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In fact, Chen Qing had already warned them that the King of Qin possessed this divine skill.

But knowing about it doesn’t mean one can guard against it.

Except for Chen Qing, none of the Main Gods in Jiangnan could sense anything beyond their designated domains.

For instance, he could only sense if the King of Qin had entered Nanming Prefecture.

And, as luck would have it, he encountered the King of Qin on his way back to Nanming Prefecture from Lyuzhou.

"Among the Shen family, you are the most dangerous and also the strongest. With Wei Gongcheng absent, you should be the most troublesome individual..." The King of Qin, sitting leisurely in a world of mountains and water depicted in ink paintings, sipped his tea calmly.

"To receive such praise from the King of Qin, what an honor indeed..." Shen Er remarked with a dark, cold smile.

The last time, he had used the Ghost King’s True Form, severely draining his vital energy. Without Chen Qing’s return, his body’s backlash made it difficult for him to use it a second time. If he did... he might truly become the Ghost King.

"Mister Shen Er, no need to be modest." The King of Qin sighed, setting down his teacup.

"Back then, it was my oversight. I failed to see Jiangnan’s potential.

If I had known earlier that the Shen family brothers were such talents, perhaps what happened back then. .. might have turned out differently."

"The King of Qin’s ambitions and vision were indeed remarkable back then. Shen Er admires them. If I had known of His Highness’s aspirations earlier, perhaps we could have worked together."

Shen Er was also slightly wistful. When the Shen family learned of the King of Qin’s ambitions back then, they, including himself, had actually been prepared to pledge allegiance.

After all, such a prosperous era for the Human Race was unprecedented.

Their hesitation at the time wasn’t merely due to being uninformed but also involved their own ancestor.

The ancestor’s true identity had not yet been fully revealed, and no one in the Shen family had the confidence to deal with him.

Hastily aligning with the King of Qin might have given the ancestor a formidable opponent he could exploit.

Thus, during the chaotic upheaval of the time, the Shen family remained inactive.

Later, after the Illusory Moon incident, the Shen family had originally decided to side with him. But unexpectedly... the King of Qin fell at the hands of the Siao family.

"So, does this mean that Mister Shen Er acknowledges what I did back then?" the King of Qin asked with a smile.

"Even now, I deeply admire your ambitions from that time. If not for the ancestor’s interference and our lack of information, we would have likely pledged allegiance to you long ago. However, from today’s perspective, your failure back then might not have been a bad thing."

"That may well be true..." The King of Qin nodded slightly.

If the plan from back then had succeeded—suppressing the ancient forces to prevent their resurgence—it might have brought a period of temporary peace. The Human Race could have momentarily escaped their dire circumstances. But it would not have lasted.

Pu Yunchuan, in his quest to eliminate the foreign nobility, launched a world-annihilating strategy.

Regardless of whether this world’s spiritual energy was restored, those external Heavenly Demons would inevitably arrive.

By then, if the spiritual energy remained dormant and the ancient forces had not been revived, there wouldn’t even be the slightest opportunity to resist.

"But it’s truly cruel, isn’t it... In order to restore spiritual energy, countless lives must be lost. To preserve this world, a sufficient number of sacrifices are unavoidable. Isn’t that utterly vile?"

Shen Er frowned at these words. What was the other party trying to imply?

"I’m sure you’re already aware of how this world was created. Among those who forged it, Chen Qing is included!"

"If your Kingdom of Qin is here to persuade me to betray him, you might as well save your efforts."

"Why is that?" The King of Qin looked at him with a warm smile. "Didn’t you say just now that you almost chose to align with me in the past?"

"Back then, Chen Qing wasn’t in the picture..." Shen Er lifted his head. "He was not born with the qualifications of an emperor, yet he has come this far. Many of his actions seem overly naive, but they have all, by sheer chance, succeeded."

"And you think his luck can continue indefinitely?"

"Not necessarily... But the process itself is of utmost importance." Shen Er smiled. "If his seemingly naive notions truly succeed, leading this world to his envisioned ideal state, I’d like to witness it. If he fails, there’s nothing to regret. After all, what we’re doing now strikes me as far more meaningful than assisting someone like the Siao Family’s Heavenly King. "

"So, it’s all just because you find it interesting? Even at the expense of the Shen family’s survival?"

"It seems Your Highness still doesn’t quite understand my Shen family." Shen Er shook his head. "Unlike other noble families, we Shen clansmen don’t place much emphasis on legacy. Haven’t you noticed that none of us in this generation’s Shen family, myself included, have any descendants?"

The King of Qin: "...."

"Moreover, on what grounds do you believe Chen Qing will lose? Judging by the current situation, doesn’t Chen Qing’s chance of eventually claiming the world seem notably higher than yours?"

"You really think so?" The King of Qin chuckled. "With such a flimsy foundation, it won’t be his for much longer."

"And yet you, who’ve been rushing about endlessly, have no foundation of your own, relying solely on scheming to seize Chen Qing’s. Tell me, how could that possibly inspire my confidence in you?"

"What other option is there but to seize it?" The King of Qin sneered. "Back then, I was the most capable. Yet the heavens chose the Siao boy. Fate wasn’t on my side, nor was intelligence. With no advantage, should I simply resign myself to failure?"

Shen Er nodded. The King of Qin did have the misfortune of being born in the wrong era.

His opponents possessed vast intelligence and resources or had been chosen by the will of the heavens, like the Emperor Siao of the Siao family.

If it had been a fair competition, the King of Qin’s current strength would be undeniably greater.

"Your argument might hold for others, but it doesn’t apply to Chen Qing. He, like you, began with nothing. Yet you reportedly inherited the memories of the external entities. You should know about the Divine Path Sect. Why didn’t you employ it back then?"

The King of Qin: "...."

The Divine Path Sect, a royal doctrine, is the most arduous route to begin with. It directly challenges the privileges of the noble families. He had considered it back then but ultimately abandoned it.

Who would have thought Chen Qing would recklessly adopt this approach—and make it work?

"I’m quite curious. How exactly did you learn of my whereabouts? Is there a traitor? But... Few know of my movements, and they’re all people I trust..."

"Care to guess?" The King of Qin smiled faintly.

"Then I’ll venture a bold speculation." Setting down his teacup, Shen Er’s gaze turned icy as he stared at the other man.

"You and Master Chen Qing were once part of the same being. It could be considered a fortuitous accident. When Master established the Divine Path Sect, you were still within him, not yet separated. So... if my guess is correct, you possess a fraction of the Divine Master’s abilities, don’t you? "

"Hahahahaha!" The King of Qin burst into laughter. "Shen Er, Shen Er, you truly are astute. I’ve always said, among the Shen family, you’re the most dangerous. Many couldn’t even conceive of such a thing, yet you discerned it immediately.

Truly, you’re a force to be reckoned with.

Were it not for the suppression of your ancestor, your achievements might rival even that boy from the Siao family. "

"So it’s true..." Shen Er took a deep breath. Perhaps even Lord Chen Qing hadn’t foreseen this.

That the King of Qin possessed such a hidden card—part of the Divine Master’s abilities.

At the very least, it allowed him to locate all the Main Gods.

Coupled with his unique forbidden power, it seemed. .. no one could escape his schemes.

Master... If you don’t return soon, Jiangnan... may truly fall into his hands!!