Chapter 441 - 417: Completely Crushed, Death of a Golden Core
CLANG!
Like the toll of a great bell, the hum reverberated in all directions!
The Ghostly Flood Dragon’s shield suddenly recoiled, forcefully repelling the Cloud Smoke Duster!
GWAH!
The Cloud Smoke Duster was knocked back!
The backlash from his Magical Power struck, and Chu Wunian could no longer suppress his injuries. He coughed up a mouthful of blood!
His snow-white robes and beard were stained red with blood, leaving him in a wretched state.
After being severely injured, Chu Wunian finally came to his senses, and fear flooded his eyes.
After this battle, he could confirm with absolute certainty that it was impossible for him to kill Su Ye with his current strength.
"This monster!"
’How can this kind of power belong to a newly ascended Golden Core?’
At that moment, aboard the Ghostly Flood Dragon, Su Ye stood with his black robes fluttering. His deep, profound gaze swept over.
His gaze was like a blade, making Chu Wunian’s body tremble. A chill shot up his spine and straight to the top of his skull.
A life-or-death crisis!
’Flee!’
Horrified, Chu Wunian made his choice.
He didn’t even care about his bonded Spiritual Treasure anymore.
His figure flickered like smoke and descended into Cloud Sea Immortal City!
SWISH!
The silver-white Array protected the Immortal City.
A trace of security finally appeared in his heart.
BZZM!
Chu Wunian landed on the city wall.
Light flashed from his Storage Ring as he took out a handful of medicinal pills.
After briefly identifying them, he swallowed them ravenously, barely managing to stabilize his injuries.
"Huu..."
Chu Wunian’s heart relaxed slightly.
But at the same time, he knew that if he couldn’t make Su Ye retreat, today’s matter was far from over.
Chu Wunian looked up at the distant Ghostly Flood Dragon and gritted his teeth.
"Su Ye."
"I admit defeat!"
"Name your price! The Immortal City’s rare treasures, Cultivation Techniques, and ancient texts—I can give them all to you!"
"I can swear an oath to never retaliate afterward. How about it, Mr. Su, as long as you’re willing to retreat now?"
Chu Wunian yielded, his tone laced with humility as he pleaded.
As a Golden Core, his will to live was extremely strong. He would never simply stretch out his neck to be slaughtered!
He had already decided to trade the resources of the Immortal City for his own life!
’As for what happened after... if Su Ye’s hatred hasn’t dissipated and he still wants revenge... there’s nothing I can do about it. For now, I just have to coax this fiend away and make sure I survive today!’
Hearing this, the many cultivators on the city wall wore strange expressions.
For some reason, it felt as if something had shattered within their hearts.
’This is a Golden Core?’
’This wretched, bowing and scraping old man is a Flame Alliance Golden Core?’
’Isn’t this a bit too different from the divinely strategic and extraordinarily heroic image they had imagined?’
Their idealized image was shattered.
The cultivators felt a sense of disillusionment.
"Heh..."
"Don’t you think... it’s a little too late to be saying all this now?"
Su Ye’s cold voice echoed out.
"Besides, do you really think this turtle shell can stop me?"
BZZM!
As if to prove his point, the bow of the Ghostly Flood Dragon split open. A dark, terrifyingly large main cannon barrel appeared before everyone in the Immortal City.
Crimson light gathered and condensed.
It emitted a soul-shaking fluctuation of Spiritual Power!
"Calm down!"
"Mr. Su, think this through!"
Chu Wunian was drenched in a cold sweat as he hurriedly tried to persuade him.
"Mr. Su, this is Cloud Sea Immortal City, the headquarters of the Wanlong Commerce Association, and a major stronghold of the Flame Alliance!"
"If you bombard Cloud Sea Immortal City and shatter the Immortal City Grand Array, you will be trampling on the dignity of the Flame Alliance, declaring war on the Wanlong Commerce Association, and declaring war on the Flame Alliance!"
"Do you really want to do that?"
"Mr. Su, why don’t we both take a step back? You’ve just entered the Golden Core Realm and lack a suitable Golden Core Cultivation Technique. Your own magical treasure has not yet been refined and upgraded either."
"I can help you with all of these things! I can open all the secret vaults within Cloud Sea Immortal City!"
"How about it?"
Chu Wunian asked nervously, his expression pleading.
This kind of shameless, treasonous behavior made even the cultivators on the wall who favored the Chu Family find it hard to watch.
Su Ye had yet to respond.
But at that moment...
"Shameless!"
"Utterly shameless!"
"The Chu Family dares to represent the Flame Alliance?"
"Provoking conflicts at the border, blindly making enemies, squandering the Flame Alliance’s resources just to protect your own family—a shameless person like you dares to represent the Flame Alliance?!"
It was Zhao Quling’s furious voice, echoing over the broadcast system!
"That’s Zhao Quling?"
