The Qi Cultivation Emperor Who Snatches Brides, do you think you're funny?

It was a shadow.

The shadow struggled desperately in Li Xuan's large hand. Its shape was extremely strange, seemingly both real and illusory, and it was surrounded by a thick, almost tangible, ominous aura.

The aura was as black as ink, constantly churning and surging, as if it had its own life, twisting and changing from time to time, vaguely outlining painful and distorted ghost faces, emitting chilling and shrill roars.

This shadow was originally a wisp of remnant spirit left behind by a quasi-emperor in the world. Over the long years, it was tainted by the evil power from that ominous place, and unexpectedly developed sentience, gradually transforming into this strange holy spirit.

It resides in the ancestral land of the Jiang family.

At this moment, Li Xuan had grasped it so easily in his hand, and the shock in his heart was indescribable.

It stared wide-eyed at the pair of eyes formed by the gathering of eerie light, its eyes filled with disbelief. It couldn't understand how it could be so well hidden, and how even the powerful members of the Jiang family had never noticed its existence.

But this mysterious member of the Li family in front of it actually saw through its hiding place at a glance and captured it so effortlessly. This was completely beyond its expectations, and its self-confident mentality collapsed instantly.

"Hmph, you think you can catch me?!" The shadow sneered, its voice seemingly coming from the deepest hell, icy and piercing, filled with utter disdain. "You think you've caught me? You're courting death. You'll regret this later!"

The Jiang family members stood frozen in place, their expressions a fascinating mix. First, they were utterly astonished, then shock spread across their faces like a tidal wave, impossible to conceal.

Their eyes widened as they stared intently at the shadowy figure, which Li Xuan held tightly in his hand, struggling and emanating an eerie aura. A storm raged within them.

"How... how could such a thing be hidden in this ancestral land! Our Jiang family has been passed down for many years, yet we have never noticed its existence. If it weren't for today's upheaval, we would probably still be kept in the dark." A Jiang family steward muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly from shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.

They originally thought they knew enough about the family's ancestral land, which carried the glory and protective power of the Jiang family's ancestors and was the Jiang family's strongest backing. However, they never expected that one after another, situations would occur that were beyond their comprehension.

"Yes, we thought the appearance of our ancestor was our last resort. We never expected that the ancestral land would hold such a powerful foundation. We thought that even if we couldn't turn the tide in one fell swoop, we could at least hold our own against the Li family. But who would have thought that as soon as he appeared, he was grabbed by the mysterious expert from the Li family like a chicken. This... this is just too despairing!"

A severely injured member of the Jiang family said with a bitter expression, the light of hope that had once burned in his eyes now completely extinguished, leaving only endless disappointment and confusion.

He stared at the shadow, as if he could see the last glimmer of life in the Jiang family gradually fading away. A deep sense of powerlessness enveloped his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

The other members of the Jiang family around them also looked on with despair. They looked at each other and saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.

The older elders frowned, their wrinkles deepening with shock and worry. They never imagined that the secret "foundation" hidden in their family's ancestral land would be so easily defeated. What they thought would turn the tide in a critical moment had become a joke. This huge discrepancy was hard for them to accept.

"What sins has our Jiang family committed? First, our clan was destroyed, with countless deaths and injuries. We finally saw our ancestor return, only to suffer such a miserable defeat. We had hoped that the unknown power in our ancestral land could save us, but now even that power is struggling to survive. Is our Jiang family truly doomed to be wiped out today?" A female disciple of the Jiang family covered her mouth, her eyes filled with tears, and spoke in a sobbing voice. Her words made the atmosphere around her even more oppressive and heavy. Many people lowered their heads silently, their hearts filled with sorrow and helplessness.

Jiang Tian's face was ashen, his knuckles turned white from clenching his fists so tightly, and his body trembled slightly. Looking at the shadow controlled by Li Xuan, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He originally thought that with the Jiang family's resources, even if they faced the most powerful enemy, they wouldn't be powerless to fight back. But reality hit him like a series of heavy punches, shattering his illusions.

