"Huh… You dare threaten me?" the silver-robed cultivator snarled, glaring at the chubby man before him. His face flushed red with fury, and in a flash, a glowing blue sword appeared in his hand.
Without another word, he charged forward at full speed, sword slashing toward the fatty cultivator.
But the fatty was quick—surprisingly quick. He sidestepped the strike and flicked his wrist, throwing something thin and glinting at the silver-robed man. A sharp clank rang out as the object was deflected by the blue sword.
The silver-robed cultivator didn't slow down. He slashed again, only for the fatty to dodge once more and toss another needle-like object his way. Again, it was parried with a flick of the sword.
The onlookers simply watched in silence. No one interfered—this wasn't their fight, and frankly, this wasn't their style.
Frustrated, the silver-robed man shouted, "Thousand Swords Formation!"
In the blink of an eye, hundreds—no, thousands—of swords manifested in the sky around him, gleaming coldly in the sunlight. He pointed forward and roared, "Kill!"
The swords shot down like a deadly storm toward the fatty cultivator.
But the fatty didn't panic. Instead, he formed a quick hand seal and muttered under his breath. In response, thousands of spiritual arrows appeared behind him like a tidal wave and launched upward, meeting the incoming swords head-on.
The sky was filled with clashing lights and spiritual energy as swords and arrows collided. Explosions rang out, and wind whipped through the air.
The fatty dodged with surprising agility, weaving through the chaos. The silver-robed cultivator, on the other hand, took a grazing hit—an arrow nicked his arm, drawing a thin line of blood. He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth, eyes blazing.
"You bastard! Coward!" the silver-robed cultivator bellowed, panting. "You only know how to dodge! If you have a spine, then face me directly! If you're really the son of one father—then fight me like a man!"
Many of the spectators nodded slightly. Fair or not, they felt he had a point. A true duel should be settled face-to-face.
Well… all except Su Chen.
Tch. What 'son of one father' nonsense? So what if he's dodging? Not getting hit is also a skill, Su Chen thought silently. If dodging works, then dodge. What's he supposed to do, stand there and get sliced like a melon?
Meanwhile, the fatty cultivator sneered and shouted back, "Useless trash like you can't even scratch me, and you're blaming me? Hah! Where's my fault if your attacks can't even touch me?"
Huh... The fatty cultivator suddenly began forming hand seals—complex, swift movements that seemed chaotic to the untrained eye but carried a deep rhythm only seasoned cultivators could sense.
Unknown to the silver-robed cultivator, a needle-like object that had previously been repelled by him started glowing faintly. A few sharp-eyed from the Sudpector faction noticed the change… but none of them said a word. Whether it was amusement, or simple indifference—no one warned him.
Clang!
The silver-robed cultivator tore away from his minor wound and retrieved a bell-shaped treasure from his storage ring. It pulsed with a powerful aura—but the Immortal Palace's suppression sealed it at the Core Formation level. Even so, it didn't stop him from charging forward with killing intent.
But in that very moment—
"Swiss!"
—the fatty cultivator completed his hand seals, and the glowing needle suddenly lit up like a star. Ancient symbols ignited mid-air as all the nearby needles lifted up, swirling around the silver-robed cultivator.
Before the bell could even activate in defense, the formation slammed into place.
Boom!
Blazing Qi erupted from all directions. The formation closed like an iron cage—pillars of fire and arcs of thunder surged from above and below. The silver-robed cultivator barely had time to scream before his body was shredded from every angle, blood splashing like crimson rain.
Amidst the destruction, a hateful voice echoed faintly from within the collapsing formation:
"I'll kill you oneday… you damn bastard!"
Then silence.
Only a single glowing rune remained—floating where the silver-robed cultivator had stood. It condensed into a marking sigil and shot toward the fatty cultivator, aiming to curse him or leave a spiritual imprint.
But the fatty cultivator seemed prepared.
With a flick of his sleeve, he threw out a talisman glowing with pale golden light. The moment it touched the incoming rune, the mark dissipated with a faint hiss, as if it had never existed.
He let out a long sigh of relief, wiped the sweat off his forehead, then turned to the watching crowd with a wide grin.
"What? Never seen a handsome guy fight before?" he chuckled, before flying to an empty platform and casually sitting down cross-legged, as if nothing had happened.
All fifteen people on the platform — including Su Chen — witnessed the entire fight unfold. Yet not a single one of them stepped in. No one wanted to interfere, and more importantly, no one wanted to get involved in something that didn't concern them.
Suddenly — Creak!
A grinding sound echoed from the massive gate behind them.
Everyone instinctively turned to look.
But before they could even react, an overwhelming aura surged forth. In the blink of an eye, all of them vanished from the platform, swept away by some invisible force.
Su Chen reappeared near a quiet pond, surrounded by an eerie stillness. His expression was one of barely concealed annoyance.
'Seriously?Again, no warning. No control. Just thrown around like some garbage.
From the moment he entered the so-called Immortal Palace, he hadn't been given a moment to breathe. First, he'd been forcefully dragged in… then tossed onto the Heaven Stairs… then shoved through the Immortal Gate… and now dumped here like baggage.
He let out a tired sigh, rubbing his forehead.
"I swear, if I don't get at least one decent treasure out of this mess…"
He glanced around warily.
"I'm not even aiming for the inheritance anymore. The system already said its reward is better than whatever ancient inheritance these ruins are hiding. But if — if — the inheritance turns out to be heaven-defying, maybe I'll think about it. Otherwise... no thanks."
He muttered under his breath as he walked toward the water's edge.