Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 336 - 319

When Qin Qing returned to the entrance of Heifeng Valley, following behind him was Shen Gongyuan.

This scene left Qin Ren, Pei Hong, and others utterly astonished.

"Brother Qin!" Qin Ren approached, "Are you okay, no harm done?"

"I’m fine," Qin Qing replied with a faint smile.

"Brother Qin, that’s great. We always said that a lucky man naturally comes under heaven’s protection and nothing would happen to you," Zhu Shuangyu also said with a smile.

Pei Hong, Qin Zhantian, and Zhao Qilin were looking at Qin Qing with perplexity at this moment.

They couldn’t understand what had happened, why Qin Qing had come back unharmed, and moreover, accompanied by Shen Gongyuan.

Where had Lu Yu’an, Xu Wenjian, and the others gone then?

"Esteemed sir, may we now enter Heifeng Valley?" Qin Qing asked the Ritual Officer.

The Liu surnamed Ritual Officer also had a trace of puzzlement in his eyes; after giving Qin Qing a glance, he said, "Once everyone has arrived, you’ll all be permitted to enter Heifeng Valley together! Just wait a bit longer..."

But Qin Qing said, "Sir, I think... there’s no need to wait any longer."

This sentence of Qin Qing seemed quite ordinary.

And his tone was quite calm, too.

But when the others around him thought carefully about what Qin Qing had said, it was tantamount to a thunderbolt out of the blue.

When Qin Qing said there was no need to wait, what did that mean?

Clearly, it implied that Lu Yu’an, Xu Wenjian, and Du Yuan would not be returning. And why wouldn’t they come back?

There was only one possibility—they were dead!

They had already perished at the hands of Qin Qing!

Instantly, people’s gazes once again turned towards Qin Qing, and the look in their eyes was noticeably different than before.

"Brother Qin, you..." Zhu Shuangyu’s voice carried a self-mocking wry smile. He had been so worried about Qin Qing earlier, even advising him to leave Tianjue Forest.

"Some people don’t know their place, are too noisy, and even want me dead. Then I have no choice but to return the favor!" Qin Qing said flatly.

Without a doubt, this statement by Qin Qing confirmed what everyone was thinking.

"Hiss..."

Pei Hong and the others all instinctively took a sharp breath.

Qin Qing had actually dealt with Lu Yu’an.

What did this mean?

It meant that Qin Qing’s strength was now above Lu Yu’an’s...

How long had it been?

Just a month ago, in front of Lu Yu’an, Qin Qing had no power to resist; however, less than two months later, he could now simultaneously take the lives of Lu Yu’an, Du Yuan, and Xu Wenjian.

And... the whole process did not take much time, and there was no sign of any fighting on Qin Qing’s body.

This could only mean that Qin Qing’s strength was far above those three men’s, to the point where they had no power to fight back during the process of being killed.

What was most terrifying was—how old was Qin Qing?

Lu Yu’an, in his thirties at the Middle Stage of the Golden Core Realm, was already considered the number one talent of Great Qian, a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Lu family.

Yet Qin Qing was only seventeen!

At seventeen, he had killed the number one talent of Great Qian in his thirties.

The talent and potential that Qin Qing had revealed... were simply too frightening!

The Ritual Officer also looked deeply at Qin Qing, recalling how he thought Qin Qing was trying to flee when he turned to leave; only now did he realize it was to draw Lu Yu’an away from safety, thus completely shattering Lu Yu’an’s hope of survival.

Qin Qing, merely seventeen, possessed such profound cunning; this seemed even more terrifying than his talent and potential...

"Young Master Qin, since this is the case, then I will now record your Qi-Blood values. Afterward, I’ll explain the things you need to be aware of when entering Heifeng Valley," the Ritual Officer named Liu said.

While speaking, it was clear that the officer’s attitude had become much more respectful toward Qin Qing, even hinting at an attempt to curry favor.

Qin Qing responded with a smile. Since the other party was extending friendly overtures, he would not be ungracious.

For the recording of Qi-Blood values, Qin Qing was the first.

There was no surprise in this.

The second place, however, went to Qin Ren.

"Brother Qin Qing, since Ninth Highness won’t let me enter Heifeng Valley, then I won’t go," Sui Jin said, grinning towards Qin Qing.

He gave all his Qi-Blood value to Qin Ren.

Thus, Qin Ren surged to second place.

The third place went to Pei Hong.

Because there were only three spots available for entering Heifeng Valley this time.

Therefore, the three people who entered Heifeng Valley were Qin Qing, Qin Ren, and Pei Hong.

