she knew Qin Ming’s strength all too well and feared that such an impulsive decision would lead to his ruin. Several elders of the Tongtian Immortal Sect moved their lips, intending to dissuade him. A cultivator who had fought on the Heavenly Path was, without question, of transcendent ability. This was a duel with no hope of victory.

Yet, Qin Ming offered Sect Master Lin Yuan and the others a resolute gaze, signaling them that no further persuasion was needed. To kill his opponent fair and square would naturally save him a great deal of trouble. As for the gap in their strength... he was not the least bit worried. Back then, his physical body alone had been enough to sweep across the Heavenly Path.

And now?

Qin Ming’s eyes burned with heat, his inner vitality surging like a tidal wave! Since obtaining the Immortal Emperor Sutra, he had been silently cultivating it. The profound mysteries of the sutra could be summarized in three simple stages: The Longevity Blood, the Indestructible Bone, and the Immortal Soul. Once mastered, one would no longer fall into the cycle of reincarnation, and one's name would be struck from the ledger of the afterlife.

At that moment, warm currents erupted within Qin Ming’s body. A whistling wind emerged, and clouds began to gather in his Dantian. It was as if a world sealed for years had finally begun its cycle of celestial evolution, stirring with wind and storm. All the energy hidden within his flesh and blood for the past eighteen years was suddenly mobilized. These energies collided and gathered with frantic intensity.

Finally, with a loud *bang*—as if the chaos of the world had been split asunder—a single drop of blood, crimson yet shimmering with golden light, exuding an aura of immortality, descended into his Dantian like a giant sun piercing through the chaotic mist.

"The first drop of Longevity Blood, complete!"

A surge of vibrant life exploded within him. With the condensation of the Longevity Blood, his physical body finally ceased its eighteen-year frenzy of hoarding energy. He could now cultivate normally.

"Considering you have no cultivation, I would be bullying you," Ye Chen said, still ignorant of Qin Ming's situation and wearing a look of utter arrogance. "How about this: if you admit defeat, I will allow you to keep your corpse intact."

"No cultivation? Then open your dog eyes and take a good look."

Qin Ming’s voice was slightly agitated, ringing out like a great bell. Suddenly, an aura of cultivation began to surge from his body...

Body Tempering Realm, first level.
Body Tempering Realm, second level.
...
Body Tempering Realm, ninth level.

In one breath, he had leaped from a mere beginner in the path of cultivation straight to the perfection of the first stage. What took others years to achieve, Qin Ming accomplished in an instant.

Lin Rou’s beautiful eyes widened as she stared at her senior brother in disbelief. The senior brother who had always been so feeble on the path of cultivation had finally stood tall! Her father, Lin Yuan, found his breath hitching, hot tears welling in his tiger-like eyes. For eighteen years, the entire Qing Province had treated the Tongtian Immortal Sect as a joke due to the immense resources poured into feeding him divine medicines. Today, they could finally hold their heads high and declare to the world: the Daoist of the Tongtian Immortal Sect was no waste.

A flash of embarrassment and jealousy crossed Ye Chen’s face, ultimately hardening into a cold snort.

"Mere Body Tempering..."

Before he could finish his sentence, another wave of breakthrough energy swept forth from Qin Ming. The sound of his barriers shattering was like the roar of a dragon, echoing through the entire Tongtian main hall. Ye Chen, standing too close, was pushed back several steps by the rolling pressure, his hair disheveled and his appearance utterly wretched.

By now, Qin Ming’s cultivation had broken into the Bone-Sacrifice Realm, stopping only after reaching the third level. In a single day, he had crossed three major realms: Body Tempering, Vein Condensation, and Bone-Sacrifice! Such a speed of ascension was terrifying, even for a Martial God.

The surging aura of his breakthrough blew through Liu Ruyan’s locks, leaving her momentarily dazed. Was this really the same submissive, bootlicking waste as before? He suddenly carried the faint, haunting air of a true genius.

"Qin Ming, you are truly calculating! So you could have cultivated all along, hiding for eighteen years and playing the fool just to trap and kill my brother?" Liu Ruyan gritted her teeth. Qin Ming merely rolled his eyes; if Liu Bufan hadn't tried to teach him a lesson, he wouldn't have died. It was his own doing.

"No need to waste breath on him. I shall just kill him."

Ye Chen’s face darkened as he stepped forward, bowing to perform a salute. But before he could even straighten his back, Qin Ming swung his fist with a violent force. With a fight to the death, what need was there for etiquette? To strike first was to seize the initiative and command every advantage.

Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. Initially, the light on Qin Ming’s fist surged several feet high, but it quickly withered, shrinking down to just a few inches. This drew mocking laughter from Liu Ruyan and Liu Xiao.

"Father, I told you he was a waste. Compared to Brother Ye Chen, he is but dust to a pearl," Liu Ruyan spat, wishing Qin Ming dead immediately.

