Chapter 1850

Qin Tianwang Meridian, Water Lotus Hall.

Spring rain fell like threads, slanting over the eaves of the halls, landing in the clear lotus pond before the hall, raising fine ripples.

On the pond surface, a thousand white lotuses stood tall, crystal raindrops rolling on their petals, glowing with a faint silver sheen in the daylight.

Qin Yi stood by the lotus pond in a moonlit blue dress, her black hair flowing like a waterfall over her shoulders, the tips damp with a few beads of rain, yet her ethereal, otherworldly demeanor remained undiminished.

Gazing at her reflection in the pond, the face hailed as the "Number One Beauty of Tianyuan"

remained exquisite and unearthly, though the sharpness and aloofness of her youth had faded, replaced by a calm serenity and gentleness born of worldly experience.

Her fingertip lightly brushed the pond surface, and a thread of gentle water qi surged, lifting several fallen raindrops into her palm, condensing into a crystal-clear droplet, like the Long Qichi of years past when she first saw Li Luo, her eyes holding that untouched clarity.

It has been over ten years since then.

I still remember the day of the Dragon Blood Grand Longevity, when the Xia Capital Li family hung lanterns and decorations, guests filling the gates.

She accompanied her mother Qin Lian to the feast; at that time, she was already the leading figure of the younger generation of the Qin Tianwang lineage, commanding the Fire Lotus Camp without defeat, and the beauty of her title "Immortal of the Narcissus"

spread throughout Tianyuan Outer Shenzhou.

When her peers, the heavenly talents, saw her, they all looked upon her with reverence and admiration—except for that boy named Li Luo, who stood out awkwardly amidst the admiring crowd. He wore a simple blue robe, his brows and eyes holding a hint of youthful inexperience, yet also a composure beyond his years.

When Li Qingfeng proposed the "Lotus Contest"

, she deliberately offered ten million tianyuan gold as bait, inviting him to pluck the Jade Heart Lotus Seeds, expecting him to be either flattered or flustered, but he merely smiled faintly, his words polite yet firm in refusal.

"I appreciate Fairy Qin's kindness, but my cultivation is low; I fear I cannot bear this task, lest I damage your fortune."

At that time, she felt disdain in her heart.

The Qin Tianwang and Li Tianwang lineages have long had estrangement, and her mother had repeatedly warned her to watch this generation of heavenly talents from the Li family.

In her eyes, Li Luo was merely an unremarkable junior among the Li clan, even if rumors said he bore dual affinities; to her, a direct descendant heir of the Qin Tianwang legacy, rigorously trained since childhood, he was no more than a firefly beside the bright moon—not worth mentioning.

She invited him to act merely to test his abilities and, incidentally, to dampen the spirit of the Li juniors, never imagining that this seemingly ordinary boy would, in the not-so-distant Mystic Yellow Long Qichi, deliver a shock she would never forget.

Within the Long Qichi, Mystic Yellow qi rose and fell, as heavenly talents displayed their powers, vying for the rare dragon qi nourishment.

She activated the "Spirit Mirror Water Palace"

, waves surging to the heavens, the Spirit Mirror hanging high, easily suppressing Li Qingfeng, Lu Qingmei, and several other banner chiefs, displaying sovereign majesty.

Just as she thought victory was within grasp, Li Luo moved. He unleashed the Wind-Thunder Banana Fan, the fan surface howling with wind and thunder; though the attack seemed ordinary, it concealed a star-river sword qi refined to the utmost.

That sword qi, like a meteor piercing the long night, bore an unstoppable sharpness, successively breaking her "Ten Thousand Threads Water Slaughter"

"Xuan Tortoise Shield Mountain"

, and finally piercing her pride, the "Water Jade Flawless Body"

, sending her retreating several steps, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

At that moment, the light of the Spirit Mirror Water Palace dimmed, and the Long Qichi fell into silence.

She stared at the seemingly ordinary banana fan in Li Luo's hand, her heart filled with disbelief.

She clearly felt that the power contained in that sword qi far exceeded the limits of peers her age, even allowing her to faintly sense a trace of aura from a superior being.

What made her heart race even more was the calm in Li Luo's eyes—not feigned composure, but genuine assurance.

