Chapter 285: The First Kill of Peerless Tang Sect

  After Xuan Ziwen left, Qin Xiao continued crafting several more bullet-type soul tools. Using a piece of pure white crystal, he fashioned a simple scope.

  Once he mounted the scope onto the sniper rifle, the weapon was finally complete.

  "With this in hand, I finally have some real combat power."

  Qin Xiao muttered to himself as he carefully put away the sniper rifle. Just then, his stomach let out a growl.

  Gncing outside, he realized that night had already fallen.

  "Where's Juzi today?"

  "She hasn't brought food yet?"

  Deciding not to wait for her, Qin Xiao prepared to head out and find something to eat himself.

  However, just as he pushed open the boratory door, a piece of white paper slipped through the door crack and fluttered to the ground.

  Frowning, he noticed dark inked words on the paper.

  After confirming that no one was around, he bent down and picked it up.

  Upon reading the contents, he suddenly let out a chuckle.

  "Heh… so Juzi's been captured, and I'm supposed to come alone? If anyone else accompanies me, they'll kill her?"

  "This is clearly aimed at me."

  After scanning the message, Qin Xiao casually discarded the paper and strode out of the b.

  Even if it wasn't about saving Juzi, he wanted to know who his enemies were.

  Before today, such a situation might have troubled him.

  But now?

  With his sniper rifle in hand, combined with the spirit abilities granted by the Skydream Iceworm, he was more than prepared.

  And if he used his Mimicry ability as well, the result would be almost fwless.

  Leaving the academy, he made his way directly to the address written on the paper.

  About seven to eight hundred meters ahead stood an old, abandoned warehouse.

  For now, he concealed himself in the thick foliage of a rge tree, well hidden among the dense leaves.

  Rather than approaching recklessly, he activated his martial soul and used Spiritual Detection.

  Immediately, a detailed map of his surroundings emerged in his mind.

  The warehouse was too far for a clear reading, so he focused and narrowed his detection range, increasing its effectiveness.

  Soon, the full situation inside the warehouse unfolded in his consciousness.

  Three people.

  Two men, one woman.

  The woman, naturally, was Juzi.

  As for the two men, one of them was someone Qin Xiao recognized.

  It was none other than Zimu.

  Apart from him, there was another individual exuding a powerful aura, standing quietly in the shadows.

  From what Qin Xiao could sense, this was a Spirit Emperor-level expert.

  "So, Zimu really did go insane over love?"

  "And he even brought a Spirit Emperor to ambush me? They really want me dead, huh?"

  A chilling glint flickered in Qin Xiao’s eyes.

  He didn’t move closer. Instead, he positioned his sniper rifle on a sturdy tree branch, aiming directly at the old warehouse.

  A mere Spirit Emperor?

  Nothing he couldn’t handle.

  However, the expert inside was on high alert, his senses sharp and wary.

  Qin Xiao needed to wait for a moment when the target dropped his guard before making his move.

  Inside the warehouse, Juzi gred at Zimu with furious eyes.

  "Zimu, have you lost your mind?!"

  Unfortunately, she was bound to a chair, her spirit power sealed. Other than shouting in anger, she could do nothing.

  "I am insane."

  "I love you to the point of madness. Juzi, I've chased you for so many years. I even learned how to cook just to impress you. But how did you treat me?"

  Zimu’s eyes were filled with madness as he gritted his teeth.

  "What did I ever do to you?"

  "You betrayed me for another man!"

  Juzi: "…"

  She was too exhausted to argue anymore.

  She had expined things to him countless times, but he refused to listen.

  "Ha! You're silent now?"

  "That means you're admitting it?"

  Zimu ughed hysterically, growing more unhinged.

  "If I can't have your heart, then I'll take your body first. Over time, you'll learn to love me."

  With that, he stepped closer to Juzi.

  However, the Spirit Emperor in the corner, who had remained vigint all this time, could no longer stay idle.

  "Enough!"

  With a fsh, he appeared before Zimu, blocking his path.

  "You dare stop me?"

  "The master gave strict orders—until Qin Xiao arrives, you are not to touch the woman."

  Hearing the words of the bck-clothed Spirit Emperor, Zimu frowned.

  "Does it really matter when Qin Xiao arrives? You can kill him whenever you want. The result will be the same, won’t it?"

  "Juzi is just bait. Whatever I do with her won’t affect the pn, right?"

