Chapter Twenty-One: Qin Shuang’s Fury

"Not intentional?" Upon hearing this, not only did Qin Shuang show no sign of restraining her killing intent, but instead she gathered her formidable aura and pressed it down fully upon Situ Jian. Bai Wan was already leading all available immortals from Lotus City, hurrying toward the forest, when they suddenly sensed that the murderous aura from that expert had abruptly lessened.

At this moment, Situ Haonan was drenched in cold sweat. Despite his cultivation as a first-level Golden Immortal, he could not stop the sweat pouring down his body. Under Qin Shuang's oppressive presence, he had completely lost all ability to resist, nearly forgetting he was a Golden Immortal at all.

"Jian’er…" As soon as he came to his senses, Situ Haonan no longer cared what cultivation level that expert in the forest was. He rushed headlong inside. After all, the one in danger now was his own flesh and blood. However much he might cling to life, he could not allow his son to face this peril alone.

With a resounding crash, having only managed to cover a dozen meters, just as he was about to reach the forest’s edge, Situ Haonan was violently bounced back. He had been moving too quickly, and the impact left the Golden Immortal’s head bleeding, his body flying backward more than twenty meters.

Qin Shuang suddenly burst into laughter, looking down from above at the trembling Situ Jian, whose entire body was crushed under her aura. She said indifferently, "Do you want to hear some good news?"

Situ Jian heard her voice, but he could not utter a sound in response. Though she claimed to have good news, the coldness in her tone only deepened his terror.

"Never mind, I’ll tell you anyway." For a moment, Qin Shuang lessened the pressure of her aura. "There’s a first-level Golden Immortal outside. Judging by his anxiety, it appears he’s here to save you."

"It’s my father!" Situ Jian shouted inwardly. There was only one such Golden Immortal in all of Lotus City. At a time like this, he could not believe any other would come to rescue him. Yet, faced with Qin Shuang’s oppression, even the hope of a brief respite was a distant dream.

"Do you feel relieved, thinking yourself about to be saved?" Qin Shuang’s chilly gaze fell on Situ Jian, whose eyes betrayed a fleeting hope. The memory of Lei Shan’s death stoked her fury.

"All right, then let me give you some bad news. I have laid a restriction around the forest. Without my permission, no one can enter." In less than a second, Qin Shuang’s expression shifted again. These abrupt changes nearly broke the spirit of the cultivator who had just survived his tribulation.

Suddenly, a spray of blood burst from Situ Jian’s left chest. Completely immobilized under Qin Shuang’s aura, he jerked violently.

"Ah…" He had not been able to make a sound before, but in the extremity of pain, a hoarse, despairing cry forced its way from his throat, sending chills down the spine of any who heard it.

"Painful, isn’t it? This is only the beginning…" Qin Shuang gave a cold, tragic smile, glancing back at Lei Shan’s bisected corpse. In her heart, she vowed, "Lei Shan, rest assured. The pain he subjected you to, I shall make him repay a hundredfold, a thousandfold."

Strangely, though blood no longer spurted from the wound on Situ Jian’s shoulder, the injury showed no sign of healing—not even the slightest.

Though the bodies of cultivators were not strong by nature, they could recover rapidly. A wound so small should have healed in the blink of an eye, bringing no pain at all.

Three more muffled sounds followed—three identical wounds appeared on Situ Jian’s right chest and both sides of his lower abdomen.

"Ah…" Situ Jian’s agonized scream grew louder. At that moment, he no longer felt fear of death—he almost wished for it, if only to end his suffering.

Outside the forest, Situ Haonan heard his son’s harrowing cries. The pain in his heart was beyond words as he hurled himself again and again at the restriction Qin Shuang had put in place.

Alas, he was but a mere first-level Golden Immortal. Against the barrier set by a seventh-level Immortal Emperor, he could do nothing.

"Haonan?" Just as Situ Haonan was about to despair, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"Brother!" The Lord of Lotus City, Bai Wan—Situ Haonan’s sworn brother—had arrived with all the immortals of the city, standing behind him. Yet, so consumed was Situ Haonan with his son’s plight that he hadn’t even noticed so many arrivals.

"Brother… Brother, please save Jian’er. You must save him…" On the verge of tears, Situ Haonan dropped to his knees before Bai Wan, pleading desperately.

Bai Wan truly regarded Situ Haonan as his own brother. He hurriedly helped him up and asked, "What happened? What’s wrong with Jian’er?"

"I… I don’t know. Jian’er is in the forest, but someone has laid a restriction over it. I tried to break through several times but couldn’t get in. I heard his screams just now; he must be enduring inhuman torment." Situ Haonan spoke rapidly, hoping his brother could break the restriction and save his son.

Bai Wan’s heart tightened. He knew Situ Haonan’s strength—it was only a rank below his own. In terms of raw power, he might not even be much stronger. Yet this restriction was utterly unresponsive to Situ Haonan’s assaults! Clearly, whoever laid it was vastly superior to them both.

"Haonan…" Bai Wan hesitated. "I fear this time… Jian’er has truly met his match."

Situ Haonan was stunned. Bai Wan’s meaning was clear: even he could not break the restriction, and even if they did, none among them could stand against the mysterious master within.

He knew it all too well. The most powerful Golden Immortal he had ever seen was sixth-level, but none had possessed such terrifying might—enough to make him tremble with fear through aura alone. This meant the one inside had surpassed the sixth level, and that was no strength numbers could overcome.

"Brother… I understand," Situ Haonan said. He did not blame Bai Wan, for their strength was simply insufficient; more people would make no difference.

After speaking, Situ Haonan turned away. A top-grade immortal sword shot from his body in a flash of light and struck Qin Shuang’s restriction squarely. In his earlier panic, he had forgotten he possessed such a blade.

With a deafening crash, there was still no sign of energy or even a ripple in the air. Only the top-grade immortal sword… shattered.

"So, you want to come in?" Qin Shuang frowned. Though these people posed no real threat, they were certainly irritating. "Very well. If you wish to enter, then all of you may come in."

PS: Persimmon is out of town and has been on the move all day, so today’s update is late—my apologies! There will always be at least two updates daily, usually at noon and evening. Old readers know that unless I’ve asked for leave, no matter how late, the updates will come, so don’t worry! Also, thank you all for your support. Please cast your precious recommendation votes for Persimmon and for the sequel. Persimmon's honor is a gift from you! Bowing in gratitude!