"You heard me. My name is Xiang Zhixing!"
As the voice faded, a youthful-looking boy appeared before him.
Chen Beixun didn't even dare breathe. His eyes stayed fixed on the other, watching for any movement.
At that moment, his death seemed all but certain.
"You look pretty nervous," Xiang Zhixing said with a crooked grin.
His heart pounded uneasily. From the other man's aura, he could tell he was absolutely a ruthless character.
"Hey, that move of yours almost finished me off," Xiang Zhixing said with a sigh and a shake of his head. "If I hadn't slowed time down a little..."
"I might really have been done for."
Fear filled the space, swiftly consuming everything. Time seemed to freeze, moving only when Xiang Zhixing did.
"What... you slowed time down?" Chen Beixun asked in disbelief.
A genius of the Time Origin Law? That was the first thing that came to mind. The only way to dodge that attack would have been to slow down the time around him.
"Yeah. I slowed time down a little. It took me a few years to figure it out," Xiang Zhixing said with a helpless look.
"A few... years?" Chen Beixun stood frozen in place. Then Xiang Zhixing gave him a nudge.
"What's the problem? That stuff's easy. I really don't understand how those World Lords live. How could something so simple stump them for millions of years?" Xiang Zhixing said disdainfully, gesturing animatedly as he spoke.
"A bunch of losers. They even brought some trash Domain Lords from the Virtual Universe and some Heaven and Earth Secret Realm to compete with me," Xiang Zhixing said angrily.
Suddenly, he raised his hand and placed it on Chen Beixun's shoulder.
The touch made Chen Beixun jolt.
Xiang Zhixing grinned wickedly. "Guess how many seconds it took me to beat that trash Domain Lord?"
Chen Beixun shook his head. Every word this guy said struck at his nerves.
Xiang Zhixing held up one finger. "One second. And I went all out!"
A Domain Lord? The Heaven and Earth Secret Realm? One second?
Each of those things alone wasn't too shocking, but put together, they were absurd.
"You really are strong," Chen Beixun said. Whether or not any of it was true, this guy could take his life in an instant.
Chen Beixun decided to stall for time and see if the other man might be willing to negotiate.
"Oh, come on." Xiang Zhixing clasped his hands behind his head and spoke lazily. "I'm not very interested in cultivation. I'm more interested in collecting spoils of war."
"Guess what kind of spoils?" Xiang Zhixing asked with a wicked smile.
Chen Beixun's mouth twitched as he cautiously asked, "What kind of spoils?"
Xiang Zhixing gave him a meaningful look, then said, "Other people's lovers. Especially the pretty ones!"
After saying that, he licked his lips and stared intently at Chen Beixun.
In an instant, it was as if eternal darkness had swallowed Chen Beixun. His mind rang dully as helplessness and despair surged through him.
Chen Beixun clenched his fists. Cold sweat ran down his forehead as he panted and thought, No... An Changyan absolutely can't be hurt!
"Hey, brother, why not just let us be happy together?" Xiang Zhixing said with a laugh, his words dripping with mockery.
"Demon Island Vine!" Chen Beixun's eyes were bloodshot. He unleashed his boundless fury, issuing a command to the Demon Island Vine through their mental link.
Boom!
Hundreds of vines lashed out with thunderous force, as if they meant to shatter the world.
Xiang Zhixing met Chen Beixun's gaze and didn't dodge, but the Demon Island Vine's attacks didn't hit him either.
"Oh, come on. You're just like the others I've met—stubborn as a mule," Xiang Zhixing said with a calm, amused smile. "I'll just stand here and let you attack. You'll end up in despair anyway."
"Just spare her, and I'll do anything you want." Chen Beixun was on the verge of breaking down.
"Hahahaha!" Xiang Zhixing laughed maniacally. "Don't worry. In a moment, I'll take my time right in front of you."
"Fuck!" Chen Beixun cursed, and a Fire Crystal appeared out of thin air in his hand.
Xiang Zhixing let out an excited shout when he saw it. Anyone else would have been terrified, but he was thrilled. Who knew what he'd been through—or whether he was simply insane?
A red glow fell across Chen Beixun's face. Suddenly, a huge hand appeared out of thin air and snatched the Fire Crystal away.
Boom!
By the time Chen Beixun reacted, the Fire Crystal had already exploded in the distance.
A mushroom cloud blossomed in the sky, and the terrifying shock wave nearly knocked him off his feet.
But what shocked him was the man who appeared before him, engulfed in flames.
"An... an Immortal?" Xiang Zhixing held his breath. Even a lunatic like him wouldn't dare act out in front of an Immortal!
"May I ask who you are, senior?" Chen Beixun bowed respectfully.
"I'm An Changyan's fourth brother. I've come to take her home," the man said calmly. He looked at Xiang Zhixing with a trace of disgust.
"What?!" Chen Beixun was astonished, but he still released An Changyan and her guards.
Then Chen Beixun crouched down and said, "These are His Highness An Changyan's guards!"
An Changyan stared blankly at what was happening around her. Then she cried out, "Fourth Brother?"
The man smiled faintly, then took An Changyan and her guards into his World Ring before disappearing from the spot.
"Wait, what about me?" Chen Beixun said, slapping his forehead.
Xiang Zhixing looked at Chen Beixun, then at the spot where the Immortal had disappeared. After repeating this several times, he said, "Hey! He didn't take you with him?"
"Hey! You're done for!" Xiang Zhixing said, producing a curved saber and slashing it at Chen Beixun.
Suddenly, a flash of white light streaked by. Xiang Zhixing's saber missed, cutting through the air and carving out a thousand tiny slits, as if they were long cracks laid across its surface.
A few seconds later, they closed.
Suddenly—
Whoosh!
The Immortal appeared again. He glanced at Xiang Zhixing and asked, "Where is he?"
"He... he disappeared." Xiang Zhixing was just as baffled. All he knew was that a flash of white light had appeared, and Chen Beixun and the Demon Island Vine had vanished.
"You didn't kill him, did you?" the Immortal asked.
"I really didn't!" Xiang Zhixing waved his hands repeatedly. "Look, there isn't even a body."
"Just wait!" the Immortal said, then vanished.
This Immortal had entered with special authorization and wasn't allowed to kill anyone.
A man floated on a vast expanse of rippling green water.
"Ugh!" Chen Beixun opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "Where is this?"
"Qishan?" He called out several times.
"I'm here. You were just saved by a flash of white light," Qishan replied.
Chen Beixun: "What?"
Qishan then explained what had happened. "A flash of white light blocked that guy's attack, and then a huge hole opened up beneath you. You and the Demon Island Vine both fell through."
"That's it?" Chen Beixun was utterly shocked. The explanation was so absurd, yet he had no choice but to believe it.
"This was clearly aimed at you," Qishan reminded him.
"Is that so?" Chen Beixun stood on the green sea.
"And this is Dew Light Water—603.1 billion cubic meters of it!" Qishan said.