Empress: I Asked You to Detoxify Me, Not to Become the Supreme Immortal Emperor - Chapter 3:

Chapter 3:

Qianyang Empire, Guiyun City.

Inside the ancestral hall of the Qin family, the place was packed with people, and a heavy, tense atmosphere lingered in the air. In the main seat sat a middle-aged man with a stern expression—it was the Patriarch of the Qin family, Qin Zhantian. 

On both sides sat numerous Qin family Elders, and standing at the very front was a young man in ornate robes, his face full of arrogance.

Qin Zhantian’s brows were tightly furrowed as he shouted angrily, “Great Elder! Qin Chuan has only been missing for half a month, and you’re already so eager to push your grandson Qin Feng into the position?”

The Great Elder, wearing a gray robe, stepped forward with a cold sneer. “Qin Chuan has been missing for a full half month. No one knows if he’s alive or dead. A new young master should be established. Even if, by some miracle, Qin Chuan is still alive, with his bloodline removed and his dantian shattered, he’s no different from a cripple. He is no longer fit to continue serving as the Qin family’s young master!”

Before Qin Zhantian could speak, the Second Elder stepped forward, his expression filled with rage. 

He glared at the Great Elder and shouted, “Qin Kun! Do you have any idea how much Qin Chuan has contributed to the Qin family? Even the destruction of his dantian was a sacrifice made for the sake of securing the greatest benefit for the family! Speaking like this—aren’t you afraid of chilling the hearts of all the younger Qin disciples? Aren’t you afraid of bringing shame to our name in the eyes of all Guiyun City?”

“Chill hearts? Bring shame?” Qin Kun cast him a sideways glance and scoffed. “What the Qin family needs now is a young master capable of leading us to become the top among the three great families—not a crippled, life-or-death-unknown adopted son.” He deliberately emphasized the words “adopted son.”

“You—!” The Second Elder’s face flushed with fury, his robes fluttering as a mighty aura slowly surged from his body. Qin Kun did not back down and released his own pressure as a Profound Practitioner of the Master Realm.

“Enough!” Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Qin Zhantian slammed his palm on the table beside him, shattering it and halting the commotion. 

The Second Elder, though still unwilling, withdrew his rising pressure. 

Qin Kun snorted coldly and did the same.

“Sigh…” Qin Zhantian let out a long sigh, as though he had aged ten years in a single breath. He spoke slowly, “Today, I hereby declare Qin Feng as…”

Before he could finish, a loud bang echoed through the ancestral hall as the main door was kicked open.

“Wait!”

A cold voice rang out, echoing in everyone’s ears. 

The moment they heard the familiar voice, everyone turned to look at the entrance. 

The Great Elder’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe that the one person he least wanted to see had actually returned alive.

Yes—it was Qin Chuan.

Stepping into this familiar place again, Qin Chuan felt as if a lifetime had passed. 

After helping Empress Yaoxi purge the Vernal Deathblossom Poison, he was expelled from the Heaven and Earth Spirit Furnace. 

Before he left the Abyss of Buried Heavens, Empress Yaoxi tossed him a scroll titled Origin Core Scripture, and left him with a warning: “One year from now, the Vernal Deathblossom Poison will erupt for the second time. If you haven’t reached the Emperor Realm by then, during our Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation… you will die.”

At that moment, Qin Chuan couldn’t help but curse. 

There really was only an overworked bull—never a broken field. 

Clenching his fists, he swore that whether for revenge or for survival, he had to grow stronger quickly.

On his way back after being cast out of the Furnace space, he encountered the snakewoman maid Xiaolan. 

Through sobs, she told him everything that had happened in the half month he’d been gone. 

When Qin Chuan heard it had only been half a month, he was momentarily stunned. 

As expected, Empress Yaoxi hadn’t lied—one hundred days inside the Heaven and Earth Spirit Furnace was equal to just one day in the outside world. He had spent over four years cultivating in there, but to the outside world, only half a month had passed.

Now, not only had his strength vastly surpassed his former self, but his aura had also become far more composed. Stepping into the ancestral hall, he walked forward and bowed toward Qin Zhantian. “Patriarch, Qin Chuan is late.”

Qin Chuan knew well that with his dantian destroyed and having vanished without a word for half a month, Qin Zhantian must have endured tremendous pressure.

“It’s good you’re back. That’s all that matters,” Qin Zhantian said emotionally, waving his hand repeatedly.

“Hmph! Just a useless cripple. So what if you came back alive? You’re still a useless cripple!” Qin Feng sneered coldly, filled with disdain. 

He had been one step away from being officially named the new young master.

Suddenly, Qin Chuan walked up to Qin Feng and slapped him hard across the face.

PA!

Qin Feng staggered back and crashed heavily to the ground. 

The abrupt action stunned everyone in the hall—including Qin Feng himself, who didn’t even react in time. 

Soon, he scrambled back to his feet in a mess, clutching his swollen left cheek as blood seeped through his fingers. 

His eyes burned with fury as he glared at Qin Chuan. “You dare hit me?!”

“I hit you, yes!” Qin Chuan sneered. “I’m still the Qin family’s young master. You dared to speak to me with such disrespect—you’re insulting not just me, but the Patriarch and the entire Qin family. Tell me, shouldn’t I hit you?”

Qin Feng’s face darkened, caught off guard. 

Qin Chuan was right—he was still the young master. 

Qin Feng had no grounds to argue. 

The entire hall fell into complete silence following that slap.

After a long pause, the Great Elder was the first to speak, breaking the silence. “It’s been some time since we last met, and the sharpness of Young Master Qin Chuan has only grown. Unfortunately, you’re no longer suitable to be our young master.”

Qin Chuan smiled calmly. “Whether I’m suitable or not is not up to you to decide, Qin Kun.”

Hearing his name called out so directly, the Great Elder’s gaze turned cold. 

He hadn’t expected Qin Chuan to show him no face at all.

“Qin Chuan! I challenge you to a life-and-death duel!” Qin Feng’s voice was grim as he stared at him intently.

The entire hall erupted in shock. A life-and-death duel—once accepted—could only end with one person alive.

Upon hearing this, the Great Elder’s heart skipped a beat. Previously, he would have agreed without hesitation. 

But after Qin Chuan’s sudden slap, a sense of unease grew within him.

Qin Chuan remained calm and smiled. “Are you serious?”

Qin Feng was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected this so-called cripple to answer so confidently. 

Furious, he snapped back, “Of course I’m serious! You think you’re still the Qin family’s young master? Everyone here has more talent and strength than you! Even the—”

He was about to say that even the family’s dog was better than Qin Chuan, but was cut off coldly by Qin Chuan. “If that’s the case, then I’ll give you this opportunity.”

“Good… good!” Qin Feng instinctively nodded.

The moment he spoke, Qin Chuan’s figure flickered, and he landed a punch squarely in Qin Feng’s abdomen. 

Qin Feng’s body bent into a C-shape, blood gushing from his nostrils, his eyes bloodshot and bulging. He collapsed instantly, dead on the spot.

The once arrogant Qin Feng was now just a corpse lying on the floor, leaving everyone in the hall completely stunned.