Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

"You're not lying to us, are you? Could it be that the information was wrong, and it's not actually like this?" the First Elder asked, his teeth practically grinding to powder. In truth, if it weren't for orders from above, Qin Zhen, with his status, wouldn't dare speak to them like this.

"Of course it's true. Besides, this is my father's order. Who can disobey it? You should all go back!" With that, he turned to leave. The Grand Elder wanted to say something, but seeing Qin Zhen about to leave, he quickly blocked his way.

“I know your father is currently in seclusion, and we would like to have a proper talk with him. Would it be possible to see him?” The First Elder held a special position, even Qin Zhen had to show him deference. Under these circumstances, he was qualified to see the family head. Qin Zhen took a step back, distancing himself from the First Elder.

"Elder, please stop making things difficult for me. My father said he won't see anyone, including you!"

"Even if the Grand Elder is of noble status, he shall not disobey my father's orders!" Facing the Grand Elder, Qin Zhen's attitude was resolute, completely devoid of his previous humility. The Grand Elder was furious; how dare Qin Zhen speak to him like that? He sized Qin Zhen up, noticing that Qin Zhen's strength had greatly increased, and his aura was much stronger than before. Although his own status had always been very noble, he had never been lacking in manners. But now, he was far too arrogant.

Just because he's a member of the Qin family, does that give him the right to be so arrogant?
“I think you need to understand that your current position was chosen by us elders. Don’t think that just because you hold the power in the Qin family, you can ride roughshod over us!” The other elders echoed.

"I think there's some truth to that. To be honest, when you were nominated, we should have chosen the Third Young Master. Now that it's your turn, you should show some respect!" They didn't like Qin Zhen; if Qin Zhen hadn't given them so many benefits back then, they wouldn't have agreed.

“I never expected the elders to have such thoughts; it truly surprises me. However, I was only following my father's orders and cannot disobey. Besides, my father has now regained control of the family headship, and I am now the young head of the family!”

"In short, my father's status and position are still intact. If you want to disobey his orders, then go ahead!" Qin Zhen appeared neither humble nor arrogant, but his words actually carried a hint of threat. The Grand Elder could easily see through this, and his face turned extremely ugly. This was simply too much.

If Qin Zhen weren't so special, he would have loved to teach Qin Zhen a lesson.

"Alright, since your father has said so, we can't refuse. We'll be going now!" With that, they turned and left.

The tension in the air plummeted to its peak. Everyone gritted their teeth and resolutely turned to leave. The others silently followed behind the Grand Elder, swallowing back the words they had intended to say. Until they were completely out of sight…

Qin Zhen's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer, his tone full of contempt: "What kind of trouble can a few old guys stir up!"

After saying that, they strode away.

The elders looked puzzled and couldn't help but whisper among themselves: "Why would the patriarch suddenly want to take back his power? Although he is now the young patriarch, his personality is very different from before. Could it be that his strength has increased so much that he no longer knows how to restrain himself?"

They sighed helplessly, completely baffled by the reason.

"I think there might be another reason. The Second Elder actually went to cause trouble for Yang Ling. I guess he probably wanted to dissuade him on behalf of the Patriarch, but the Patriarch wouldn't listen. So let him bear the consequences himself!"

"As for Qin Zhen, I will send people to investigate thoroughly and see where the problem lies." The First Elder recalled Yang Ling's previous actions, harboring some suspicions, but lacking sufficient evidence, he couldn't voice them openly. However, recently he felt a heavy weight pressing on his heart; a strange atmosphere permeated the entire Qin family. He didn't know when it started, but the family head had become different, choosing an illegitimate son as his heir in front of everyone and driving away the sons he had personally raised. Had he truly gone mad? The First Elder seemed to realize something, his pupils suddenly contracting, thinking to himself: Could it really be so? If so, once word gets out, the Qin family will be in turmoil.

"Gentlemen, you are all people with whom I have a deep friendship. We have cultivated and worked together. Now, I have something important to discuss with you. Please come with me." The crowd had never seen the Grand Elder so serious and earnest. Although they were surprised, they still agreed. After all, they themselves felt that the matter was strange and wanted to find someone to discuss it with.

