Uncle Qin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. Although both he and Qin Tian belonged to the Qin Clan, they were not from the same branch. The Immortal Qin Clan had many branches, and Qin Tian's branch, the patriarch's main line, was the most powerful—essentially the ruling branch of the clan.
Qin Yuan was Qin Ling's uncle. In this generation of the Qin Clan, Qin Ling was the only one in his line who could barely compete with Qin Tian. But that was before today. Now that Qin Tian had stepped into the realm of the Human Emperor, everything was different.
A young Human Emperor hadn't appeared in tens of thousands of years, and Qin Tian had shattered the clan's historical records. Not even the ancestors who had slept through many epochs grew as fast as Qin Tian.
It was likely that the position of the
Qin Yuan had to act now, while Qin Tian had just broken through and hadn't yet stabilized his realm. He aimed to defeat Qin Tian—not to eliminate him, but to buy time and opportunities for his nephew, Qin Ling.
Right now, Qin Ling stood no chance of competing with Qin Tian, but if Qin Yuan could suppress Qin Tian, even if only briefly, it might create an impression among the clan that Qin Tian wasn't as strong as he seemed. Perhaps it would give Qin Ling a chance.
"Though I am at the third stage of the Human Emperor Realm, I can suppress my cultivation to the first stage. What do you think of that?" Qin Yuan asked with a gentle smile.
Qin Tian's eyes narrowed. Old man, do you think I don't know what you're planning? Do you really think you can take me down?
You're mistaken, old fool, Qin Tian sneered inwardly. While he might appear to have just stepped onto the path of the Human Emperor, Qin Tian was far from an ordinary person.
"Very well," Qin Tian smiled faintly. You want to scheme against me? If I don't make you lose face, I'll consider myself useless.
Qin Yuan was overjoyed. This Qin Tian is still too young. He truly thinks that just because he's now a young Human Emperor, he can be so arrogant?
"The battle will be in the Dao Inquiry Hall."
...
"Who do you think will win?"
"Probably Qin Yuan," someone speculated uncertainly. After all, Qin Yuan had long since stepped onto the path of the Human Emperor and was already at the third stage. Even if he suppressed his cultivation, he wouldn't forget his techniques, and his combat skills were still there.
"I think it'll be Young Master Tian," a beautiful young woman said dreamily. Qin Tian's handsome appearance had captivated many women in the Qin Clan.
News of the upcoming battle between Qin Yuan and Qin Tian, who had just stepped into the realm of the Human Emperor, spread like wildfire throughout the Qin Clan. Everyone knew that their Young Master Tian was one of the most extraordinary prodigies in the Primeval Immortal Domain, but few had ever seen him fight.
High above in the immortal clouds, eight towering figures stood silently.
"So, Tian has already stepped onto the path of the Human Emperor today," one of the towering, hazy figures said softly, his face full of satisfaction as he looked down at Qin Tian.
"Astonishing talent. He could become the Dao Child of this generation of the Qin Clan," another giant figure atop the clouds said with a smile. In this context, the Dao Child was another way of referring to the young patriarch.
"No rush. Let's see if Tian can defeat someone who's been in the Human Emperor Realm for some time," another figure spoke slowly. The Human Emperor Realm was different from ordinary cultivation stages. There were vast differences between someone who had just entered the realm and someone who had been there for hundreds of years.
"He's already become a Human Emperor?"
In the grand hall, in the center of a crowd of people who surrounded him like stars around the moon, a handsome young man's eyes were filled with unwillingness. Why? Why is his talent so extraordinary?
"Is he really this powerful now?" Many of the youths, powerful geniuses with potent auras, silently observed the young man standing with his hands behind his back in the middle of the arena. It was terrifying to think that he had already stepped onto the path of the Human Emperor, and despair settled in the hearts of most onlookers.
"Uncle, don't blame me if you get hurt!" Qin Tian smiled faintly. When it came to people who wanted to humiliate him, he was never soft-hearted, even if they were from his own clan. So what?
"Come at me, Tian. Your uncle is ready."
With those words, Qin Yuan suppressed his third-stage Human Emperor cultivation down to the first stage.
