Chapter 327: Maxing Out Speed and Evasion: An Ultimate Escape Tool

After a 'friendly' exchange, Luo Yu, the Yunhan Dynasty's Prince Li, became quite 'talkative'.

He honestly answered everything Qi Suian asked.

It just went to show, the Yunhan Dynasty was truly worthy of its past reputation as the rulers of the Mage Families.

A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Qi Suian managed to extract a good deal of intelligence regarding the Immortal Spiritual Root from Luo Yu.

Just like with the upper, middle, and lower-grade Spiritual Roots, a single Immortal Spiritual Root was not enough to become an Immortal. Three were required.

Each additional Immortal Spiritual Root allowed one to immortalize a part of themself.

The sequence was the body, Spiritual Power, and soul.

Only when all three were fully immortalized could one become an Immortal and ascend to the Upper Realm.

Hearing this, Qi Suian was a little baffled. 'This backwater place actually has an Upper Realm?'

'It's not some kind of nesting-doll setup, is it? Like an Immortal Realm, then a Divine Realm, then a Chaos Realm?'

But he quickly came to his senses. 'Nesting dolls, my ass. Given what I know about these Spiritual Roots, I suspect this whole "immortalization" is just a scam. Ascending to the so-called Upper Realm is probably just like breading yourself, frying yourself up, and delivering yourself to the mouths of some giant insects.'

The reason was simple: Spiritual Roots were parasites. If you imagined this whole system as some kind of farm, didn't it all fit perfectly?

'The disappearance of the Immortal Spiritual Roots back in the day was probably because some Mages figured out the truth and decided to eradicate them.'

'They may have cut off the path forward, but they saved the Human Race.'

The prior attitude of the Hu Family's ancestor, Hu Hong, was proof enough. When it came to the big picture and the greater good, they were planted firmly on the side of humanity.

Otherwise, Qi Suian wouldn't have been able to manipulate them so easily.

That was why most First-Grade Mages chose to fight for humanity.

After all, their entire existence was predicated on the Human Race.

'So, it's plausible they knew something was wrong with the Immortal Spiritual Roots and made the painful decision to sever that path.'

'As for why some remnants survived? It takes all kinds to make a world. It's only normal for one or two dissenters to pop up.'

The Yunhan Dynasty rose to power sometime after the Immortal Spiritual Roots were wiped out, taking advantage of the vacuum. That was how some of this intelligence survived.

"Your Excellency, about the matter of restoring my dynasty..." Luo Yu finished, then asked cautiously.

"I want the thing, but I don't want to do the job. So, you tell me. What should I do?" Qi Suian stared at Luo Yu.

It wasn't a very moral thing to do, but that didn't matter. Qi Suian felt he was already dwelling in the moral dregs.

His moral compass wasn't so much flexible as it was broken. His lower limit was so low it had dragged his upper limit down with it.

Faced with someone as unreasonable as Qi Suian, Luo Yu was left speechless.

He would have loved to teach Qi Suian a lesson, but the problem was... he couldn't win a fight against him.

Luo Yu was starting to understand why Qi Suian was so powerful. With a personality that brazen and domineering, he would have been beaten to death ages ago if he were any weaker.

Qi Suian, however, felt he was still rather restrained; those words didn't quite describe him.

'At most, I'm just a little unreasonable.'

"In that case, Your Excellency, you might as well just kill me," Luo Yu said with a helpless sigh.

'You want to hog all the benefits for yourself. I'd rather give you nothing.'

He knew perfectly well that if he handed the item over, Qi Suian would kill him on the spot rather than let him go or fulfill his end of the bargain.

This was a man who wiped out entire families on a whim; breaking a promise would be nothing to him.

Besides, without this lead on a suspected Immortal Spiritual Root to use as bait, how would he ever restore his nation?

Death would be a clean end to everything.

The other members of the Yunhan Dynasty? He could barely save himself, let alone anyone else.

"Now, hold on. Let's talk this over. You give me the item, and I won't kill you." Qi Suian figured it was worth one more try.

But Luo Yu remained completely obstinate. Qi Suian finally sighed. "Fine then. I'll send you on your way."

'If I can't persuade him, then I'll just kill him.'

'I'll find the rest of those Yunhan Dynasty people, round them up, and torture them one by one.'

'A First-Grade Mage is skilled in defense, making torture less effective. But those pampered members of the Royal Family? I doubt they'll be as tough.'

'They'll make perfect fuel.'

Luo Yu simply closed his eyes, offering no resistance.

After all, resistance was meaningless.

As Qi Suian's attack descended, Luo Yu could feel his life force draining away.

In three seconds, at most, his life would be over.

[Spatial fluctuation detected...]

The timely warning from his AI made Qi Suian's hand freeze. He then retreated to a safe distance with incredible speed.

A spatial blade sliced through the air in an instant, tearing open a void.

"Fifth Uncle, are you alright?" a rich, gentle voice called out.

A dashing young man emerged from the void. He had a ramrod straight posture and an extraordinary air about him. Dressed in luxurious brocade that didn't detract from his scholarly grace, he exuded an aura of nobility.

His face carried the authority of one born to rule, yet it betrayed hints of a sharp, untamable arrogance.

Qi Suian glanced at the newcomer, then at himself. 'Now *that's* a protagonist. Compared to him, I'm practically the villain.'

"Ninth Prince, what are you doing here?!" Luo Yu looked utterly shocked. He never imagined that the Ninth Prince, Luo Geng—always dismissed as useless and widely ridiculed—would possess such terrifying power.

Or that he would be the one to save him at a critical moment.

The person he had always supported was his eldest nephew, the Eldest Prince.