At this moment, the Qin family head was sitting upright in the room, surrounded by the aura of a demonic beast. If anyone could sense it, they would find that this aura was gradually eroding him.

As for Yang Ling, he had already handled things perfectly, and many people had chosen to stand by his side. At this moment, the female head of the family arrived late.

"It seems there aren't many people here. The Qin family probably won't come to cause you trouble; they seem to be brewing a bigger plan. Whatever that plan is, we can't let our guard down," the female patriarch said solemnly. "On the day the blood moon descends, we must be extra careful."

Just as Yang Ling was about to respond, a loud rumbling sound suddenly came from outside, shaking the heavens and earth, as if some enormous creature was about to break in. Yang Ling subconsciously looked up and saw that it was the Xie family who had arrived.

Yang Ling knew very little about the Xie family, and he hadn't expected them to come and join the fun at this time. These powerful families were always aloof and disdainful of associating with ordinary people, so Yang Ling was already used to it. On the treasure ship, a man laughed loudly: "It's been a long time since I've felt such abundant spiritual energy! It's such a waste that this place is hidden in such a remote spot!"

A glint of greed flashed in his eyes; he was determined to obtain this spiritual energy. Yang Ling, however, remained unusually calm.

To the surprise of the families and sects, even demonic beasts from the Spirit Realm had arrived. They exclaimed in astonishment, "Why are you demonic beasts from the Spirit Realm joining in the fun? Didn't we agree to keep to ourselves?!" They stepped forward to question them. Nan Cheng, walking at the front, retorted disdainfully, "You Xie family people are still the same as ever, petty and narrow-minded! You're prejudiced against everything. Who said I'm here to steal? Why are you in such a hurry!"

"Enough with the nonsense! If you're not here to steal anything, then what are you here for? I think you're the most petty one here!" A voice suddenly rang out as soon as the other person finished speaking.

"I've never dealt with the Xie family before, and now it seems I overestimated you. These demonic beasts from the Spirit Realm were of course invited by me. Who says demonic beasts can't come in?" Yang Ling appeared out of nowhere, his aura as heavy as a mountain, making it hard for everyone to breathe. Sensing this aura, they all silently retreated, thinking to themselves: Yang Ling is far stronger than they imagined. They had never fought Yang Ling before, and thought he was about the same level as them, but now it seems there is a huge gap between them.

The Xie family and other clans' pupils constricted sharply, not expecting Yang Ling to have progressed so quickly. Yang Ling was indeed formidable before, but compared to now, it was incomparable. They had thought dealing with Yang Ling would be a piece of cake, but now it seemed he was almost on par with them.

When Qin Yixian arrived and saw this scene, a smile couldn't help but appear on his lips. He was now the head of the Yun family and had no further connection with the Qin family. He was on good terms with Yang Ling, so naturally he had come to lend a hand. He knew Yang Ling's extraordinary talent; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to befriend him in the first place. Now it seemed that Yang Ling had indeed not disappointed him, making such astonishing progress in such a short time, which was truly admirable.

They all turned their gazes to Yang Ling, thinking to themselves: So what if Yang Ling is strong? With so many of them, surely they can defeat Yang Ling alone?

"I can't believe you actually came! I invited the demonic beasts from the Spirit Realm, and I thank you all for your help. I will certainly hold a grand banquet to express my gratitude!" Yang Ling announced loudly. Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock. No way? They came to help Yang Ling? Everyone knew that demonic beasts were ruthless and devoid of emotion, yet they were actually associating with Yang Ling—how could this be?

But even if demonic beasts help, so what? Who else can help Yang Ling? They muttered to themselves.

"So what if you've asked a demonic beast for help? I don't believe you can ask anyone else!" one of them said first. Yang Ling scoffed at this. This person was too naive. Who said no one would help? "Have you family members been so engrossed in your secluded cultivation that you've lost your minds? I suggest you go out and get some fresh air, broaden your horizons!" Yang Ling said, enunciating each word clearly. The crowd was speechless at Yang Ling's words; his tongue was truly venomous, just as rumored.