As soon as he spoke, Qin Yuan's aura exploded, and his entire body was bathed in golden light.
"Prison-Suppressing Divine Art!"
Qin Yuan shouted, and immortal runes emerged from his body as he launched his palms forward. The energy formed into a massive dark-red giant elephant, surging toward Qin Tian.
Qin Yuan wanted to defeat Qin Tian quickly. If he could win this duel, the title of Dao Child for this generation might still go to his branch.
As the dark-red giant elephant charged forward, Qin Tian stood motionless. His eyes turned a deep, bewitching purple-red, and he clenched his fist. With a single punch, the surrounding space froze, and his momentum soared like a rainbow.
"Boom!"
The punch, imbued with the aura of reincarnation, smashed into the dark-red giant elephant.
The elephant shattered instantly, and the fist continued its unstoppable trajectory, crashing into Qin Yuan.
"Impossible!" Qin Yuan's pupils dilated in shock as he was sent flying off the Dao Inquiry Platform, his aura weakened and dispirited.
Qin Yuan lay on the ground, his face full of disbelief. Even if he hadn't suppressed his cultivation, he might only have been able to block that punch. This meant that he likely wasn't a match for Qin Tian at all.
The purple-red glow in Qin Tian's eyes slowly faded. Though it seemed on the surface that he had defeated Qin Yuan with just a single punch, in truth, he had secretly used his Dual-Pupil Eyes. He wanted to establish his dominance within the Qin Clan.
As for whether the clan elders would question him about using the eyes, the answer was no. No one would dare confront Qin Tian about this—his identity set him apart from the typical protagonist.
"Reincarnation Fist."
"Tian has already mastered the Reincarnation Fist?"
Several hidden elders of the Qin Clan gasped in astonishment. To the ordinary clan members, the Reincarnation Fist might seem like just another top-tier fist technique, but those in the know understood how extraordinary it truly was.
As for Qin Tian's use of his eye technique, it went largely unnoticed. The sheer power of the Reincarnation Fist was too overwhelming.
This was a technique left behind by an unparalleled ancient trailblazer, a supreme figure recorded in the ancient histories as one who dominated the Primeval Immortal Domain.
The difficulty of cultivating the Reincarnation Fist was unimaginable.
The elders were ecstatic. This generation's Immortal Qin Clan would surely reign supreme over the Primeval Immortal Domain!
"Qin Tian of the Qin Clan has today stepped into the realm of the Human Emperor, setting a new record in the clan's history. He is now declared the Dao Child of the Qin Clan. All clan members must bow before him."
A voice, as ancient and resonant as a great bell, rang out in the ears of everyone present.
"Greetings, Dao Child!" Most of those present gazed fanatically at the young man standing on the platform like a celestial heir. This was their Dao Child—the young Human Emperor.
In the Qin Clan, only the highest-ranking elders were exempt from bowing before the Dao Child. Everyone else had to pay their respects. To disobey meant death!
...
The Space Hall!
This was the most important place in the Qin Clan, connecting to various lower realms. Surrounding the Primeval Immortal Domain were countless star realms, and the Primeval Immortal Domain was the absolute core of these realms.
Every top-tier force in the Primeval Immortal Domain maintained subordinate forces in the lower realms, and the Immortal Qin Clan was no exception.
The star realms were filled with countless sects and factions, and only the strongest forces in each star realm had any chance of entering the Primeval Immortal Domain.
Although the star realms didn't possess as many resources as the Primeval Immortal Domain, the sheer number of star realms made them valuable. To the hegemonic forces of the Primeval Immortal Domain, each star realm was a precious resource.
However, this didn't mean that just anyone from the Primeval Immortal Domain could travel to the lower realms. Each star realm had a power limit, and anyone who exceeded this limit would be repelled. Furthermore, not every force had the resources to construct a cross-realm formation. Even the greatest powers would be fortunate to have five or six such formations.
The cost of setting up a cross-realm formation was astronomical. While it was easy to leave the star realms and enter the Primeval Immortal Domain, the power limits ensured that only the strongest would ascend.
This was, in essence, a protection for the lower realms, for the Primeval Immortal Domain was simply too powerful.
To summarize, ascending was easy; descending was difficult!