Release Her

Release Her . . .

Jun Mengchen seethed with unchecked fury, his body encased in the formidable King's Armor as he harnessed the power of his Clear Skies Worldly Diagram. His strikes bore the mark of a king, each blow carrying the weight of his unwavering determination. However, against the coordinated assault of three eighth-level ascendants, even his royal prowess proved insufficient. These adversaries, all heirs to immortal kings or emperors, possessed supreme-tier innate techniques and cultivation arts, making it a monumental task to overcome such a substantial cultivation gap. Jun Mengchen fought valiantly, but the impenetrable wall of their encirclement seemed insurmountable. To compound matters, the ninth-level ascendant, who had earlier clashed with Zi Qingxuan, lingered on the periphery, poised for a potential sneak attack.

As Tu Teng, a massive figure exuding raw power, approached the injured Zi Qingxuan, the earth trembled beneath his weight. Yet, even in her weakened state, Zi Qingxuan's eyes radiated unwavering determination. She recoiled, her hand instinctively reaching for an immortal-ranked weapon. Tu Teng's voice, dripping with menace, rang out, "Think twice before drawing that immortal-ranked weapon. I have no intention of killing you; I merely wish to apprehend you. But should you choose to arm yourself, I cannot guarantee your safety."

Zi Qingxuan's beautiful countenance contorted with disgust as she took a few tentative steps backward, defiance burning in her eyes.

"Both of you have shown remarkable resilience, resisting admirably for this long," Tu Teng conceded, his tone slightly less hostile. "However, your struggle is in vain. Come with me willingly, and I promise not to subject you to torment." He moved closer to Zi Qingxuan, his imposing presence almost overwhelming. Yet, the fierce glint in her eyes remained unwavering, a silent refusal.

"If you persist, do not blame me for showing no mercy to a woman." Tu Teng's cold words hung in the air as he launched a devastating palm strike, bypassing Zi Qingxuan's defenses and successfully capturing her.

"If you wish to continue your resistance, then I won't hesitate to treat you harshly," Tu Teng warned, before turning to the ninth-level ascendant. "Deal with him quickly."

The dire situation, five against two with an overwhelming cultivation advantage, drew a sharp rebuke from an unexpected source among the onlookers.

"Five against two, and you're still trying to act tough? Have you no shame?" The voice carried an air of confidence, cutting through the tension like a blade.

Tu Teng's eyes darted toward the speaker, finding a slender young man with striking features. Though his expression remained composed, there was an enigmatic quality in his gaze that captivated those who met it, almost as if his eyes were a vortex, drawing others in.

Zi Qingxuan, now captive to Tu Teng, recognized the newcomer with a surge of astonishment. She knew this person, and he was speaking up for them in this dire moment.

In response to Tu Teng's defiance, the enigmatic young man blurred into motion, gliding through the air as he entered the fray alongside Jun Mengchen. His eyes shimmered with an eerie intensity, projecting a peculiar sensation akin to samsara. Those who met his gaze witnessed a cascade of countless scenes, causing their movements to falter and their attacks to lose their edge.

"Be wary of his eyes!" Tu Teng barked. In a desperate bid to shield themselves from the mysterious power emanating from the young man's gaze, the three eighth-level ascendants squeezed their eyes shut. Despite their efforts, the relentless onslaught of vivid illusions persisted, ensnaring them in an otherworldly dreamscape.

Amidst the escalating turmoil, a new figure emerged on the scene – none other than Hua Taixu.

-BOOM!- Jun Mengchen seized the opportunity and unleashed the formidable Chaotic World King Fist, sending one of their adversaries hurtling through the air. He charged towards Tu Teng with a thunderous roar, demanding, "RELEASE MY SENIOR SISTER!"

Tu Teng's gaze shifted between Jun Mengchen and Hua Taixu. Hua Taixu's eyes had taken on an eerie, almost hypnotic quality, causing the remaining eighth-level ascendants to fall into a trance-like stillness.

"What's happening, Tu Teng? Why haven't you captured them yet?" Several figures approached, led by a formidable expert from the former Xiao Sect, Xia Qianhan, who held a prominent rank in the Immortal Ascension Rankings.

