I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Yun Qingyao's expression was icy, a long sword formed from condensed clouds pointing diagonally at the ground in her hand. Her voice was clear and cold: "Lei Hao, stop trying to distort the truth. The Fire Lotus is an unclaimed object. We arrived here first, intending to pick it, when you suddenly attacked and seriously injured my junior sister from Tianyin Valley. Those who kill will be killed. If you want the Fire Lotus, take it by your own ability. Why make up these excuses?"

"Based on your own abilities?" Lei Hao scoffed. "Just the three of you? Yun Qingyao, I know you're from the Xuan Yuan Sect and have some connection with Qin Yuan. But don't think that just because you've climbed the social ladder of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, you can look down on everyone. Today, I'm taking this Fire Lotus! If you retreat now, I might spare your lives for Qin Yuan's sake. But if you remain obstinate, don't blame me for disregarding our shared membership in the Five Great Sects!"

A Xuan Tian Sect disciple at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm behind him sneered, "Senior Brother Lei, why waste time talking to them? These fairies from Tianyin Valley have quite good musical skills. Why not capture them and have them play a few tunes for you to liven things up? Haha!"

The other two also let out malicious laughter. The two female disciples of Tianyin Valley were both ashamed and angry, but dared not speak out.

Yun Qingyao's eyes grew even colder, the mist around her suddenly churned, and her aura surged: "If you want to fight, then fight!"

"Stubborn fool!" Lei Hao's face darkened, and with a flick of his spear, purple lightning erupted. "Since you're courting death, I'll grant your wish! Form the 'Mysterious Heaven Thunder Array'!"

The three Xuan Tian Sect disciples immediately shifted their positions, forming an encirclement with Lei Hao. The four of them had their auras faintly connected, and lightning flashed, forming a simple yet powerful lightning battle formation that enveloped Yun Qingyao and the other two! Lei Hao took the lead in the attack, while the other three provided support. The power of lightning increased exponentially, and violent lightning snakes intertwined in the air, radiating a destructive aura.

The pressure on Yun Qingyao and her two companions increased dramatically. Yun Qingyao, skilled in the art of cloud and mist, excelled at transformation and trapping enemies, and found it quite difficult to directly confront the fierce and domineering thunder array. The sonic abilities of the two disciples from Tianyin Valley were also greatly diminished by the thunderous roar.

As the lightning array closed and countless bolts of lightning were about to fall, Yun Qingyao prepared to use a secret technique with a high cost to fight to the death.

Just then, a calm voice suddenly rang out in the room:

"Is the Xuan Tian Sect's thunder magic just used to bully the weak and take advantage of the strong?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out the thunder and reached everyone's ears.

Everyone was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. On the other side of the lava lake, on a crimson boulder, stood a figure in a green robe, hands behind his back, calmly watching them.

"Qin Yuan?!" Lei Hao's pupils shrank, and he exclaimed in surprise. He naturally recognized this guy who had made a name for himself at the Heavenly Pride Gathering and was now a prospective Dao Child of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.

When Yun Qingyao saw Qin Yuan, a barely perceptible ripple flashed in her cold, beautiful eyes, and her tense mind relaxed slightly.

"Senior Brother Qin!" The two female disciples of Tianyin Valley were overjoyed.

Qin Yuan's gaze swept across the scene, landing on the corpse on the ground and Yun Qingyao's slightly pale face. His eyes turned cold. He looked at Lei Hao: "Lei Hao? You just said, 'For my sake'?"

Lei Hao's expression shifted rapidly. Qin Yuan's appearance was completely unexpected. His impression of Qin Yuan was still based on the rumors from the Heavenly Pride Gathering; he knew the other party was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and possessed considerable strength, but he himself was only at the late Nascent Soul stage and had the aid of the Thunder Array, so he wasn't necessarily afraid of him. However… the other party was, after all, a prospective Dao Child of the Taiyi Immortal Sect. If things were to break down here…

He took a deep breath, suppressing his apprehension, and said in a deep voice, "Qin Yuan, this matter has nothing to do with you. It is a feud between my Xuantian Sect and Tianyin Valley. This Yun Qingyao aided and abetted the evildoer, killing my junior brother and stealing my spiritual medicine. I am just seeking justice. Do you intend to become an enemy of my Xuantian Sect for the sake of a fellow villager from a lower sect?"

He deliberately framed the matter as a feud between two families and pointed out Yun Qingyao's "lower sect" background in an attempt to put Qin Yuan down.

Qin Yuan seemed not to hear him, and instead looked at Yun Qingyao: "Senior Sister Qingyao, what's going on?"

Yun Qingyao briefly recounted what had happened, which was exactly as Qin Yuan had predicted.

Qin Yuan nodded, then looked at Lei Hao again, his tone still calm: "Did you hear that? You attacked first, killing and stealing. Now, I'll give you two choices. One, leave the Fire Lotus, compensate the Tianyin Valley junior sister for her losses, and then get lost. Two, I'll help you get lost."

"You!" Lei Hao roared in fury, "Qin Yuan! You're too arrogant! Do you really think my Xuantian Sect is afraid of you? You're just a newcomer to Taiyi, your foundation is not yet stable, yet you dare to spout such nonsense here? Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of the elders of your Taiyi Immortal Sect, you ignorant brat!"

He was already proud and arrogant, so how could he tolerate being so disrespected by Qin Yuan? Moreover, he was confident in his powerful lightning magic and the support of the battle formation, so he might not be without the ability to fight back!

"Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens!" Lei Hao roared, his spear blazing with lightning, drawing in the thunder that transformed into a massive purple thunder dragon, baring its fangs and claws, and with a deafening roar, it lunged at Qin Yuan! At the same time, the other three Xuan Tian Sect disciples also activated their thunder arrays with all their might, countless thunder snakes shooting towards Qin Yuan from all directions, sealing off all escape routes!

His first move was a killing blow! He intended to severely injure or even kill this troublesome Taiyi disciple with lightning speed! Afterwards, he could easily claim it was an accidental mishap during a struggle for an opportunity, and that the law wouldn't punish the masses!

Faced with this terrifying thunderous attack, Qin Yuan didn't even move an inch. He simply raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and made a loose fist towards the roaring purple thunder dragon and the countless thunder snakes.

There was no spiritual radiance, no supernatural phenomena.

But the instant he clenched his fingers, the space within a hundred feet of him seemed to freeze instantly! The raging purple lightning dragon and the countless ferocious electric snakes seemed to have crashed into an invisible, absolutely solid barrier, their speed suddenly dropped, and then they seemed to sink into a quagmire, struggling to move forward. The lightning dimmed and dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye!

After achieving minor mastery of the second level of the "Undying Body of the Universe Stars," the physical body's harmony with space deepened, and the perception and control of energy reached a new level. Qin Yuan's grasp just now, seemingly simple, actually mobilized a portion of the power of the stellar tendons and bones, combined with his own abundant spiritual power, forming a kind of "force field"-like suppression that forcibly interfered with and disintegrated the opponent's lightning structure!

"What?!" Lei Hao's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. His powerful lightning technique, which he relied on for fame, was actually neutralized by the other party so easily?

Before he could make his next move, Qin Yuan made his move.

He took a step forward, his figure seemingly ignoring spatial distance, instantly appearing in front of Lei Hao! It was still a simple and direct punch, aimed straight at Lei Hao's face!

The punch wasn't fast, but it carried a suffocating sense of oppression, as if the entire world was pressing down with that punch!