Chapter 214: Guiling's Theatrical Performance

As Wang Yu's auction drew to a close, Qing Yang still lamented his lack of capital to purchase the treasures he desired.

Meanwhile, in Guiling City, a grand drama was unfolding!

Master Tianshui, having learned of the Deep Sea Sunken Silver Mine, hurried from the distant Jinchuan City to Guiling. After resting for a day, just as he prepared to continue his journey, Ye Qing, the branch master of Guiling, proactively sought him out.

Ye Qing deliberately exaggerated, highlighting City Lord Wang's arrogance and disdain, while simultaneously belittling Master Tianshui to the point of utter humiliation. He also intentionally misled him regarding spiritual stones.

Then, Master Tianshui remained unexpectedly calm. He smiled and said, "You are Ye Qing, aren't you? Miaoshan's subordinate. I've heard her speak of the Guiling City Lord. Though his personality is wild and perverse, he is not without wisdom. Whose orders are you following by doing this?"

Ye Qing immediately broke out in a cold sweat, stammering, utterly speechless.

Master Tianshui was a peak Golden Core cultivator, merely a step away from forming a Nascent Soul. With his artifact refining skills and his position within the Golden Pavilion, a formidable organization renowned across both realms, he could have long ago exchanged his contributions for a Soul Transformation Pill. He chose not to, in fact, to accumulate a deeper foundation in his craft. He aspired to refine a fourth-grade magic treasure while still in the Golden Core stage.

This would allow him, during the breakthrough to a major realm, to seize that opportune moment and elevate his artifact refining skill to a level infinitely close to mid-fourth grade. This is known as strategically leveraging the opportunity of a major realm breakthrough, a common method used by major powers to cultivate grand masters of various arts. Some geniuses also adopt this approach, seizing every opportunity to strengthen themselves.

Facing such a powerful figure, who was only a little over five hundred years old, Ye Qing naturally felt an overwhelming amount of pressure.

Master Tianshui sighed softly.

"Young man, being two-faced leads to no good end. Although Miaoshan is currently in a difficult situation, she is far from her limit. Whether you've sought allegiance with Jinlin, Jinchi Xuan, or Jin Xuanxuan, you won't last much longer."

"—Silence!"

Ye Qing's expression turned grim. Deep down, how could he not know this truth? But... what choice did he have? Jin Miaoshan was in reclusive cultivation, unable to protect her weaker subordinates. When Jinlin sent people to find him, what leverage did he have to refuse? His Ye family also resided in Jinchuan City!

The truth was, Jin Miaoshan had suffered a setback with Wang Yu, faced internal punishment within the pavilion, and due to issues with the Dongjijing inheritance, had gone into seclusion. It was genuinely difficult for her subordinates to place absolute trust in her.

Just then.

Ye Qing activated the token Jinlin had given him, a device used to control dead warriors. The top of this branch pavilion once again became the epicenter of a storm in Guiling.

In the blink of an eye, nine dead warriors, clad in iron masks and wreathed in black mist, surrounded Master Tianshui, who remained calmly seated. All the dead warriors displayed synchronized cultivation at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage.

Since they intended to deal with Master Tianshui, Jinlin naturally dispatched his elite forces. This caliber of dead warrior was not easy to cultivate; the loss of even one would be considered a severe blow.

Seeing this, Master Tianshui burst into hearty laughter.

"Besieging an artifact refiner? How is this different from breaking into an array master's lair? If these people die, Jinlin will likely have to lay low for quite some time."

"Heh—" Ye Qing, resigned to his fate, said indifferently, "Jin Miaoshan has already failed once in Guiling City. If something like this happens again, the losses incurred by the Golden Pavilion will be enough for her lineage to atone for three thousand years!"

With that, he crushed another bead.

