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

As for the elders of the Qin family, they did not express any dissatisfaction.

It was as if they had foreseen all of this. The news shocked everyone.

Is this a joke? Seclusion can last from a few years to several decades. Normally, no one might find it strange, but with the Blood Moon approaching, not only the demonic beasts but also the major families—almost everyone who has heard the news is restless. At such a crucial juncture, isn't the Qin family's move tantamount to announcing their withdrawal?
The Qin family disciples were also puzzled. Did their patriarch have no interest in this? This was no ordinary day; so many people were eagerly anticipating it! Just thinking about obtaining that fortune was exhilarating. Some disciples even went to the patriarch, hoping he would intervene and compete for it. After their battle with Yang Ling, many of the other families had backed down.

They thought they had no competitors left, but the family head was determined. As a result, some people refused to accept this and were ultimately dealt with by Qin Zhen. This news was shocking, because Qin Zhen had killed several elders.

The elders were all quite powerful, and each of them was older than Qin Zhen. Yet Qin Zhen acted so decisively and without hesitation.

Qin Zhen looked at the family members.
"My father said that from today onwards, I will be in charge of everything. If anyone disobeys my orders, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"No matter who it is, I won't show any mercy!" They thought Qin Zhen was completely insane, being so ruthless towards people.

The elders, however, were used to it. Based on their years of observation, they believed Qin Zhen had probably already gone mad. No one would listen to him.

"It was only a matter of time before Qin Zhen turned out this way; we should have expected it long ago!"

"He must be hiding something. How could his personality change so quickly? Someone must have pulled something behind the scenes..."

They were discussing it very seriously.

At this time, Qin Zhen sent out another message, saying that he would have a life-or-death battle with Yang Ling in Riyuefeng.

The news spread like wildfire, after all, Qin Zhen's current status was extraordinary, and his every move could cause a great stir. Moreover, he was going to challenge Yang Ling.

Yang Ling is also a big figure, attracting a lot of attention; who doesn't know him?

In that battle, Yang Ling clashed head-on with several families. He not only killed several elders of similar cultivation level but also slaughtered numerous disciples. With his extraordinary strength, he forged his own path.

Everyone firmly believed that Yang Ling's strength would reach a new level when the Blood Moon arrived.

Aside from the female family head, whose strength was slightly superior to Yang Ling's, there were only a handful of others.
Who else can rival Yang Ling?

Basically, cultivators of the same realm, even those older than Yang Ling, are no match for him.

Moreover, Yang Ling has the support of the female head of the family, so who would dare to provoke him easily?

Unless they're tired of living. Besides, those more powerful senior experts wouldn't lower themselves to cause trouble for Yang Ling. After all, bullying the weak is no skill, and even if they win, it's an unfair victory that would only make them a laughingstock.

Qin Zhen's challenge to Yang Ling sparked heated discussions among the crowd, with many expressing their dissatisfaction. After all, demonic beasts had been rampant recently, wreaking havoc and constantly disrupting their lives. Those families, who usually proclaimed their protection and acted as if they were righteous and willing to live and die with them, were now being challenged.

But now that the crucial moment has arrived, they are all shrinking back, and no one is stepping forward.

How can this not make people dissatisfied? It's one thing not to stand up for them, but to actually cause such a mess is infuriating.

Yang Ling was not only exceptionally strong, but he had also led them to slay demonic beasts.

These people would have to be out of their minds to cause trouble for Yang Ling over something that happened before. The Qin family disciples sighed helplessly.

They were also unsure what was wrong with the family lately. The elders remained silent, the patriarch had gone into hiding, and Qin Zhen, the newly appointed patriarch, was acting like a mad dog. What could they do?

Who would dare to mess with Yang Ling? That would be tantamount to courting death; they would be slaughtered without a trace. Yang Ling wasn't surprised to learn that Qin Zhen wanted to see him. Back then, Qin Zhen had narrowly escaped death from his grasp; if it weren't for that annoying old man's appearance, Qin Zhen would have been dead by his sword long ago.

Qin Zhen hadn't shown himself for so long, clearly he was in seclusion cultivating. Now that he'd just taken over, he was so eager to find him, which meant his strength had probably improved. Yang Ling could understand that.
After all, Qin Zhen had once vowed to wipe out his entire family and ensure that everyone around him would die without a burial place. Now that Qin Zhen's strength has increased and he holds supreme power, it's natural that he would come looking for trouble.

