Chapter 124: Giving Up

The Heavenly Master has arrived!

As the Heavenly Master and Zhao Huanjin appeared, the atmosphere on the grassland suddenly grew heavy. The clear, sun-drenched sky was instantly choked by thick, dark clouds. Lightning flickered within the clouds, accompanied by the occasional low rumble of thunder. The rolling, thunderous roars felt like divine retribution, intimidating everyone present. The pressure hanging in the air was so intense that it felt as if they were struggling to breathe. Even the wind had died down.

"Is this the aura of an absolute master? Isn't it too strong? Is this really a level of power a human can possess?" Chen Jinkui, the most blunt and outspoken among the Ten Elders, was the first to speak, expressing his internal shock. The others, though their eyes flickered with unease, did not voice their thoughts as openly as Chen.

Zhao Fangxu, despite not understanding the intricacies of such power, was nonetheless deeply shaken. As one of the few outsiders in the world of Outsiders, with his limited imagination, he could not conceive that someone could truly influence the environment and the phenomena of the heavens with their own power. Just as Chen Jinkui had blurted out, was this truly something a human could accomplish? The crowd wore expressions of astonishment and disbelief.

However, there were exceptions, such as Ye Yan and Lu Jin, both of whom remained calm. The former had long anticipated the Heavenly Master's strength, while the latter had been in contact with him for a long time and knew that when the Lightning Method reached its peak, even the slightest movement of one's hands or feet could affect the weather. Much like his own Tongtian Talisman, once pushed to the limit, it could also change the color of the world. Since he could do the same, Lu Jin naturally didn't find this remarkable. The Heavenly Master could affect the weather; he could as well. By that logic, Lu Jin equaled the Heavenly Master. Thinking this, Lu Jin felt even more confident in his attempt to block the Heavenly Master today.

...

"Gentlemen, my descent from the mountain today is for personal matters. Do you intend to block me?" The Heavenly Master’s gaze swept gently over the Ten Elders. His voice was not deep, yet it carried such majesty that no one dared to answer lightly.

"Heavenly Master, the Company should not interfere with your personal matters lightly," Zhao Fangxu said. "But as the leader of the Zhengyi sect, you truly cannot afford any mishaps. We have come to quell the conflict and also out of a desire to protect you. After all, even though you are a renowned master in the world of Outsiders, it is unwise to attempt to face all the experts of Quanxing single-handedly..."

Zhao Fangxu's words were tactful. In his view, no matter how strong the Heavenly Master was, facing all of Quanxing alone was a fool's errand—an impossible dream. At least, that was how Zhao saw it. Hearing this, the Heavenly Master stroked his long beard and chuckled, "I appreciate your concern, Director Zhao. But this is a private matter for Longhu Mountain. Since I have already descended, I will not return empty-handed." The thunderous strikes he had dealt to Quanxing since coming down the mountain were proof of his resolve.

"Heavenly Master, is there truly no room for compromise? Although I personally do not wish to end the dispute in this manner, in order to maintain the stability of the Outsider world, I have no choice but to offend you..." Zhao Fangxu didn't truly grasp the extent of the Heavenly Master's power. He believed that with the Ten Elders he had brought, along with top-tier combatants like Ye Yan, stopping the Heavenly Master would not be difficult. He felt confident as he spoke, even with the rolling thunder that accompanied the Heavenly Master’s arrival.

"Director Zhao, I will not back down. If you truly wish to stop me, then do it here—use your power to knock me down." As he spoke, the Heavenly Master rolled up his sleeves.

Seeing that verbal communication was futile, Zhao Fangxu sighed helplessly, "My apologies, Heavenly Master. Then we have no choice but to offend you..."

"Come." The Heavenly Master remained calm and composed.

After the negotiations failed, Zhao Fangxu stepped back, leaving the battlefield to the remaining Ten Elders.

"Gentlemen, will you come at me one by one, or shall we make this simpler? Come at me all at once." The Heavenly Master’s casual words carried an air of overwhelming dominance. It was as if the people standing before him were not the top-tier representatives of their respective sects, but a bunch of nobodies, and he could easily take ten of them with one hand.