In the City Lord's residence, He Gu Zhenren, disguised as Wang Yu, sat brazenly on the City Lord's throne. Upon sensing the unfolding events, he felt a prick of unease. The plan was not proceeding as intended. Logically, Tianshui dying within the City Lord's residence would have better facilitated subsequent developments. He was, after all, the key figure meant to incite the "slaughter the pavilion" incident. Giving direct orders seemed too abrupt, but with the arrow already on the string, and the pawns along a critical path now in motion, he could no longer stop, even if unforeseen circumstances arose.

—Boom—

As if yesterday's events were repeating, He Gu Zhenren's chosen method struck directly at the heart. He materialized a hundred-meter-tall upper body image of Wang Yu, with even his eyelashes clearly visible, and his voice resonated throughout the city. "Guiling, heed my command! All who are under the Revered Sect and honor its mighty name, by my decree, slaughter the Guiling branch pavilion! All spoils of war shall be yours, and I, Wang, guarantee they will never be reclaimed!"

This declaration was almost identical to what Wang Yu had said years ago. Feeling a surge of exhilaration, He Gu Zhenren soared into the air above the City Lord's residence, full of vigor, gesturing commandingly!

He chopped his hand forward, and there was dead silence.

He Gu: "..."

He thought, "Why am I sweating a little?"

"Wang Yu could command them, so why couldn't he? No, it should be: why couldn't the current Wang Yu command them, when the former Wang Yu could?"

The reason was actually quite simple. By now, Guiling City's city guards and patrol forces had grown substantially. They remained motionless. The North District didn't move. The Guan and Jiang families didn't move. The personnel managing their respective shops didn't move. The branch offices of the three Golden Core sects stationed in the city didn't move.

Furthermore, it was now a low ebb in the exploration of Dongjijing. There were only a handful of Golden Core experts in the city. Committing such a major crime would likely lead to severe repercussions. Even with the "renowned" City Lord Wang leading them, there was a lack of audacious individuals willing to step forward.

This was a practical reason. Psychological reasons also played a part. For instance, the last time Wang Yu went back on his word, he even cooperated with the Golden Pavilion to publicize the event in Yunling Province, shifting all blame onto temporary workers. The failure of the Wenxiang Society was also a significant blow to Wang's prestige. The street in front of the City Lord's residence had only recently been repaired; everyone remembered it.

The combined influence of practical and psychological factors, along with Wang Yu's prior instructions, meant that even the few cultivators who had timidly shouted fell silent immediately.

Just as He Gu Zhenren stood frozen in mid-air, somewhat at a loss...

...a thunderous "Boom—" Next to Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, in the Central District, not far from the City Lord's residence, the Guiling branch pavilion instantly disintegrated under immense power. Ye Qing's life aura vanished. Nine figures, working in perfect coordination, wielded crescent blades, unleashing streams of black lines filled with eerie corrosive power. The slashes covered the sky, engulfing almost a quarter of the Central District. The nearby Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was about to suffer collateral damage.

Pavilion Master Han Jia quickly lifted the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, using his magical power to swiftly elevate it high into the sky. He looked at Wang Yu (He Gu Zhenren)'s figure, his eyes filled with astonishment. He seemed to be the only one unaware of what was happening.

Amidst the ruins.

Master Tianshui sat calmly on his chair, a parasol-shaped magic treasure spinning above his head. The golden light barrier it emitted protected him thoroughly. Those deadly black slashes, which lingered in the air, could not even shake the golden light barrier in the slightest.

Tianshui took a sip of tea and said helplessly, "Jinlin actually taught you the divine ability 'Shadow Ghost Prison'? This is an inheritance from the Unseen Profound Monarch. You're becoming increasingly presumptuous!"

As he spoke, his gaze crossed the distance, fixed directly on He Gu Zhenren. "I don't like you. Jinlin is truly insane, harming the pavilion's interests to eliminate rivals, even exploiting the external pressure from the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect. Even if he deals with Miaoshan, can he use the same methods to contend with Jinchi Xuan and Jin Xuanxuan?"