  As he spoke, he waved his hand impatiently.

  "I’m done waiting. Move aside!"

  "You have no right to negotiate with me."

  The Spirit Emperor extended a hand, firmly blocking Zimu’s path.

  A powerful aura surged from his body, pressing down like an invisible force.

  Zimu’s expression turned cold.

  "You want to fight me?"

  The two stood at a stalemate.

  "Perfect timing."

  On a tree trunk hundreds of meters away, Qin Xiao had been carefully monitoring the warehouse with Spiritual Detection.

  He didn’t hesitate.

  With a steady breath, he pulled the trigger.

  Did it matter that there was a wall in the way?

  With Spiritual Detection, Qin Xiao could aim even with his eyes closed.

  A deafening gunshot echoed through the night.

  Qin Xiao didn’t wait to confirm the result.

  Immediately, he jumped down from the tree and moved to a new position.

  One shot, then relocate—this was basic battlefield strategy. He wasn’t going to take unnecessary risks.

  Inside the warehouse, Zimu and the Spirit Emperor flinched at the thunderous noise.

  A storm?

  The Spirit Emperor, being more experienced, sensed something was wrong.

  His instincts screamed at him.

  He turned his head just in time to see a dark, metallic object tearing through the warehouse wall, flying straight toward him.

  It moved too fast.

  There was no time to dodge.

  With no other choice, he mobilized his spirit power to create a defensive barrier.

  But it was useless.

  A rushed defense stood no chance against a carefully prepared sniper shot.

  The bullet hit its mark.

  Zimu stood frozen in shock as he watched the Spirit Emperor’s head explode into a mist of blood.

  A thick red mist filled the air.

  The headless body staggered before falling to its knees.

  Then, with a dull thud, it colpsed completely.

  Juzi, still tied to the chair, was equally stunned.

  It had all happened in just a few breaths.

  "Was that Qin Xiao…?"

  She whispered to herself.

  Zimu suddenly leaped toward her, pressing a cold bde against her neck.

  His face twisted with rage.

  "Juzi, you’ve been abandoned. Qin Xiao must have told Xuan Ziwen about your capture!"

  Juzi shook her head.

  "No… that’s impossible."

  "Heh, still in denial?"

  Zimu let out a cold, mocking ugh before pointing at the Spirit Emperor’s corpse.

  "Look at that. He was a Spirit Emperor, and he was killed in one shot by a powerful soul tool."

  "This warehouse is old, sure, but it still shields us well. No ordinary person should have been able to find us, let alone attack from afar."

  "To kill a Spirit Emperor from such a distance, the attacker must be at least a Rank 7 Soul Engineer!"

  "In fact… I wouldn’t be surprised if Xuan Ziwen himself was the one who fired that shot!"

  After processing the death of the Spirit Emperor, Zimu quickly assessed the situation.

  But the conclusion he reached only made him more desperate.

  Whoever was out there was far stronger than him.

  "Heh, isn’t that better?"

  Juzi smirked, a mocking gleam in her eyes.

  "If Xuan Ziwen personally came to execute you, wouldn’t that be a fitting end? A traitor like you deserves to be wiped out."

  Her words ignited Zimu’s fury.

  "You bitch! You’re asking to die!"

  "Zimu, if you don’t kill me, even I will look down on you. But… do you dare?"

  Juzi sneered.

  She could tell he was using her as a shield.

  And in a moment like this, she knew he wouldn’t actually dare to kill her.

  "You really are a cunning woman."

  "But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you die sooner or ter."

  Having his thoughts exposed by Juzi, Zimu no longer bothered pretending. His expression was tense as he stared in the direction the bullet had come from. He then shouted loudly, "Xuan Ziwen, I know you’re here!"

  "If you want to save your precious disciple, show yourself right now!"

  However.

  The moment his words fell, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed outside the abandoned warehouse.

  "Wait… something’s not right?"

  Zimu’s expression changed.

  Xuan Ziwen was tall, and he was very familiar with his stride.

  But the footsteps outside were clearly quicker and shorter.

  That meant the person approaching was shorter than Xuan Ziwen.

  "Could it really be… Qin Xiao coming alone?"

  Zimu murmured to himself, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

  Impossible.

  A mere Soul Master, someone who couldn’t even inscribe a Soul Tool formation properly, killing a Spirit Emperor?

  What a joke.

  Unfortunately for him, his so-called "big brother" hadn’t told him much about Qin Xiao. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so ignorant right now.

