The middle-aged man was extremely nervous. He was in an incredibly awkward position because he didn't want to die; he had things to do.
"No, this is non-negotiable. You can choose another one," the middle-aged man said through gritted teeth.
"You decide for yourself. I don't need to lift a finger to kill you. The range of the World-Destroying Pearl is only a thousand meters. I forgot to tell you, I'm a beast tamer, a very powerful one at that. Killing you, I'll only have to sacrifice a few demonic beasts at most."
"You're forcing me to die with you," the middle-aged man said fiercely.
"You're reluctant. You have unfinished business. You'll fight for any chance of survival. I won't go back on my word. I never lie. Leave the World-Destroying Pearl, and I'll spare you this time," Qin Chuan said calmly.
The middle-aged man sighed slightly. He hadn't expected to be completely outmaneuvered by this young man. He did indeed have important things to do. As Qin Chuan said, he would fight for any chance of survival.
So he had no choice; even if Qin Chuan was lying, he had to take the gamble.
"I promise you, and I hope you keep your word. I have important things to do. Once I finish this, I'm willing to die for you, but please give me a few days' grace," the middle-aged man said earnestly.
Killing someone is just a matter of a quick death, and the middle-aged man naturally had his own way of judging people. He felt that Qin Chuan wasn't the kind of person to go back on his word, and besides, there wasn't much hatred between them, so there was still hope.
"You're overthinking it. I have no interest in killing you. In my eyes, you're just an insignificant person. Don't come looking for me again. Of course, next time I hope you won't fall into my hands again."
After they reached an agreement, Qin Chuan let the middle-aged man leave, and a quarter of an hour later, he left the World-Destroying Pearl behind.
"Although I said I wouldn't kill you, this World-Destroying Pearl is compensation. I don't want you to tamper with it in any way, otherwise don't blame me for not giving you a chance. Then you won't be able to do your important thing."
The middle-aged man trembled slightly, the last glimmer of hope in his heart vanished, and cold sweat broke out on his back. He nodded: "Don't worry, I also hope you keep your promise."
Qin Chuan nodded, and the middle-aged man left.
With his Golden Divine Eyes and Heavenly Dao Divine Sense, Qin Chuan had been monitoring the middle-aged man's movements. He was prepared to eliminate any opportunity for the man to tamper with his belongings.
Fortunately, the man didn't attempt anything, and Qin Chuan successfully obtained the World-Destroying Pearl. This item could only be used once, but its power was immense.
Possessing the World-Destroying Pearl would make everyone wary. Within a thousand meters, it could enter a large clan and wipe them out completely.
This was the power of intimidation and power; after all, a single assassin carrying the World-Destroying Pearl could destroy an entire rival clan.
Whoever possessed this item would be plagued by anxiety and sleepless nights, especially those with whom the man had a grudge. Even if you didn't have a grudge against him, what if your neighboring clans did?
When the other clan wiped out those neighboring clans, you could very well become collateral damage.
That would be the most tragic outcome.
Qin Chuan held the World-Destroying Pearl and then took out the Qiankun Cauldron. This item now belonged to Qin Chuan. It was a top-tier treasure, its power untapped in the hands of the Hou family head, but now it was different in Qin Chuan's.
Qin Chuan could unleash the Qiankun Cauldron's power to an unimaginable degree, several times stronger than what the Hou family head could achieve with its normal power.
It had already recognized its master; this item now completely belonged to Qin Chuan. As long as Qin Chuan lived and didn't want to relinquish it, no one could obtain it.
Recognizing a master depends on fate, which naturally includes experience and discernment.
Experience is unnecessary; those with extensive knowledge can recognize a treasure's master simply by looking at it. Alternatively, someone like Qin Chuan possesses special skills that allow him to see how to recognize a master.
Besides these two, there are also those who recognize a master unintentionally by chance. While the probability of such occurrences is very low, there are always some lucky ones among many.
Qin Chuan returned. The matter of the Five Qi Yang Sect had only just begun, and it certainly wouldn't end there. What would happen next, Qin Chuan didn't know, but he was now holding more and more trump cards.
In this world, Qin Chuan felt he could still establish himself.
The people in the imperial city were overjoyed this time, after all, this was their home, many of their businesses were here. If they left, they would be outsiders, ostracized, and easily bullied.
Now Qin Chuan had driven those people away, but they knew they would definitely come back. Whether they could stop them next time, they didn't know. Qin Chuan was too young, the Empress was too young, and their strength was inferior to each other.
This was a battle that everyone thought was a foregone conclusion, but beforehand, no one believed Qin Chuan could win. However, Qin Chuan won with an absolute advantage, so some people still saw hope.
The Empress and the Imperial Tutor breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Qin Chuan return, their eyes filled with concern. This warmed Qin Chuan's heart. Humans are emotional beings; everyone, no matter how powerful, hopes to be cared for,
especially by loved ones.
The three returned to the hall. The Imperial Tutor looked at Qin Chuan: "The immediate crisis is over. What's next?"
"We'll deal with whatever comes our way. We'll see how things go. We're not without hope. Don't worry, I'm here." Qin Chuan was confident now, having several treasures at his disposal.
Although the Imperial Tutor was worried, he had already experienced the worst possible scenario, so he looked at Qin Chuan calmly. The events of the past few days had given him great faith in Qin Chuan; she seemed capable of anything,
able to turn any dire situation around .
The Empress's expression was slightly disappointed, because all of this seemed to be related to her. If she weren't the Empress, none of this would have happened. But now she had no choice but to move forward.
She didn't say anything sentimental; it was useless, and besides, there was no need for sentimentality among the three of them.
Qin Chuan spent the next few days researching the great formation—the protective formation of the imperial city. He placed all his hopes on it. This formation couldn't be broken; after all, the Heavenly Kingdom couldn't fall, otherwise the Empress would be put on the kill list by her faction.
Once you're on the kill list, it's a fight to the death; no matter where you run, it's useless.
At least for now, Qin Chuan feels he has no ability to fight against the Empress's camp, so making the Heavenly Kingdom strong and stable is the only way forward.