At this moment, He Gu Zhenren knew the situation was now beyond his control. He ended his disguise and approached Master Tianshui.

"Senior," he said, "Young Master Jinlin's meaning is that we simply need to do as told. Whatever the consequences, the Young Master will naturally bear them entirely. We are merely executors. In the future, no matter which young master or young lady takes power, we will still be the sharp blades of the Jin family."

"Alas—"

"I'm getting old, so I tend to complain and my tongue runs a bit. Are you sure you still want to kill me? It's not too late to stop now."

He Gu Zhenren shook his head.

"The order to cease has not been issued. Regardless of the cost, the plan will proceed as normal. Senior Tianshui... you won't last much longer."

Watching the nine dead warriors, who continued to attack, constantly generating soundless waves that had almost completely destroyed a corner of the Central District, and the unmoving golden light barrier, He Gu's sense of unease grew even stronger.

Tianshui, moreover, began to explain, proudly introducing the product of his exquisite craftsmanship.

"You simply don't understand how many magic treasures an artifact refiner with ample resources will prepare for himself. Want to guess?"

He Gu pondered for a moment.

"Five? Senior Tianshui, no matter how many magic treasures you possess or how capable they are of handling various situations, your magical power is limited."

"It seems you still don't understand." Tianshui pointed to the parasol above his head. "This is the Heavenly Net Parasol, a peak third-grade magic treasure. It was a failed attempt when I was refining a Nascent Soul magic treasure, originally intended as a treasure for transcending tribulations. Unfortunately, its immunity to lightning disappeared, leaving only pure defensive capabilities. Do you see the string of pearls hanging from the edge of the Heavenly Net Parasol? Each of those precious pearls is equivalent to a Golden Core. They are external cores I refined using the Golden Cores of dead warriors like you. Do you want to count how many there are?"

He Gu Zhenren was stunned and actually began to count.

"One... one hundred and eight..."

"Hahaha, that's right." With such a massive magical power supply, combined with the Heavenly Net Parasol, a supreme-grade magic treasure focused solely on defense, unless a Nascent Soul cultivator personally intervened, they wouldn't be able to break it, even if they exhausted all their magical power. This was the capability of a powerful artifact refiner. Ample resources could create an invincible monster at the same cultivation realm.

Master Tianshui wasn't skilled in combat, so he could only maximize his life-saving abilities. He had only revealed a fraction of his true capabilities; if he chose to flee, he could also display astonishing speed.

He Gu Zhenren's expression was complex.

"Young Master Jinlin didn't tell us about your capabilities."

"He doesn't know much himself, actually." Master Tianshui's expression turned serious. He held four dark, thunder-shrouded pellets between his fingers, containing immense, terrifying power. "Young man, this is your last chance."

He Gu forced a bitter smile and summoned his Natal Magic Treasure. "Senior, let's begin."

The next instant, thunder exploded, as if a heavenly tribulation was extensively unfolding throughout the city. The City Lord's residence's array formation automatically activated, and the entire Central District was obliterated by the lightning. Half of the nearby East and North Districts were also affected.

Fortunately, the city guards were numerous enough that they had begun evacuating residents and cultivators as soon as the change started. However, a portion of the population was still caught in the blast, perishing in the sea of thunder.

When the thunder-storm dispersed, a dust-covered Master Tianshui emerged from it, looking at the ruins that had been reduced to powder, leaving only ash-black remnants. He murmured to himself, "The Thunder Tribulation Pellets' destructive power is still too great. There are no spoils of war left, a complete loss. And the Heavenly Net Parasol couldn't guarantee absolute safety either."

"Senior." Xu Ruozhou quickly landed, looking with fear at the benevolent-faced old man before him. In just that single strike, at least tens of thousands of people had died.

Tianshui turned back and smiled. "Please thank your City Lord for me."

"—Yes!"

End of Chapter.