453: Chapter 453 If you can't beat them, you have to admit defeat

Gale winds tore at the tattered curtains inside the grand hall, and several thick, red-lacquered wooden pillars were snapped in half.

Blue bricks shattered, turning into vast clouds of fine powder that were swept into the dark golden bag in mid-air.

Chen You's feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground as his body slid uncontrollably toward the heaven-swallowing bag.

"Yuhuang!" Chen You shouted in a low voice.

The yuhuang sword let out a clear, resonant hum and flashed out.

Chen You stepped onto the blade, his entire body almost horizontal, controlling the sword to resist the suction.

His figure finally stabilized.

As an innate spiritual treasure, the might of Yuhuang was indeed greater than the mythological-grade heaven-swallowing bag.

Slicing this bag to shreds shouldn't be difficult.

However, if he could get his hands on such a good treasure, that would be even better.

Chen You took a deep breath, braced against the gale, and shouted at Evil Venerable Huangmei, who was sitting cross-legged on the remains of a lotus throne in the grand hall.

"Old Huang! The quality of your bag is subpar!"

Evil Venerable Huangmei was currently forming hand seals, desperately driving the heaven-swallowing bag.

Hearing this, its large weasel head snapped up, its dark green vertical pupils filled with shock and suspicion.

"Insolent! This is my companion treasure, capable of swallowing the heavens and devouring the earth. How dare a mere ant like you speak such wild words!"

"Swallowing the heavens and devouring the earth?" Chen You sneered. "With this wind power, you can't even suck up my flying sword; at best, you're a high-powered range hood."

The corner of Evil Venerable Huangmei's eye twitched.

It had lived for so long and devoured countless living beings; which of them hadn't wailed in terror or knelt to beg for mercy under the pressure of the heaven-swallowing bag?

Not only had this human not been sucked in, but he even dared to spout such nonsense?

"What kind of sorcery is this?" Evil Venerable Huangmei gritted its teeth and pressed its hands together with renewed force.

The opening of the heaven-swallowing bag suddenly expanded twofold, and the sound of thunder faintly rumbled from within as the suction force surged.

Chen You's figure swayed slightly.

The yuhuang sword let out a crisp hum, and sword qi crisscrossed, firmly anchoring the surrounding space.

Chen You cleared his throat.

"Old Huang, let's lay our cards on the table."

Chen You's tone was sincere. "The design concept of this magic treasure of yours is good, and its functional positioning is also very clear."

"However, its underlying logic has fatal flaws."

Evil Venerable Huangmei was stunned.

It didn't understand terms like "design concept" or "underlying logic," but it instinctively felt that the other party was belittling its supreme treasure.

"Nonsense!"

"Am I talking nonsense?" Chen You pointed at the giant net in the sky. "Look at this material—rough! And look at these formation patterns—outdated!"

"Most importantly, your suction is an indiscriminate attack, the power consumption is too high, and it doesn't meet modern energy-saving and emission-reduction standards at all."

Chen You paused, then threw out his trump card.

"To be honest, was this thing a freebie you got from slashing a price on Pinduoduo? Or is it a defective piece you picked up at some street stall?"

"Shut up!" Evil Venerable Huangmei was thoroughly enraged.

As a dignified mythological-grade lord, it was actually being mocked to its face by a human who called its treasure a defective product.

"Today, I will surely turn you into pus and blood!"

Evil Venerable Huangmei spat a mouthful of blood essence into mid-air and frantically formed hand seals.

The heaven-swallowing bag erupted with blinding blood-red light, and a small spatial black hole even appeared deep within the bag's opening.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Chen You sighed.

"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin."

Chen You brought his right fingers together like a sword and tapped lightly.

"Go."

The yuhuang sword split off an avatar, which turned into a stream of light and instantly pierced into the violent vortex of suction.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor any deafening roar.

The yuhuang sword, as if cutting through tofu, easily pierced through the blood-colored barrier released by the heaven-swallowing bag, its tip stopping steadily at the edge of the bag's opening.

A supreme and terrifying pressure erupted from the yuhuang sword.

That was the suppression of hierarchy belonging to an innate spiritual treasure.

The blood-red light on the heaven-swallowing bag extinguished instantly, and the massive sack trembled violently, emitting a humming sound like a mournful cry.

Evil Venerable Huangmei was struck as if by lightning; its face turned deathly pale, and it spat out a mouthful of blood.

"What... what level of magic treasure is this?" It looked in horror at the flying sword hovering in mid-air, its body trembling uncontrollably.

Its companion treasure, which it was so proud of, couldn't even muster a thought of resistance in front of that sword!

Chen You flew into the grand hall at a leisurely pace, his hands behind his back.

"Believe it now?" Chen You looked at the Evil Venerable Huangmei, who was slumped on the ground. "Your broken bag—my sword could tear it into a rag with a casual swipe."

Evil Venerable Huangmei stared fixedly at Chen You, its eyes filled with unwillingness and fear.

"You... who exactly are you?"

"Me?" Chen You smiled. "I'm just a warm-hearted passerby."

He walked up to Evil Venerable Huangmei and looked down at it.

"Old Huang, I see that your cultivation hasn't been easy, and this dojo is all tattered; you probably can't even get any incense money usually, right?"

Evil Venerable Huangmei didn't speak, but a trace of desolation did flash in its eyes.

"How about this: I'm someone who values fairness most when doing business."

Chen You took a gleaming gold coin out of his backpack and tossed it at Evil Venerable Huangmei's feet.

"If you sell this bag to me, this gold coin will be yours."

"Take the money, go to the city to buy a house, get a wife, and live out your later years in peace. Isn't that better than being a monster in these desolate mountains?"

Evil Venerable Huangmei looked at the gold coin on the ground, then at Chen You, as if it had heard a huge joke.

"One gold coin? You want to buy my mythological-grade supreme treasure?"

It laughed in extreme anger, suddenly grabbing the short rod on the ground, ready to lash out and hurt someone.

"Not enough?" Chen You raised an eyebrow.

He snapped his fingers.

Clatter!

Accompanied by the crisp sound of metal colliding, a small mountain made of gold coins instantly appeared in the center of the hall, its golden radiance almost blinding Evil Venerable Huangmei.

"Ten thousand gold coins. Is that enough?" Chen You asked with the air of a wealthy tycoon.

Evil Venerable Huangmei's movements froze in mid-air.

It had lived for so long and had never seen so much money.

In the rules of the Source Realm, gold coins were the purest crystallization of energy and a hard currency that no living being could refuse.

"You..." Evil Venerable Huangmei swallowed, its hand gripping the short rod loosening slightly.

Chen You keenly captured the greed in its eyes.

"Old Huang, times have changed." Chen You patted Evil Venerable Huangmei's shoulder earnestly.

"There's no future in fighting and killing; making money is the real way to go. Give me the bag, take the gold coins, and I guarantee I won't kill you."

Evil Venerable Huangmei looked at the mountain of gold, its breathing becoming rapid.

It looked at the heaven-swallowing bag, which was firmly suppressed by the yuhuang sword in mid-air, and then at the unfathomable Chen You before it.

Its magic treasure had been countered; it definitely couldn't win a fight.

If it could take this huge sum of money and run, that didn't seem too bad, right?

"You... is that true?" Evil Venerable Huangmei gritted its teeth.

"I, Chen You, have always kept my word." Chen You patted his chest in assurance.

Evil Venerable Huangmei took a deep breath and formed hand seals.

The heaven-swallowing bag in mid-air quickly shrank, turning into a tattered bag the size of a palm, and landed in its palm.

It handed the heaven-swallowing bag to Chen You with trembling hands.

"It's yours."