The colonel, filled with unease, looked around, only to see his colleagues still in a state of shock, engaged in heated discussion, oblivious to the presence of the female lieutenant as if she had never existed.
This bizarre incident left the colonel both terrified and bewildered. After a moment, he was no longer sure if the mysterious lieutenant had ever appeared.
Qian Ye was completely unaware of what transpired in the central control room. At that moment, he was fully focused on the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra, suppressing the further expansion of the vortex within his body. He knew that the underground origin force array was already operating beyond its capacity, but with his true vision, all the changes in the flow of origin force were clear to him. Thus, he knew the array was still far from its true limit, and although it appeared perilous, it would not be damaged.
The real challenge lay in controlling the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra. The deeper his cultivation, the more he could feel the power of this art. This technique, perfected by the Martial Ancestor, simulated the whirlpools of the ocean, drawing in the origin force with a ferocity beyond imagination. When Qian Ye reached the peak of his cultivation, nine origin force vortices would work together, creating a powerful current capable of directly cracking the void, allowing the practitioner to absorb the origin force from the void itself.
Even now, with only two origin force vortices formed, if Qian Ye unleashed his full power, he could drain the origin force within a hundred-meter radius, including the void origin force. This area, however, contained several courtyards housing individuals of no less importance than Qian Ye. Such an action would undoubtedly cause significant trouble.
In the future, when Qian Ye was just a step away from becoming a divine general, practicing the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra would leave a thousand-meter radius devoid of origin force. Then, an entire city might have to be reserved for his cultivation alone.
Previously, Qian Ye had thoroughly searched through the archives and asked Song Zining to gather information, confirming that apart from Zhang Boqian, he was likely the only one in the empire who practiced the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra. Naturally, the fewer people who knew about it, the better. Therefore, Qian Ye carefully controlled the operation of the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra, ensuring its influence did not extend beyond the courtyard walls, to avoid any complications.
However, such a domineering art was easy to unleash in full force but extremely difficult to control. Qian Ye concentrated intensely, feeling as if he were holding up a deep sea, not daring to let his mind wander.
At this critical moment, the stable origin force whirlpool suddenly jolted, causing a ripple. Though it was a small ripple, the origin force whirlpool was powerful enough to crack the void, and even a slight deviation could lead to disaster.
Qian Ye’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stabilized the origin force whirlpool, managing to narrowly avoid a calamity.
Not long after, the origin force whirlpool inexplicably moved again, creating a splash.
Once might be an anomaly, but twice immediately put Qian Ye on high alert. He remained composed, continuing the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra while silently activating his true vision.
Under the true vision, all changes in the origin force were laid bare. Qian Ye then saw a faint, barely perceptible strand of origin force appear, pointing towards the center of the whirlpool. This strand of origin force was extremely subtle, and if not for Qian Ye’s superior perception, he would not have noticed it.
This strange and ethereal origin force seemed to blend with the void, yet it contained a peculiar and terrifying power, causing the origin force whirlpool to sense its presence.
It seemed to be very interested in Qian Ye’s origin force whirlpool, circling around and trying to get closer. However, every time it approached, the origin force whirlpool reacted aggressively, attempting to crush the mysterious origin force. Yet, the moment the whirlpool exerted its power, the strand of origin force sensed it and swiftly retreated.
Qian Ye maintained the stability of the origin force whirlpool, patiently engaging with the mysterious strand. The strand of origin force seemed very interested, constantly testing and trying to enter the core of the whirlpool.
But Qian Ye would not allow it such an opportunity.
After several rounds, the mysterious strand gradually understood the patterns of the origin force whirlpool and tested closer to the core. This, however, was Qian Ye’s intention; he was waiting for the perfect moment to unleash the whirlpool and destroy it.
Just as Qian Ye was about to strike, a sudden icy wave descended from the sky, passing through his body. The arrival of the icy wave caused the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra to react as if facing a formidable enemy, and the origin force whirlpool instantly broke free from Qian Ye’s control, erupting with full force!
With a thunderous boom, the roof of Qian Ye’s cultivation chamber turned to dust, scattering in all directions. The walls crumbled under the tremendous pressure. From the walls to the main house of the courtyard, and then to the courtyard walls, the destructive pressure expanded, crushing everything in its path.
In a matter of moments, a shallow pit tens of meters wide appeared around Qian Ye, and the courtyard vanished, leaving only the foundation of the cultivation chamber. Not only his courtyard, but the surrounding ones also suffered, with some being almost completely destroyed.
The commotion drew several figures into the air, all of them the owners of the surrounding courtyards. They gazed at the ruins below, stunned and uncertain.
