Chapter 499: Chapter 499

After Qin Yang left the ancestral hall, all the ancestral tablets inside collapsed one by one, thundering to the ground, as if consumed by wrath.

Truly an unfilial son.

The Qin Family actually produced such an unfilial son.

Three elderly men groggily woke up. These were seasoned Immortal King powerhouses, and under normal circumstances, there was no way they would fall for something so easily. But who could have expected that the boy they raised would set a trap for them?

"What just happened?"

"Not sure, my head feels foggy... Seems like we got hit by Enchanting Immortal Powder."

The three old men immediately rushed into the ancestral hall. When they saw the tablets toppled and, more critically, the Immortal Venerable Essence at the very top missing, their expressions changed drastically.

"That little brat Qin Yang knocked us out and stole the Immortal Venerable Essence!"

"Quick, report to the Clan Leader!"

They were genuinely terrified by Qin Yang’s audacious act.

The Immortal Venerable Essence was of critical importance.

To the Immortal Venerable Family, its significance went without saying—it stabilized the Qin Family’s destiny. Read complete version only at novel·fire·net

Now that it had been stolen, if it fell into the wrong hands, the consequences would be disastrous.

Before long, the entire Qin Family was thrown into chaos. Emperor Qin flew into a rage, harboring thoughts of killing Qin Yang. He immediately issued orders for the family’s strongest cultivators to locate him. No matter what, the Immortal Venerable Essence had to be recovered.

When Qin Yang’s second uncle, Qin Xiangtian, heard about this, he was dumbstruck, standing frozen in place for what seemed like ages, unable to process what had just happened.

He couldn’t comprehend this at all.

Sure, the boy might have been a bit of a troublemaker, but he always knew where to draw the line.

But now, this act crossed every boundary—daring to make a move on the Immortal Venerable Essence in the ancestral hall? He’d essentially pierced the heavens with this one.

Qin Xiangtian stormed out of the Qin Family estate. No matter what, he had to bring back both Qin Yang and the Immortal Venerable Essence—safe and sound. Worst case, Qin Yang would get a savage beating, but not too severe.

If something happened to the Immortal Venerable Essence, however, the situation would spiral out of control.

Qin Yang was lying motionless in the muck. He didn’t dare move an inch, terrified that the family’s powerhouses would track him down. With his cultivation, escaping wasn’t an issue, but if they caught up to him, all his efforts would be for naught.

He sensed several auras passing by overhead before quickly disappearing into the distance.

"Ah, I’m screwed. Definitely getting beaten half to death." Qin Yang was scared out of his wits. Normally, he wouldn’t care about trivial matters, but could this be considered trivial? Not even close!

This was the kind of thing that could cost him his life.

For now, all he could do was lie still.

Wait until everything calmed down and then quietly slip away, heading in Brother Lin’s direction.

"Huh! I gotta say, sleeping in a swamp isn’t half bad. Sure, the smell is a bit pungent, but otherwise, everything’s perfect." Qin Yang was chuckling to himself. Time was the best medicine—after just one night, he had already tossed the whole debacle out of his mind.

"Looks like most of them have left."

Peeking out from the swamp cautiously, Qin Yang assessed the situation around him.

Everything seemed perfectly safe.

He climbed out of the swamp, cast a spell to clean off the grime on his body, and dashed off into the distance. At the moment, the most important thing on him wasn’t the Holy Weapon but this Immortal Venerable Essence.

Whether Brother Lin lived or died hinged on him now.

Xiang Fei had been guarding Lin Fan for several days. He was perpetually on edge, worried that even a moment’s carelessness might lead to disaster for Brother Lin—a regret he didn’t want to carry.

Especially given how many enemies they had provoked in their travels.

If a powerful foe came knocking, that would really be a disaster of epic proportions.

Everything was calm and safe. No dangers had presented themselves.

"Brother Xiang, where are you?"

Qin Yang’s voice traveled faintly from afar, soft like a kitten’s meow, hesitant and cautious, clearly afraid of attracting unwanted attention.

Upon hearing the voice, Xiang Fei knew Qin Yang had returned. He immediately shouldered Lin Fan and made his way to meet Qin Ahyang.

The two met face to face.

"How did it go?" Xiang Fei asked.

Xiang Fei hadn’t been entirely convinced of Qin Yang’s plan, given that Qin Yang didn’t typically inspire a lot of confidence.

Qin Yang grinned smugly. "When I handle things personally, how could there be any problems? Of course, everything went smoothly. Brother Lin is saved—you don’t need to worry."

He pulled out the Immortal Venerable Essence.

Xiang Fei had never seen the Immortal Venerable Essence before and had no idea what it was. Shaking his head, he looked utterly baffled. Perhaps out of habit, or maybe to humor Qin Yang and his flair for dramatics, Xiang Fei played along and feigned ignorance.

The truth was, he genuinely had no clue what it was.

"Hehehe. Feeling a little uncultured, aren’t you?"

"Let me enlighten you—this is the Immortal Venerable Essence."

Qin Yang puffed out his chest, brimming with pride, as if to say, "Take a good look. You’ve never seen anything before, have you? Not just anyone gets to lay their eyes on this."

Now he was letting Xiang Fei feast his eyes on it.

Xiang Fei scrutinized it closely. "So this is the Immortal Venerable Essence? It really does radiate an extraordinary power. How exactly did you get your hands on it? Don’t tell me... you stole it?"

"Hah!" Qin Yang was instantly irked. "Who the hell do you think I am, huh? Steal? You better take back that word—it’s grating on my ears. I’m the Qin Family’s Little Immortal Venerable and destined to be the Great Immortal Venerable. If I want something, I just take it—who would dare stop me? Who would dare refuse me?"

