Meanwhile, Lin Yu was completely stunned by the sudden question and unexpected appearance. Su Chen looked nothing like he did back then. At that time, he had been nothing more than an ordinary mortal—weak, thin, and forgettable. But now… his entire aura had transformed.
He was clearly a Core Formation realm cultivator, and the powerful fluctuations of the Wood Sovereign Script around him were partially responsible for the change in his appearance and presence.
Even so, Lin Yu recognized him. Not because of his face—but because of the name he mentioned.
Old Jack.
That name alone was enough to trigger the storm buried deep in Lin Yu's heart.
"You demonic trash!! I'll kill you!!" he roared like a wounded lion who'd just remembered who stole his meat ten years ago.
Golden light erupted from his body as he fully activated the Supreme Vajra Body technique. In an instant, he transformed into a shimmering golden figure,bathed in divine Buddha light as if a golden statue had come to life. Without hesitation, he launched a ferocious attack at Su Chen.
He charged straight at Su Chen, fists glowing, eyes bloodshot.
Because he remembered everything.
That night. The blood. The screams. His entire village wiped out. And him—a trembling child hiding under tree roots, barely able to breathe.
And Su Chen?
This bastard was also hiding there. Su Chen had sold him out to Old Jack in exchange not for his own safety but mainly for fun because he was able to escape through vovid. If the Buddhist sect hadn't found and rescued him, Lin Yu would have died—or worse.
Lin Yu would've been sold off like cabbage in a night market.
From that moment on, even though he had never cared about the orphan who lived in his village and couldn't even cultivate, that very person had now become one of the most hated individuals in his entire life.
Su Chen already knew his words would provoke Lin Yu—after all, that was exactly what he wanted.
From the very beginning, he had been ready.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Su Chen activated the Sky-Peaking Hand Technique at full strength. His right arm surged with dazzling seven-colored qi, radiating terrifying energy. Above him, a massive hand of condensed qi materialized in the sky, its presence shaking the very air.
He thrust it forward—directly at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu, who was rushing toward Su Chen, was surrounded by the ethereal glow of Buddha-like statues floating behind him. But when he saw the giant qi hand descending with crushing force, he didn't retreat—instead, he charged straight toward it.
Boom!
Their techniques collided in the air above the Heaven Stairs, releasing a deafening explosion.
Clouds were shredded. Winds howled.
Qi clashed against qi.
Su Chen's Sky-Peaking Hand pushed downward with increasing force, while Lin Yu's Buddha Palm resisted, pressing upward. The two powers wrestled for dominance in the sky like celestial beasts.
But it was clear who was winning.
Lin Yu's aura began to falter. The phantom Buddha cracked.
Su Chen sneered. "Is that all the Great Buddha Reincarnation has to offer?"
Gritting his teeth, Lin Yu tried to hold on, but his body was being forced downward inch by inch. His knees quivered. His golden light dimmed.
"Master… help me!"
The desperate cry echoed inside Lin Yu's mind.
No matter how prideful he was, in this moment he understood a brutal truth:
He couldn't defeat Su Chen.
Heaven Stairs might not allow death—but defeat meant regression.
And falling all the way back to the bottom…
For Lin Yu, that was worse than dying.
"Ahh... but this is the last time I can help you. After this, you're on your own,"
his master's childish voice echoed faintly in his mind.
Suddenly, a surge of Buddhist energy exploded within Lin Yu's body.
Whoosh!
Where just moments ago he had been getting pressed down, Lin Yu now rose up in an instant. The cracks in his Buddha phantom vanished as if they had never existed. The statues behind him roared with newfound strength, and four additional glowing arms materialized behind the golden figure.
All six arms surged forward at once, attacking Su Chen's Sky-Peaking Hand with terrifying force.
Boom!
Su Chen, who had been steadily pressing down his qi technique, immediately sensed the sudden reversal. His eyes narrowed.
"Tch... What a hassle. Looks like he's using his golden finger cheat code," he muttered.
Without hesitation, he cut off his connection to the technique and activated the Five Elements Escape Technique.
His body flickered—
and vanished.
BOOM!
The qi hand in the sky shattered into fragments, piece by piece, under Lin Yu's overwhelming counterattack.
Lin Yu, not realizing Su Chen had already disappeared, completed his strike anyway. His golden palm slammed into the ground where Su Chen had just been standing.
BOOM!!
Qi erupted in all directions, flattening the nearby air and sending shockwaves out across the Heaven Stairs.
Just then—
"Behind you."
His master's voice returned, this time sharp and urgent.
Lin Yu's eyes widened. He spun around instantly—and rushed backward, attacking again with full force.
Su Chen had silently appeared behind Lin Yu, his expression unreadable.
"Tch... I can't beat him in a direct clash—not right now at least. But this bastard's clearly cheating… and I've got nothing on me to counter it," he muttered to himself.
"Guess I'll have to rely on my sharp tongue. And if that doesn't work… I'll just run."
Just as he was preparing his next move, Lin Yu suddenly turned around again, his golden aura flaring violently. With his master's help, the crushing pressure of the Heaven Stairs no longer seemed to slow him down. He moved fast—faster than before—and launched another powerful strike at Su Chen's position.
But Su Chen had already vanished mid-air, using the Five Elements Escape Technique once more.
"Boom!"
Lin Yu's attack landed on empty air. Again.
In the distance, Su Chen reappeared, standing casually as if none of this concerned him.
Lin Yu's face twisted in fury.
"You coward! Demonic trash! Bastard! Why don't you stop running and face me like a man?!" he roared.
Su Chen narrowed his eyes and smirked.
"Looks like joining that bald-donkey Buddhist sect of yours has slowed down your brain too."
He crossed his arms and raised a brow.
"Why the hell would I take a hit if I can dodge it? Are you stupid or just spiritually enlightened to the point of brain damage?"
Then he added with a mocking laugh,
"If you really want to fight me, then use your own power, not your master's hand-me-downs. Hmph—trying to act righteous with a cheat code, you little bald fraud."
[If you laughed, cursed, or questioned your own morals while reading this, then don't be stingy—throw me a Power Stone... jejeje...😸]