Qin Xiao sped up and returned to the capital in less than a day.

Standing outside the city gates of the capital, Qin Xiao smacked his lips.

"Do you think it's a bit embarrassing for me to go back like this?"

"Hehe, Master, are you worried about affecting your image?" Bai Ling nestled against his neck and laughed.

Qin Xiao scooped him up and hugged him tightly. "Wow, he looked so handsome when he left, and it hasn't even been that long..."

“I think Master doesn’t need to worry. You know, you survived from the hands of a god this time. Once word gets out, everyone will be wary of you.”

Qin Xiao thought about it and realized it really was true.

You must know that it is a god, the ultimate being in all known planes, whose word decides the life and death of all worlds.

"Forget it, there's no use thinking about it so much. Let's go back first. By the way, let's contact the Cangyuan Realm and my small world this time and get some manpower."

Having made up his mind, Qin Xiao stepped into the capital city.

This time, returning alone, there were naturally no people lining the streets to welcome me. Once I arrived in the capital, I could no longer fly around and could only walk.

As Qin Xiao entered the capital city, he admired the scenery while heading towards the Ice Palace.

However, they had only gone halfway when a large number of Ice Palace maids appeared in front of them.

"Lord Jingbian, His Majesty requests your presence."

The maidservant spoke respectfully.

Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow, not expecting the other party to react so quickly.

Is it because of that Ice Heart Formation?

Qin Xiao naturally did not refuse and got into the palanquin that the other party had brought with them.

Half an hour later, at the Ice Palace, Ice Heart Hall.

Mu Yueming sat opposite Qin Xiao, looking at him with a strange expression.

Qin Xiao took a sip of tea, annoyed. "What are you looking at?"

"Did we really encounter a god?"

Qin Xiao rolled his eyes. "What, would I lie to you?"

After saying this, Qin Xiao looked at her with some suspicion, "Um, you... didn't the Ice Emperor give you any instructions?"

Mu Yueming immediately became a little angry, "My mom didn't say anything, she didn't even answer my calls!"

Qin Xiao's eye twitched. "Is it possible that...the Ice Emperor has no signal?"

"What are you talking about? The phone call I'm talking about isn't the one we usually make... Never mind, let's not talk about this. What are you planning to do next?"

Hey, this girl's acting like it's my business... Isn't she afraid I'll back out?

"What else can we do but fight back? This time it wasn't a complete failure; the Yan Yang Sect, which was jumping the highest, has already been wiped out by me."

You know what, we actually got some intelligence, and I suspect that other forces, or even gods, are pulling the strings behind the scenes.

At this point, Qin Xiao's expression also turned serious.

Afterwards, he and his tamed beasts reminisced about it, and realized that the power of the sealed space at that time was completely different from what appeared later.

Although both are the irresistible pressure of a god, there are still some differences.

"Are you sure there are other... gods?"

Mu Yueming's expression also became somewhat solemn.

"That should be it. When I grabbed the sect leader and interrogated him, I didn't expect to trigger something left in his soul."

Moreover, according to that sect leader, their goal seems to be to compete for something special, something called "source essence..."

After Qin Xiao finished speaking, the two of them fell silent.

After a long pause, he said, "Qin Xiao, if that's really the case, then this matter is far too dangerous. You shouldn't get involved. Next..."

Qin Xiao waved his hand to interrupt, "What are you saying? This matter has only just begun. Since I have agreed, there is no way I can back down."

Besides, more students from the academy are coming later. If you're conscripting an army, the gods can't possibly intervene personally, can they?"

In this formal struggle between divine powers, other gods may want to get involved, but the gods behind them simply won't allow it.

It's like having an extra layer of insurance.

Moreover, there was clearly a bigger conspiracy involved in this matter, which Qin Xiao had been somewhat worried about before.

But he's thought it over pretty much these past couple of days, and he's really itching to get involved.

It can only be said that people die for wealth and birds die for food.

The two discussed it again and tentatively settled on the follow-up matters.

Next, Mu Yueming will forcefully push forward the troop mobilization in preparation for subsequent small-scale border wars.

Qin Xiao naturally had some free time, but he didn't seek out those powerful figures. Instead, he stayed at the Ice Palace Villa, spending his days in a daze...

Blue Star, Huawu Kingdom, Imperial Capital, Academy Grand Hall.

Students entered the venue in small groups, and soon nearly a hundred students were seated inside.

A moment later, the college leaders walked up from below the stage, with Sun Lingbo at the head.

His resources have already been distributed, and he will find time to hand over his work, take on a sinecure, and then focus all his efforts on reaching the demigod level.

"Ahem, everyone, please be quiet."

As Teacher Sun spoke, the room quickly quieted down.

Those sitting here are all outstanding students from the last two cohorts, and they have all reached the Platinum/Diamond tier.

"The students here have all accepted missions. I won't go into the details, I just want to give you a heads-up."

This mission is different from previous ones; the mission realm is unique and dangerous, but the opportunities and resources are equally abundant!

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a slight commotion below.

Some students already know the news, but many others have no opportunity or means to access information about the Ruins of Return.

Sun Lingbo was not surprised by this scene. He waited for a while before speaking again.

I gave a brief introduction to the Guixu situation and then mentioned some points to note.

Finally, they agreed to go to the teleportation hall the next day for a unified teleportation, and then released the people.

The crowd dispersed, and Qin Wendao, who was walking in front, looked somewhat numb.

Ignoring everyone's greetings, he headed straight for the border town checkpoint.

After a week of verification, I successfully left the city.

He summoned his tamed beast, a gray-black eagle, which stood on his back and soared into the sky.

An unknown place in the wilderness.

Qin Wendao stood atop the mountain peak, a struggle flickering in his eyes.

After a long while, a barely audible byte came out of his mouth.

'Strip away the outer garment of color, shed the restless skin of life'

With the silence of the seventh heartbeat as the key, and faded fragments of memory as the sacrifice.

Descend, final color!

The eternal observer behind the pale curtain!

A gentle breeze blows, then suddenly stops, and a veil of light and shadow flies out from somewhere.

Centered on the veil, the colors around it begin to fade, and a pale hue takes over.

Beneath the veil, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared.

Qin Wendao knelt on the ground, his head bowed, so his expression was not visible, but it was certainly not one of piety.

A clear and melodious voice rang out, but the content was indistinct.

A moment later, Qin Wendao's slightly hoarse and nervous voice rang out.

"If... what can I get in return?"

...