Ye Chen shook his head repeatedly. The act of a cultivator casting a spell was essentially the process of drawing in and unleashing the power of heaven and earth. The more violent the process, the more terrifying the energy mobilized. That flickering light of a few inches? To speak plainly, it was merely the standard of a Body Tempering cultivator. To use that against him? It was nothing but a fool’s dream!

"Let me show you what a real killing technique is! The Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Fist! This is one of the foundational martial arts of my Shenxuan Imperial Dynasty. To die by this fist is your good fortune!"

With that, Ye Chen advanced. His fist was shrouded in a brilliant, indescribable radiance that spread over ten feet, manifesting as nine fire-breathing dragons, baring their fangs. The prominent figures from various factions in Qing Province watched the scene with hidden shock. To manifest one's power more than nine feet outward was a feat beyond even an eighth-level Soul-Building expert, yet Ye Chen was only around the fourth level.

In contrast, Qin Ming’s display was plain and ordinary. This battle, it seemed, had no suspense at all! Lin Rou and the other Tongtian sect members looked on with bated breath. Lin Yuan even secretly prepared to intervene, willing to risk offending the Shenxuan Imperial Dynasty to save Qin Ming.

"Boom!"

The collision happened in the blink of an eye. Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Qin Ming did not cough up blood or suffer injury. Instead, Ye Chen’s majestic nine fire dragons began to wail, their bodies trembling before shattering one by one under the impact of Qin Ming’s fist.

When all the fire dragons had been extinguished, Ye Chen stood defenseless, facing Qin Ming’s fist head-on. With a *bang*, a terrifying force enveloped him. In an instant, he was sent flying backward, smashing through the gates of the main hall and carving a deep trench into the ground as he skidded. Finally, he slammed into a rock wall on the mountain peak, coming to a halt.

A single punch decided the victor? The prince of the Shenxuan Imperial Dynasty had been defeated?

The scene was shocking! Lin Rou and Lin Yuan stared with wide eyes, unable to believe it. They had been ready to risk their lives to save Qin Ming, only for this to be the result.

Only Qin Ming remained entirely calm. His constitution was the "Indestructible Dao-Born Body" of the Upper Realm. When casting magical arts, he could suppress most of the exaggerated fluctuations of heaven and earth. The result was that his strikes appeared unremarkable, as if he were merely swinging his arm without any cultivation fluctuations—yet they could shatter mountains, part seas, and blast the heavens.

Qin Ming had only condensed a single drop of Longevity Blood. When that blood eventually permeated his entire body, he would be able to suppress all martial fluctuations entirely. At that point, it would be truly terrifying. In the eyes of other cultivators, he would seem like a mere mortal—yet he would be a "mortal" capable of slaying immortals.

"Pfft!"

Amidst the rubble, Ye Chen coughed up blood, his face a mask of disbelief. He had lost? Defeated by such an ordinary-looking punch? Defeated by a waste of a Daoist from a backward, barbaric province—a person who had likely never even heard of the Heavenly Path?

"Qin Ming, how dare you! You used some underhanded trick, didn't you? Otherwise, how could Brother Ye Chen have lost?" Liu Ruyan leaped out of the main hall, scolding Qin Ming as she helped Ye Chen up. Liu Xiao, having gathered his son’s headless corpse, retreated as well. At this point, standing firmly with the prince of the Shenxuan Imperial Dynasty was his only hope for survival.

Qin Ming stepped out of the main hall, his aura murderous. This man had insulted not only him but the entire Tongtian Immortal Sect; naturally, he could not be left alive.

The rhythmic sound of his footsteps made Liu Ruyan’s heart race. She felt an inexplicable fear toward the man who had once been her submissive bootlicker, and she couldn't help but clutch Ye Chen’s hand tighter.

Ye Chen stood up, wiped the blood from his lips, and gripped Liu Ruyan’s hand. "Do not worry, I was simply careless. I am a genius who has walked the Heavenly Path; I am protected by its fortune. Unless his ranking on the Heavenly Path is higher than mine, he... he cannot kill me."

With that, Ye Chen pressed a finger to the center of his forehead. His skin split, and crimson blood floated out. Simultaneously, he produced half of a tattered, broken-world talisman from his robes.

*Boom!*

A portal tore open in the air. Beyond it, one could see a wild, blood-drenched, primeval landscape. It was the Heavenly Path!

"I open the way with the Broken-World Talisman and invite the Grave-Wailing Slave, the Coffin-Carrying Servant, and the Corpse-Stitching Artisan with my blood to bestow upon me the power of slaughter!"

Ye Chen waited in anticipation. On the Heavenly Path, he had gained the favor of these bizarre entities and received a promise: in the event of a life-or-death crisis, they would grant him the power of slaughter! Of course, there was a prerequisite: the promise would be void if he encountered someone with a higher ranking on the Heavenly Path than his own.

As his chant concluded, the sound of footsteps echoed from the broken portal—and they were drawing closer.