"Can you stop talking and start doing nothing? Young Master Zhao invited me here!" Before the words were finished, the female patriarch descended from the sky, her expression indifferent. From beginning to end, she hadn't even shown her face. The crowd hadn't believed the female patriarch would help Yang Ling, but now that she had appeared, they had no choice but to believe her.

"Why don't you stay in your city? Why did you come here to help him? What's your relationship with him?"

"That's right! We've always kept to ourselves, why ruin our relationship over some young punk!"

As their voices faded away...

The female head of the family retorted without hesitation.

"Why so many questions? I just wanted to help him, there's no other reason!"

Upon hearing the female patriarch's words, everyone exchanged bewildered glances and couldn't help but gasp in shock...

I was fortunate enough to witness the true face of the rumored female head of the family.

As rumored, the female head of the family possessed an extraordinary and refined demeanor. Even without revealing her true face, her aura alone was absolutely outstanding.

Their lips twitched slightly. Although they had some interaction with the female head of the family on a regular basis,
Although they weren't very close, they had heard about the female head of the family's style of doing things.

This situation was exactly as they had anticipated.

"Even if you want to help him, what can you do to us? You are just a handful of people, while we have many families joining forces. I don't believe you can defeat us!" one of them suddenly blurted out. His eyes were cold, and he had only one thought from beginning to end: to reclaim this place. Once he got this place, his family would surely prosper and bring glory to his ancestors.

"This is utterly absurd! I alone am more than capable of stopping you! Enough with the nonsense, let's get started!" the female patriarch replied without hesitation.

"We have no other intentions. Since you refuse to submit, then there is only one way: a battle to determine the victor!" Qin Yixian muttered to himself. In reality, they weren't entirely confident; against several powerful figures, they were clearly at a disadvantage. What should they do? They hesitated for a moment.

At this moment, Ying Zheng walked up to Yang Ling.

"During my seclusion, you improved so quickly and have already reached such a level!"

"Compared to you, I am still far inferior, and I am still no match for you..." Ying Zheng said, and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"You've done very well. Besides, your strength speaks for itself. Even if you're slightly inferior to me, the difference isn't significant. I'll give you a few cultivation manuals later. Practice diligently, and you'll be able to rival me sooner or later!" Yang Ling said earnestly. Ying Zheng nodded, standing silently beside Yang Ling. No further words were needed from Yang Ling; Ying Zheng's strength was sufficient to handle the situation. The others looked at Yang Ling, wishing they could eliminate him immediately.

"Young Master Zhao, you haven't forgotten about us, have you?" Qin Yixian stepped out from the crowd, leading a group of powerful members from the Yun family. Soon after, many more powerful individuals arrived, all of them formidable strength. Clearly, they had chosen to side with Yang Ling. The others were stunned; why did they have so many allies, so many more than they had expected?

"What's going on? Weren't they said to be weak? How could this be?"

"Right, where did these powerful individuals come from?"

"I remember their strength was only average a few months ago, how come they have improved so much so quickly!"

"Could they have used some underhanded methods?" They discussed amongst themselves, a hint of shock flashing in their eyes, as if things were not as simple as they had imagined. Not only them, but even the heads of the families were puzzled as to where these powerful individuals had come from.

Fortunately, it was only for a short time. If they were allowed to continue developing, wouldn't they surpass them? They looked at each other, their faces showing surprise. In their minds, Yang Ling had become a considerable threat.

"We must eliminate them, or the consequences will be dire!"

"Nip them in the bud before they grow too strong!" They exuded a powerful aura.

Those who were weaker retreated one after another. It was best for them not to get involved in this situation, because once they were involved, they would face certain death.

"Forget it, I originally thought they weren't very strong, but now it seems I was a bit naive!"

"That's right, I wonder how many people will fall to him!"

"Survival is the priority, let's go!" The mere aura emanating from those people was enough to affect them; retreat was the best option. Some of the weaker individuals fled, while the rest refused to leave, hoping to gain some advantage. (End of Chapter)