Chapter 847: How Strong Must One Be?

Hearing Qinqin's words, Ding Huan immediately controlled the Cosmic Pot and rushed over.

There was a familiar face here; asking about the situation would be good.

The Cosmic Pot was too fast—in just half an incense stick's time, Ding Huan stopped.

He also understood why Qinqin knew there was a familiar person here.

A skin-and-bones man had Dao rhythm flowing around his body, continuously circling in a frantic escape, while beneath him a thing similar to a cosmic vortex had locked him in place.

That vortex seemed ready to suck this person in at any moment.

And this man's strength was indeed formidable—he had forcibly halted his own body through his own power.

But from the current situation, this fellow clearly couldn't hold on much longer.

Judging by his emaciated appearance, he had probably been holding on here for quite a few years.

Ding Huan's gaze landed on the outer edge of the vortex, and he immediately knew this was a great array.

The fellow before them had been trapped here by someone using a great array, and judging by the way this fellow was struggling—

The one who set up the great array was merely toying with this cultivator.

Otherwise, the trapped fellow would have perished long ago.

"It really is Qiao Qianhe…" Qinqin exclaimed in shock.

Ding Huan's divine sense landed on this person.

This fellow was indeed at the Creation Saint realm.

From this fellow's Dao rhythm flow and domain, Ding Huan confirmed that this fellow's Great Dao was extraordinary.

Not to mention others, that Shen Chi and Chang Yun definitely weren't a match for this fellow before him.

In terms of strength, he probably wouldn't be weaker than Brother Guan Huan.

Ding Huan thought of how Qiao Qianhe, an Eternal Saint of the Creation realm with no weak strength, could still be trapped in this void vortex great array, 随时 being swept away by the array at any moment, and his heart skipped a beat.

Just how strong would one have to be to accomplish this?

To trap Qiao Qianhe, that would require at least the Fourth Step of the Great Dao.

Judging from the great array trapping Qiao Qianhe, that person had probably done it casually.

A Fourth Step of the Great Dao probably still couldn't do it.

No wonder Qinqin knew the other party was here.

This kind of Dao rhythm flow—as long as someone was familiar with Qiao Qianhe, within a certain range they could sense it.

Qiao Qianhe also saw Ding Huan and Qinqin, but without even speaking, he continued his frantic escape.

It seemed he also knew that even with familiar people here, there was no way to save him.

"He's that rogue cultivator Qiao Qianhe? The one who proved his Dao and reached the Creation realm as a rogue cultivator?" Ding Huan still asked casually.

Qinqin nodded: "It's him."

Back when Qiao Qianhe had proven his Dao as an Eternal Saint, he went straight to the Tian Huan Women's Palace to seek her hand as Holy Maiden.

And at that time she had only just been made Holy Maiden by the sect, and her cultivation had only just stepped into the Quasi-Saint realm.

At that time, the Palace Master of the Tian Huan Women's Palace was still the Creation realm powerhouse Lan Xihe, who was also the founder of the Tian Huan Women's Palace.

Although Qiao Qianhe, as a mere rogue cultivator, had proven his Dao to the Eternal realm, was already a stunning talent throughout the entire Lesser Heaven Market.

Unfortunately, in Lan Xihe's eyes, a rogue cultivator was not presentable.

Qiao Qianhe's upper limit was only a Dao Creation realm cultivator.

Moreover, what sort of noble sect was the Tian Huan Women's Palace?

How could it allow a mere rogue cultivator to become dao companions with the Holy Maiden?

So Lan Xihe unhesitatingly slapped Qiao Qianhe away, drove Qiao Qianhe out of the Tian Huan Women's Palace, and berated him as a toad wanting to eat swan meat.

How proud was Qiao Qianhe?

Having proven his Dao to the Eternal realm as a mere rogue cultivator, to suffer such a great humiliation.

In everyone's eyes, Qiao Qianhe would be devastated by this.

What shocked everyone was that Qiao Qianhe was not only not devastated, but continued to forge ahead bravely.

He not only proved his Dao to the Derivation Boundary realm, but also stepped into the highest level of the Lesser Heaven Market—the Creation Saint realm.

After stepping into the Creation Saint realm, Qiao Qianhe went to the Tian Huan Women's Palace the first thing.

He was no longer going to seek Qinqin's hand, but to find Lan Xihe and teach her a lesson.

To tell Lan Xihe with his fists that he, Qiao Qianhe, had not come to the Tian Huan Women's Palace to beg.

Only at that time Lan Xihe had already left the Lesser Heaven Market, whereabouts unknown.

Qiao Qianhe did not take it out on the rest of the Tian Huan Women's Palace either; upon learning that Lan Xihe had left the Lesser Heaven Market, he too disappeared without a trace.

Later rumors said he had been framed and entered some sort of death trap.

Unexpectedly, he had also left the Lesser Heaven Market, and was even trapped in a vortex great array in the void.

Thinking of some of the rumors and past of Qiao Qianhe, as well as his entanglement with herself, Qinqin sighed inwardly.

The changes of worldly affairs were like white clouds transforming into grey hounds—nothing more than this.

Looking at Qiao Qianhe still frantically resisting the vortex's suction, Ding Huan suddenly thought, if he saved Qiao Qianhe, wouldn't that mean one more helper?

However, he only knew that Qiao Qianhe was the only fierce person to prove his Dao to the Creation realm as a rogue cultivator, and did not know what this person's character was like.

He turned to Qinqin and asked: "Qinqin, what kind of person is Qiao Qianhe?"

He didn't want to save a Bai Yanlang.

Qinqin immediately understood Ding Huan's thoughts, and she immediately said: "Brother Qiao can be considered a very principled rogue cultivator; I have never heard of him bullying the weak with his strength.