The sudden, terrifying pressure had appeared like a raging sea, sweeping everything in its path into ruins. Despite their strength, the force capable of cracking the void still shocked and frightened them.
This was the core area, with countless known and unknown security forces. In a blink, several Zhao clan strongmen emerged from the shadows, encircling the scene.
Amidst the ruins, Qian Ye stood out.
Two Zhao clan strongmen flew to Qian Ye, landing in front of him and politely inquiring about what had happened. They had recognized Qian Ye and, regardless of his relationship with the Zhao clan, his own achievements deserved their respect, so they did not dare to be disrespectful.
Qian Ye finally managed to contain the fully unleashed Grand Martial Conquest Sutra, standing up and looking around at the destruction. “This… I lost control of my cultivation, and the origin force went berserk.”
The onlookers, all experts, immediately saw the problem originated from Qian Ye. They assumed he was practicing a powerful combat technique and had made a mistake. When they heard it was a loss of control in cultivation, their eyes turned toward him with a mix of surprise and curiosity.
What kind of cultivation method could go berserk like this? The origin force storm that swept through was immensely powerful, though it seemed to only affect a few dozen meters, it was actually terrifying. If the out-of-control origin force storm hit them, they could be seriously injured without warning.
A force capable of cracking the void, what did that mean? It wasn’t about the amount of origin force, but its level. Many generals with more profound origin force than Qian Ye would never be able to crack the void.
Such a catastrophic loss of control should have left Qian Ye with severe injuries, yet he stood up unscathed, which made their eyes widen in astonishment.
The noble clans and great families had accumulated countless secret arts and techniques over thousands of years. Qian Ye, who had risen like a meteor in recent years, was only overshadowed by Zhao Jundu. Any other family would have supported him with all their resources. Therefore, it was not surprising if Qian Ye had obtained a secret art from the Zhao clan; it would be more surprising if he hadn’t.
This thought seemed to explain the situation. The looks the onlookers gave him became even more complex, filled with envy and jealousy. However, they were all aware of their own limitations. Qian Ye’s secret art, though incredibly powerful, was clearly not something ordinary people could practice. If they tried, they might end up as piles of minced flesh before achieving anything.
The Zhao clan experts checked the ruins and found that the origin force array in Qian Ye’s cultivation chamber was intact, and the arrays in the other courtyards were also unaffected. These arrays, which gathered and purified origin force, were the most valuable, making the courtyards and buildings trivial in comparison.
Thus, the matter was settled, and someone led Qian Ye to another empty courtyard as his new residence. This preferential treatment was not extended to the other strongmen whose courtyards were destroyed; they had to stay elsewhere until their courtyards were repaired. No one complained, as Zhao Jundu had personally ordered it, and no one wanted to offend a future sixth Celestial King over such matters.
As the crowd dispersed, the female lieutenant slowly emerged from the shadows. She stood not far from them, but no one noticed her presence.
She gazed at the ruined courtyard, disappointment in her eyes, muttering, “Capable of unleashing but not containing, is such a person really worth valuing? Li Kuanglan, I hope you don’t disappoint me again.”
Yet, a lingering doubt remained in her mind, and she stared at the remaining foundation of the cultivation chamber, silent for a long time.
Qian Ye arrived at the new courtyard, sat down in the cultivation chamber, and a cloud of worry appeared on his face. The sudden icy wave was the true cause of the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra going berserk. But the icy wave was intangible and elusive, even more difficult to grasp than the previous faint origin force, and Qian Ye could not even determine what it was.
When Qian Ye first cultivated the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra, he knew it was a technique deduced by the Martial Ancestor, and even the Martial Ancestor had not fully perfected it, stopping at the divine general level.
Who could make the Grand Martial Conquest Sutra go berserk?
Filled with questions, the night passed quickly. At dawn, someone delivered a letter to Qian Ye. The messenger was the same female lieutenant, who left after handing over the letter. Qian Ye, however, realized that he still could not see through her strength!
Previously, those who could evade his true vision were Nighteye, with her ancestral bloodline, and Song Zining, who could mislead and interfere. Zhao Jundu, on the other hand, made no effort to conceal his strength, confident that even if his opponents knew, he would still win.
This woman, however, could make his true vision ineffective, indicating that her secret arts were extraordinary, and she was definitely not just a lowly lieutenant.
Watching her leave, Qian Ye’s brows raised slightly, thinking that perhaps even her appearance was not real. If so, the disguise technique that could fool him completely was indeed remarkable.
As she disappeared, Qian Ye closed the courtyard door and opened the letter.
On the paper, there were only a few words:
“The duel of life and death approaches. How is the general preparing? I will visit soon to see for myself. Li Kuanglan.”
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