Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 574 Qin Taiyue's Protection! Chen Fan's Importance!

"Minister Qin," Wang Zhennan suppressed his anger, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, but his tone was unmistakably sinister, "this man has an irreconcilable hatred for my Wang family. He killed my direct descendants and slaughtered seven of my Nascent Soul guest elders. What is the meaning of your sudden intervention, Minister Qin?"

Qin Taiyue stood with his hands behind his back on the high platform, looking down at Wang Zhennan, and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Wang, I have seen everything Chen Fan did in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons. However, in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, life and death are not considered; this is the rule of the national competition. If you die in the valley, it means you are not skilled enough, and you have no one to blame but yourself."

He paused, his voice deepening, "Moreover, Chen Fan is the top-ranked disciple in this year's national competition. According to imperial rules, the top-ranked disciple will represent the Great Yu Cultivation Kingdom in the selection process for the position of Imperial Envoy in the Zhao Kingdom. If you kill him here, who will the Great Yu Kingdom send to participate in the selection? Someone from your Wang family?"

Wang Zhennan's expression changed, and he shouted sternly, "Qin Taiyue! Don't try to intimidate me with the imperial court! This old eunuch killed Wang Teng, the most promising direct descendant of my Wang family for the next hundred years to reach the Nascent Soul stage! Even without the Zhao Kingdom's selection, I will extract his soul and refine his spirit today, and no one can stop me!"

"I can stop them." Qin Taiyue's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable force. "I'll show you how I can stop them."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took a step forward.

With this step, the ground of the entire Forbidden Garden trembled slightly.

An immense and suffocating pressure erupted from him, crashing down on Wang Zhennan like an invisible tide.

The oppressive aura contained the unique power of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, as steady as a mountain and as deep as an abyss. When it collided with Wang Zhennan's violent, fiery early-stage Nascent Soul aura, a piercing explosion rang out in the air.

Wang Zhennan grunted and involuntarily took a half step back.

Wang Zhenyue behind him remained expressionless, but a barely perceptible hint of coldness flashed in his calm eyes.

"Minister Qin," Wang Zhenyue finally spoke, his voice aged and steady, like a muffled thunderclap from the depths of the earth, "you just said that the rule of the National Competition is that life and death in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons are irrelevant. I acknowledge that rule. But the feud between the Chen family and the Wang family goes far beyond the lives lost in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons. In the Sealed Land, my Wang family's grandson, Wang Xuan, died at this man's hands. Can these grievances be overlooked by the rules of the National Competition?"

Qin Taiyue paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Those debts are naturally not something that can be covered up by the rules of the national competition. I have never intended to set an example for the feud between the Wang family and Chen Fan."

"Then why did you stop me?" Wang Zhenyue asked calmly.

Qin Taiyue met Wang Zhenyue's gaze directly, without flinching in the slightest:

"Because the national competition isn't over yet. Chen Fan is the top performer in the disciple group of this year's competition, and his result is crucial to the selection of a spot for the Great Yu Cultivation Kingdom in the Zhao Kingdom. Fellow Daoist Wang is a sensible person and should know what the Zhao Kingdom's selection means for our Great Yu. The imperial court has been preparing for a hundred years, with thousands of cultivators from the thirty-six prefectures going through layers of selection, all for the sake of securing a position of honor in the Zhao Kingdom's selection. If Chen Fan dies, the disciple group's spot will be vacant. How will the Zhao Kingdom explain that? Who will take responsibility for the imperial court losing an honorary position?"

He smiled, his gaze sweeping over Wang Zhennan and Wang Zhenyue, and said, word by word, "I am not here to make decisions for Chen Fan, but for the court. After the national competition, once Chen Fan has represented Da Yu in the selection process for Zhao, he will be free. At that time, the Wang family can do whatever they want with him, and I will not interfere. But before that, anyone who touches Chen Fan is touching the face of the court."

Upon hearing this, a deathly silence fell over the Forbidden Garden.

The cultivators from various prefectures looked at each other in disbelief. No one had expected that Qin Taiyue would directly confront two Nascent Soul elders of the Wang family for the sake of a eunuch who was wanted by the Eight Great Families.

Han Yueshan stood in the Huangzhou queue, his clenched fists loosening slightly, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

He knew that Qin Taiyue's actions were not out of sympathy for Chen Fan, but purely out of self-interest!

It should be noted that Chen Fan's strength had already been fully displayed in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons. With his Core Formation cultivation, he killed Zhou Yuanhua, who was at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and Chi Laoguai, who was at the late-Nascent Soul stage. Such combat power was unique among the younger generation of the entire Great Yu Cultivation Kingdom.

Sending someone like that to represent Yu the Great in the selection process in the State of Zhao would have a much greater chance of success than sending a spoiled brat like Wang Teng.

Qin Dao was so excited that his body trembled slightly. He lowered his voice and said to Han Yueshan, "City Lord, is Minister Qin going to protect Fellow Daoist Chen?"

Han Yueshan shook his head and said in a low voice, "It's not about protecting him, it's about using him. Chen Keqing is useful to the Dayu court, which is why Minister Qin took action. Once he's used up, it will be none of his business anymore. However, for Chen Keqing, every extra day he lives adds another chance for change, which is already an unexpected bonus."

Ma Chengkong stood at a distance, his expression shifting, secretly glad that he hadn't taken advantage of the situation.

This old eunuch appeared to be isolated and helpless, but in reality, he was treading on the gaps between various forces at every step, making him unpredictable.

Wang Zhennan's face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

He stared intently at Qin Taiyue on the high platform, his chest heaving violently, his fiery spiritual power surging around him. Several times he tried to unleash his power, but Wang Zhenyue stopped him with a look.

"Brother!" Wang Zhennan turned to Wang Zhenyue, gritting his teeth, "Are we just going to let him go like this? Aren't we going to avenge Teng'er? So many people in my Wang family have died, and we're just going to let it go because of Qin Taiyue's words?"

Wang Zhenyue did not answer him, but slowly raised his head and met Qin Taiyue's gaze across the distance.

The gazes of the two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators collided in mid-air. Though silent, the sight exerted an invisible pressure on everyone present.

The pressure felt like a mountain pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

After a moment, Wang Zhenyue slowly withdrew his gaze.

"Minister Qin," his voice remained calm, but each word carried a chilling killing intent, "today you used the court to pressure me, so I will give you this face. Chen Fan's life is temporarily in his own hands. After the selection process in Zhao is over, I will come to collect it myself."

After he finished speaking, his gaze passed over Qin Taiyue and landed on Chen Fan.

For the first time, an undisguised killing intent surfaced in those eyes that had been as calm as still water.

"Old eunuch, enjoy the rest of your days. The day you return from Zhao will be the day you die. At that time, no one in heaven or on earth will be able to save you."

Chen Fan stood with his hands behind his back in the middle of the plain, his face as calm as still water.

He met Wang Zhenyue's murderous eyes with a slight nod, his tone as calm as if he were responding to a perfectly ordinary greeting:

"Then we'll wait."