If Qin Zhen can kill him, he will not only become famous, but also become stronger.

Yang Ling secretly considered this to himself; it seemed like a worthwhile deal no matter how you looked at it. However, Qin Zhen's plan was likely to fail. If Qin Zhen really wanted to duel him, he wouldn't refuse.

Qin Zhen personally came to find Yang Ling and set the duel location at Sun and Moon Peak. Yang Ling agreed without hesitation.

The female patriarch was not surprised when Yang Ling agreed to the duel.

She had heard rumors that the feud between the two had a long history.

Moreover, she knew Yang Ling's temperament very well; he would not hesitate to kill anyone who provoked him. Qin Zhen and he had a long-standing feud, so it was only natural that Yang Ling agreed to the duel.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Qin Zhen knelt on the ground, his fists clenched tightly.

"Father, you not only ruined him, but you also wanted to take his life! You are truly despicable! I blame myself for not seeing through your true colors back then!"

"Shut up! If you weren't such a useless piece of trash, why would I do this!"

"Who would have thought your strength was so lacking? This time, I'll take your place and make him die a horrible death. His physique is so powerful..."

"And his bloodline can definitely be used to my advantage!"

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his eyes revealing an unprecedented determination. "Yang Ling, you absolutely mustn't let me down! If I can get Yang Ling, who will care about me?"
This time he had prepared for a long time, and Yang Ling would definitely not be able to escape.

After the news spread, many people rushed to Sun and Moon Peak. They arrived one after another, curious to see whether Yang Ling or Qin Zhen would win the duel. In truth, everyone knew that Yang Ling's strength was extraordinary. While Qin Zhen's abilities were not bad, he was still slightly inferior to Yang Ling. Of course, Qin Zhen might still have some hidden trump cards.

"Do you think Yang Ling can win? We're so excited! We didn't expect you guys to come and join in the fun. It's been so many years since we've seen each other." "Yeah, I think Qin Zhen has a better chance of winning. But why did they have to fight like this? The Blood Moon Day is coming soon, they can fight then."

"I still support Yang Ling. I've met him once, and he's truly a spirited young man! His aura and skills are extraordinary; he's a dragon among men!"

"I also think Yang Ling's abilities are extraordinary. What's wrong with Qin Zhen? I heard he's incredibly headstrong, even daring to challenge several elders!" They chattered amongst themselves, their words revealing considerable dissatisfaction with Qin Zhen. Who among them didn't know how Qin Zhen had obtained his position? And Qin Zhen's rise to power was also suspicious. Besides, they were upright people and couldn't stand those scoundrels.

In short, Qin Zhen was beneath their notice. Of course, they didn't dare say much, given Qin Zhen's strength; few could rival him now. They weren't ready to die yet; simply watching the spectacle was more appropriate.

It wouldn't be long before Yang Ling arrived. When Qin Zhen arrived, the onlookers silently took a step back, because the aura emanating from Qin Zhen frightened them.

"This guy's aura is just too amazing!"

"That's right, to be able to reach such a level, and his strength must have been honed through countless trials, it's truly admirable!"

"Why is Qin Zhen suddenly being so high-profile? Wasn't he quite low-key before? And I've never seen him with this much power before!" they muttered to themselves. Qin Zhen was so powerful now; they felt it was hard to say who would win. But the next second, they started backing away. Some of them felt that Qin Zhen's aura was somewhat similar to someone else's.

Qin Yixian, who had arrived early, also sensed something was amiss, because he saw his father's shadow in Qin Zhen. He could never forget that aura. Qin Yixian walked up to Qin Zhen.

"Who exactly are you? You absolutely cannot be Qin Zhen! The aura around you is different from others, and even I can't detect it. This is definitely not something someone at the same level as me could do!" Qin Zhen found Qin Yixian, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rather annoying. Who would have thought that he would be seen through? He had planned everything, but he never expected that Qin Yixian would appear here.

"As expected, I underestimated you. Since that's the case, I'll just say it directly: I am indeed not Qin Zhen. However, you can't inform anyone, or I'll get rid of you. Don't blame me for not showing any fatherly affection!" Qin Yixian acted as if he had heard a joke. Ever since he was kicked out of the Qin family, he had no fatherly affection for Qin Yixian.