  Then again, wasn’t Wang Shaojie counting on his ignorance to eliminate Qin Xiao?

  Boom!

  The old warehouse doors were bsted apart with a single kick.

  Rotten wooden splinters flew through the air, mixing with dust.

  Yet none of this could obstruct Zimu’s vision.

  The moment he saw who had kicked down the door, his pupils contracted sharply, disbelief written all over his face.

  "Qin Xiao?!"

  "Qin Xiao?!"

  Two shocked voices rang out at the same time—one from Juzi and the other from Zimu.

  Neither of them had expected Qin Xiao to be the one standing there.

  This was beyond their imagination!

  But… what was that bck metal object in his hands?

  Zimu was confused.

  A Soul Tool firearm?

  His ignorance wasn’t entirely his fault—after all, this particur weapon had only been invented a day ago. How could he possibly recognize the sniper rifle Qin Xiao held?

  "Qin Xiao, I know Xuan Ziwen is nearby, right?"

  "I know you’re just bait he sent ahead. Stop wasting your time. If you want to save Juzi, tell him to come meet me face to face."

  Zimu was still wary, unwilling to let his guard down.

  In his mind, there was no way Qin Xiao could have killed a Spirit Emperor.

  However, Qin Xiao simply shook his head.

  "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. The one who killed that Spirit Emperor wasn't Xuan Ziwen—it was me."

  "You?"

  Zimu looked at Qin Xiao, stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out ughing as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

  "Ha! Qin Xiao, don’t make me ugh."

  "Just look at yourself. One single soul ring? What’s your spirit power level—barely over twenty?"

  "You think you can even use high-level Soul Tools? Even if I handed you a Rank 6 or Rank 7 Soul Tool, do you think you'd be able to operate it?"

  In Zimu’s worldview, the stronger the Soul Tool, the stronger the Soul Master required to wield it.

  This was an absolute principle among Soul Engineers.

  Even if Qin Xiao somehow obtained a powerful Soul Tool, he would drain his own spirit power dry just trying to use it.

  "Master Qin, leave now! That Soul Tool won’t be enough to defeat Zimu!"

  Juzi shouted anxiously.

  "You think he can just walk away?"

  "You think he can come and go as he pleases?"

  Zimu sneered at Qin Xiao.

  "You want to save this woman?"

  "Fine. I’ll give you a chance. Use that little toy of yours and cripple both your own legs."

  "If you do that… maybe I’ll consider letting her go."

  Before Zimu could finish speaking, Juzi cried out, tears in her eyes.

  "Master Qin, don’t! If you do that, you’ll be pying right into his hands!"

  She was terrified.

  Afraid that Qin Xiao would actually do something reckless.

  But was Juzi overthinking things?

  Qin Xiao did want to save her… but only under the condition that he could do so safely.

  There were several reasons why he made his move like this.

  First, while he had charged his sniper rifle’s core formation, his spirit power was only at Rank 20. He couldn’t fully power up the weapon in a short period of time.

  As a result, the next shot would only have a third of its full strength.

  Second, even a third of the rifle’s power was enough to kill Zimu, but right now, Zimu was standing too close to Juzi.

  Qin Xiao didn’t want to risk a long-range shot, fearing that Zimu might have enough time to react and harm Juzi.

  Third, he had already scanned the area multiple times and confirmed that there were no other enemies hiding nearby.

  Considering all this, stepping into the warehouse gave him the best chance to rescue Juzi.

  "You really have no idea what a sniper rifle can do."

  "Let me show you—times have changed."

  Hearing Qin Xiao’s words, Zimu instinctively wanted to retort.

  "You’re talk—"

  Before he could finish his sentence, Qin Xiao's soul ring lit up.

  A sudden force smmed into Zimu’s head like an invisible hammer, making his vision blur.

  Before he could recover, he saw a tiny metallic object streak through the air, fired from the dark barrel of Qin Xiao’s weapon.

  It moved so fast… he couldn’t react.

  A sharp pain pierced his forehead.

  Then, he heard the deyed thunderous gunshot.

  And then… nothing.

  Like the Spirit Emperor before him, Zimu’s head was blown to pieces.

  His body stood still for a moment before colpsing backward.

  Qin Xiao lowered his sniper rifle, using the barrel to tap the ground as he spoke coldly.

  "Who said a Soul Master can’t kill a Spirit Emperor?"

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