“Red Rainbow Sister, don’t mess with me. What exactly are you trying to do?” Ao Shuang’s voice trembled uncontrollably, tinged with a hint of sobbing, her small face pale as death.
“I trusted you, that’s why I let you do all this. Don’t really drag me down with you.”
“I don’t dare to go against Qin Qingyue.”
She had a strong premonition that disaster was looming.
Red Rainbow looked at Ao Shuang’s terrified face and rolled her eyes helplessly, her tone soothing:
“Sister, why don’t you still trust me? When have I ever lied to you?”
She was about to beat her chest again and promise a few more times when suddenly there was a thunderous roar.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure, as if born from the deepest abyss of the Nine Heavens, suddenly descended.
The air inside the hall grew heavy; the invisible weight caused the exquisite jade floor to groan under the strain, cracking with sharp sounds.
“See, they’ve arrived.” Red Rainbow smiled at Ao Shuang.
Ao Shuang’s face turned deathly pale. “But… isn’t that Qin Qingyue?”
Outside the hall, Qin Qinghong’s complexion was ashen. Fear made even breathing difficult; her teeth chattered as she could only lift her head in despair.
Four figures slowly appeared before the assembled dragons.
Leading them was a figure clad in dark robes, tall and upright — it was Qin Qingyue.
Her breathtakingly beautiful face was void of any emotion, save for those crimson Dragon Eyes sweeping over the three dragons.
Not far behind Qin Qingyue stood Jiang Huai quietly, observing the scene.
Flanking him were two others.
On the left was Zhuxin, clad in blazing red armor, fierce as fire — a Great Ascension Stage master of the fire path.
On the right stood Su Yingman, dressed in pink, a Heaven-grade Spiritual Sword at her waist, with a gentle demeanor.
With these two Great Ascension Stage experts guarding Jiang Huai, Qin Qingyue could clearly unleash her power without restraint.
“Qin… Qin Qingyue!”
“What do you want?!”
Qin Qingyue gave no answer—and none was needed.
An icy killing intent surged like a tangible tide, instantly drowning Qin Qinghong, stopping her breath.
At that moment, the silent Red Rainbow moved.
“Qin Qingyue.” Her voice was clear and steady.
“I’ve handled both the matter and the person.”
Those words struck Qin Qinghong’s mind like thunder.
“Red Rainbow?! You…” Qin Qinghong raised her head, disbelief, horror, and rage all etched on her face as she trembled so violently she could barely form words.
This was a trap.
She finally understood why the White Dragon and Yellow Dragon had not come for so long, why Red Rainbow had kept her stranded in the Central Continent Dragon Palace.
None of it was real.
It was all a scheme jointly orchestrated by Qin Qingyue and Red Rainbow.
Qin Qinghong was utterly despairing as her last hope crumbled to dust.
She stared at Qin Qingyue approaching step by step, killing intent resolute, and let out a heart-wrenching wail:
“No! You can’t kill me! I am the legitimate heir of the Eastern Wilderness Dragon Clan! I…”
Her scream was abruptly cut off.
There was no earth-shattering display of power, no dazzling move.
Qin Qingyue merely raised her right hand, fingers slightly spread, and clenched the air above the slumped Qin Qinghong.
A sickening sound echoed.
“When you cast me out of the Dragon Palace back then, I truly didn’t blame you.” Qin Qingyue’s voice was soft, almost like muttering to herself.
“Everyone despised me, no one liked me, I knew that.”
“But…” Her tone suddenly grew cold.
“Why? Why, when I barely survived and struggled to exist, did you send people to assassinate me over and over again?!”
The crackling of Qin Qinghong’s bones echoed, chilling to the bone.
Her terrified expression froze as her entire body was lifted off the ground.
“Was it because you feared my power advancing, afraid I’d take revenge?” Qin Qingyue slowly shook her head; her crimson Dragon Eyes held no anger, only icy indifference.
No struggle, no screams.
A faint yet terrifyingly hollow popping sound, like a water-filled leather sack bursting instantly.
Qin Qinghong was dead—dead cleanly, with her soul utterly obliterated by Qin Qingyue.
Her spirit shattered and dispersed.
Zhuxin’s pupils constricted sharply as she gasped.
She had just witnessed a Great Ascension Stage expert of her own caliber reduced to a fragile porcelain doll, crushed instantly by pure force in Qin Qingyue’s hands.
So effortlessly, so ruthlessly.
This was not a battle—it was absolute domination through brute violence.
Only now did she truly realize that back in the Blazing Sun Sect, Qin Qingyue had been holding back against her to an almost playful degree.
Jiang Huai watched expressionlessly, his gaze cold and unreadable.
For no other reason than this: he was now Qin Qingyue’s Husband, and any enemy who bullied his woman deserved to die without question.
If Qin Qingyue did not act now, when he grew strong enough, he would personally settle this grudge.
Qin Qingyue slowly withdrew her hand, as if brushing away a speck of dust.
A red glow flashed in her palm—a Dragon Pearl emanating scorching heat—gently landing into Red Rainbow’s hand.
“Thank you for this.”
Qin Qingyue’s face shed the previous cold indifference, instead revealing a rare, gentle smile.
A seamless shift from tension to ease, perfectly controlled.
Holding the long-lost Dragon Pearl, Red Rainbow felt the familiar power within, her heart still trembling with shock.
She shook her head and offered no polite words.
Her gaze passed over Qin Qingyue and landed on Jiang Huai behind her.
So Qin Qingyue had taken him back again?
Curiosity surged within Red Rainbow, wondering why Qin Qingyue and Wu Zhaohua had fought so fiercely over this man.
Suppressing her restless thoughts, Red Rainbow looked at Qin Qingyue and asked,
“Qin Qingyue, now that Qin Qinghong is dead, the Eastern Wilderness Dragon Clan is leaderless, and the Core Dragon Palace is under your control.”
“With your current strength, returning to take up the Clan Leader position and retaking the Eastern Wilderness Dragon Clan is just a flick of the wrist. What do you intend to do?”
Qin Qingyue barely hesitated before shaking her head slowly, her tone calm:
“No. I have no interest in that position.”
“I plan to establish a new… sect.”
Qin Qingyue intended her power base to include not only dragons but other races as well.
“A new sect? When?” Ao Shuang asked in surprise.
Living so long, she’d seen everything—even Qin Qingyue founding a sect?
“What will your sect be called?” Ao Shuang’s curiosity was piqued.
Qin Qingyue did not answer immediately but lifted her gaze slightly, as if piercing through the Dragon Palace’s ornate dome to the endless sky beyond.
She seemed to be contemplating, then after a moment, turned to Jiang Huai, her eyes soft with inquiry:
“What do you think about ‘Heaven Palace’?”
Meeting her gaze, Jiang Huai pondered briefly before replying honestly:
“Isn’t that a bit too grand?”
Who names their sect simply ‘Heaven Palace’?
“Oh?” Qin Qingyue raised an eyebrow, not offended but intrigued.
“Then what do you suggest?”
After some thought, Jiang Huai proposed:
“How about ‘Nine Heavens Palace’? It conveys lofty ambition without being overly ostentatious.”
“When the sect truly grows and shakes the world, you can drop the ‘Nine’ and just call it ‘Heaven Palace’.”
Qin Qingyue’s eyes gleamed with a deeper smile—a joy born of being understood and supported.
She nodded without hesitation, then turned to Red Rainbow and Ao Shuang, her voice clear: “From now on, our sect will be called Nine Heavens Palace.”