168: Observatory

The mists of Yunmiao Mountain grew even thicker after the grand formation was reactivated. The once lifeless Peaks, now nourished by a trace of Immortal Essence, sprouted patches of tender green amidst the crevices of the ruins.

However, the tranquility of this early morning was soon shattered by a violent sound of something tearing through the air.

"Yun Xi! Get out here, you wench! A debt must be repaid—that's the law of heaven and earth. Did you think hiding in this broken formation would let you dodge the interest owed to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?"

A domineering roar exploded outside the mountain gate, causing the half-collapsed plaque to vibrate with a hum. Immediately after, over a dozen streaks of light landed on the stone steps of the mountain gate. Leading them was a woman with a fierce, meaty face and a burly build. Her thick, bare arms were tattooed with a descending black tiger, and her entire body radiated the savage pressure of an Earth Immortal at the Peak.

The leader of the Black Tiger Gang, Tiger Fiendess.

Behind her, a group of female underlings each wielded heavy Immortal Artifacts, their eyes filled with contempt. In the lower echelons of the Immortal Realm, a fallen Sect like the Yunmiao Sect was their prime target for plunder.

"M-Master... it's the Black Tiger Gang," Yun Xi's face instantly turned pale. She instinctively grabbed Lin Chen's sleeve, her delicate body trembling slightly.

She couldn't forget the terror of being surrounded by these bullies and ultimately sold to the mining district to pay off her debt. In the lower strata of this female-dominated Immortal Realm, a destitute Fairy like her—possessing outstanding beauty but no power or influence—would face a fate worse than death if she fell into the hands of these barbaric female Cultivators.

Lin Chen was sitting in the only intact rattan chair in front of the main hall, leisurely fiddling with a set of purple clay tea utensils. It was the finest Da Hong Pao he had brought up from the Lower Realm. The fragrant aroma of the tea wafted gently, starkly contrasting with the clamor outside the mountain gate.

"Sect Master Yun, stay calm," Lin Chen took a light sip of tea, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. "Since it's a debt from your past, we'll settle it all today."

"Well, well, where did this pretty boy come from? An Ascendant?"

Tiger Fiendess had already barged into the front courtyard with her gang and spotted Lin Chen at a glance. She was momentarily stunned, then burst into loud laughter, her eyes revealing undisguised lust. "Yun Xi, no wonder you dared to come back here. You've found yourself a handsome male slave as a backer? Tsk tsk, this skin of his is truly top-grade. This Madam happens to be short of a 'mountain stronghold wife.' How about you hand this male slave over to me, then come back to the Black Tiger Gang with me? I'll give you a twenty percent discount on the previous interest!"

"Hahahaha!" The female underlings behind her joined in the raucous laughter, their gazes brazenly sweeping over Lin Chen as if he were a lamb awaiting slaughter.

Yun Xi trembled with rage, pointing at Tiger Fiendess and cursing, "You... you shameless wretch! This is my Master. With just one finger, he could..."

"Could what? Could he serve This Madam comfortably?" Tiger Fiendess interrupted Yun Xi, sneering as she took a step forward. The pressure of an Earth Immortal at the Peak surged forth like a tidal wave.

Lin Chen still didn't move, not even a ripple disturbing the tea in his cup. He simply turned his head to look at Little Demoness Dragon, who was squatting on the ground nearby, her face smeared with grease as she gnawed on a braised pig's trotter.

"Little Yao, someone is disturbing my tea."

Little Demoness Dragon was eating with gusto, her pair of golden dragon horns trembling slightly with excitement. Hearing Lin Chen's words, she reluctantly looked up. A flash of extremely savage ferocity glinted in her pale golden phoenix eyes.

For the Dragon Clan, interrupting a meal is a capital offense.

"Brother, can I eat that woman who looks like a pig?" Little Demoness Dragon licked the grease from her fingertips. Her voice was childish, yet it sent a chill down the spines of all the Black Tiger Gang members present.

"Too fatty, greasy. Just knock her away," Lin Chen instructed indifferently.

"Okay!"

Little Demoness Dragon clapped her small hands. The moment she stood up, her previously well-behaved, loli-like demeanor vanished completely. A True Immortal's pressure, superior to all living beings—though deliberately restrained—still carried a primordial Killing Intent from her Bloodline, causing the surrounding plants to wither instantly.

"You little beast, playing tricks!" Tiger Fiendess, unaware of the level of danger, still thought this was just a spoiled male pet. She casually swung her millstone-sized black-gold heavy hammer, aiming it straight at Little Demoness Dragon's head. "Get out of This Madam's way!"

The heavy hammer created a piercing sonic boom, compressing the air to its limit.

Yun Xi screamed and instinctively closed her eyes.

However, the expected bloody scene did not occur.

Little Demoness Dragon didn't even blink. She merely extended a small, fair, and delicate hand in an utterly perfunctory manner.

"Clang—!"

A metallic impact sound, loud enough to shatter the eardrums of ordinary Cultivators, echoed through the heavens.

