477: Chapter 477 The Injured Old Man

[With Talismans, you can dodge one or two, but if a hundred explode at once, no matter how fast your movement technique is, it's useless.]

[Ximen Huan stood within the circle of Talismans, his eyes squinting into slits as he laughed:]

["Let's see how you dodge this time."]

[You yawned and reached up to pat your mouth:]

["You talk too much."]

[Your attitude infuriated Ximen Huan.]

[His face darkened, and with a flick of his finger—]

[One hundred thunder curse talismans lit up simultaneously.]

[Boom!]

[The entire Douling Platform exploded into a sea of lightning. Thunder snakes darted wildly, the blinding light making it impossible to keep one's eyes open, and the thunderous roar made everyone's ears ring.]

[Below the platform, a clamor arose.]

["It's over, it's over. There won't even be ashes left."]

["This kid dared to boastfully challenge a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; I thought he had some trick up his sleeve, but this is it?"]

["A hundred thunder curse talismans... he really doesn't care about Spirit Stones."]

["Never mind a hundred, just one or two would be enough for him to handle."]

[This was no exaggeration.]

[A single thunder curse talisman could strike a Qi Refining Cultivator dead, ten could heavily injure a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and a hundred exploding together—no one below the Golden Core stage could withstand it.]

[Unless they had a Magic Treasure specifically for lightning protection.]

[Chen Biao sighed and shook his head:]

["What a shame. This little brother is a good person, just too impulsive."]

[Yu Hong also sighed, his tone laced with complaint:]

["Brother Qin usually seems so steady. Why is he acting like he's lost his mind today, insisting on fighting?"]

[Yu Ji's expression was also unpleasant as she muttered under her breath:]

["Serves him right. Who told him to seek death himself?"]

[Just as she finished speaking, the three of them were stunned simultaneously.]

[The lightning on the platform dissipated.]

[You stood there, motionless, enveloped in a faint golden light. Not even a single tear could be seen on your clothes.]

[You looked at Ximen Huan, the corner of your mouth twitching slightly:]

["That's it?"]

[The crowd below instantly erupted.]

["A golden essence talisman?! He actually has a golden essence talisman?"]

["Does this kid have a Nascent Soul behind him?"]

["So this is a golden essence talisman? I've finally seen one."]

[A golden essence talisman is personally refined by a Nascent Soul Cultivator and contains a trace of Nascent Soul Power, capable of blocking a full-strength strike from a Golden Core Perfection Cultivator.]

[Never mind a hundred thunder curse talismans; even another hundred wouldn't be able to break through this layer of golden light.]

[This golden essence talisman was a reward from your fourteenth simulation. You only had this one and hadn't found a use for it yet.]

[Considering you couldn't reveal your strength casually this time, you had brought many such "trash items" with you.]

[Today, it came in handy.]

[Actually, you didn't have to use it. The thunder curse talismans couldn't hurt you, but they would have forced you to reveal your strength.]

[You didn't want to show your hand here, so you simply used it.]

[Smiles appeared on the faces of Chen Biao and Yu Hong as they both breathed a sigh of relief.]

[Yu Ji stood there, her cheeks slightly flushed—the phrase "if you win, I'll be your Dao Companion" kept echoing in her mind.]

[At the same time,]

[On the platform, the smile on Ximen Huan's face had completely vanished.]

[He stood frozen in place, his mind momentarily blank.]

[Naturally, you wouldn't give him time to react.]

[Seizing this perfect opportunity, you struck decisively.]

[With a casual flick, a thunder curse talisman flew out—]

[Boom!]

[A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm struck down.]

[Ximen Huan hurriedly summoned a Spiritual Light Shield to block above his head.]

[Buzz!]

[The lightning struck the shield, exploding into a shower of sparks.]

[The shield held, but the lightning overflowed from the edges and struck his arm.]

["Ah—!"]

[Ximen Huan let out a miserable scream, his whole body jolting before he collapsed to the ground.]

[His arm was charred black, the flesh mangled and the bone visible.]

