I started by slashing through the enemy's territory, and I drew so many affixes that my hands w

Deep in the ocean, 10,000 meters below.

In a perpetually dark place where sunlight cannot reach, the water is suddenly pushed aside by some force.

An invisible barrier spans thousands of feet, keeping the seawater out and revealing the dark seabed rocks.

Li Xiaotian stumbled out of the spatial rift and took two steps to regain his balance.

The old scar on his forehead gleamed menacingly in the dim light, and his face was so dark it seemed about to drip water. The aftereffects of using the secret technique of the Burning Domain were still churning within him, and his meridians were throbbing with pain.

Inside the space, three pitch-black statues stood as if they were alive.

In front of the statue, each person sat cross-legged, exuding a terrifying aura.

An elderly man in black robes approached from beside the altar, his voice hoarse: "Old Li, judging from your face, the mission failed?"

Li Xiaotian gave him a cold look.

"You'd better give me an explanation. I've been lying low in the East China Headquarters for so many years, waiting for the crucial moment to deliver a fatal blow. Why are you suddenly calling me back at this critical juncture, ruining decades of hard work!"

He is an enforcement officer of the Spirit Suppression Bureau, but he is not a traitor.

Because... before joining the Spirit Suppression Bureau, he was already one of the three vice leaders of the Pantheon. He had painstakingly infiltrated the Spirit Suppression Bureau and it took him decades to become an enforcer.

Li Ruyue was indeed his daughter.

He launched the attack on Jiang Qin under this pretext in order to cover up his identity as a member of the Pantheon and leave himself some room for maneuver; otherwise, he might find it difficult to operate in China in the future.

"Because there is no need to lie low any longer."

Before the central statue of the god, a figure shrouded in shadow spoke, his voice carrying an inexplicable magnetism, as if capable of stirring one's heartstrings.

"What do you mean?" Li Xiaotian asked, frowning.

The man looked up at the statue in front of him: "My god has given the order that the last barrier between the two realms is about to be broken. Now we are only missing one key person to enter the game... Once the barrier is broken and the god descends to this realm, we will no longer need to hide. We will only need to conquer this world with absolute strength."

"We will become the new masters of this land!"

Li Xiaotian's eyes flickered slightly. If that were the case, then it wouldn't be surprising...

Those present, all of whom were vice-leaders, had made deals with the gods and were the core of the entire pantheon.

[We will spare no expense to help the gods descend upon this world!]

To achieve this goal, they are even willing to sacrifice themselves.

"When will you make your move?"

"It'll be soon... at most a month. Everything has been arranged, and our god will forcibly descend to help us complete this final step!"

-

During the two-day holiday, Jiang Qin didn't take Cang Ling to any famous scenic spots or historical sites.

He took her to see a movie.

It was a terrible comedy; everyone in the theater was laughing, but Cang Ling remained expressionless throughout.

After the show ended, she suddenly said, "I almost laughed when that fat guy fell down."

Jiang Qin asked, "Then why aren't you smiling?" She thought for a moment and replied seriously, "I forgot how to smile."

He took her to the riverbank to enjoy the breeze.

As evening fell, the river surface was dyed orange-red by the setting sun, and the sound of the ferry's whistle came from afar.

On the way back, Cang Ling looked at the neon lights rushing past the car window and suddenly said, "So living can just be living."

Jiang Qin did not respond.

He knew she didn't need a response.

Some of the things she said were for herself.

Peaceful days are always fleeting...

Two days later, at the entrance of Zhenling Academy.

Su Lingwei stuffed a storage bag into Jiang Qin's hand: "This is part of the roasted meat. I'll give you the rest next time you come back."

"Okay... I'll be waiting for you at the East China Headquarters."

Jiang Qin accepted the gift with a smile, then turned and boarded the aircraft.

The moment the hatch closed, Su Lingwei suddenly took half a step forward, as if she wanted to say something.

But the aircraft's engines were already roaring, and the airflow whipped up her hair and the hem of her clothes.

She stood there, watching the aircraft take off, turn around, and plunge into the clouds, leaving a thin white line across the azure sky.

The white line gradually faded.

Only after no trace could be seen remained did Su Lingwei suddenly speak:

"Grandpa... I want to go back to the Su family."

Next to the guardhouse, the old man paused in his smoking, then slowly put it down.

"Is it for the second half of the Su family's Artifact Control Technique?"

Even among the many martial arts forces in China, the Su family ranks among the top in strength. The Su Family Weapon Control Technique, which is hailed as the absolute foundation of the Su family, is not a simple martial art. It is a method created by a master of the Law Realm of the Su family who integrated the Law of Weapons.

The Su family's method of controlling artifacts is divided into two parts: upper and lower.

After mastering the upper part, one can control the weapon at will, which alone far surpasses those S-level weapon control techniques.

However, the most important part of the Su family's weapon control technique is the mental cultivation method in the second half.

To give a simple example, when Su Lingwei first faced Han Wenqing, she could only fight a war of attrition and ultimately lost.

But if she had known the Su family's Artifact Control Technique back then, she wouldn't have needed to resort to any clever tricks; she could have defeated Han Wenqing head-on.

Moreover, it won't be too difficult.

Such a method can be described as defying the heavens. Perhaps it was for this reason that the only person in the Su family who reached the Law Realm suffered divine punishment and soon returned to the earth.

Some people have also tried to seize this method.

Unfortunately, only members of the Su family can learn this technique.

Although Su Lingwei is of the Su family bloodline, she has long been expelled from the Su family.

If we go there like this, the Su family definitely won't give us the cultivation method; they might even make things difficult for us.

Su Lingwei looked up at the blue sky. "The gap between him and me is getting bigger and bigger. I want to catch up with him. Besides... the Su family's weapon control technique was created by my grandfather. I just want to take back what is rightfully mine."

"Sigh—whatever, this old man doesn't want to deal with these troublesome things."

The old man shook his head and sighed.

This was something that had to be faced eventually. Now that Jiang Qin had appeared, it had accelerated the confrontation between Su Lingwei and the Su family. It was hard to say whether this was a good thing or a bad thing...

-

After returning to headquarters, Jiang Qin and Cang Ling resumed their busy lives of traveling around.

But compared to having to perform several SS-level missions a day before, it's much more comfortable now. At least I can take some time to cultivate and improve my strength.

But the world is not always peaceful; accidents are the norm.

Half a month later.

On a moving aircraft.

Jiang Qin sat cross-legged on the bed, exhaling a breath of turbid air, his aura naturally advancing to the mid-stage of the Divine Manifestation Realm.

He had just opened his eyes and hadn't even had a chance to experience the increase in his strength.

Cang Ling walked in from outside.

"There's a new mission."

"Just an hour ago, members of the Pantheon appeared one after another across China, attacking cities and sacrificing ordinary people using various methods. It's very likely they have a new conspiracy, and among them... Blood Demon, one of the Pantheon's vice leaders, appeared in Tianyun City and launched a large-scale attack. We have been ordered to go and wipe them out immediately!"

Jiang Qin was stunned; he hadn't heard that familiar name in a long time.

Tianyun City...

Is it a bit too absurd that a vice leader of the Pantheon could lead a group to attack a small border town?