Following the Heavenly Master’s words, the Ten Elders fell silent. It was understandable that an outsider like Zhao Fangxu couldn't gauge the Heavenly Master's depth, but they were not blind; how could they not feel that surging aura and the Qi he held so tightly within? Not knowing the Heavenly Master's true bottom line, no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.

Just as they were hesitating, Ye Yan, who had been standing in the corner, walked out slowly. "Since none of the seniors intend to move, why don't I go first and test the waters for you all..."

The heavy silence was instantly broken by Ye Yan’s voice. Lu Jin and the others turned their eyes to him, observing him with suspicion. The Ten Elders hadn't expected someone to volunteer at such a critical juncture. They certainly weren't going to stop him; after all, they were happy to watch someone else do the dirty work of gathering intelligence. Only a fool would interfere.

Ye Yan knew exactly what they were thinking, so his question was merely a formality; he had no intention of seeking their consent. He stepped away from the crowd and stopped ten paces in front of the Heavenly Master. "Long time no see, Heavenly Master."

"Long time no see... Oh, so you are my first opponent? Very well. Let this old bag of bones witness the true strength of the Watchman." With that, the Heavenly Master adopted a fighting stance. White lightning, condensed like flowing water, surged from his body, whipping his robes into a frenzy.

Ye Yan didn't waste time. With a flick of his hand, a deep green demon flag flew out. Upon landing, a mist-like figure manifested before him. Pointing at the blank-eyed green flag-spirit, Ye Yan said, "This is the strongest of my many flag-spirits, named Shangguan Daidao. Heavenly Master, forgive me..."

As he spoke, Ye Yan raised his hand, activating his spirit-summoning technique, and Shangguan Daidao was drawn into his body. The Heavenly Master raised an eyebrow, "Is that so? The strongest flag-spirit? Then I am even more eager to see it."

"Please be careful, Heavenly Master."

The crowd listened intently, their eyes widening. They intended to use Ye Yan's opening move to gauge the Heavenly Master's depth. But before they could see what happened, the sky, already choked with thunder, was swallowed by a thick, oppressive darkness. In an instant, everyone felt as if they had been blinded, robbed of all light.

"What's happening?"
"Why has the sky gone dark?"
"Is this the Watchman's ability?"

Panic aside, they were no ordinary fighters. Once they realized they hadn't been harmed, they quickly regained their composure. Before they could even process what was happening, a clap of thunder exploded in the darkness, and the surrounding gloom dissipated instantly.

As the darkness receded like a tide, Lu Jin and the others could see clearly again. Within their sight, the Heavenly Master and Ye Yan remained in the same positions as before the darkness descended. However, compared to before, Ye Yan’s face had turned deathly pale, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

"As expected of an absolute master. Your strength is immense, Heavenly Master. I am impressed; I have lost."

"You are too kind."

With those words, Ye Yan clutched his chest and retreated. This left the others even more bewildered, having no idea what had actually occurred.

"It's over?"
"Why did it end so quickly?"
"Who won?"

Everyone who had planned to use this opportunity to probe the Heavenly Master's methods and depth was left in a daze. From their perspective, the sky had simply gone dark, a thunderclap had sounded, and then it was all over. It was incomprehensibly fast. They had seen nothing of substance.

Ye Yan didn't care what they were thinking. He was there to slack off and make up the numbers; now that he had finished his "performance," he was done. In truth, the moment his Domain of Sovereignty opened, he and the Heavenly Master hadn't fought at all; the Heavenly Master had merely made a symbolic sound. Ye Yan's injury was self-inflicted—a ruse to deceive the onlookers so they wouldn't realize he was just coasting.

As Ye Yan returned to the group of Ten Elders, Zhao Fangxu rushed over with a look of concern, handing him a bottle of mineral water. "Good work, young friend Ye. Come, rest and recover your Qi."

Zhao Fangxu hadn't seen through Ye Yan’s slacking. To him, Ye Yan had truly fought the Heavenly Master—the darkness that had blinded them was the best proof. Though he didn't understand the principle behind it, that didn't stop him from being shocked. Even if the result was disappointing, he wasn't surprised. The Heavenly Master was, after all, the apex of the Outsider world; they were a full tier apart. Losing was perfectly normal. To face such a powerhouse without fear and be the first to charge in—that attitude was commendable. He cared more about the attitude than the outcome.

