Fu Hongchen was not devastatingly handsome, but ever since childhood, his looks had always been praised.
No one had ever called him ugly.
Chu Zeming was the first.
For a moment, anger flared within him. His white robes fluttered fiercely as the Soul-Piercing Cone in his hand once again shot toward Chu Zeming.
Seeing this, Scabby Head hurriedly led the rest of his lackeys far away.
They watched Chu Zeming as though enjoying a good show.
He himself could not defeat Chu Zeming, but Fu Hongchen was different.
A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator against a Jindan Stage cultivator was absolute suppression across a major realm. Chu Zeming would meet no good end; all he could do was wait to be beaten.
Chu Zeming's expression turned grave. The Luminous Glaze Sword in his hand hummed, its blade thrust forward to block the Soul-Piercing Cone's strike. Then, with a flash, he appeared beside Fu Hongchen and struck a palm toward his chest.
Fu Hongchen reached out and seized the wrist of the black-robed, black-haired young man. A cold smile appeared on his fair face. "You think you can win just by fighting me at close range?"
As he spoke, Fu Hongchen's hand tightened slightly.
Crack—
The sound of bone breaking rang out from where he gripped him.
Fu Hongchen leaned a little closer to the black-robed youth before him. As he continued to exert force, he murmured, "In the eyes of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, your movements are so slow that they're riddled with openings."
Pain made fine beads of sweat seep across Chu Zeming's forehead. Looking at the refined face less than a fist's distance from his own, Chu Zeming once more reached toward him with his other hand.
A trace of amusement spilled into Fu Hongchen's eyes, carrying a hint of disdain.
"I told you, don't even think of attacking me..."
Before he could finish, Fu Hongchen's expression froze—
Because Chu Zeming was not attacking him at all. He was reaching for Fu Hongchen's waist.
Watching helplessly as Chu Zeming swiftly crushed the Teleportation Jade Token hanging at his waist, Fu Hongchen's eyes filled with astonishment.
Chu Zeming raised his head and flashed Fu Hongchen a brilliant smile. "Who told you I wanted to attack you?"
Chu Zeming looked at Fu Hongchen and silently mouthed two words to him—Bye-bye.
Then the handsome man in robes whiter than snow vanished from the spot in an instant.
Chu Zeming saw that, before Fu Hongchen was teleported away, his handsome face had twisted with rage.
The originally one-sided situation suddenly reversed.
With Fu Hongchen no longer in the way, Chu Zeming, at the peak of the Jindan Stage, was the strongest.
Rolling his wrist, Chu Zeming raised his eyes toward the stunned Scabby Head and the others nearby and asked kindly, "Who should I deal with first?"
Lu Benxiong swallowed and quietly retreated behind the crowd.
Before he had taken two steps, the Luminous Glaze Sword, glowing faintly red and brimming with chilling killing intent, was pressed against his throat.
"So you finally caught me? You said you'd make sure I died here today?" Chu Zeming asked with a smile.
Lu Benxiong's eyes widened as he stared at the sword at his throat. Stammering, he shouted, "Y-you, surname Chu, don't go too far! I'm the only son of Elder Lu from the Heavenly Remnant Sect. If you dare... dare touch me, the Heavenly Remnant Sect won't let you off!"
The moment his words fell, the Luminous Glaze Sword moved another half inch closer to Lu Benxiong's throat. The sensation of a sharp weapon slicing his skin came from his neck. Lu Benxiong finally caved in, trembling as he directly crushed the Teleportation Jade Token at his waist. Before leaving, he cursed loudly, "Chu Zeming, you're finished! I'll go find my father when I get back!"
Chu Zeming stood where he was as the Luminous Glaze Sword circled the disciples at his command.
"And you? What are you waiting for? For a sword to be held against your throats?"
The crowd looked at one another. Though unwilling, they still gritted their teeth and crushed their own jade tokens.
This space became quiet once more.
Only then did Chu Zeming put away the Luminous Glaze Sword.
He lowered his head and looked at the hand that had been crushed purple-red, drawing in a soft hiss.
It hurt badly.
But for now, he had eliminated a powerful competitor.
There was only one jade token. Once it was used, the elders would not give out a second. Fu Hongchen could choose to climb up again from the first level, but without a jade token, the danger was effectively doubled, and the risks he had to bear were absurdly great. Chu Zeming believed that Fu Hongchen would not catch up to him anytime soon.
He sat down to meditate and regulate his breath for a while, and the injury on his hand improved slightly.
Chu Zeming returned to the Scarlet Scale Fruit. Just as he reached out and plucked one, another terrifying pressure suddenly came from within the cave. Then, a Crimson Serpent Python a meter thick poked its head out from the cave.
Heavenly treasures were always guarded by demonic beasts.
Perhaps his fight with Fu Hongchen had awakened the giant python in the cave that guarded the Scarlet Scale Fruit.
The giant python's vertical pupils fixed directly on Chu Zeming. Man and snake faced each other, and the atmosphere grew tense to the extreme.
He had just sent away wolves and jackals, only for tigers and leopards to arrive.
Chu Zeming's mood was exceptionally heavy.