He couldn't understand this level of combat at all; he only felt that the shadow and the aura emanating from the Li family patriarch made him extremely uncomfortable.

Those Jiang family members who had previously held onto a sliver of hope for their clan now seemed to have all their strength drained away, slumped to the ground, staring blankly ahead. They simply couldn't accept that their clan's hopes had been ignited time and time again, only to be ruthlessly extinguished time and time again. The despair of falling from the clouds to the bottom of the abyss nearly drove them to the brink of collapse.

Looking at the strange shadow struggling in Li Xuan's hand, Jiang Tianming felt nothing but despair, yet he couldn't help but shout a warning: "Be careful! The Li family patriarch's strength is unfathomable; do not be careless!"

His voice was hoarse and urgent, carrying a hint of shared misery, after all, they were both under the absolute suppression of the Li family's powerful figure and knew how terrifying the other party was.

Upon hearing Jiang Tianming's warning, the eerie shadow merely let out a sinister laugh that echoed across the ruins, sending chills down one's spine.

Suddenly, the ominous aura surrounding it surged violently. The pitch-black aura, like a surging tide, instantly enveloped its entire form. Then, to everyone's astonishment, it abruptly vanished from Li Xuan's grasp.

The next moment, it appeared without warning in mid-air dozens of feet away from Li Xuan. Its ethereal figure swayed in mid-air, as if showing off its amazing escape method.

Its eyes, formed from a ghostly light, were filled with indifference and mockery. Looking down at Li Xuan, it coldly said, "Hmph, you think you can catch me? How naive! With your meager abilities, you dare to act arrogantly before me? You're courting death. Kneel down now, and I might spare your life. Become my servant obediently, and perhaps I'll grant you some opportunity, considering your passable strength. Otherwise, today is your death day!"

Its words were extremely arrogant, and its haughty appearance made it seem as if it had already won the battle. It didn't take Li Xuan seriously at all, and even forgot that it had just narrowly escaped from Li Xuan's grasp. Now it shamelessly demanded that Li Xuan kneel down and beg for mercy to become its servant. Such an arrogant attitude truly demonstrated the ultimate in looking down on others.

However, it was completely oblivious to the strange expressions on the faces of the people around it. The entire Jiang family stood there, stunned, staring blankly at it, their faces filled with shock and disbelief, as if they were witnessing the most absurd and ridiculous scene in the world.

Jiang Tianming's face was filled with bitterness, and his blood-covered face looked even more ferocious and bizarre because of this bitter expression.

Seeing that Li Xuan was merely staring at it silently without any response, the eerie shadow grew even more arrogant. It raised its head slightly, its face full of disdain and contempt, and spoke again, mocking, "Hmph, what? Scared out of your wits? I don't have that much patience to waste with you. I'll give you three breaths to kneel down and beg for mercy, and swear an oath to become my servant and obey my commands. Perhaps then I might spare your life, you ignorant fool. If you dare to disobey, after three breaths, it will be your death day. Don't blame me for being ruthless and not giving you a chance!"

Having said that, it extended an illusory finger and slowly began counting in the air, "One breath..."

The sound was drawn out and echoed in the quiet, somewhat oppressive space. Every syllable seemed to carry endless mockery, as if it was certain that Li Xuan would kneel down and beg for mercy at this final moment.

"You, an ant-like being, dare to challenge me? How utterly laughable! I have spent countless years transforming from a remnant quasi-emperor into what I am today with the help of ominous power. Why would I fear a nobody who suddenly appears like you? If you know what's good for you today and obediently submit, I might be able to show you the true world of the strong in this Eastern Wilderness. Otherwise, you will soon know what it means to regret it too late, hahaha..."

As it counted its breaths, it continued its arrogant chatter, its unrestrained laughter sounding particularly jarring to everyone's ears. Yet, it completely disregarded the feelings of those around it, immersing itself in the atmosphere of superiority and control it had created, as if it were the most powerful being in the world, able to decide the life and death of others at will. It was completely unaware that its arrogant behavior was nothing more than a farcical spectacle in the eyes of others.