"I've said it before, there's no longer any father-son relationship between us!"

Those watching also felt something was off, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

However, at that moment, Yang Ling arrived.

Seeing the two arguing, Yang Ling was quite surprised.

Yang Ling's sudden appearance startled Qin Zhen, who jumped back in surprise.

However, Qin Zhen quickly came to his senses.

He put his hands behind his back, his expression cold, and slowly said, "Yang Ling, you've come at the right time. I almost fell into your hands in the ancient tomb before, a humiliation I can never erase for the rest of my life. This time, I will definitely kill you in front of everyone!" Yang Ling was puzzled by his words, feeling that Qin Zhen's state was very strange, quite different from last time, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

What's going on? Based on his understanding of Qin Zhen, Qin Zhen has always been extremely arrogant, and he can't get the slightest advantage over him. Before, Qin Zhen wanted nothing more than to kill him, and last time he almost died at his hands, but this time Qin Zhen is acting far too calmly.

Could it be that Qin Zhen has come to his senses? Otherwise, why would things change so drastically? Yang Ling shook his head, not thinking about it any further.

Qin Yixian stood to the side, opened his mouth, but then swallowed his words back.

"Yang Ling, you can't go..." Just as he was about to explain, a strange restrictive force surged forth, forcibly silencing him and preventing him from speaking. Yang Ling turned his gaze to Qin Yixian, his heart filled with astonishment.

Qin Zhen interrupted Qin Yixian, saying, "Let's stop dawdling and settle this quickly. What, you want to stop Yang Ling from dueling with me?"

"Yang Ling, if you're afraid of death, you can kneel down and beg for mercy, and I might spare your life!"

Yang Ling listened as if he had heard a huge joke; he never liked to waste words.

Instead of wasting time talking, he'd rather have a good fight and see if Qin Zhen had really become stronger than before. Otherwise, why would Qin Zhen have challenged him?

“Alright, I have a high-level magic artifact here that can isolate the outside aura. If we release our aura, it will hurt other people. This magic artifact can ensure that the people outside are not harmed, and it can also let us fight to our hearts' content!” Qin Zhen took out the high-level magic artifact. Yang Ling didn’t know much about this kind of thing, but he could vaguely sense some of it.

He knew Qin Zhen was telling the truth; the magic artifact truly did work. Seeing Yang Ling remain silent, Qin Zhen assumed Yang Ling was afraid or worried about his combat abilities, and couldn't help but feel a little disdainful.

"I wouldn't use such underhanded methods. With my strength alone, I can kill you!" Ying Zheng quickly walked to Yang Ling's side and whispered, "I'll go check it out first!" After checking, Ying Zheng found nothing unusual inside and breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that everything was alright, Yang Ling headed towards the top of the mountain.

Those who witnessed this scene felt somewhat dissatisfied.

"What's going on? Are they going to fight it out one-on-one and not let us watch?"

"Good heavens! We've been looking forward to a duel between the strongest, and we can't even watch it! What kind of situation is this?!"

"Exactly! It's outrageous that we can only wait outside!"

"Yeah, yeah, I thought we were going to see a great match, but it turned out like this!"

Ying Zheng secretly worried for Yang Ling, and deliberately lowered his voice to say to Yang Ling, "Go ahead, and if there is any danger, tell us immediately, and I will rush in right away!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Ling looked at Qin Zhen.

Qin Zhen rushed over laughing. He took out a magical artifact, which emitted a white light and isolated the aura.

Even the most powerful person cannot break this magical artifact.

After Yang Ling went inside, Qin Yixian's face turned deathly pale.

He looked at Ying Zheng and Sun Yao and shouted anxiously, "How can you let him go in like this? No, I have to stop him!" Seeing Qin Yixian's expression, Ying Zheng sensed that something was wrong.

"Did you want to say something just now? Your face turned red from holding it in. Do you suspect they're bluffing?" Ying Zheng felt something was off, but he had no evidence and couldn't find any flaws. Besides, he had checked the surroundings for Yang Ling and found nothing wrong, so he was relieved. He took a deep breath. (End of Chapter)