"Just how many hidden cards do you still hold?"

She couldn't help but ask, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible quiver.

Li Luo merely put away the banana fan, clasped his hands toward her in a salute, and said gently, "Fairy Qin's strength is formidable; I was merely fortunate." Fortunate? Qin Yi smirked coldly in her heart, yet could not deny that at that moment, Li Luo was like a rising star, already possessing the light to illuminate the night sky.

For the first time, she realized she might have underestimated this seemingly ordinary boy.

And this underestimation was again proven in the Spirit Phenomenon Cave Heaven later.

Within the Spirit Phenomenon Cave Heaven, danger lurked everywhere.

By her mother's order, she was to take a piece of Li Luo's flesh, yet she unexpectedly encountered him in the great hall.

At that time he was alone, the perfect moment to strike; she hesitated not, activating water phase and launching a fierce assault.

But in the exchange, she discovered that Li Luo's strength had made astonishing progress since the Long Qichi, and even more shocking was that his water phase concealed a hidden light auxiliary phase.

Light and water phase merged, mutually enhancing, their power far surpassing that of a single affinity.

The more she fought, the more startled she became; her attacks gradually eased, for she keenly sensed that Li Luo's body still harbored more terrifying hidden cards—that faint aura made her dare not go all out.

And Li Luo seemed to have sensed her hesitation; his offensive likewise held back.

"If we fight to the death today, we will both lose, letting others reap the benefit."

Li Luo stopped his steps, speaking calmly. Qin Yi gazed at his clear eyes, her heart a tangle of emotions.

She knew he spoke the truth; within the Spirit Phenomenon Cave Heaven, powerful enemies lurked, and hidden strange beings awaited—mutual destruction would be unwise.

Finally, she snorted coldly, withdrew her divine abilities: "For today, I spare you; next time we meet, I will surely take your life."

Though she said so, her heart held no trace of contempt anymore.

She began to wonder what fate this boy had encountered, enabling him to grow to such a degree in such a short time.

He differed from the heavenly talents surrounding her—some lusted after her beauty, others revered her status and strength—but only Li Luo, from beginning to end, maintained a respectful equality, neither deliberately flattering nor antagonizing.

Within the Spirit Phenomenon Treasure Garden, the first Soul-Eating True Demon attacked, and everyone was sealed into blood coffins.

At the critical moment, she damaged her own essence and blood, performing "Water Moon Cave Heaven: Nine Bends Heavenly Water"

, to buy time for Li Luo.

When she saw Li Luo use the "Myriad Phase Dragon Tooth Sword Formation"

to slay the true demon, her heart surged not with jealousy, but with an indescribable shock and admiration.

【55】 She faintly felt that this boy's future would be limitless. Yet at that time, she could not escape the bonds of her family and her mother's expectations.

She was the direct descendant heavenly talent of the Qin Tianwang lineage, bearing the family's honor, disgrace, rise, and fall; everything had to prioritize family interests.

Mother Qin Lian had placed great hopes on her; strict upbringing had made her accustomed to burying emotions deep within—whether her curiosity and admiration for Li Luo, or the occasional flicker of strange feeling, she forcibly suppressed them.

The disaster in the Jiehe Region became the turning point of her life.

She personally witnessed her mother Qin Lian eroded by evil thoughts, turned into a killing machine; the once dignified mother became ferocious-faced, personally slaughtering the Qin clan members.

She watched with her own eyes as her mother, Qin Lian, was corrupted by evil thoughts, turned into a killing machine—her once dignified mother now twisted and ferocious, personally slaughtering the members of the Qin clan.

At that moment, her world collapsed with a roar.

She rushed forward without regard for anything, even though her lower abdomen was pierced by chains, she had to unleash the "Returning Spirit Water"

in an attempt to awaken her mother's consciousness.

"Mother! Wake up! I am Yi'er!"

She cried out hoarsely, her blood staining her moonlit blue dress red, and blurring her vision.

Fortunately, the Returning Spirit Water took effect, and Qin Lian regained a sliver of clarity.