"We have just one more target to secure," Tu Teng replied, his eyes now locked onto Jun Mengchen. He continued, "Resistance is futile. The gap between us is insurmountable, and your ally, despite his strength, stands at only the eighth-level of Celestial Phenomenon—a far cry from instilling fear in me."

"Release her." An icy voice pierced the tension. Tu Teng frowned before spotting two figures, cloaked in wind, approaching rapidly in the distance.

"SENIOR BROTHER!" Jun Mengchen exclaimed. Realization washed over Tu Teng, Xia Qianhan, and the others from the new Twin Stars Alliance as they recognized the newcomers. Qin Wentian and Princess Qing'er had arrived, adding a significant complication to the unfolding situation. After all, Qing'er held the rank of #5 in the Immortal Ascension Rankings and had previously defeated Xiao Lengyue. They understood that they couldn't hope to triumph against her.

"I said, release her." Qin Wentian's gaze bore into Tu Teng.

Facing the intense scrutiny of Qin Wentian, Tu Teng's eyes flashed with a hint of recklessness. "Qin Wentian, I've heard you've mastered the God's Hand. I'd like to test my strength against you. Will you accept?"

"I shall grant your request."

As Qin Wentian's voice resounded, a cacophony of rumbles followed. His body expanded, bathed in a resplendent array of runic light. His palms radiated a dazzling brilliance as the God's Hand took shape. The aura of invincibility emanated from him in palpable waves. His enlargement was a strategic choice to enhance the synergy of the God's Hand.

"Guard her," Tu Teng instructed as he entrusted Zi Qingxuan to Xia Qianhan and his companions. With a sharp sword poised at Zi Qingxuan's throat, Xia Qianhan addressed Tu Teng, "We should retreat."

"No. I can't leave without experiencing the might of the God's Hand firsthand," Tu Teng declared, his constellation materializing a colossal battle axe in his grasp. Stepping forward, he locked eyes with Qin Wentian.

-BOOM!- Tu Teng lunged, his Sky Opening Axe Technique unleashing a radiant beam from the heavens, threatening to cleave earth and sky asunder. The boundless axe light bore down on Qin Wentian, poised to rend him in twain.

Qin Wentian responded with a resounding palm strike. His gigantic palm clashed with the Open Sky Great Axe, erupting in a thunderous explosion that extinguished the entire axe beam. Swift as a wind roc, Qin Wentian advanced, his runic-laden palm slashing through the air. The force generated was so overwhelming that it eroded Tu Teng's earlier confidence in a single stroke.

Tu Teng's countenance turned ashen as the radiant astral light emanating from his constellation enveloped him, forming a protective layer. He spun rapidly, unleashing a cyclone of force while fiercely countering Qin Wentian's onslaught with his palms. The resulting clash produced a deafening roar, and Tu Teng felt as if he were on the verge of imploding, his body wracked by the agony of countless broken bones.

In an instant, Qin Wentian materialized before him, his finger thrust forward, surging with the formidable might of the God's Hand. This sword finger attack possessed unrivaled ferocity, puncturing Tu Teng's formidable defenses and penetrating his robust frame. As the overwhelming sword qi infiltrated Tu Teng's body, a harrowing scream of torment escaped his lips. He plummeted from the sky, crashing violently onto the ground below. Though he clung to life by a thread, his inner organs lay in ruin, his aura feeble and wavering.

The witnesses to this spectacular duel were awestruck. Qin Wentian's immense strength had become apparent with his recent ascension to the eighth level of Celestial Phenomenon. Despite Tu Teng's status as an Immortal Ascension Rankings contender, he had proven utterly powerless against Qin Wentian's single strike. Clearly, Qin Wentian's rage had been ignited by Tu Teng's mistreatment of Zi Qingxuan.

Tu Teng faced a grueling year-long recovery process ahead to mend his injuries inflicted during this confrontation.

The observers couldn't help but covet the formidable God's Hand technique. There had been few witnesses to Qin Wentian's battle with Xuan Yang, and the sheer might of the God's Hand had left a deep impression. The desire to possess such a potent secret art was practically universal.

