Qin Chu nodded.
Regardless of how Qi Qingqing calculated against him, this time he was the one who trapped Qi Qingqing.
It was a fact that he had trapped a woman, and he didn't want to do such a thing, but Qi Qingqing was too strong and too shameless.
He truly had no other choice.
“Don't overthink it, this is how things are developing.
They disregarded the rules first, and we retaliated later,” Qingyi said to Qin Chu, understanding where his emotional fluctuations came from.
Returning to the bonfire, Qin Chu poured himself a cup of tea.
Being targeted by a seventh-tier Revered One Realm opponent was no different from having one foot over a cliff.
Now that the matter was resolved, he should have been happy, but he couldn't bring himself to be.
He had relied on external power, not his own ability.
A quarter of an hour later, Shangshu Tianye and Su Mu returned.
“Qin Chu, we failed.
She escaped into the mountains,” Su Mu said, a bit embarrassed, as things hadn't gone according to plan.
“She was determined to run, and burning the Origin Qi from her severed arm made her too fast.
We couldn't keep up, but she won't appear again for a while, as she is indeed severely injured,” Shangshu Tianye explained.
“She took several Sword Qi attacks and lost an arm; she shouldn't dare to jump around recklessly now,” Qin Chu said.
Shangshu Tianye sat down by the bonfire.
“Qin Chu, your thinking is very dangerous.
What do you mean, 'shouldn't dare to jump around recklessly'?
In front of a seventh-tier Revered One Realm Cultivator, some injuries are nothing, and losing an arm is not a big deal.
She can regenerate limbs.
Once she recovers from her injuries, she will definitely seek revenge.
She can't do anything to us, so her target will still be you.”
Qin Chu slapped his forehead.
He hadn't fully thought some things through.
This situation indicated that as long as Qi Qingqing was alive, his crisis would persist.
“That's how things are for now.
We're heading back.
You should Cultivate diligently.
When you enter the sixth-tier King Realm and can fly, you'll have some self-preservation ability.
Right now, you're like a bun in front of her; she can eat you however she wants,” Su Mu said.
A dejected Qin Chu got into the beast carriage, followed by Shangshu Tianye, Su Mu, and Qingyi.
The group then set off towards Tianjian City.
The failure of this operation was unavoidable; everyone had underestimated Qi Qingqing.
Her combat power and escape ability were both extremely strong.
In a dense forest, Qi Qingqing found an ancient tree and, like Qin Chu, hid herself within its canopy.
Two seventh-tier Revered One Realm Cultivators targeting her was something she hadn't expected, and it had made her pay a price.
The price was severe injuries that would require a long time to recover.
“Qin Chu, I didn't expect you to have such influence, but it doesn't matter, you can't escape,” Qi Qingqing muttered to herself, then closed her eyes to meditate and begin her recovery.
After traveling all night, Qin Chu and his group returned to Tianjian City at dawn.
Upon entering Tianjian City, Su Mu disembarked from the beast carriage, while Qin Chu, Qingyi, and Shangshu Tianye returned to the Vermilion Bird Holy Land's stronghold.
“How are things?” Qin Lingxi asked anxiously upon seeing them return.
“We severely injured her, but didn't kill her,” Qingyi replied.
“It's good that everyone is alright,” Qin Lingxi said.
A slightly dejected Shangshu Tianye went directly to his room to rest.
Qin Chu chatted with his aunt and Shangshu Yu for a while before returning to his room to rest.
Qingyi and Qin Lingxi recounted the events to Shangshu Yu.
“The opponent is very strong, so it's unavoidable.
Later, I'll talk to Qin Chu.
There's no need to dwell on it; Qi Qingqing was the one who acted shamelessly first,” Qin Lingxi said, knowing Qin Chu was emotionally affected.
Back in his room, Qin Chu's mood was complex.
Firstly, he felt he shouldn't have calculated against a woman, but it was unavoidable.
Another reason was his insufficient Cultivation.
If his Cultivation was high enough, if he could fly and pursue her by following Linghua's scent, he could have caught Qi Qingqing.
After Cultivating all night, Qin Chu left his room and began practicing his Sword Dao.
Shangshu Tianye sat on a chair in the courtyard, holding a small teapot, watching Qin Chu Cultivate.
After half an hour of Cultivation, Qin Chu sheathed his sword and sat opposite Shangshu Tianye.
“Your condition is good; you haven't been too affected,” Shangshu Tianye said to Qin Chu.
“If she ran, she ran.
Although the problem isn't permanently resolved, it has bought me some time.
Perhaps by the time she appears again, I will have already Cultivated to the sixth-tier King Realm,” Qin Chu said.
“It's best you think that way.
Relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself.
When you have the strength and the opponent dares not touch you, that's true capability,” Shangshu Tianye said to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu remained silent.
He had that ambition.
He was frustrated precisely because he was not strong enough, which necessitated schemes and the intervention of others.
Shangshu Tianye looked at Qin Chu and said nothing more.
He was quite satisfied with Qin Chu's mindset; regardless of Cultivation level, one must not lack upward-striving spirit.
Instead of going to the Alchemist Guild, Qin Chu went to see Qianxun after chatting with Shangshu Tianye for a while, and recounted the events of the past few days.
“Qianxun, I wasn't deliberately hiding it from you; I was afraid you couldn't keep it a secret, afraid the opponent would notice,” Qin Chu explained to Qianxun.
“Qin Chu, you don't need to explain at all.
Your arrangement was correct.
Knowing she was a seventh-tier Revered One Realm Cultivator, I definitely wouldn't have been calm, and I might have shown a flaw,” Qianxun said to Qin Chu.
He genuinely didn't mind, but he was happy that Qin Chu explained it to him, because Qin Chu was afraid he would misunderstand, which showed he valued their brotherhood.
A Revered One battle was a major event, but few people in the world knew about it.
Shangshu Tianye and Su Mu would not publicize it, as such a matter would cause panic.
After resting for two days at the Vermilion Bird Holy Land's stronghold, Qin Chu entered Tianjian Mountain to Cultivate his Sword Intent, Battle Intent, and Origin Qi.
As for Little Golden Claw, Qin Chu asked Qin Lingxi and Shangshu Yu to help take care of it.
While Qin Chu was Cultivating in Tianjian Mountain, the Vermilion Bird Holy Land was attacked.
It was the Third Elder of the White Tiger Holy Land who made the move, but the Vermilion Bird Holy Land was not breached.
Qin Longhan was in the Half-Step Revered One Realm, and coupled with the Vermilion Bird Holy Land's defenses, he blocked the Third Elder of the White Tiger Holy Land's attack.
This incident caused a huge stir, as the White Tiger Holy Land, which had been missing for a long time, had emerged to cause trouble again.
After failing in one strike, the Third Elder of the White Tiger Holy Land retreated, disappearing without a trace once more.
This incident alerted the Vermilion Bird Holy Land; they were still in crisis.
Furthermore, the Holy Martial Law Enforcement was also furious.
The White Tiger Holy Land was rebellious, and its Third Elder was an invading outsider.
Now, coming out to stir up trouble was a direct insult to them.
In a canyon beside Xuanwu Holy Mountain, the Third Elder of the White Tiger Holy Land stood bowing, while a woman stood with her hands behind her back under an ancient tree in front of him.