My CEO Bai Fumei’s wife

Green blood foam spurted from Canglan's mouth. His face was so swollen that his original delicate features were no longer visible, but his hand secretly pinched a jade pendant in his sleeve.

The jade pendant was not made of ordinary spiritual jade; it was the heartwood of the Tree of Life.

Just as Qin Yu was about to deliver his third slap, Cang Lan's jade pendant shattered first.

"You think you've won."

Canglan's words were squeezed out of his bloodied mouth, each word filled with deep-seated resentment. His eyes changed from fear to a twisted fanaticism, like the madness of a gambler who has bet everything.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Kneel down and return the bow, or you will face the judgment of God."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the elven nobles who had been trembling just moments before instantly changed. Their fear vanished, replaced by a nauseating arrogance and fanaticism.

They knew what that jade pendant was.

A summoning token of the Elf King's will.

"Fool, you actually forced the prince to use that."

An elven elder dressed in a vine-covered robe stepped forward. His cultivation level was only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but at this moment, his posture was as if he were looking down on an ant. He pointed his finger at Qin Yu's nose and spat in his face.

“Do you know what you’ve done? You’ve harmed the royal bloodline, you’ve stolen the clan’s sacred artifact, and you’ve broken the branches of the Tree of Life. Any one of these three crimes is enough to crush you into dust.”

"Now the will of the Elf King is about to descend. You should feel honored. To die under the gaze of a god is a blessing that a worm like you could never attain in several lifetimes."

Qin Yu held the Falling Moon Divine Bow in his hand and weighed it. The moonlight patterns on the bow became even brighter under the influence of his true dragon energy, and the joy of the weapon spirit was transmitted from the vibration of the bowstring.

He ignored the elder's clamor and turned to look at Zhuge Chuchu.

"This thing can summon beings at the Nascent Soul stage."

"It's not the real body, but a projection of will, with about 30% of the real body's combat power."

"Thirty percent of the Nascent Soul stage."

Qin Yu did some mental calculations. He was currently at the early Nascent Soul stage with full health and mana. The aftereffects of the Heaven-Defying Tribulation had been completely repaired by the energy of the Soul Refining Furnace. The Falling Moon Divine Bow had successfully recognized its master, and although his divine pets had been somewhat weakened, they were still able to fight.

Thirty percent of the Nascent Soul stage is equivalent to a peak late-stage Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

He could kill someone like Zhao Wuji with two sword strikes, so this projection should be about the same.

But his thoughts were interrupted the next moment.

The green rain from the sky has stopped.

It wasn't a gradual cessation; it vanished in an instant, as if someone had pressed the pause button on the entire world.

Then, an oppressive force that made it hard to breathe came crashing down from the direction of the Tree of Life.

Qin Yu's knees bent slightly.

It wasn't out of fear, but because the sheer intensity of this pressure far exceeded his expectations. Zhuge Chuchu's claim of 30% combat power was utter nonsense; this was at least the pressure of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"The Elf King's cultivation level is higher than I imagined."

"He has advanced in cultivation; he just broke through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm last year, but it wasn't announced to the public."

Zhuge Chuchu's face was paler than paper. Her crystal pupils were almost unable to function under this pressure, and all her sensory abilities were suppressed to the limit.

The Tree of Life shook violently, and countless leaves fell from its branches, each leaf withering and turning to ash the moment it hit the ground.

A giant face materialized from the tree canopy.

It was an old face, with skin that resembled tree bark, eyes that shone with a ghostly green light, and a resinous scent that wafted out when the lips moved.

"Lowly humans." The Elf King's voice didn't come from his mouth; it exploded directly in the souls of everyone present, as if someone were hammering their skulls.

"How dare you lay a finger on our clan's sacred artifacts."

Qin Yu stood up straight despite the oppressive force. His spine felt like it was supported by iron bars, and he refused to bend even an inch despite his trembling knees.

"To dabble in".

He chewed the word in his mouth, then spat it on the ground.

"I took this bow openly and honestly. Your precious grandson wants to use my wife's soul to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. I'll slap him so hard that I'll crush all his teeth."

The Elf King's face remained motionless. His two eerie green eyes held neither anger nor shame, only a haughty indifference, as if he were looking at an ant that knew nothing of its own life.

"Our clan's use of all things is a natural law. The reincarnated soul is a gift from heaven. It is only natural for our people to use it. How can there be any talk of robbing it?"

Cang Lan got up from the ground. His face was still swollen, but his eyes had rekindled their arrogant flames.

"Did you hear that? Everything I do is perfectly justified. It's your woman's good fortune that she can become the nourishment for my advancement. You should be grateful and kneel down to kowtow."

Qin Yu glanced at him, but there was no anger in that glance, only mockery.

“Your grandfather hadn’t even finished speaking upstairs when you jumped out to pat yourself on the back. Are you afraid he’ll forget how you got beaten up like a pig’s head?”

Canglan's face instantly turned purple. He wanted to retort but dared not lose his composure in front of the Elf King, so he could only swallow his anger.

The Elf King lowered his face slightly, as if examining the dust beneath his feet.

"Human insect, I'm giving you a choice."

"Kneel down, return the bow, and leave behind that woman of Zhuge blood, and I may grant you a complete corpse."

Zhuge Chuchu shrank back behind Qin Yu, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes. The Elf King knew what her bloodline meant; the Heavenly Mystery Sect's inheritance was the key to controlling the Heavenly Mystery Treasury. Falling into the hands of the Elf race would only be worse than being captured by the Martial Emperor City.

Qin Yu took a step forward, his figure blocking Zhuge Chuchu's path.

"My people are my decision-makers."

"You want the bow? I won't give it to you."

"You want people? I'm not handing them over."

"You want me to kneel? I'll stand up instead."

The first change in the Elf King's expression appeared—a very slight furrow, as if someone were watching an ant that had suddenly started talking.

"I have already given you a chance."

The oppressive force surged, distorting the space around the altar. Countless tree roots emerged from the ground, each as thick as a bucket, intertwining and forming a massive cage that completely enveloped Qin Yu and his group.

Dark green liquid flowed from the tree roots, dripping onto the ground, instantly causing the vegetation to wither and rot. This was not the power of life, but the breath of death.

Qin Yu narrowed his eyes.

"I just saw the secret of your Elf race in the Soul Refining Furnace."

These words caused the Elf King to pause for a moment.

"Your tree of life needs to be nourished by death."

Qin Yu took a step forward, and the tree roots tried to entangle his feet, but they withered and disintegrated instantly upon contact with the true dragon energy emanating from him.

"The so-called Lord of Nature, the so-called Guardian of Life, are essentially no different from Soul Refining Furnaces; they all feed themselves with the lives of the living." (End of Chapter)