Return of the Celestial King

Qin Tuo’s face lit up when he heard this, and he quickly asked,

”Oh? And where is that?”

The Grand Elder and the other three Elders exchanged a look, and all four of them nodded in tacit agreement.

”Mr. Qin... that would be the small lake in the mountains.”

Qin Tuo nodded, then called over Sun Haicheng, who was standing in the distance.

Sun Haicheng nodded hurriedly and trotted over, his face a mask of reverence.

Qin Tuo ordered,

”Take these girls away from here and protect them well. You must ensure that no further harm comes to them.”

Without a second thought, Sun Haicheng quickly responded,

”Yes, Mr. Qin! You can rest assured!”

If Sun Haicheng had previously seen Qin Tuo as nothing more than a spoiled, wealthy heir, now, after witnessing Qin Tuo’s methods firsthand, he was utterly in awe of him.

All the members of the General Security Pavilion felt the same. They all stared at Qin Tuo, their eyes filled with a hint of adoration.

After ensuring the girls were safe, the remaining group, led by the Elders, proceeded to the mysterious heart of the mountain.

The light was dim inside the mountain’s core, where a deep lake lay. As the group arrived, they saw a house on the far side of the lake.

That was where Yan Hongliang usually resided.

”Mr. Qin, look! We’ve reached the small lake in the mountains!”

The Grand Elder quickly extended a hand and pointed forward.

Qin Tuo nodded. Looking closely, he saw Yan Hongliang standing on the far shore of the small lake, a cold smirk on his face.

Seeing Qin Tuo and the others arrive, Yan Hongliang showed no signs of panic, speaking slowly.

”Well, well, boy. I didn’t think you’d actually have the guts to follow me here!”

Qin Tuo said scornfully,

”What is there to be afraid of? You’re at death’s door yourself. You should just surrender without a fight!”

However, Yan Hongliang looked as if he held a winning hand and replied mockingly,

”Boy, since you’ve come looking for death, this place will be your grave.”

Seeing Yan Hongliang’s confident demeanor, Qin Tuo’s keen senses told him something was wrong.

He focused his senses and realized that the small lake before him was anything but simple.

It was just too dark all around to see clearly what was in the lake.

Thus, Qin Tuo could only turn to the four Elders beside him and ask,

”Do you know what secrets this lake might be hiding?”

The four Elders thought for a moment, then all shook their heads.

The Grand Elder spoke with a wry smile,

”Mr. Qin, in truth, only Yan Hongliang himself was ever allowed to come to this small lake. None of us were qualified to get close, so we have no idea what’s in it.”

Qin Tuo was left somewhat speechless by this.

He hadn’t expected Yan Hongliang to be so meticulous and cautious.

Behind him, Zhu Zifeng, Zeng Kemeng, and the others walked up, their faces filled with worry.

Zhu Zifeng was the first to speak,

”Mr. Qin, be careful! I get a hair-raising feeling from this lake, an indescribable and sinister chill!”

Beside him, Zeng Kemeng also nodded, feeling the same way.

Qin Tuo said nothing, but he felt it too. It seemed the lake concealed some profound secret.

But Qin Tuo wasn’t afraid. He refused to believe that Yan Hongliang, all by himself, could turn the world upside down.

With this in mind, Qin Tuo called out directly,

”Yan Hongliang, you have nowhere left to run! Surrender peacefully!”

Yan Hongliang appeared nonchalant as he replied,

”Boy, you’re awfully confident, aren’t you?”

Qin Tuo said, his face devoid of expression,

”At this point, I can’t imagine what trump card you could possibly have left to turn the tables.”

Everyone had gathered at the lake’s edge, watching Yan Hongliang from a distance.

The four Elders also stood firmly with Qin Tuo, simultaneously releasing a terrifying killing aura in an attempt to intimidate Yan Hongliang and force his surrender.

But at that very moment, a triumphant, cold sneer flashed in Yan Hongliang’s eyes.

Seeing his mysterious smile, everyone felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

Yan Hongliang casually pointed toward the lake’s surface and laughed in a frenzied tone,

”Boy, take a good look. What is that?”

Everyone followed the direction of his finger and looked toward the middle of the lake.

At that moment, they were shocked to see the water in the middle of the lake suddenly begin to boil!

BLUB... BLUB... BLUB...

This unexpected scene unfolded right before their very eyes.

A massive bubble formed in the center of the lake, its ripples rolling outward!

”Oh, no, what on earth is this?”

The four Elders were utterly baffled. They had been in the Blood Moon Pavilion for so long, yet they had never witnessed such a scene.

Only Qin Tuo’s heart sank, for he already had a sinking feeling he knew what it was.

Sure enough, in the next moment, tens of thousands of venomous creatures floated to the surface of the dark lake, a sight that made one’s skin crawl.

The number of these venomous creatures was still growing, and they came in every variety imaginable: poisonous insects, venomous scorpions, vipers, and more, all so disgusting it was enough to make one’s stomach turn!

”Gods, so many venomous creatures! This is...”

Everyone’s face turned pale with fright, and they were left speechless.

For a moment, Qin Tuo didn’t react, his thoughts unreadable.

The venomous creatures covered the entire surface of the lake, writhing like boiling water and creating a hair-raising spectacle.

After a single glance, Zeng Kemeng ran to the side without a word, bent over, and began to vomit violently.

”Oh my god, that’s so disgusting!”

Zeng Kemeng grumbled irritably between heaves.

Although the four Elders didn’t vomit, they were clearly uncomfortable, their faces alternating between ashen and flushed.

”Hahaha! What do you think? Scared yet?”

Seeing their reactions, Yan Hongliang felt a surge of satisfaction and burst into arrogant laughter.

Qin Tuo, also feeling deeply unsettled by the sight of the venomous creatures, asked coldly,

”Yan Hongliang, where in the world did you get so many of these things?”

Yan Hongliang snorted irritably and said,

”Boy, since you’re about to die anyway, I might as well tell you the truth. Besides being the Blood Moon Pavilion Master, I have another, true identity!”

Hearing this, everyone immediately perked up their ears, a knot of tension forming in their chests.

The dignified Blood Moon Pavilion Master actually had another identity?

Qin Tuo said nothing, just stared intently into Yan Hongliang’s eyes, waiting for him to continue.

Yan Hongliang’s voice was laced with triumph as he declared with a grin,

”The truth is, I am the adopted son of the Southern Border Poison King!”