Chapter 227: Bandit Qin Chuan, A Qualified Father

In truth, the matter of the Heaven-Heng Clan spies and Emperor Kun was merely an interlude for Qin Chuan.

With that episode over, he was ready to return to his original plan: robbing the geniuses!

None of the so-called geniuses in the Celestial Grass Secret Realm would escape his grasp; they would all be trampled beneath his feet.

Even the women were not exempt.

As for the threat posed by Emperor Kun, there was no need to worry for now. Based on Qin Chuan's observations, even if Emperor Kun's strength surged and he broke through a level, it would still take him at least half a month to break free from the seal.

By then, Qin Chuan would have long since made his exit.

So, for now…

It was time for him to be unstoppable and lawless!!

"Whoosh!"

His vast, quasi-emperor level divine sense quietly spread out like a surging tide. Before long, it had completely enveloped the entire secret realm—except for the area around Emperor Kun. After all, he had to maintain the illusion of having his "cultivation suppressed" in front of Emperor Kun and couldn't afford to expose himself.

...

In a dark crevice, a single Celestial Herb swayed gently with the faint currents of air.

Suddenly!

A flickering flame illuminated the surroundings.

A large head poked into the crevice, its face bathed in the eerie light, making it look somewhat menacing.

From the perspective of the herb, it was a bit frightening.

But in reality, it was merely a genius searching for celestial herbs. His hands pressed against the ground as he shoved his head into the crevice, his rear end high in the air, wiggling back and forth—much like a pig rooting around for food.

Soon, he carefully plucked the Celestial Herb, though its roots remained, unable to be extracted.

Holding the herb up to the sunlight, he marveled at its radiance, shimmering and translucent.

"Hahaha! I've finally found a Celestial Herb! This is my destiny! I, Wang Lan, am destined to rise to greatness!"

He laughed heartily.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a shadow flashed before him, and to his shock, his hand was empty.

The herb's faint yellow outline flickered briefly in his grasp before fading like a dimming lightbulb.

"This..."

He stood there stunned for a moment, then, filled with rage, turned around and bellowed, "Who—"

Before he could finish the word "who," a fist the size of a sandbag smashed into his face, flattening his features.

He dropped instantly.

In the last second before losing consciousness, he saw a slyly grinning black-clad youth grabbing his leg and dragging him away...

...

At a small volcanic vent, the heat was unbearable.

Though it appeared only the size of a wellhead, it led down to an underground river of molten lava, filled with violent energy.

Peering down into the volcanic vent, one could see a black rock standing amidst the molten river. On top of the rock bloomed a vibrant red flower, glowing and emitting rays of light.

"This lava river is one entity. If I disturb it, it will all erupt, and I'll die for sure."

Nearby, a woman in a white dress appeared conflicted. After glancing around, she bit her lip and muttered, "At this point, I have no choice but to use the Lunar Water to cool the surrounding lava, sever its connection to the river, and then take the herb."

She checked her surroundings once more.

Seeing no one around, she carefully walked up to the small volcanic vent, lifted her skirt, and squatted over it with legs apart...

"Sizzle."

Almost immediately, the sound of hissing lava reached her ears, followed by plumes of white smoke rising into the air, like seafood being smoked.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Suddenly, a voice filled with righteous indignation rang out, and she turned to see a black-clad youth staring at her with a look of moral outrage.

His face was stern, his right hand pointing at her accusingly, while his left hand... held a recording stone.

Boom!

The woman in white felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her face turning pale.

She was a prodigy of the Moon Clan, one of their top talents, revered by many as the "Clear Wave Fairy." But now, this embarrassing scene had not only been witnessed but was being recorded.

The impact on her reputation would be utterly devastating.

This kind of thing was normal, after all.

Even fairies need to relieve themselves.

Even the most aloof of goddesses, in the privacy of night, might take certain liberties with their lovers.

But the problem was... it couldn't be seen by others!

Private matters, once made public, spelled social ruin, even destruction of one's reputation.

In an instant, the once dignified and scholarly Clear Wave Fairy was consumed by an intense murderous intent.

Whoosh!

In a flash, she leapt from the vent, her white dress falling neatly back into place. Then, with a burst of speed, she charged at Qin Chuan.

"Thousand Moon Reincarnation!"

As she dashed forward, countless sharp moonlight blades appeared around her, spinning and slicing toward Qin Chuan like a massive array of saws ready to tear him apart.

But with a single palm strike, Qin Chuan unleashed a wave of energy that transformed into a raging ocean, filled with leaping carp that morphed into dragons, roaring and twisting in the air.

This was none other than Qin Xiao Zhu's signature technique.

A technique Qin Xiao Zhu had comprehended while bathing in dragon fish blood back in the Eastern Region.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The dragon-like energy surged forward, shattering the thousand blades of moonlight, before crashing into the woman in white, sending her flying back, coughing up blood.

"You!"

She gasped in shock.

But before she could finish speaking, the despicable black-clad youth appeared before her, covering her face with his palm, knocking her unconscious.

"Another one down, perfect!"

Qin Chuan smirked. This was the hundredth victim.

He specifically targeted the geniuses who had already found celestial herbs, because these geniuses all had powerful backgrounds.

And after taking them down, he could also collect their herbs as an extra reward.

With a wave of his hand, he sealed the white-dressed woman's senses and then stored her in his inner world.

These captives, he carried with him.

Once he'd gathered everyone he wanted, he would release them all at once to humiliate them together. It would be far more effective in stirring up hatred.

Boom!

He raised his hand toward the small volcanic vent, and a muffled sound echoed from below as the black rock seemed to shatter.

Soon after, a brilliant red flower emerged from the vent—just a single, leafless bloom glowing brightly.

"Ugh, it reeks of arrogance!"

Qin Chuan exclaimed before using his water-element abilities to cleanse the herb, storing it away.

No matter how dirty it seemed, there was no illness from dirt.

Anyway, he wasn't planning on using it for himself.

As a qualified father, he always thought of his son. Even when he picked a wild fruit while traveling, he would bring it back for his child... let alone a precious celestial herb.

Oh, the selfless love of a parent!

...

A few days later, on a vast plateau of yellow earth, hundreds of geniuses gradually regained consciousness.

The power that had sealed their senses was gone, allowing them to see the light of day once more.

And what they saw was a large group of their fellow geniuses, all tied up just like them.

They were shocked!

All familiar faces.

Not too long ago, these same people had been showing off and acting superior, flaunting their status before commoners. Now, they were all prisoners together.

"Greetings, everyone."

A leisurely voice called out.

Whoosh!

Almost instantly, the group turned their heads in unison and saw a black-clad youth slowly emerging from behind a mound of earth.

"It's you!!"

"How dare you!"

"You bastard!"

"The Northern Emperor's Wang Clan will not spare you!"

The crowd erupted in fury, eyes blazing with hatred as they glared at Qin Chuan, as if they wanted to tear him apart.

Some of them had been knocked out in one move, not even getting a clear look at his face, and they felt incredibly frustrated.

Others had been humiliated in a direct fight, trounced by a mere four-star saint like Qin Chuan, leaving them even more enraged.

All in all, these self-proclaimed geniuses could not accept their current situation.

"Hmm, I'm sure you've all noticed by now that I've taken everything valuable from you," Qin Chuan said with a smile.

"Huh?!"

"What?!"

"You bastard!!"

They were shocked and quickly realized that all their valuables, from space rings to treasures hidden within their bodies, were gone. Even their more luxurious undergarments had been stripped away!

Immediately, their anger surged to new heights, glaring at Qin Chuan as if they wanted to chop him into pieces, cursing the villain before them!