Not only that, after learning that the first Palace Master of the Tian Huan Women's Palace had left the Lesser Heaven Market, he did not continue to seek revenge against the Tian Huan Women's Palace, nor did he make things difficult for me—his breadth of mind can be considered very broad."

The humiliation Lan Xihe gave Qiao Qianhe back then, any cultivator would probably find hard to accept.

When you lack strength, you can only endure; once you gain strength, most cultivators will choose to seek revenge.

A man with heavy malice might even destroy the Tianhuan Women's Palace.

If Qiao Qianhe had come from the Qu clan, the Tianhuan Women's Palace would have been destroyed long ago—there would be no need to wait for someone to use the Ten Thousand Poisons Law Realm to annihilate it.

Qiao Qianhe did not seek revenge against the Tianhuan Women's Palace, nor did he even mention seeking to court Qinqin again.

"Alright, I'll save him when the time comes."

Hearing Ding Huan's words, Qinqin quickly spoke to stop him:

"Brother Ding, you must not think this is a simple matter."

If I'm not mistaken, this is a terrifying Great Law.

Even a powerhouse like Brother Qiao couldn't survive once he entered, let alone escape—he's been trapped inside all this time. If you go in, you'll probably…"

She feared Ding Huan's cultivation was insufficient to grasp the depth of the danger.

This vortex array could not be penetrated even by divine sense; to rescue someone, one must risk one's own life.

No matter how strong Ding Huan was, once he entered this vortex array, he would be swept away in an instant.

Though they could not know what lay deep within this vortex array,

Qinqin could sense that its depths were saturated with a deathly aura.

In other words, once trapped inside, there would be no chance to survive.

Qiao Qianhe must have known that once caught in this vortex array, there was no hope of survival—that's why he was desperately fleeing, trying not to be pulled into its center.

Struggling to avoid being sucked into the vortex at the core.

Judging by Qiao Qianhe's appearance, he had been trapped here for years.

Ding Huan waved his hand and stepped directly into the vortex array. Qinqin's eyes widened—her mind froze in that moment.

Is he throwing his life away?

Is Ding Huan really risking himself to save a stranger?

At that moment, Qiao Qianhe also saw Ding Huan stepping into the vortex array—he stared in disbelief.

He was certain he had never met Ding Huan—why would a stranger risk his life to save him?

No, it wasn't just risking his life—it was walking into certain death to save him?

Even he, trapped here, could not resist this vortex array, yet this newcomer didn't even appear to have reached the Eternal Life Realm.

But the next instant, he felt the suction weaken, then a force seized him and flung him out of the vortex array.

"..." Qinqin was utterly stunned—Ding Huan had rescued Qiao Qianhe so effortlessly?

Could this vortex array be fake?

No, that couldn't be.

Seeing Qiao Qianhe's emaciated state, she knew this vortex array was real.

"Fellow Daoist, you saved me?" Qiao Qianhe stared at Ding Huan, who had stepped out of the vortex array as if nothing had happened, equally bewildered.

Ding Huan nodded: "Yes, I saved you."

"How did you do it?"

Qiao Qianhe asked this, then suddenly realized: "You understand this place's..."

Before Qiao Qianhe could finish, Ding Huan said:

"Yes, this is a Law called the Law of Sinking. I've encountered the Law of Sinking before, so I was lucky enough to pull you out."

The Law of Sinking here was indeed powerful, but Ding Huan's own Law of Sinking Star River was already complete—this vortex array of the Law of Sinking meant nothing to him.

Qiao Qianhe finally calmed down and bowed deeply: "Qiao Qianhe thanks you, Fellow Daoist, for saving my life. May I ask your name?"

"I'm Ding Huan. Qinqin just noticed this place, so we came to take a look."

Qiao Qianhe realized his mistake and bowed again: "Thank you, Sacred Maiden Qinqin, for bringing Brother Ding here to save me."

Qinqin quickly returned the bow: "I'm honored to meet Brother Qiao—and I'm no longer Sacred Maiden."

Ding Huan looked at Qiao Qianhe: "Fellow Daoist Qiao, how did you end up trapped here?"

The vortex array trapping Qiao Qianhe was certainly not natural—it had been deliberately arranged.

Hearing Ding Huan's question, Qiao Qianhe's eyes flickered with fear, momentarily forgetting to ask why Qinqin was no longer Sacred Maiden.

After several breaths, he finally regained composure:

"It was terrifying. When I angered that powerful cultivator, I immediately knew I couldn't match him."

I activated a teleportation talisman to return to the Great Wheel Vortex, then hide within the Lesser Heaven Ruins."

But that man intercepted my teleportation talisman mid-flight and captured me here."

He didn't kill me on the spot. Instead, he set up this... yes, this Law of Sinking array, and threw me inside."

He wanted me to struggle helplessly in this Law of Sinking vortex, to break my will through humiliation." Ding Huan stood frozen, cold sweat trickling down his back.

Qiao Qianhe had activated a teleportation talisman—and the opponent had intercepted it mid-transmission.

Compared to that, binding Qiao Qianhe and tossing him into the Law of Sinking array seemed trivial.

How powerful must that man be?

Even a Fourth Step of the Dao could not achieve this.

"Then... how powerful?" Qinqin whispered, trembling.

She too was stunned.

Qiao Qianhe was a Creation Realm powerhouse—not an ordinary one.

Because he was a lone cultivator, his combat ability was even stronger.

In fact, among all the Dao Lords of the Lesser Heaven Ruins' major sects, none could match Qiao Qianhe's true strength.

Yet such a man had no chance to resist—he was toyed with effortlessly...