’Just what went wrong?’

’Could my nemesis actually be skilled in the Celestial Secret Calculation Technique? How is that possible?’

Ling Qiyue chuckled, her voice as clear and pleasant as a flowing spring.

"I had no choice. Letting a nemesis like you live is too great a risk, so I went to the trouble of finding you myself!"

Lu Armor’s gaze was glacial. "Can’t we talk about this?" he said in a low voice. "Do you have to be so ruthless?"

He knew he didn’t stand a chance against her right now, so he could only try to stall for time with words, hoping to find an opportunity to escape.

Ling Qiyue nodded. "If you want to live, it’s simple. Let me plant a Restriction deep within your Divine Soul. From now on, you will be a Tributor for the Ling Family. Then this matter can be considered perfectly resolved."

"In your dreams!"

Lu Armor’s expression soured as he snarled.

’To have my Divine Soul controlled, my life and death in someone else’s hands, to lose my freedom forever... How could I ever accept that?’

Ling Qiyue sighed with regret. "Then there’s nothing more to discuss."

Before her words had even faded, four Daoist Soldier Puppets blurred into motion, lunging forward as a series of afterimages.

Lu Armor cursed and gritted his teeth. A ball of yellow cloud appeared and transformed into seven layers of light screens, one inside the other, temporarily blocking the Daoist Soldier Puppets’ assault.

However, just as he was about to transform into an Escape Light and flee, a handsome youth in black robes appeared silently in the distance. With ruby-red lips, pearly white teeth, and eyes as dark as lacquer, he gave Lu Armor a meaningful smile.

A series of thunderous rumbles echoed. The surrounding forest scenery shimmered and changed, and for a fleeting moment, the phantoms of twelve enormous Array Banners appeared.

Lu Armor was horrified to discover that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around him had been instantly depleted. The very fabric of space had solidified, trapping him securely.

"I knew you’d try to run. I’m not giving you another chance this time!" Ling Changqing said with a slight smile.

He had only revealed himself now because he had been busy setting up the Array to eliminate this menace once and for all.

This Third Rank Top grade Formation, specifically designed to trap Golden Core Masters, had been procured from within the Chamber of Commerce by Xue Qingtan. The rental price was steep, but it was something Ling Changqing could now afford.

Lu Armor’s heart sank. He quickly recovered, sneering as he gritted his teeth.

"So you’re just a brat at the Foundation Establishment Cultivation level. How dare you be so arrogant?"

He brandished his Battle Saber, unleashing waves of sharp Saber Qi that temporarily forced the Daoist Soldier Puppets back. Then, he lunged ferociously toward Ling Changqing in the distance.

He had already figured out that Ling Changqing was the one controlling the Grand Array. If he could kill or capture him, he might have a chance to escape.

But Ling Qiyue showed no intention of stopping him, simply watching his little performance with a smile.

Halfway through his charge, a flicker of doubt rose in Lu Armor’s mind. ’Could this be a trap?’

But before he could react, a ten-foot-tall Daoist Soldier Puppet clad in Golden Helmet and Armor suddenly appeared, and he practically ran right into it.

"No... no..."

Lu Armor’s face went white as a sheet. He finally understood what Ling Changqing had in store for him.

Unfortunately, it was too late. The Golden Armor Combat Puppet grabbed him and decisively self-destructed.

In the next instant, an earth-shattering BOOM echoed as a blazing fireball rose from the spot, like a morning sun cresting the horizon.

When the light of the explosion faded, a grievously wounded Lu Armor was still hovering in mid-air. His robes were in tatters, his body covered in gruesome wounds from which blood gushed freely.

Shaking uncontrollably, he reached into his Storage Pouch, pulled out a small, exquisite Pill Bottle, and was about to uncork it.

"Don’t waste it. It’s time for you to go."

Ling Qiyue’s gentle voice was followed by a streak of Sword Qi, as nimble as a swimming dragon, that descended from the heavens. It beheaded Lu Armor in a single strike, shredding his Golden Core and Divine Soul in the process.

And so, Lu Armor completely perished from this world, with no possibility of reincarnation left to him. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Finally, it’s over."

Ling Changqing appeared, watching as Lu Armor’s lifeless, mangled body collapsed to the ground.

Controlling a Third Rank Top grade Formation was indeed taxing, far exceeding the limits of an ordinary Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivator. However, Ling Changqing’s Cultivation Technique Grade was high enough, and with Gong Ling’s assistance, he could manage it for a short period.

He drifted to the ground and magically retrieved Lu Armor’s Storage Pouch and Battle Saber, not forgetting the small, exquisite Pill Bottle.

Ling Qiyue flicked her finger, sending a ball of brilliant Spirit Flame onto Lu Armor’s remains, which were immediately engulfed in a blazing fire.

Soon, only a pile of white ash was left. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

"He was a Golden Core Master, after all. To think he’d die just like that," Ling Changqing mused, stepping forward to pull Ling Qiyue into an embrace. He gave her a kiss, his hand stroking her smooth, firm waist.

Ling Qiyue shot him a playful glare. "If it weren’t for your Celestial Secret Calculation ability, we never would have found him so easily."

She was right. The survival capabilities of a Golden Core Master were on a completely different level from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. If one was determined to lie low, it would be incredibly difficult for anyone to find them.

However, before a Child of Destiny like Ling Changqing, some things that seemed impossible simply... happened.

Even in death, Lu Armor never understood what kind of terrifying opponents he had provoked to deserve such a wretched, ignominious end.

"Alright, my love, let’s head back to the Changqing Continent," Ling Changqing said. Now that their business was done, there was no need to linger.

Ling Qiyue agreed. Once he had retrieved the Array Banners, the couple ascended into the sky and sped away on their Flying Ship.

「Several days later.」

Xue Qingtan, Tang Qiu Yao, and the other women had been waiting anxiously at the family headquarters. When they saw the two return, their worried hearts could finally rest.