At this moment, atop Mount Tai, at the Jade Emperor Peak, Taoist Xu He stood with Song Ningran protected behind him. He stared at the young man before him and said solemnly, "Tang Liuyun, don't harbor any ill intentions toward this young girl. Behind her stands an Immortal!"

The youth appeared to be in his twenties, with handsome features and a delicate, somewhat sinister charm. His face was pale, devoid of color. He wore a red silk robe, his gaze fixed on Song Ningran, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned in a faint smile.

"Immortal? HAHAHA! Xu He, you've been searching for more than seventy years and still haven't given up? I don't want to waste words with you. Hand the girl behind you over to me, so I can absorb her essence for my cultivation!

"Xu He, I know your old injuries haven't healed, and you can't fully utilize the strength of a Great Grandmaster. You can't stop me. If you don't want to die, step aside, or I'll kill you along with her today!"

"I'm afraid I can't comply." Taoist Xu He shook his head gently. "I was entrusted by that Immortal to protect this young girl's safety. Don't be disrespectful, or this old Taoist will risk his life to hurl you from this Jade Emperor Peak until you are smashed to pieces!"

"Good!" Tang Liuyun roared, raising his palm, fingers forming a claw. He shouted, "Then let me see if you, a half-crippled Innate Grandmaster, can still kill a mere Transcendence Realm cultivator like myself!"

"Whether he can kill you, I do not know." Qin Heng's voice suddenly interjected. He walked up the steps slowly, watching Tang Liuyun, and said indifferently, "But I know that you will certainly die here today!"

Tang Liuyun was about to strike Xu He when he suddenly heard Qin Heng's voice. He paused, looked over, and then burst into laughter. "HAHAHA! A little brat still reeking of his mother's milk! What do you know? Are you looking to die?"

He completely ignored Qin Heng, his gaze returning to Xu He.

BANG!

With a forceful stomp, the ground beneath Tang Liuyun seemed to tremble, and a loud rumble echoed as if the mountain itself shook. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he charged at Xu He, his palm formed into a claw, reaching for Song Ningran behind him.

"Xu He! Hand over this little wench to me first! HAHAHA!"

However, just then, Tang Liuyun suddenly felt his body halt. His forward momentum vanished instantly, as if something had seized him, leaving him completely unable to move.

"What's going on?!" He whipped his head around and saw that Qin Heng had, at some unknown moment, grabbed his robe. Qin Heng stood firm on the ground, utterly still, and Tang Liuyun found himself unable to budge even an inch.

"Such incredible strength!" Tang Liuyun's eyes lit up. He looked at Qin Heng and laughed loudly. "Kid, it seems you have some skills! Dreaming of playing the hero to save the damsel in distress, are we? But you've chosen the wrong place!

"Sixty years ago, I was already a Grandmaster of Transcendence. In all of China, few could withstand a single blow from me. I've seen plenty of greenhorns like you, and I've killed plenty too. Die!!"

He abandoned his attack on Xu He. Instead, he whipped his clawed hand around and lunged ferociously at Qin Heng behind him. Internal Force surged from his fingertips, piercing the air. As his hand shot towards Qin Heng's head, it tore through the air, leaving long white vapor trails in its wake.

An ordinary person facing such an attack would have their head crushed on the spot! Even a Martial Artist who had mastered Hidden Force would, at best, survive a few more seconds, only to suffer even more excruciating pain before succumbing. Tang Liuyun had once tested his grip on a steel plate, effortlessly piercing and shattering one over ten centimeters thick. His power was immense!

"Immortal, be careful!" Taoist Xu He hastily warned, knowing full well Tang Liuyun's extraordinary strength.

"Qin Heng!" Song Ningran cried out, her voice laced with deep alarm.

"HAHAHA! You can't escape! Kid, meet your doom!" Tang Liuyun cackled, reveling in the experience of brutally slaughtering the weak. He could already picture it: Qin Heng's head crushed, blood erupting, his body turning into a headless corpse.

"You talk too much!" Qin Heng merely sneered. Facing Tang Liuyun's incoming claw, he casually slapped out with his own palm.

BOOM!

It was as if an ancient giant had swung its hand. The moment Qin Heng's palm shot out, a terrifyingly immense force instantly compressed the air, creating an effect akin to a bomb exploding! Layers of air formed shockwaves that rapidly spread, strong enough to send Tang Liuyun flying. However, Qin Heng still had a firm grip on his robe, pinning him to the spot, unable to move.

BANG!

The palm struck Tang Liuyun squarely on the chest.

"AHH!!"

Tang Liuyun cried out in anguish, his body stiffening on the spot. The clawed hand, poised to attack Qin Heng, froze in mid-air, trembling, unable to advance another inch.

He looked down. Qin Heng's palm was embedded deep in his chest!

Ribs shattered! Lungs punctured! My heart... it's about to burst! My entire chest cavity... pulverized!

"You?!" Tang Liuyun stared at Qin Heng in utter horror, all his earlier arrogance gone. He roared in disbelief, "You deceived me! Who are you?! Why did you ambush me?!"