In his eyes, Ye Yan’s attitude was excellent, which was why he had rushed over.

"Thank you, Director Zhao." Ye Yan took the water and smiled.

"Alright, let's leave the rest to Master Lu and the others."

"Understood!"

Seeing Ye Yan’s pale face, the others were even more uncertain about the Heavenly Master's strength, feeling even more out of their depth. In this environment, everyone seemed to return to their initial state, falling into silence. Eventually, it was Lu Jin who stepped forward. He ripped off his tie, looked around with disdain, and said, "A useless kid, leading a bunch of dead weight. I suppose I have to do it myself..."

With that, he strode out of the crowd, stood face-to-face with the Heavenly Master, and chatted nonchalantly, "Heavenly Master, it’s been a while since Longhu Mountain. I trust you have been well."

"Is Brother Lu also going to intervene in this?"

"I am in this position, so I must play my part. There is no help for it." Lu Jin stuffed his tie into his pocket and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.

"Indeed." The Heavenly Master smiled.

"A fight is unavoidable. It just so happens that it has been a long time since I've experienced the strength of the Heavenly Daoist. Let me see..."

Lu Jin spoke lightly; even facing the Heavenly Master alone, he felt no burden. As a successor to the Eight Extraordinary Techniques, Lu Jin was confident in his own strength. Furthermore, when he had gone berserk on Longhu Mountain, he had indeed managed to injure the Heavenly Master. This was undeniable.

"Make your move. I'm in a hurry." The Heavenly Master remained unmoved, which caused Lu Jin to frown in annoyance. "Then be careful."

With that, Lu Jin began to suppress his own Qi. A pure red light surged from his body—a stark contrast to the white light of the Heavenly Master. A pillar of red light shot into the sky, its terrifying aura shaking even the distant Ten Elders.

"Such intense Qi! Is this the ultimate technique of the Sanyi Sect, the 'Threefold Reversion to Life'?"
"Old Lu is still as vigorous as ever."

Anyone who could make it into this circle had both strength and insight. The Sanyi Sect, despite being a sect whose lineage was nearly severed, was recognized at a glance. Even the usually indifferent Lu Ci was deeply shocked by Lu Jin’s "Threefold Reversion to Life." He acknowledged Lu Jin’s strength; after all, both the Tongtian Talisman and the Threefold Reversion to Life were ultimate techniques. If both were possessed by the same person, the effect would surely be greater than the sum of its parts—Lu Ci was certain of this.

If there was anyone present who could face the Heavenly Master single-handedly, it would likely be Ye Yan and Lu Jin. Now that Ye Yan hadn't lasted a single move, the remaining Lu Jin naturally carried the high hopes of everyone present.

After unleashing the "Threefold Reversion to Life," Lu Jin’s momentum seemed to reach a peak. But he didn't stop there; using his fingers as a brush, his Qi as ink, and the void as his canvas, he carved one talisman after another into the air.

"Light-Body Talisman."
"Strength-Enhancing Talisman."
"Qi-Balancing Talisman."
"..."

After five or six talismans, Lu Jin, engulfed in red flames of Qi, was covered in a five-colored aura. Combined with his terrifying momentum, he looked like a god descended to the mortal realm. During this, the Heavenly Master didn't interrupt, patiently waiting for Lu Jin to finish buffing himself.

"Are you prepared?"
"Come, Heavenly Daoist."

With the "Threefold Reversion to Life" and the enhancement talismans, Lu Jin felt he had reached his peak. He clenched his fists, feeling the surging power, and was filled with confidence. Today, he would wash away his past shame and regain his standing from Zhang Zhiwei.

Lu Jin’s heart raced, and he prepared to fight the Heavenly Master for three hundred rounds. But in the next second, a figure stepping on white lightning appeared before him. There were no flashy moves, just a light, pushing palm.

And then, everything went black for Lu Jin.