Chapter 168: Lin Qi’an Slays a Sixth-Level Source Beast! “My Little Brother Lied to Me?”
Within the secret realm, Lin Liuli anxiously checked Lin Qi’an’s injuries. She was genuinely distressed. While she often teased him, it was one thing for her to bully him—but someone else daring to hurt him was absolutely unacceptable.
Despite her concern, she maintained a stern facade and chided, “I told you not to fight him, but you wouldn’t listen. Look at you now, all hurt! Are you satisfied?”
“Come here, I have medicine for your injuries,” she added.
Lin Qi’an could only comply obediently. Just as he approached, an unexpected turn of events unfolded—a towering, crimson source beast emerged.
This beast was a colossal gorilla, nearly twenty meters tall. Its massive footsteps left deep impressions in the ground, causing the earth to tremble and crushing the surrounding trees and branches into dust.
Lin Liuli’s expression turned pale. “This is bad!”
The beast was a sixth-level source beast. Meanwhile, both she and Lin Qi’an were only at the fourth level. To make matters worse, Lin Liuli had expended almost all her spiritual energy during her furious assault in the previous battle, leaving her nearly depleted.
Lin Qi’an, on the other hand, was supposedly already injured. Even in peak condition, they might not have stood a chance against a foe two levels higher. Now, the situation seemed hopeless.
“Quick, we need to leave! We can’t fight it!” Lin Liuli urgently grabbed Lin Qi’an, intending to retreat.
“Wait a moment,” Lin Qi’an said, his gaze fixed on the battlefield. “Xi Chao’s source energy hasn’t been absorbed yet.”
A fifth-level participant’s source energy was an invaluable resource, and Lin Qi’an had no intention of letting it go to waste.
“You’re still thinking about the source energy at a time like this? If we don’t leave now, we’ll be forced to crush our pendants and forfeit!” Lin Liuli scolded.
Lin Qi’an shrugged. “It’s too late to run. The beast has already locked onto us. Instead of running, why not stay and kill it here?”
“Are you insane?” Lin Liuli’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Lin Qi’an grinned nonchalantly. “How about you take a break and leave this one to me?”
“You?” Lin Liuli’s shock deepened. Before she could comprehend his confidence, Lin Qi’an stepped forward to face the towering red gorilla head-on.
—
The spectators outside were equally stunned.
“Is Lin Qi’an really planning to fight that thing?”
“He just got injured in a fight with a fifth-level opponent. Now he’s challenging a sixth-level source beast? Is he out of his mind?”
“Maybe he’s just greedy for that source energy Xi Chao left behind.”
“Let’s see if his greed will be his downfall.”
The notion of Lin Qi’an facing such a monstrous adversary alone garnered widespread attention.
“Isn’t he being too arrogant? Crossing two levels to challenge a beast like that is practically suicidal.”
“I’ve seen people fail even when challenging creatures just one level higher. How does he expect to pull this off?”
Even the Xi Chao faction’s emperor watched quietly, suppressing his emotions. Seeing Lin Qi’an’s possible defeat was the only thing that could ease his earlier humiliation.
“These Canglan Dao Domain brats are something else. They’d rather fight amongst themselves than focus on the bigger picture.”
“Exactly. While our heavenly sons are rapidly gaining strength, theirs are on the verge of being eliminated by their own people. What a joke!”
—
The red gorilla loomed over Lin Qi’an like a living mountain, its sheer size enough to instill despair in anyone who dared oppose it. Lin Liuli couldn’t fathom why her younger brother had the audacity to face such a foe directly.
To her astonishment, Lin Qi’an summoned a sword—the Seven Stars Dragon Spring Sword.
Now that his fourth-level source energy had restored a portion of his power, he could unleash the strength of a Sacred Rank weapon.
The sword shot into the sky, blazing like a meteor before descending in a fiery arc.
“Bone Sword Technique: Blue Sky Yellow Springs!” Lin Qi’an called out.
This technique was Lin Qi’an’s most devastating and energy-consuming divine ability. The last time he had used it, he had killed a Celestial Realm demon beast in a single strike.
With a deafening explosion, the Seven Stars Dragon Spring Sword struck the massive gorilla’s head. The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, uprooting trees and scattering the forest in chaos. Countless lower-level source beasts fled in terror.
The gorilla, mighty as it was, was forced to its knees, the ground beneath it fracturing into a web of cracks.
Lin Liuli’s robes fluttered violently in the shockwave. Her whisk lashed against her face as her wide eyes reflected her disbelief. She could feel the terrifying power of Lin Qi’an’s strike.
He had crossed two levels and forced the gargantuan beast to its knees. The feat was nothing short of miraculous.