"Alright, enough gawking. This has to go to Brother Lin—saving his life comes first."

Qin Yang feared delays the most.

This wasn’t the time for dithering.

If an enemy happened to show up and snatched the Immortal Venerable Essence, then what?

It wasn’t unheard of for such things to happen.

So for the sake of safety, having Brother Lin consume it immediately was the way to go.

Xiang Fei observed Qin Yang. He wasn’t stupid—he could see through things better than most. Just as Qin Yang was about to give the Immortal Venerable Essence to Lin Fan, Xiang Fei grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

He asked with a serious expression, "Tell me the truth. I don’t want to hear any lies. This thing couldn’t possibly have been as easy to get as you’re making it seem. Did you steal it from your family?"

Qin Yang said, "Why are you prying so much? Look, the important thing is we got it—now let’s save Brother Lin already."

"Not a chance. You need to come clean first. If you don’t explain everything, I won’t allow it," Xiang Fei insisted.

Qin Yang grew annoyed and snapped, "Fine, fine. You’re right, alright? I stole it from the Qin Family. The Immortal Venerable Essence is such a crucial artifact that even the Clan Leader wouldn’t touch it lightly. I only managed it because of my status as the Little Immortal Venerable. I found a way to snatch it."

Xiang Fei said in a solemn tone, "So what’s your plan? After Brother Lin uses the Immortal Venerable Essence, were you intending to go back and face the consequences? Let me guess—you’re betting your life to exchange for Brother Lin’s?"

Initially, Qin Yang didn’t feel like continuing this conversation, but when he heard Xiang Fei’s words, he was dumbfounded, staring at him in disbelief.

"What did you just say?" Qin Yang asked, completely taken aback.

Xiang Fei replied, "Isn’t that right?"

"Hell no!" Qin Yang stated bluntly. "You think I’ve lost my mind? Stealing the Immortal Venerable Essence and then going back? Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I went back? It’d be a total nightmare—I’d die a terrible death. Nothing on this earth could get me to go back!"

"And you—have you been reading too many of those brotherhood-sacrifice novels?"

"Don’t read those—they rot your brain. Did you seriously expect me to go back, admit I stole it, and nobly refuse to rat anyone out, just taking all the blame myself? Dream on!"

Qin Yang was honestly bewildered by how Xiang Fei’s mind worked. There was no way he’d do such a thing—it was far too risky.

And he wasn’t about to risk his own skin for romanticized ideals.

"Alright, enough talk. Let’s save Brother Lin already." Qin Yang pried open Lin Fan’s mouth and stuffed the Immortal Venerable Essence inside, then placed his palm on Lin Fan’s chest, channeling mana to help Lin Fan refine the essence.

A tremendous shockwave erupted from Lin Fan’s body, spreading outward with explosive force.

Qin Yang and Xiang Fei stumbled back, thrown off balance by the blast.

"Holy crap, that’s intense!" Qin Yang exclaimed in amazement.

He knew the Immortal Venerable Essence was incredible.

But he had never witnessed anyone refining it before.

Xiang Fei fixed his gaze on Lin Fan. He noticed Brother Lin’s body levitating off the ground, with radiant seven-colored light surging from his form, coiling around him. The sheer aura radiating from him was overwhelming.

The two of them quietly waited.

The Heavenly Vault darkened as storm clouds gathered, thunder rolling across the skies. A crushingly intense aura bore down upon them.

"Looks like a Heavenly Tribulation," Qin Yang remarked.

Xiang Fei nodded. "Indeed, it’s tribulation time. Brother Lin’s cultivation has skyrocketed after consuming the Immortal Venerable Essence, pushing him to a critical threshold. Let’s back up, just in case we get caught in the chaos."

The two retreated swiftly.

Eyes glued to the unfolding scene ahead.

A massive bolt of lightning, as thick as a barrel, struck down from the heavens, slamming into Lin Fan. Yet, its power seemed insufficient—the damage inflicted on Lin Fan was negligible, barely grazing the surface.

"Yo, seriously, Lord of Heaven! What are you even doing? My Brother Lin’s cultivation is solid as a rock, and his body’s tougher than steel. Why humiliate yourself ? Just give up and move on already!" Qin Yang shouted at the sky.

To him, the Heavenly Tribulation was simply embarrassing itself.

If he were in charge of the tribulation, he wouldn’t bother putting in the effort after seeing Lin Fan’s impenetrable defenses.

What’s even the point?

The storm clouds above churned, crackling with arcs of violet lightning.

Xiang Fei warned, "Brother Qin, do not insult the heavens. If the Lord of Heaven has ears and hears you, he might actually take this seriously."

Qin Yang blinked and quickly clasped his hands together in prayer. "Dear Lord of Heaven, esteemed ancestor of all things, this little Little Immortal Venerable admits his mistake. Just a light shock or two will suffice—it’s all just formalities, no need to go all out!"

Xiang Fei couldn’t help rolling his eyes at Qin Yang.

Qin Yang’s life was honestly pitiful enough already—no sense in bickering with him.

Lightning struck down repeatedly, but sure enough, it was all ceremonial.

Before long, the storm dispersed.

The dissipating thunderclouds signified the end of the tribulation.

Xiang Fei noticed that Brother Lin’s body now gleamed like polished jade, as though the tribulation had refined him, elevating him to a new level of strength far beyond what he’d been before.

A blessing in disguise.

The trio of misfits—this freakishly lucky trio—really packed a punch. Qin Yang, initially perceived as someone with few redeeming qualities, had come through during Brother Lin’s time of crisis with an unexpected act of valor.