"An insignificant insect like you sure has a lot on its mind," Qin Heng snorted coldly. With a surge of Internal Force in his palm, there was a sickening squelch. Tang Liuyun's heart completely shattered, his lungs reduced to pulp!

Blood gushed from his seven orifices. He was dead!

THUMP!

The corpse, its chest cavity completely caved in, fell backward, lifeless. Dead.

A Grandmaster who had reached the Transcendence Realm over sixty years ago, slapped to death by Qin Heng without the slightest chance to resist!

"Ran Ran, are you all right?" Qin Heng looked Song Ningran over.

"I'm fine. That man tried to grab me just now, but Taoist Xu He protected me the whole time," Song Ningran said, her voice still tinged with lingering fear.

"Thank you." Qin Heng nodded slightly, then turned to Taoist Xu He. "Your Realm is flawed. Although you've reached a level higher than the Transcendence Realm, you can't exert your full power."

"Immortal Qin, your insight is truly piercing," Taoist Xu He replied with a bitter smile. "You are correct. Over forty years ago, I surpassed the Transcendence Realm and was about to step into the Innate Realm. However, during my breakthrough, I was ambushed by Hong Tianshu and Tang Liuyun.

"Because the breakthrough was incomplete, my Realm became flawed. I can only exert the power of the Innate Realm three times a year at most. Otherwise, I risk a backlash from my vital qi and blood, leading to immediate death."

"Later, I will have Qian Zhenghai send you a healing Cultivation Technique. Practice it for a month, and you should be able to mend your Cultivation Realm," Qin Heng said casually, as if he were offering something utterly trivial.

Upon hearing this, Taoist Xu He looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. He was completely stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Qin Heng. A torrent of emotions—joy, shock, incredulity—flashed across his face.

"Immortal... Immortal Qin, what you just said... is it truly real?!" His voice trembled. The ninety-two-year-old Taoist, whose mind was usually incredibly steadfast, was now on the verge of losing his composure.

He immediately knelt before Qin Heng and kowtowed. "Thank you, Immortal, for bestowing upon me this healing method! This old Taoist is willing to serve you faithfully, to be your humble servant and attend to your every need!"

If the leaders of the world's top nations were to witness this scene, they would likely be astonished beyond belief. In their eyes, Taoist Xu He was a figure comparable to an Immortal.

And now, he was kneeling before Qin Heng!

"No need for thanks. It's merely a trivial little trick," Qin Heng said, shaking his head. He then patted Song Ningran's shoulder beside him and smiled. "Alright, we should be heading back."

"Mm," Song Ningran nodded obediently. She felt incredibly safe by Qin Heng's side.

"We respectfully see you off, Immortal!" Taoist Xu He kowtowed again.

「…」

Qin Heng descended the mountain with Song Ningran. They hadn't walked far when Song Ningran's brow furrowed.

"Qin Heng, I think I've sprained my ankle," Song Ningran gasped, sucking in a sharp breath. She leaned heavily on Qin Heng for support, nearly losing her balance.

"That's easily solved." Qin Heng reached out, one arm going around her back to support her shoulders, the other sliding under her thighs. In one smooth motion, he lifted her into his arms—a soft, warm, and fragrant armful.

"I'll carry you down," he said.

Song Ningran was instantly dumbstruck. Nestled in Qin Heng's embrace, her face flushed crimson. She lightly tapped his chest and protested playfully, "We're still near the summit of Mount Tai! Are you really going to carry a grown woman all the way down?"

Ordinary people are utterly exhausted just from climbing a mountain. Carrying someone down? Who's ever heard of such a thing?!

"You're very light. It's no trouble for me," Qin Heng chuckled. Without releasing Song Ningran, he continued carrying her down the mountain.

Along the way, they drew a series of expressions from onlookers as if they were witnessing a ghost. Tourists and other hikers stared, and gasps of astonishment rippled through the crowd.

"Holy shit! Is that guy even human?"

"What a freak of nature! What kind of strength is that?!"

"I must be seeing things!"

Carrying a gorgeous woman all the way down from the summit of Mount Tai! What incredible luck with the ladies! And his stamina must be superhuman!

Halfway down the mountain, a young couple also touring Mount Tai witnessed this spectacle. The girl, in her early twenties, was attractive, with a good figure and a vibrant, youthful beauty.

She turned to her boyfriend and said, "Honey, I think I've sprained my ankle too. Carry me, okay? That would be so romantic!"

"Huh?! Me?!" The boyfriend was instantly flabbergasted.

He was tall and lanky, with the build of a scholar, clearly lacking in physical strength.

"Yes! Come on, carry me~" the girl wheedled, pouting playfully.

"But I can't carry you!" the young man lamented, looking helpless.

"Are you saying I'm heavy?! You actually dare to say I'm heavy?!" The girl's temper flared. Glaring at her boyfriend, she pointed at Qin Heng's receding figure. "Why can *he* carry someone, then? You definitely think I'm too heavy!

"You hate me! You don't love me anymore! We're breaking up!"

With that, she dramatically flung her hand and strode ahead, completely ignoring the young man.

The boyfriend stood there, utterly dumbfounded. What the—?! Holy shit!

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