This giant python was likely a Spirit Condensation Realm demonic beast, comparable to a human cultivator at the Out-of-Body Stage.
The pressure radiating from its body alone was already more than Chu Zeming could bear.
Suddenly, the Crimson Serpent Python moved.
It opened its mouth and lunged at Chu Zeming.
Chu Zeming sucked in a breath and drew his sword. Before he could block, a cool snake tongue unexpectedly flicked across his face, then—licked him?
Chu Zeming stood in the wind, utterly disheveled.
The giant python withdrew its tongue, nudged Chu Zeming, and turned its vertical pupils toward the fruit beside them.
Chu Zeming:?
After hesitating for a moment, Chu Zeming tentatively reached out and picked a Scarlet Scale Fruit.
Sure enough, the Crimson Serpent Python did not attack him. Instead, it nudged his body again with its enormous head, as if encouraging him.
Only after Chu Zeming had harvested every Scarlet Scale Fruit growing at the cave entrance did the Crimson Serpent Python finally stop nudging him with its head.
Chu Zeming said thank you.
As he turned to leave, the Crimson Serpent Python suddenly crawled out of the cave and slowly lowered its noble head like one offering submission.
Before Chu Zeming could figure out what it intended to do, Xiao Hei crawled out from inside his robes, climbed onto the Crimson Serpent Python's head, and rapidly patted the spot beside it with the tip of its little tail, eagerly signaling for Chu Zeming to come sit with it.
Chu Zeming: "..."
It seemed he really had contracted something extraordinary.
The fiery red giant python, its scales hard as iron, sped through the second level of the Divine Wood Realm. The earth shook wherever it passed. The Demonic Beasts and monsters lurking covetously around them watched the black-robed youth atop its head, yet none dared rashly attack and seize him.
Sitting atop the Crimson Serpent Python's head, Chu Zeming experienced for the first time what it felt like to have an expert carry him through a game dungeon map.
Throughout the entire second level of the Divine Wood Realm, Chu Zeming had not even gotten a clear look at what dangers lay hidden there or what the place looked like before directly reaching the exit.
After thanking the Crimson Serpent Python, Chu Zeming took Xiao Hei straight toward the third level of the Divine Wood Realm.
Fierce gale winds, desolate Gobi wastelands, broken banners and weathered ruins everywhere—within the vast world wandered countless ghosts and walking corpses. This was an Ancient Battlefield, and the corpses and ghosts were all cultivators from more than ten thousand years ago.
No cultivators had come up yet, and deathly energy filled the surroundings.
Other than Chu Zeming, there was not a second living person.
One of the treasures for the top ten was hidden within this Ancient Battlefield.
Chu Zeming carefully skirted around the wandering resentment and corpses.
He did not intend to become entangled with these things. Chu Zeming had no interest in the items on the third level. His only target was the secret treasure in the Immortal Residence atop the Divine Tree, and he needed to conserve his strength until the end.
Keeping as close to the edges as possible and avoiding the wandering ghosts and specters, Chu Zeming searched for a long time, yet still could not find the entrance to the fourth level.
The surroundings were utterly silent.
War chariots, broken banners, ten-thousand-year-old walking corpses, and resentful spirits wandering about...
In the Ancient Battlefield where killing intent soared to the heavens, the black-haired youth in dark robes stood quietly between heaven and earth.
For a moment, Chu Zeming felt somewhat lost.
The method of clearing the second level had been too easy, so the Divine Tree had returned it all to him on the third level.
Just as everything reached an impasse, the scene before him suddenly changed completely—the terrifyingly silent Ancient Battlefield became a paradise beyond the world. Peach blossoms filled the sky, flowing water murmured by his ears, and then came the silver-bell laughter of a young woman...
"Come on, young master, come play in the water..."
A cool warmth touched his neck. Chu Zeming lowered his head and saw a smooth, fair arm like a jade lotus root reaching from behind him and wrapping around him.
Chu Zeming froze.
Was this... an illusion?
Chu Zeming turned around and saw a veiled woman with a scorching figure standing behind him. She seemed to have just emerged from a nearby stream, her entire body wet as she gazed at Chu Zeming with seductive eyes.
The pair of eyes exposed beyond the thin veil were large, black, lively, and clear.
Chu Zeming's heart stirred at once.
The woman's eyes rippled. Covering her lips, she let out a silver-bell laugh. She cast Chu Zeming a bashful glance, then slowly loosened her robes. As she fell into Chu Zeming's arms, she removed the veil from her face.
—A breathtakingly beautiful face.
Chu Zeming's half-leaping heart instantly lodged in his throat, and he nearly failed to draw another breath.
He threw a punch, directly knocking the "beauty's" nose crooked, then lifted her up and smashed her to the ground.
The "beauty" lay naked on the ground, staring at Chu Zeming in disbelief before cursing loudly, "What is wrong with you?! Isn't she the one who makes your heart stir?! I'm already naked, so why are you hitting me?! Come on, fuck me!"
Author's note:
Chu Zeming: Fuck your mother, did you hear me?! Fuck your mother, illusion!!!
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