Her thoughts raced. Why hadn’t he used this technique against Xi Chao earlier? If he had, the battle would have ended in an instant, and he wouldn’t have been hurt!
Was he hiding his strength? Or… was he pretending? The realization left her speechless.
The spectators outside the secret realm were equally shaken by Lin Qi’an’s explosive display.
“Terrifying! This is beyond belief!”
“That divine ability was utterly earth-shattering! If the Crown Prince had unleashed his full strength outside the secret realm, even a Celestial Realm expert like Xi Chao would have been annihilated in one strike.”
“It’s a shame his source energy is suppressed by two levels in the secret realm. That gap is just too significant.”
“Still, this performance won’t hurt his reputation. No one would dare call this a loss.”
The crowd understood that unleashing such a fearsome divine ability would consume an immense amount of spiritual energy. Lin Qi’an’s act seemed to be a desperate gamble to maintain his dignity, ensuring that even in failure, he would earn respect.
One spectator declared, “When the Crown Prince emerges, I’ll be the first to applaud him!”
“Same here. Always supporting the Crown Prince!” someone else chimed in.
Back in the secret realm, the massive crimson gorilla began to stir. Though visibly injured, it was trying to stand. Yet, just as it seemed ready to continue the battle, something shocking occurred.
Lin Qi’an once again summoned the Seven Stars Dragon Spring Sword.
Another streak of fiery light rained down from the heavens, as if divine punishment itself was descending.
Boom!
For the second time, the secret realm resounded with a deafening explosion. This time, the gorilla was severely injured, its massive body half-sunken into the earth. Parts of it were disintegrating into red light, fading into the air.
Lin Liuli was utterly dumbfounded.
This can’t be real…
Using such a powerful divine ability twice in a row should have been impossible without severe repercussions. For anyone else, this level of spiritual energy expenditure would result in destroyed meridians, rendering them a cripple.
Yet, Lin Qi’an remained composed, showing no signs of exhaustion.
—
“He’s crazy! Absolutely crazy!” one observer exclaimed.
“Does the Crown Prince even care about his life? No one can use such a terrifying ability twice without severe consequences!”
“Just watching it makes me nervous. If he keeps pushing like this, won’t he ruin his cultivation entirely?”
Even those from Tianjian City, who supported Lin Qi’an, were urging Lin Liuli to stop him before he irreparably harmed himself. To their astonishment, however, Lin Qi’an appeared completely unaffected.
“Wait,” one spectator murmured, his voice trembling. “Did anyone else notice something terrifying? That level of power… if he had used it earlier, defeating Xi Chao would have been effortless. Why didn’t he?”
“Are you saying…” another began, their face paling.
“He was holding back,” someone concluded, their voice barely a whisper.
This realization sent chills through the crowd, especially those from Xi Chao’s faction. If Lin Qi’an had truly suppressed his power during the duel, it was the ultimate humiliation for their side.
Meanwhile, Lin Qi’an was preparing for a third strike but decided against it. Too much overkill might draw unnecessary attention.
The Seven Stars Dragon Spring Sword hovered before him as he pointed a single finger forward.
Whoosh!
The blade shot forward, transforming into a streak of light that pierced the gorilla’s brow. The massive creature crumbled like a collapsing mountain, disintegrating into countless particles of red light. Its source energy floated in the air, a glowing orb of pure power.
Lin Qi’an absorbed the source energy from both the gorilla and Xi Chao, causing his source energy level to leap from the fourth to the sixth.
When he returned to Lin Liuli, she finally snapped out of her daze. The truth hit her like a tidal wave—Lin Qi’an had been holding back the entire time.
If he had fought Xi Chao seriously, the battle would have ended in moments, and there was no chance he would have been injured.
Her brows furrowed as she stepped forward, her tone icy. “Explain yourself. What was that injury earlier?”
“Uh… Sis, listen, I can explain—”
“Explain my foot! Take this!”
—
Outside the secret realm, the audience was in stunned silence. They watched as Lin Qi’an dodged Lin Liuli’s playful strikes, the two siblings chasing each other like children at play. There was no sign of fatigue or injury in Lin Qi’an’s movements.
Xi Chao stood frozen, his eyes wide and his pupils trembling. Just moments ago, he had been fuming over what he perceived as a stolen victory. Now, all he wanted to do was slap himself.
That brat faked his injuries?!
It was all a ploy to have Lin Liuli step in and attack on his behalf. Worse still, Lin Qi’an had manipulated the situation so perfectly that now he was laughing and playing with Lin Liuli—the woman Xi Chao had dreamed of wooing.
The realization hit him like a sledgehammer, shattering his confidence.
This brat is ruthless!
With his head hung low, Xi Chao muttered to himself, “This can’t be real…”
For the first time, his dao heart began to crack.