[His hair stood on end, black smoke puffed from his mouth, and his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.]

[The protective light barrier of the Douling Platform also dissipated at this moment.]

[The two Golden Core guards below rushed onto the platform, helped Ximen Huan up, and stuffed a Rejuvenation Pill into his mouth.]

[After a few breaths, Ximen Huan woke up.]

[He sat on the ground, staring at you with a dark expression, his chest heaving.]

[Then, he took a deep breath and propped himself up to stand:]

["I lost the bet, and I accept it."]

[Having said that, a Spiritual Artifact longsword appeared in his hand. He raised it, intending to hack off his own arm.]

["That's enough."] You reached out to stop him.

[Ximen Huan was stunned, his sword stopping in mid-air:]

["What do you mean?"]

[You glanced at him, then at Chen Biao and the other two below the platform:]

["Let's change the condition. For next year's Sect entrance examination, have your Ximen Family act as guarantors for the four of us."]

[Ximen Huan blinked, seemingly unable to process it:]

["Just that?"]

["What else?"] Your voice was calm. ["It's not some deep-seated blood feud that requires an arm."]

[You had changed your mind on the spot.]

[Seeing that he was actually going to cut it, you were somewhat surprised.]

[Although this man was arrogant, he was also a man of his word.]

[Besides, you came to the Wuji Immortal Sect to take over the Sect, not to make enemies everywhere.]

[Making a friend is always better than making an enemy.]

[Ximen Huan was stunned for a while, and then the expression on his face changed.]

[He looked at you, the hostility in his eyes slowly dissipating, replaced by... admiration? Gratitude?]

[He cupped his fists toward you:]

["Fine, from now on, you're my brother. Whoever dares to trouble you is troubling me, Ximen Huan."]

[You smiled and didn't take it to heart.]

[But it wasn't bad to hear.]

[If you could establish a connection with the Ximen Family, it would be another path open to you.]

["Hahaha..."] Chen Biao walked over laughing and slapped your shoulder.

["You remind me of my younger days. Back then, I was a bandit, and it was the same with my brothers—we'd drink after a fight, and fight again after drinking."]

[He paused, his face showing a hint of sentimentality:]

["Unfortunately, those brothers of mine are all dead."]

[When he said this, he had no expression, as if he were talking about someone else's business.]

[Without reaching Soul Transformation, one remains an ant—he understood this better than anyone.]

[That's why he, a Nascent Soul, didn't feel it was beneath him to mingle with you Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Cultivators.]

[In this world, you step on me today, and I step on you tomorrow. Who can say for sure?]

[Yu Hong walked over and gave you a playful punch, smiling:]

["Not bad, Brother Qin, you've got some skill."]

[Yu Ji followed behind, silent. she only glanced at you before lowering her head again.]

[A moment later, the five of you were talking and laughing as you walked toward the street.]

[Chen Biao had the loudest voice:]

["Let's go, let's go drink! My treat!"]

["Your treat?"] Yu Hong glanced at him sideways. ["Right, you're a Nascent Soul big shot, you have plenty of money. It should be your treat!"]

["Hahaha..."] Chen Biao replied righteously, ["Of course, of course. It's been a long time since I've felt this satisfied."]

[The group laughed and joked as they turned the corner into a restaurant.]

[A moment later,]

[In a private room on the second floor, the five of you were drinking spiritual wine, chatting animatedly.]

[Chen Biao was holding his wine cup, boasting about his glorious days as a bandit, when suddenly—]

[Buzz!]

[The entire restaurant shook.]

[The sky split open.]

[A rift tore from east to west, pitch black, as if the heavens had been sliced open with a knife.]

[A hunched old man stepped out from the rift.]

[The old man had silver hair, a pale face, and hands as dry and cracked as old bark. His body was shrouded in a layer of gray Death Qi.]

[He carried a rusty iron sword on his back, longer than he was tall and so rusted its original form was unrecognizable.]

["Cough, cough, cough—"]

[He covered his mouth and coughed a few times, blood dripping through his fingers.]