As for the Ninth Prince, Luo Geng, his impression of him was also strong, but for all the wrong reasons.

He'd never dreamed the prince had hidden his talents so well. To be a First-Grade Mage at such a young age was one thing, but to be able to force a 'Half-Step Immortal' to retreat... his power was simply terrifying.

"Fifth Uncle, you have always been busy with official duties, so you never paid me much mind. It's only natural you don't know me well," Luo Geng said in a gentle tone.

A look of guilt crossed Luo Yu's face. He was just about to start reminiscing and exchange some warm words, but Qi Suian had no patience for a reunion.

He attacked instantly.

His target wasn't Luo Yu, but the new arrival, the suspected protagonist Luo Geng.

"Mere brute force. Haven't you heard the three words 'space is supreme'?" Luo Geng didn't dismiss Qi Suian's power out of hand. After all, it had overwhelmed even Luo Yu, a First-Grade Mage who specialized in defense.

"However, brute force alone is nothing to fear."

"An inch becomes a mile. No matter how fast you are, you can't possibly..."

Luo Geng didn't even finish his sentence. Qi Suian grabbed a handful of polymorphic energy, and his Floating Cannons attacked simultaneously.

They instantly shattered the structure of stretched space the prince had created. Even the Spatial Barrier he erected couldn't withstand the assault.

Naturally, Qi Suian had more than just brute force.

"You were able to annihilate the Shen Family. You are impressive indeed." Luo Geng's eyes began to glow with a white light, causing the very space around them to ripple.

Qi Suian came to a sudden halt.

"My having an Immortal Spiritual Root was a lie. You're the one who actually has one, aren't you?" Qi Suian hadn't expected to run into the real deal.

The moment he finished speaking, cracks spiderwebbed through the air, and space itself began to shatter into countless fragments.

'He's getting serious now.'

"A keen eye, but your strength is lacking," Luo Geng chuckled.

All the shards of space coalesced into a terrifying vortex that threatened to swallow Qi Suian whole.

Luo Geng, an Innate Mage, possessed the special Innate Immortal Spirit Body.

This unique constitution not only gave him immense affinity for Spiritual Roots but also allowed him to house an Immortal Spiritual Root ahead of schedule.

Thus, at birth, a space-attribute Immortal Spiritual Root was drawn to him. Its name was Heaven and Earth's Four Corners.

Later, using this Immortal Spiritual Root as his foundation, his upper, middle, and lower-grade Spiritual Roots all became space-aligned.

At a tender age, he became a First-Grade Mage in just a few short years, completing a journey that took other Mages a century.

After that, he began refining the Immortal Spiritual Root—Heaven and Earth's Four Corners—within his body, becoming a 'Half-Step Immortal'.

But when he finally emerged from his seclusion, he discovered the Yunhan Dynasty was gone.

Not that he cared much. After all, he had endured countless cold shoulders and sneers while feigning incompetence.

He only intervened to save Luo Yu out of gratitude for being raised by the Royal Family, and more importantly, for the sake of the other Immortal Spiritual Root the Yunhan Dynasty possessed.

As for the origin of his own Immortal Spiritual Root, Heaven and Earth's Four Corners, he had no idea.

"Indeed. I'm no match for you."

Qi Suian's voice echoed from within the spatial vortex.

Qi Suian had once again donned the Tai Sui God. Ghost Energy Storms erupted from his Floating Cannons, instantly tearing the spatial vortex to shreds.

"He's immortalized his physical body. With a mere gesture, he can control all the space around him."

Qi Suian emerged, his expression grim.

'It's confirmed. He's the protagonist of this Spirit Root World. But he's not in his growth phase; he's already fully developed.'

Qi Suian finally understood. No wonder the Yunhan Dynasty possessed an Immortal Spiritual Root—it was obviously being saved for this guy.

Unfortunately, his own attempt to snatch it had failed.

What's more, if Qi Suian hadn't intervened, the Immortal Spiritual Root within the Spirit Demon beneath Vermilion Town would have undoubtedly ended up with this Ninth Prince.

"That's right. It's as simple as eating or drinking for me."

"With an Immortal Spiritual Root, I no longer borrow power. I *am* the power of heaven and earth." As Luo Geng spoke, he caused space to warp and coil around him.

Without another word, Qi Suian used his Floating Cannons... to clear a path!

That's right. He couldn't win, so he had to run.

Even though he suspected the prince was exaggerating, a loss was a loss.

'To truly become the power of heaven and earth, you'd need to refine at least three Immortal Spiritual Roots.'

'He only has one right now. It's more likely his compatibility is just maxed out.'

From this small glimpse, he could infer that the fate of an Immortal Mage was likely not a good one.

'The best-case scenario is probably merging with the world itself.'

"What strange artifacts," Luo Geng remarked, not bothering to stop Qi Suian's escape.

The man was his inferior and didn't possess the Immortal Spiritual Root he needed. Once he acquired the Yunhan Dynasty's Immortal Spiritual Root and achieved Immortalized Spiritual Power, his opponent would have no choice but to give him a wide berth wherever he went.

'He is nothing more than a pile of dry bones in a tomb.'

Meanwhile, Luo Yu's expression was a mixture of shock and complexity. He'd never imagined one of his own nephews had become an Immortal Mage.

In his mind, anyone who had refined an Immortal Spiritual Root had stepped into the realm of an Immortal Mage.

"Fifth Uncle, I want that Immortal Spiritual Root. As for restoring the dynasty, I will be your backer."

"What do you say?" Luo Geng stated his terms.

He wouldn't need to lift a finger, of course. His mere presence would be enough of a deterrent.