In that brief moment of lucidity, she learned the secret of how her mother had been implanted with a demon seed by the Demon King years ago, and understood the harshness and severity her mother had endured over the years, and what pain and helplessness lay behind it. In the end, to protect her, her mother shielded her beneath the black feathered wings, while she herself was consumed by uncontrollable malice and ultimately died at Li Luo's hands.

Watching her mother die before her eyes, watching Qin Jiejie betray the Qin clan, watching Abyss City sink, and the Black Water Guard nearly annihilated, Qin Yi's heart filled with despair and helplessness.

But it was precisely at that moment that she understood her own responsibility.

With her mother gone and the Qin clan plunged into an unprecedented crisis, she had to step forward and uphold this tempest-tossed world.

She inherited the "Fire Lotus Hall"

, renamed it the Water Lotus Hall, and took up the mantle of the Qin Tianwang lineage.

She inherited the "Water Holy Seed"

, day and night studying formations, commanding the "Spring Rain Purifies Evil Formation"

, turning spring rain into black rain to minimize the Qin clan's losses in the alien tide.

The once naive water fairy who only knew to obey her mother's orders and flaunt her sharpness had grown up overnight.

She cast aside all her fragility and confusion, and with a resilient demeanor, became the master of the Qin Tianwang lineage, leading the clan's defense system and sheltering her people from wind and rain.

For the survival of the Qin clan, she opposed all objections and pushed for an alliance with the Li Tianwang lineage. When she saw Li Luo again, he had already become the Peerless Sixth-Rank Marquis, standing beside him was the equally radiant Jiang Qinge.

His cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, long having left his peers far behind, even making the older generation's strong ones regard him with three parts of reverence.

As for her, although she had also broken through to the Great Heavenly Phenomenon realm and become the core of the Qin Tianwang lineage, compared to Li Luo, the gap had already become as vast as a heavenly chasm.

In private meetings, she handed over the formation of the "Spring Rain Divine Formation" to Li Luo, informing him of the Qin clan's "Alliance with Zhao Against Li" policy.

She gazed at the youth before her, now possessing a composed demeanor and restrained elegance, and the long-suppressed affection in her heart stirred once again.

"Li Luo, thank you for your assistance back in the Spirit Phenomenon Cave Heaven."

She spoke softly, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

Li Luo, upon hearing this, was slightly startled, then smiled gently: "Hall Master Qin is too courteous; back then, it was merely mutual benefit, helping each other out."

His tone remained gentle, yet carried a kind of distant courtesy.

Qin Yi felt a pang in her heart; she knew that between them, too much had already come between them.

The family grudges, the disparity in status, and the fact that beside him stood Jiang Qinge, who stood shoulder to shoulder with him. She clearly remembered that when the Qin clan proposed a marriage alliance, she had refused without hesitation.

"Li Luo's heart belongs only to Miss Jiang; between him and me, we are merely passing acquaintances."

She said to Qin Zhongyuan, her tone calm, yet her heart welled up with waves of bitterness.

She did not dislike Li Luo; on the contrary, this fondness had taken deep root in her heart through countless encounters and clashes.

She liked his composure, liked his jade-like warmth, liked his fearless advance against strong foes, and even more, liked his equality and respect, unlike other pursuers.

But she understood that this fondness was destined to bear no fruit.

Li Luo's world was too vast; he bore the burden of saving Outer Shenzhou, and beside him was Jiang Qinge, such a perfect companion. They were a match made in heaven, having endured countless storms together, supporting each other, their hearts in tune.

As for her, she was merely a passerby in his life, a former rival, and now an ally who needed to rely on the alliance to maintain the clan's survival.

She carefully hid this feeling deep in her heart, like a lotus seed in the depths of a lotus pond, unknown to anyone.

She poured all her energy into the affairs of the Qin clan, working day and night, only so that her people could live in peace amidst the chaos.

She nourished the Qin clan's territory with the power of the Water Holy Seed, guarded a stretch of land and water with the Spring Rain Purifies Evil Formation, and became the most solid backing of the Qin Tianwang lineage.

She nourished the Qin family's territory with the power of the Water Saint Seed, guarding the land and waters with the Spring Rain Purification Array, becoming the strongest backing of the Qin Tianwang lineage.