The sky above the East Sea was thick with tension.
East King Duke's face was deathly pale. His hand trembled around the Dragon Head Cane, his knuckles white from gripping it so tightly.
He stared at the figure wreathed in glazed light, and an unprecedented fear surged through him.
He couldn't hurt him.
Four Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals had joined forces, yet they couldn't even harm a single hair on their opponent's head.
The despairing feeling reminded him of the humiliation of being blasted with exhaust outside the Purple Heavens Palace, and of the employment letter that had made him spit blood in front of everyone.
The name Taiyuan seemed to be his fated nemesis.
"Impossible. I refuse to believe it."
East King Duke clenched his teeth, a flicker of madness in his eyes.
He couldn't accept defeat just like that, much less suffer such a humiliating loss in front of so many people.
The Dragon Head Cane in his hand shuddered. Its dim dragon eyes lit up again, this time with an almost frenzied, incandescent glow.
Pure Yang Heavenly Fire.
This ultimate divine ability had been sealed inside the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure when the Dao Ancestor bestowed it upon him.
Its might was enough to burn the body and soul of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal. Even a Quasi-Saint would be badly burned by it.
East King Duke had never used this move before. The cost was too high; each use consumed tens of thousands of years of cultivation.
But now, he no longer cared.
"Taiyuan, I'll show you what happens when you offend the Head of Male Immortals!"
East King Duke roared and poured all his magic power into the cane.
The Dragon Head Cane shook violently. The dragon head opened its jaws, and a ball of incandescent flame gathered inside. The heat twisted the air around them, evaporating the seawater into billowing white mist.
The Three Immortals of the Sea hurriedly retreated, their faces full of apprehension.
They recognized the move. When the Dao Ancestor had bestowed the treasure, they had been fortunate enough to witness it from afar. Its terrifying power had stayed with them ever since.
Zhunti and Jieyin also paled and were about to intervene.
Taiyuan raised a hand to stop them.
He watched the cane, poised to unleash its power, and curled his lips in amusement. His warm eyes even held a hint of anticipation, as if he were watching a show.
"Interesting."
Taiyuan spoke softly, without the slightest hint of tension.
He slowly closed his eyes, and the special power he had gained as a system reward began to stir within him.
Words Follow Law.
Though it was only a weakened version and couldn't alter the rules, it could still make spoken words come true—if he paid a sufficient price.
Taiyuan focused his thoughts and spent some of the accumulated merit. An invisible force of law began to gather around him.
"East King Duke."
Taiyuan opened his eyes and looked at the figure frantically urging on his treasure. His voice was soft, yet everyone heard him clearly.
"You're unworthy of your position. That cane deserves a better master."
As the words fell, an indescribable, profound fluctuation spread from Taiyuan. It was power on the level of the laws—intangible, yet undeniably real.
The fluctuation pierced the void and settled precisely over the Dragon Head Cane as it gathered its strength.
Hum.
The Dragon Head Cane jolted, and the Pure Yang Heavenly Fire that was about to burst forth abruptly stopped.
The incandescent light in the dragon's eyes flickered, as if something inside were struggling.
"What's going on?"
East King Duke's face changed. He felt the connection between himself and the cane being severed by some mysterious force.
It was as if an invisible hand were slowly tearing apart the contract between him and his treasure.
"No. Impossible."
East King Duke frantically poured in his magic power, trying to regain control of the cane, but the Artifact Spirit refused to obey him.
The next moment, the Dragon Head Cane let out a mournful cry. Its dragon head turned on its own, and its jaws, which had been pointed at Taiyuan, now faced East King Duke.
"You... What are you doing?"
East King Duke stared at his own treasure in terror, his voice breaking.
A ball of incandescent flame was his answer.
Pure Yang Heavenly Fire surged forth—not toward Taiyuan, but toward its former master.
"Ah!"
East King Duke screamed and hurriedly used his Escape Technique to dodge.
But the Pure Yang Heavenly Fire seemed to have eyes. It clung to him relentlessly, pursuing him wherever he ran.
The Nine Yang Emperor Robe went up in flames and instantly turned to drifting ash.
East King Duke's once-imperious face twisted into a grimace. His hair was scorched, his skin burned, and he looked as wretched as a stray dog.
"Stop! I command you to stop!"
He screamed at the cane, but it was no use.
The Artifact Spirit seemed to have completely betrayed him. It chased him all over the sky, each attack fiercer than the last.
The Three Immortals of the Sea stared at the sight, dumbstruck.
They had lived for ages and witnessed countless strange and wondrous things, but never anything this bizarre.
A single sentence could make a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure rebel?
What kind of sorcery was this?
Daoist Qingyun's cloudy old eyes were filled with shock. Even the Jade Ruyi in his hand trembled.
He glanced instinctively at his own treasure, afraid it would suddenly turn on him next.
Ancestor Chi Xia and Elder Changchun had gone deathly pale. Their greed and disdain had vanished, replaced by bone-deep terror.
Taiyuan wasn't human.
Zhunti stared at East King Duke as he fled in disarray, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
He knew Elder Brother was powerful, but he hadn't known he was powerful to this extent.
A single sentence could make someone else's treasure rebel?
What kind of divine ability was that?
Jieyin was just as stunned. He had even forgotten to roll his Prayer Beads, and his usually sorrowful face wore a rare, vacant expression.
Elder Brother's tongue was more frightening than any treasure.
Nuwa's beautiful eyes were wide as she watched the figure standing with his hands behind his back. A complex feeling rose in her heart, too deep for words.
She finally understood why Taiyuan dared to act so brazenly in the Purple Heavens Palace, and why he dared humiliate East King Duke in front of everyone.
He had the power to back it up.
Chased through the sky by his own treasure, East King Duke screamed loud enough to shake the heavens. The once-imposing Head of Male Immortals now looked like a monkey with its tail on fire.
Taiyuan stood with his hands behind his back, watching the scene with a hint of boredom.
"That's probably enough."
He spoke softly, then beckoned to the Dragon Head Cane as it continued pursuing East King Duke.
"Come here."
The Dragon Head Cane seemed to understand him. It immediately stopped attacking and obediently flew into Taiyuan's hand.
The Artifact Spirit even let out a cheerful cry and nuzzled Taiyuan's palm with its dragon head, like a puppy that had found a new master.
Taiyuan turned the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure over in his hand, a satisfied smile on his lips.
"Not bad. My outhouse could use a Dung Stirrer."
He glanced at East King Duke, his hair singed and his appearance wretched, and spoke casually.
"Since you don't want it anymore, it's mine."
East King Duke shuddered. He stared at his companion treasure lying obediently in Taiyuan's hand, his eyes filled with despair and resentment.
That was a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure bestowed by the Dao Ancestor, a companion that had followed him for countless ages. Now it had been taken from him with a single sentence.
He opened his mouth to say something, but found he didn't even have the strength to speak.
He was burned all over by the Pure Yang Heavenly Fire, drained of magic power, and utterly miserable.
At that moment, he finally understood one thing.
Some people truly couldn't be offended.
Before you continue