"Good... Next, I’ll tell you everything about entering Heifeng Valley. This is also the second phase of the Spring Hunting, the most important part."

Qin Qing nodded slightly, listening intently to what the Liu family Ritual Officer was going to say next.

"You all must have heard of Heifeng Valley. Martial Artists who enter Tianjue Forest fear it greatly year round. Many who accidentally enter have mysteriously vanished within."

"Some say there’s a forbidden zone within Heifeng Valley, dubbed the Life Forbidden Zone."

"In truth, this is no rumor. It is real! At the very center of Heifeng Valley lies the Life Forbidden Zone."

"Those who carelessly wander into the Life Forbidden Zone... most die there."

"Because within this Life Forbidden Zone grows a Tree of Life!"

"The Tree of Life devours all life around it, including animals and plants, and its ability to do so is extremely strong."

"This is why nearly all life that enters there meets its end."

...

Upon hearing this, each of Qin Qing’s companions couldn’t help but sigh.

The Tree of Life sounded like a wonderful name that could bring life and hope to people.

Yet, in reality, it was quite the opposite.

To grow, the Tree of Life needed to absorb endless vitality, and one’s life would rapidly drain away if they got too close.

"Then we..." Pei Hong couldn’t help but feel some concern.

The Ritual Officer continued, "Moreover, the Tree of Life has another characteristic. That is, the younger the creature that approaches it, the less the effect."

"The older one is, the faster their life fades when near the Tree of Life, and their cultivation will be suppressed to a greater extent!"

At this point, Qin Qing had an epiphany.

No wonder...

No wonder Qin Sheng, even at the risk of offending Lu Tianlong and facing the possibility of confronting the entire Lu family, was determined to protect him.

It was because of this Tree of Life’s unique characteristic!

Qin Sheng knew that as long as Qin Qing entered Heifeng Valley, into the Life Forbidden Zone, his youthful advantage would come into full play.

Qin De said the same, as long as Qin Qing entered Heifeng Valley, there was no need to worry about Lu Yu’an causing him further trouble.

After all, Lu Yu’an was already in his thirties, whereas Qin Qing was not yet twenty.

There was a significant age difference between the two of them.

Such a vast age gap would inevitably result in a vastly different level of suppression experienced by the two within the Life Forbidden Zone.

"Next, your goal upon entering Heifeng Valley is to collect the Fruit of Life."

"According to the information we have, the Fruit of Life will ripen within the next two days. Remember, the Fruit of Life is only useful if harvested after it ripens. Otherwise... it is worthless and may even cause fatal harm to you."

"The Fruit of Life is black when unripe, but will turn to the color of ripe fruit once mature."

Qin Qing nodded slightly, he had heard about this from the Beast King of the Flame Rhinoceros.

The Beast King said that once the Fruit of Life ripened, it became a rare treasure of heaven and earth, capable of extending life and even reversing death or repairing bones—at least that’s the miraculous effect it was supposed to have.

But if the Fruit of Life was not ripe, then not only would it lack the ability to replenish vitality, it would be one of the deadliest poisons in the world. An unripe Fruit of Life would instantly devour the life force of whoever touched it, and even a Martial Saint of formidable strength could not withstand its terrifying, deadly toxicity.

This toxicity was not pharmacological in nature, but contained within it the principles of heaven and earth, making it impossible to block or eliminate.

"This time, the three of you will enter Heifeng Valley!"

The Ritual Officer looked at Qin Qing, Pei Hong, and Qin Ren.

"Among the three of you, whoever collects the most Fruits of Life will be the leader of this hunt."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ren and Pei Hong both naturally showed wry smiles.

With Qin Qing’s strength, even outside the Life Forbidden Zone, they could not hope to compete, let alone inside it, was there any doubt?

"This leader of the hunt... Brother Qin, it’s yours to take. I think that Ninth Highness and I should just focus on supporting you," Pei Hong said.

Pei Hong was also one of the top five talents on the Hidden Dragon List.

But in the face of Qin Qing, he dared not harbor a hint of pride as a genius.

Qin Ren also followed, "That’s right, Qin Qing. We won’t contest for the position of the hunt leader. We’re not qualified to... The three of us together will work cooperatively to collect the Fruits of Life!"

"Good!" Qin Qing nodded.

Was he finally about to enter Heifeng Valley?

Wasn’t Qin Qing’s purpose for participating in the Spring Hunting to become the hunt leader?

To thereby save his father, and if he could also use the Fruit of Life to rid his sister of her Fire Disease, then everything would be perfect!

"Let’s go! Into Heifeng Valley!" Qin Qing said in a deep voice.