Chapter 0100

Chapter 100: Could he pluck the stars?

Zhou Tong said coldly: “Make your move. I’ll make you regret ever coming into this world.”

He rarely spoke so harshly, but this time he chose to cut loose. Staring at the woman before him, he believed she would soon learn how a foul mouth brings disaster.

You Feng, You Chong, and the last surviving Life and Death realm expert arrived outside the city wall, still short of breath as one of them said: “We finally made it.”

The elder wheezed and added: “Such speed. I was already running at full tilt and barely caught up.”

You Chong swallowed hard and asked, full of worry: “Could Sister Ye Lan be in trouble?”

You Feng snapped back: “Shut your mouth. That woman’s status is special. She carries plenty of treasures, and with the Di Ting Divine Boar, even a Life and Death realm expert can’t do anything to her.”

You Chong blurted out: “But the other side already killed two Life and Death realm experts!”

Hearing that, You Feng’s face went stiff, then his brow slowly eased as he asked the elder: “Did you actually see him strike?”

You Chong shook his head in confusion.

The Life and Death realm expert defended himself: “I did not lie.”

You Feng said calmly: “I understand, but what the eyes see may not be truth. Let’s just watch.”

You Ye Lan’s expression turned to ice as she said to Zhou Tong: “You little ant, you put on a good act, but it won’t save you.”

She decided to get serious. She stepped forward, and blazing heat surged from her body. Firelight spread, and even the clouds overhead burned red.

All across dozens of miles, everyone felt stabbing pain in their ears. A clear phoenix cry had pierced the sky and the underworld alike.

You Chong looked up and gasped: “So this is Sister Ye Lan’s manifestation? It’s my first time seeing it. I didn’t expect the Fire Phoenix Blaze manifestation!”

High above, a Phoenix a hundred zhang tall beat its wings and soared, a stunning sight. The pressure it gave off was so heavy that the ground cracked and the grass burned, like a natural disaster was falling from the sky.

You Ye Lan looked at Zhou Tong and said with a cold smile: “Summon your manifestation.”

Zhou Tong remained unmoved.

She laughed: “How could I forget? You’re just a small Converged Heart realm. You can’t even understand the power of a manifestation!”

The three on the wall traded looks; this Zhou Tong really seemed to have no manifestation. That meant his realm wasn’t faked. At that thought, the brothers let out a long breath and steadied.

The Life and Death realm expert still looked grim as he warned: “Young masters, don’t be careless. Things aren’t as simple as they look.” The instant he almost died that night had taught him a hard lesson: even something that looks harmless can hide a terrifying monster.

You Feng waved him off and said, relaxed: “You’re overthinking it. Realm suppression plus treasure suppression, even if he had three heads and six arms, he can’t escape.”

Another voice laughed and added: “Agreed, unless he can pluck the stars out of the sky!”

Seeing Zhou Tong still not move, You Ye Lan’s smile turned bolder as she said: “Looks like you finally see the gap between us. I won’t bully you. You can have the first strike.”

She tilted her chin and added: “Of course, if you want to live, kneel now and be my dog.”

Zhou Tong finally ran out of patience and snapped: “Noisy!” He moved at last and rewarded her with a single technique: “Heaven Moves Myriad Phenomena.”

Boom. The cloud layers burst, the stars blazed, and a fierce light swept the world as if the sun itself had fallen.

You Feng’s eyes bulged as his muscles seized; he could only stammer the same word over and over: “H-hey, hey, hey, hey, hey…”

You Chong went numb. He had just joked about plucking down a star, and Zhou Tong did it right in front of him. He thought, [Is Zhou Tong a wishing well?] but he didn’t believe it himself.

He forced a scoff and blurted nonsense, his eyes twitching and his mouth out of control: “Hmph… if you’re so great, then right in front of me, rub out a grade-nine spirit talisman!”

With the falling star bearing down, You Ye Lan faced it first. Fear climbed across her face as she muttered: “No… he shouldn’t have this kind of method. It might be an illusion.”

She bit the tip of her tongue. The sharp pain snapped her out of fear.

She pointed up and shouted: “Quit posturing. Watch me expose you!” The hundred-zhang Phoenix phantom surged up to ram the star.

Bang. The thud was solid. The instant the two touched, she knew how wrong she was. Her Phoenix manifestation didn’t even have time to struggle. It snuffed out on the spot without a trace.

Backlash hit her; she spat a mouthful of blood. She had no time to deal with the backlash. The star was still dropping straight at her.

Boom! The strike’s power needed no words. The earth split. Smoke and dust rolled. The shockwave tore the world. Even the three watching from far away were hit.

You Chong, the weakest, was shaken until blood leaked from his seven orifices. And that was with Zhou Tong holding back. If he hadn’t been afraid of harming the Imperial Capital dozens of miles away, the attack would have been even worse.

Someone cried out: “Who said he’s Converged Heart realm? Are we being played?”

As the dust thinned, You Ye Lan showed herself again. She hadn’t turned to ash, but she wasn’t far from it. Covered in blood, her fine clothes were in rags, revealing large patches of pale skin.

Ripples shimmered on a golden barrier around her. It had saved her life.

She panted and snarled: “That falling star must have been a one-use treasure. You can’t use it again. Now it’s your death day!”

Since childhood she had never been this humiliated. With a sweep of her hand, hundreds of talismans fanned out and circled her.

You Feng was stunned as he counted: “Eighty-seven grade-six talismans, twenty-three grade-seven…” No wonder You Ye Lan was so confident. With that kind of cards in her pocket, of course she felt sure. A single grade-seven attack talisman could badly hurt a Life and Death realm expert. With such a terrifying spread, Zhou Tong had no chance.

You Ye Lan drew a heavy breath and tried to win without spending her stockpile as she warned: “I’ll give you one last chance. Kneel and be my dog and you may live. Refuse, and when my killing move lands, your soul will scatter!”

Zhou Tong didn’t answer. He moved again and said only: “Talisman.” A talisman formed at his fingertip. He flicked it, and it drifted forward.

Seeing this, You Ye Lan laughed with pride: “Showing off in front of a master. You don’t know your place. My Celestial Masters Clan’s talisman path is the strongest. Trying to parade your little tricks before me is asking for shame.” She opened her Heavenly Eye and said, very smug: “Let me see what grade your talisman is.”

She froze like she’d seen a ghost. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, lips trembling: “This is… a grade-eight peak talisman! That’s impossible!”

The next moment, Zhou Tong’s voice filled the sky: “Talisman Eighty-Nine… Death Line!”