Hua Taixu, who hailed from the same particle world as Qin Wentian and Qing'er, wore a peculiar expression. While they had all originated from the same realm, the pair had experienced an astonishing surge in power since their arrival in the City of Ancient Emperors.

Qin Wentian's attacks had always been formidable, but with the God's Hand, his strikes now held an unparalleled destructive force.

Qin Wentian fixed an unwavering gaze on Xia Qianhan, his eyes glinting with determination as he uttered, "Release her."

To this, Xia Qianhan responded with defiance, still gripping Zi Qingxuan firmly. He was displeased by the newfound strength displayed by Qin Wentian. Initially, upon Qin Wentian's arrival in the Xiao Sect, Xia Qianhan had regarded him with disdain as a mere newcomer. However, the power of the God's Hand had propelled Qin Wentian to a level far beyond his own.

"If you wish to save her, you'll have to accompany us to the Twin Stars Alliance," Xia Qianhan declared, his grasp on Zi Qingxuan unwavering. Qin Wentian's newfound might unsettled him. After all, Qin Wentian had openly challenged the powerful Xuan Yang, and this surge in power had placed him on a completely different level.

"If you don't release her immediately, you won't leave this place alive," Qin Wentian retorted, his voice resolute.

"Do you hold her life in such low regard?" Xia Qianhan quipped, his gaze shifting to Qing'er.

"If you dare lay a finger on her, I won't hesitate to end your life," Qin Wentian advanced, his aura pulsating with potent spatial energy. As they approached Xia Qianhan and his cohorts, an unmistakable sense of dread gripped their hearts with every step.

"Release them, and I guarantee your safe departure. I've already exposed myself, and Xuan Yang is free to come for me at any time. If the Twin Stars Alliance persists in this course of action, I won't hesitate to ruthlessly exterminate all of you," Qin Wentian declared with chilling resolve. No one doubted his words—this was the same man who had fearlessly slain Xuan Xing in public, proving that he was capable of unbridled audacity.

A resounding BOOM echoed through the tense atmosphere as Qin Wentian and Qing'er, walking in unison, approached Xia Qianhan, bearing down on him with an overwhelming presence. The moment hung in the balance—would he relent or persist in his grip on Zi Qingxuan's life?

With the sharp edge of a sword tracing a cruel path along Zi Qingxuan's throat, the question remained: Did Xia Qianhan truly care about her fate?

Qin Wentian, his voice cold as ice, confronted the Twin Stars Alliance's conduct head-on. "Is this the standard of behavior upheld by the so-called geniuses of the Twin Stars Alliance? If I were to let you take my junior apprentice sister back to your alliance, who's to say what horrors might befall her? I categorically refuse to allow it. If you persist in this folly and push us to a point where every fish is caught in the net and the net itself shatters, then proceed at your own peril. I guarantee that your lives will be the price of her demise."

The tension soared as Xia Lenghan's body brimmed with suppressed energy, his gaze never leaving the approaching Qin Wentian and Qing'er. As Qin Wentian activated the deadly power of the God's Hand, his palms radiating a lethal glow, Qing'er became ensconced in an aura of formidable spatial energy.

Qin Wentian, his wings of golden light unfurling behind him, prepared to engage in a deadly confrontation. He vowed to bury all his adversaries alongside Zi Qingxuan if they dared to harm her.

Facing the gravity of her imminent death, Zi Qingxuan met Qin Wentian's gaze and responded with unwavering resolve, "Do it."

Xia Qianhan quivered, caught off guard by her unwavering determination.

"W-wait... I will release her!" he stammered, his complexion turning ashen. Faced with Qin Wentian's impending onslaught, he couldn't risk Zi Qingxuan's life. "But you must dispel the power of the God's Hand first."

Agreeing without hesitation, Qin Wentian promptly complied. As his palms returned to their normal state, Xia Qianhan, not daring to test Qin Wentian's resolve, released Zi Qingxuan.

Qin Wentian's location was now exposed, and if Xuan Yang sought revenge, nothing stood in his way. While Xia Qianhan harbored no fondness for Qin Wentian, he had no intention of wagering his life recklessly.