Words Follow Law! East King Duke, your cane should change masters.

Above the Eastern Sea, the atmosphere was frozen to its utmost limit.

East King Duke's face was deathly pale, the hand gripping the Dragon Head Cane trembling faintly, his knuckles white from the strain.

He stared at the figure shrouded in glazed light, a fear he had never known surging within him.

Can't break through.

Four Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals joining forces couldn't even harm a single hair on that person.

This feeling of despair reminded him of the humiliation of being blasted by exhaust outside the Purple Cloud Palace back then, of that Employment Letter that made him spit blood in public.

The name Taiyuan seemed to have become his destined nemesis.

"Impossible. This Seat does not believe it."

East King Duke gritted his teeth, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

He refused to admit defeat like this, refused to lose all face before so many onlookers.

The Dragon Head Cane in his hand suddenly shook violently. The once-dim dragon eyes lit up again, this time with a near-frenzied, blazing white light.

Pure Yang Heavenly Fire.

This was the ultimate divine ability sealed within this Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure when the Dao Ancestor personally bestowed it.

Its power was enough to incinerate the flesh and Primordial Spirit of a Golden Immortal; even a Quasi-Saint would shed a layer of skin if touched.

East King Duke had never used this move before, because the cost was too great—each use consumed tens of thousands of years of his cultivation.

But at this moment, he no longer cared.

"Taiyuan, This Seat will make you understand the price of offending the Head of Male Immortals."

East King Duke roared, madly pouring all his mana into the cane.

The Dragon Head Cane trembled violently. The dragon head opened its maw, and a mass of blazing white flame condensed within it, its temperature so high that the surrounding air began to warp, seawater evaporating into white mist that rose into the sky.

The Three Immortals of the Sea hastily retreated, their faces full of wariness.

They recognized this move. When the Dao Ancestor had bestowed this treasure back then, they had been fortunate enough to witness it from afar once, and the terrifying might was still fresh in their memories.

Zhunti and Jieyin's expressions also changed, and they were about to step in to stop it.

But Taiyuan raised a hand to halt them.

He watched the cane on the verge of eruption, a playful curve tugging at the corner of his mouth, and even a hint of amusement flickered in his warm eyes.

"A bit interesting."

Taiyuan said softly, his tone betraying no tension whatsoever.

He closed his eyes slightly, and the special power derived from the system reward within him began to circulate.

Words Follow Law.

Though it was only a low-tier version, unable to alter rules, it could still make words come true at a sufficient cost.

Taiyuan moved his mind, consuming a portion of his accumulated merit. The formless power of law began to gather around him.

"East King Duke."

Taiyuan opened his eyes, looking at the figure frantically channeling his magic treasure. His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

"Your virtue does not match your station. This cane is wronged by following you."

The words fell.

A wave of something profound, indescribable, and difficult to articulate spread from Taiyuan's body—a power at the level of law, formless and intangible, yet undeniably real.

This wave pierced through the void and precisely enveloped the Dragon Head Cane, which was still gathering power.

Hum.

The Dragon Head Cane shuddered violently. The Pure Yang Heavenly Fire, on the verge of erupting, came to an abrupt halt.

The blazing white light in the dragon head's eyes flickered unsteadily, as if something within was struggling.

"What's going on?"

East King Duke's face changed drastically. He felt the connection between himself and the cane being severed by a mysterious force.

It felt like an invisible hand was slowly tearing apart the contract between him and the spiritual treasure.

"No, impossible."

East King Duke frantically poured in mana, trying to regain control of the cane, only to find that the Artifact Spirit no longer obeyed his commands.

The next moment.

The Dragon Head Cane let out a mournful cry. The dragon head turned on its own, the maw that had been aimed at Taiyuan now pointing directly at East King Duke himself.

"You... what are you doing?"

East King Duke stared at his own magic treasure in terror, his voice twisting out of shape.

His answer was a mass of blazing white flame.

Pure Yang Heavenly Fire erupted—not toward Taiyuan, but toward its original master.

"Ahhh——"

East King Duke let out a miserable scream as he hastily deployed an escape technique to dodge.

But the Pure Yang Heavenly Fire seemed to have eyes of its own, latching onto him with a death grip and refusing to let go—wherever he fled, the flames followed.

The Nine Yang Emperor Robe ignited in an instant, scattering into ashes drifting through the air.

East King Duke's once majestic face twisted into a grimace, his hair singed, his skin scorched, the whole man as wretched as a stray dog.

"Stop, This Seat commands you to stop."

He roared madly at the cane, but it had no effect at all.

That Artifact Spirit seemed to have completely betrayed him, chasing him wildly across the sky, each attack fiercer than the last.

The Three Immortals of the Sea watched this scene, utterly dumbfounded.

They had lived for ages and witnessed countless marvels, yet never had they seen such a bizarre sight.

A single sentence could turn a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure traitor?

What kind of sorcery was this?

Daoist Qingyun's murky old eyes were filled with shock, the Jade Ruyi in his hand trembling slightly.

He instinctively glanced at his own Magic Treasure, terrified that it might suddenly rebel next.

Ancestor Chi Xia and Elder Changchun were ashen-faced, their earlier greed and contempt long gone, replaced by a bone-deep terror.

This Taiyuan was no human at all.

Zhunti watched East King Duke's frantic flight, his mouth agape wide enough to swallow an egg.

He knew Elder Brother was formidable, but he never imagined it to this extent.

A single sentence could make someone else's Magic Treasure rebel?

What kind of divine trick was this?

Jieyin was equally stunned, his Prayer Beads forgotten in his hands, his perpetually suffering face showing a rare hint of daze.

Elder Brother's mouth was more terrifying than any Magic Treasure.

Nuwa's beautiful eyes were wide open as she stared at the figure standing with hands behind his back, a surge of indescribable complex emotions rising within her.

She finally understood why Taiyuan dared to be so arrogant in Purple Cloud Palace, why he dared to humiliate East King Duke publicly.

Because he had the capital to do so.

East King Duke was chased all over the sky by his own Magic Treasure, his screams echoing through the heavens, the once majestic Head of Male Immortals now as pathetic as a monkey with its tail on fire.

Taiyuan stood with his hands behind his back, watching the scene, a hint of boredom even on his face.

"Enough."

He said softly, then beckoned to the Dragon Head Cane still pursuing East King Duke.

"Come here."

The Dragon Head Cane seemed to understand his words, immediately halting its attack and obediently flying into Taiyuan's hand.

That Artifact Spirit even let out a joyful hiss, rubbing its dragon head against Taiyuan's palm like a puppy finding a new master.

Taiyuan toyed with this Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, a satisfied smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"This cane's not bad, just right for my outhouse—I've been needing a Dung Stirrer."

He glanced at the scorched, bedraggled East King Duke, his tone casual.

"Since you don't want it anymore, it's mine now."

East King Duke shuddered all over, watching his lifebound Spiritual Treasure docilely resting in Taiyuan's hand, his eyes filled with unwillingness and despair.

That was a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure personally bestowed by the Dao Ancestor, a companion through countless ages—and now, with a single word, it had been taken from him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but found he didn't even have the strength to speak.

His entire body was scorched beyond recognition by the Pure Yang Heavenly Fire, his magical power drained, utterly pathetic.

In that moment, he fully understood one truth.

Some people truly could not be provoked.