The Jiang family members remained standing there, their eyes vacant and blank, as if they had lost all life. They watched the eerie shadow counting wildly and spouting nonsense in the air, their hearts filled with helplessness and bitterness, and could only let out a long sigh in their hearts.

The heavily injured Jiang family stewards exchanged glances, each seeing deep despair in the other's eyes. They managed a bitter smile, a smile more painful than tears, yet conveying a sense of helplessness and sorrow.

One of the deacons smiled bitterly and said in a low voice, "We thought that the existence in this ancestral land could be our last straw, but who would have thought... Alas, now that it is so overconfident, it is afraid it will drag our Jiang family into the abyss." The people next to him nodded slightly, their bitter expressions deepening, but they could no longer say a word and could only continue to stare blankly at the absurd scene before them.

The wrinkles on the faces of the elders of the Jiang family deepened, as if they had aged several years in an instant.

Their brows were furrowed, their eyes filled with worry and helplessness. They looked at the shadow as if they were watching a child who was being unruly and reckless, but they had no way to stop it.

An elder shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, "So be it. The situation is beyond our control now. We can only hope that the Li family patriarch will spare the anger of the other innocent members of the Jiang family, considering how foolish this shadow is." His words were full of helplessness and despair, as they knew that the fate of the Jiang family was like a candle flickering in the wind.

Jiang Tianming looked utterly desperate. His bloodied face appeared even more ferocious, but beneath that ferocity lay a deep sense of powerlessness.

He looked at the self-righteous, eerie shadow, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He was once a renowned powerhouse in the Eastern Wilderness, but now he has fallen into such a miserable state. This shadow was originally hoped to have the power to turn the tide, but it turned out to be so arrogant and foolish. It has a seemingly powerful body, but it can't see the situation at all. Its arrogance in front of the Li family patriarch is simply courting death.

Jiang Tianming sighed inwardly. He was already at his limit and powerless to change the situation. He could only watch helplessly as the impending catastrophe loomed. At this moment, he felt as if the whole world had turned gray and gloomy. The future of the Jiang family seemed to be shrouded in a thick haze, with no glimmer of hope in sight.

Did the shadow escape?
Escape!
It never left Li Xuan's palm!

Outside the Jiang family compound, the members of various other families looked at the strange shadow that was swaggering in the air with mocking expressions, as if they were watching a clown putting on a show.

"Haha, has this shadow lost his mind? He barely escaped from the clutches of the Li family's experts, and now he dares to threaten them so arrogantly. Does he really think he's the overlord of this Eastern Wilderness? It's utterly ridiculous!" A cultivator from the Zhao family couldn't help but burst into laughter, his laughter full of mockery and disdain. As he laughed, he winked at his companions, as if he had witnessed the most absurd thing in the world.

"That's right, it probably thinks it can really control that Li family patriarch. Look at his calm and composed demeanor, he clearly doesn't take it seriously. I think its arrogance won't last long. When the Li family patriarch makes his move, it'll be in for a surprise. Let's just wait and see." A Wang family steward chimed in, arms crossed, a mocking smile on his face, his eyes brimming with schadenfreude.

"Hmph, with its appearance, it dares to think it can make the Li family patriarch kneel down and beg for mercy to become its servant? Isn't it afraid of biting off more than it can chew? I think it doesn't even realize that it has never escaped someone's grasp from beginning to end, and it's still smugly pleased with itself. How stupid!" An elder of the Sun family sneered, his face full of disdain. In his eyes, this shadow had great power but no intelligence whatsoever.

It's better to give it to him!

The eerie shadow sensed something was amiss.

Li Xuan smiled faintly, "Are you finished? Then I should send you on your way."

The eerie shadow paused, then looked up and sneered, "You're sending me on my way? Hahahaha, are you dreaming?"

Li Xuan revealed a playful smile. "Is that so? Then, who among us is dreaming?"

The eerie shadow was startled, looked up, its body trembled, and an expression of disbelief appeared on its face.

(End of this chapter)