Tiger Fiendess's hammer strike, capable of splitting mountains and cracking stones, was actually caught steadily by Little Demoness Dragon's palm. The massive heavy hammer looked like a ridiculous toy before that tiny hand. No matter how hard Tiger Fiendess channeled her Immortal Essence, the hammer remained motionless.

"You... that's impossible!" Tiger Fiendess's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.

"You're blocking my sunlight."

Little Demoness Dragon curled her lip, then suddenly took a small step forward. Her seemingly slender legs caused the entire Yunmiao Mountain to tremble slightly with each step. She didn't use any flashy immortal techniques—just simply clenched her fist and delivered a straightforward hook punch to Tiger Fiendess's abdomen.

"Boom—!"

It was pure, unadulterated Physical Body strength.

Tiger Fiendess didn't even have time to scream. Her entire body bent into a grotesque V-shape, like a golf ball struck by immense force. Her thick Earth Immortal Protective Aura shattered like porcelain before the Dragon Fist. She transformed into a streak of black light, crashing through several layers of the grand formation's light barriers and disappearing into the distant sky in a parabolic arc, becoming a shining star.

Dead silence fell over the scene.

The remaining female underlings of the Black Tiger Gang still held their weapons, but now they seemed paralyzed, mouths agape and palms sweating. That was their gang leader, an Earth Immortal at the Peak! And she was just... swatted away like a fly?

"Your turn."

Lin Chen set down his teacup and slowly stood up.

Before those people could react, his figure transformed into a dark golden blur. Each flicker was accompanied by the sound of cracking bones and screams. In just a few breaths, over a dozen Black Tiger Gang elites were all lying on the ground, limbs broken, wailing in agony.

Lin Chen stepped on the face of a minor leader, the force pressing her cheek tightly against the cold stone bricks, rendering her immobile.

"Master, spare us! Lord, spare us! We were just following orders..."

"No nonsense," Lin Chen looked down at her from above, his eyes filled with the cold indifference of a predator. "Since you've come, you must leave something behind. Hand over all your Storage Pouches, Immortal Crystals, and weapons. If you're short by even one, I'll make sure that pig-like gang leader of yours has company out there in the sky."

"We'll hand them over! We'll hand them over!"

Moments later, a pile of Storage Pouches emitting various immortal glows formed a small hill.

Lin Chen gave them a cursory glance. There were quite a few Immortal Stones, and even some decent Artifact Refining Materials. This reverse robbery had unexpectedly brought a windfall to him, a newcomer Ascendant.

"Get lost. Go back and tell whoever is behind you that the Yunmiao Sect has a new master."

The Black Tiger Gang members scrambled out of the formation, terrified that if they ran too slowly, they'd be caught by that meat-eating "demon loli" and turned into snacks.

Yun Xi stared blankly at everything—at the hill-like pile of spoils, then at Little Demoness Dragon, who was circling Lin Chen with admiration, begging for beggar's chicken. She suddenly realized that her Sect, which had been on the verge of extinction, seemed to be heading down a path of brutality she had never imagined.

"Master, although we drove them away, the Black Tiger Gang has actually been paying tribute to the Jiantian Division. With how decisively we acted today, we'll likely attract an investigation from the Immortal Realm's authorities soon... Your identity as an Ascendant probably won't remain hidden for long," Yun Xi stepped forward and softly reminded him, her tone tinged with worry.

Lin Chen merely gave a cold smile, reached out, and pulled this Fairy directly into his embrace.

"If it can't be hidden, then we won't hide it."

Lin Chen's powerful hands roamed over Yun Xi's astonishingly elastic curves through her thin garments. "Since the rule in this Immortal Realm is the survival of the fittest, I'll trample every rule they pride themselves on into dust."

...Night fell, and warm lamplight flickered within the main hall.

Thanks to the windfall during the day, Lin Chen not only repaired the main hall but also specially purchased an extravagantly luxurious agarwood bed.

Little Demoness Dragon had long since fallen asleep in the side hall, clutching a pig's trotter, drool pooling on the floor. But inside the main hall, the atmosphere was like a pot of boiling medicinal brew—thick and scorching.

Yun Xi lay limp on the agarwood couch. Her brand-new chiffon immortal dress had already been torn to shreds, barely hanging on her round, fragrant shoulders.

"Sect Master Yun, when you begged me to save you earlier, didn't you say you'd do anything?"

At that moment, she felt she was no longer that stray dog hiding and fleeing, but a saint blessed by a deity, transformed into a speck of dust beneath Lin Chen's seat.

Outside the formation, the cold wind howled, but the spring-like warmth inside the main hall was like a spark, igniting the stagnant night of the entire Immortal Realm.

[Congratulations, host! Repelling the Black Tiger Gang has begun to establish the Sect's prestige!] [System Reminder: Remnants of the Black Tiger Gang have colluded with an inspector from the Jiantian Division, who is now heading toward Yunmiao Mountain!] [Special Reward Obtained: Divine Soul Concealment Technique (can hide Ascendant aura for three days)!]

"The Jiantian Division? Perfect. My backyard could use a few 'official young ladies' to serve tea."