"A direct descendant of Jiuchen’s Zhao Family?"
As a director of the Commerce Association and a direct descendant of a ruling family, Zhao Quling’s voice was not unfamiliar to the cultivators of Cloud Sea Immortal City.
At the very least, more than half of the high-level cultivators on the city wall could recognize it.
"You bitch!"
’When did she take control of the broadcast room?’
Chu Wunian’s face turned ashen, filled with chilling killing intent.
But at the same time, a trace of horror appeared in his eyes.
As another ruling family, Jiuchen the Zhao Family had authority on par with the Chu Family. They only had a slightly lower priority because they lacked a Golden Core to oversee things.
Moreover, the fact that she could take control of the broadcast room without anyone noticing meant she wasn’t acting alone but had a group of followers.
’In that case, relying on those followers, her authority... I fear...’
A cold sweat broke out on Chu Wunian as he thought of the terrifying consequences. His figure flickered, and he prepared to head to the broadcast room to capture all the rebels in one fell swoop!
But he was too late!
Zhao Quling’s voice was steady, her enunciation clear.
"I, Zhao Quling!"
"By the authority of Jiuchen the Zhao Family, I hereby deactivate the Immortal City Grand Array!"
BZZM!
In an instant, a gap tore open in the silver-white protective shield of the Cloud Sea Immortal City Grand Array!
Su Ye’s eyes lit up. He immediately spurred the Ghostly Flood Dragon forward, and it turned into a black-and-red meteor, entering Cloud Sea Immortal City.
’As for the possibility of it being a trap?’
’With his attainments in Arrays, he had long seen that the City Defense Array of Cloud Sea Immortal City was an externally-focused Array.’
’Even from outside the Immortal City, Su Ye was confident he could break the Array while piloting the Ghostly Flood Dragon. What more now that he was entering the fragile interior of the Array?’
’He didn’t fear it, even if it was a trap!’
Besides, he felt it was logical for Zhao Quling to have done this.
SWOOSH!
The majestic, pitch-black Ghostly Flood Dragon loomed over the Immortal City!
"He’s here!"
Chu Wunian’s soul nearly fled his body. His mind went blank, and a strange feeling washed over him.
For some reason, this scene before him felt somewhat familiar... Bribing an insider, sabotaging an Array’s function... why did this feel so familiar?
"Hiss..."
’Could this be... retribution?’
A bitter taste filled Chu Wunian’s mouth, and his heart flooded with bitterness.
But his tenacious will to survive meant he still hadn’t given up.
’I don’t want to die!’
’I’ve cultivated bitterly for hundreds of years to reach my current level!’
’I won’t give up even a sliver of hope!’
BZZM!
His body dissolved into smoke as he fled toward Zijing Palace within the Immortal City.
That place was the Chu Family’s ancestral home. Its Array was self-contained, and if he could defend it from there, he might still have a chance of survival!
PCHT!
Chu Wunian fled as a streak of smoke, tearing through the sky!
However, he had misunderstood one thing.
The only reason he was still alive was simply because Su Ye wanted to make an example out of him to warn others.
And now, the stage, the audience, the script, and the pacing were all in place. In fact, thanks to Chu Wunian’s struggles, the show’s effect was excellent!
"You’ve worked hard."
"Now die."
BZZT.
Su Ye narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.
His body transformed into a phantom, traversing the void to appear right beside Chu Wunian!
His five fingers clenched into a fist!
No fancy techniques.
Just a punch, a direct strike!
BOOM!
A heavy fist, imbued with the Power of Rules, smashed into the smoke.
The air rippled, and the sonic boom was deafening!
One punch!
Just one single punch!
It knocked Chu Wunian right out of his smoke form!
"Aargh!"
Chu Wunian let out a bloodcurdling scream.
He crashed heavily to the ground, his insides feeling like they were on fire. The agony was immense, as if all his internal organs had been shattered.
"GWAH!"
A huge mouthful of blood splattered across the ground!
Chu Wunian struggled to raise his head. This was the outskirts of the city, and the silhouette of Zijing Palace was not far away!
A surge of energy welled up inside him. He stretched out a hand, clawing at the dirt, trying to crawl. If only... if only he could reach that place!
THUMP!
A black boot embroidered with gold thread landed squarely on his hand.
Immense force surged down!
CRUNCH.
His hand, bones and flesh alike, was crushed to a pulp!
"Aargh! You!" Wracked with pain, Chu Wunian looked up into Su Ye’s emotionless eyes, which regarded him like a god looking down from the clouds.
"It’s over."
Su Ye murmured to himself.
"Stop!"
"You can’t kill him!"
From the distant horizon, a voice filled with both shock and anger rang out!
"Heh..."
Su Ye acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Using his hand as a blade, he swiped it across Chu Wunian’s neck.
With a PFFT, a line of blood sprayed out, and a terrified head rolled to the ground!