Chapter 692: Intimidation

The white-robed Daoist's plain words carried an unquestionable, domineering presence!

Not only the sect cultivators, but even I, trapped in the main hall of the Three Yin Sect, stared in disbelief. "Daoist Master..."

Ever since my livestream began, everyone around me possessed an innate fear of Fate Usurpers. Take Blind Liu, for example. He had a straightforward and honest temperament; if he knew I was a Fate Usurper, he would definitely sever all ties with me. Because of this, I had always kept my potential to become a Fate Usurper buried deep in my heart, never daring to reveal it to outsiders.

This had always been a hurdle in my heart. Today, however, Daoist master Wan appeared, and with just one casual sentence, he undid that dead knot.

"So what if he is a Fate Usurper? He is still my, Wan Yi's, friend!"

Straightening up, I looked at the white-robed Daoist in the distance and felt a pang of guilt.

The price of standing up for me was immense. If things went wrong, he would be targeted by all the sects. Behind Daoist master Wan's calm and breezy demeanor, he was enduring pressure I couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Fellow Daoist, you aren't joking, are you?" Ye Qingqiu cast a glance at Daoist master Wan. "I have cultivated for half my life and seen my fair share of arrogant people, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone as brazen and overbearing as you."

The white-robed Daoist's words had completely stunned the sect cultivators. To think there was actually such a madman in the world.

"Fellow Daoist, think twice!" The Hemp-Clothed Elder's reaction was the most peculiar among them all. When he heard the name Wan Yi, his pupils trembled, as if he had recalled something terrifying.

Elder Chen, who was closest to the grand formation, also heard Wan Yi's words. The incantation seals in his hands shifted and sped up. The Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation could shatter at any moment.

Daoist master Wan ignored the several sect Celestial Masters. He possessed an otherworldly aura, much like a banished immortal.

His white robes fluttered in the river wind. He stood at the bow of the boat, his eyes as bright as stars.

Piercing through the layers of the grand formation, that gaze landed on me.

"I lost that day, and I concede my defeat." He let out a long laugh and stepped down from the bow, paying absolutely no mind to the threats of the Five Great Upper Sects as he strolled toward the center of the grand formation like no one else were there.

Outside the formation, Elder Chen felt the pressure. The face on the back of his head twisted and screamed silently, but his real face appeared completely natural. "Fellow Daoist, aren't you overstepping your bounds a bit? Think clearly. This is Jiangcheng!"

"Daoist Master, this old man is a Fate Usurper! He was born with two faces. You must not be deceived by him!" I shouted, warning Daoist master Wan.

It seemed my words struck Elder Chen's weak spot. As soon as I spoke, the face on the back of his head spat an extremely vicious curse at me.

I didn't know how he cast the spell. I only caught a glimpse of the face on the back of his head out of the corner of my eye and met its gaze, yet the vitality within my body actually began to diminish bit by bit.

"To directly affect a person's fate without any casting medium? Are these the methods of a Fate Usurper?" My body had already been invaded by Yin energy earlier, and now I was being secretly ambushed by Elder Chen. The situation was getting worse and worse.

Daoist master Wan didn't stop in his tracks because of my warning. He walked toward me at a leisurely pace.

"You clearly know he's a Fate Usurper, yet you still want to save him?" the Qingcheng Taoist Priest asked, not quite understanding. "Fellow Daoist, why go to such lengths?"

"Why don't we talk this over?" The Hemp-Clothed Elder seemed to understand the weight behind the name Wan Yi and actively tried to resolve the conflict, but the other sect Celestial Masters didn't see it that way.

In this peaceful and prosperous era, the Five Great Upper Sects had been elevated to the heavens. Some were even worshipped as living immortals. When had they ever suffered such indignity?

"Halt!" Xu Yinglong, holding the Sword of the Three Sovereigns, blocked Daoist master Wan's path. "If you want to pass, have you asked the sword in my hand?"

A cold gleam flashed. Xu Yinglong brandished a beautiful sword flourish, leaving a half-meter sword mark on the ground in front of him.

Murderous intent filled his eyes as he angled his sword tip toward Daoist master Wan. "The Sword of the Three Sovereigns is the sword of the Human Sovereign, meant to slay all the unrighteous in the world! You are ignorant of reason, arrogant, and conceited. By sticking your neck out for a Fate Usurper and throwing the heavenly laws into chaos, you act with complete lawlessness! If you dare to cross this line by even half a step today, I will strike you down without mercy!"

Xu Yinglong was the Daoist Administrator of the Jinshan Sect, after all. Holding the Sword of the Three Sovereigns, his entire body exuded an extraordinary aura, condensing both killing intent and a surge of human sovereign righteousness.

The surrounding Celestial Masters nodded repeatedly, looking upon him with a newfound sense of respect.

However, Daoist master Wan didn't slow his pace because of Xu Yinglong's words. He didn't even wait for Xu Yinglong to finish before stepping right over the line drawn with the Sword of the Three Sovereigns.

"You!" Ignored to such an extent, the dignified Daoist Administrator of the Jinshan Sect burned with fury. Chanting a sword incantation, Xu Yinglong lunged like a madman, thrusting his blade straight at Daoist master Wan's neck!

A cold gleam flashed, and the icy light of the blade reflected on Daoist master Wan's face.

"Daoist Master! Watch out!" My heart leaped into my throat. Xu Yinglong's emotions had become highly unstable due to the deaths of his sect disciples. The fury in his heart needed an outlet, and Daoist master Wan's contempt had completely ignited it.

"Die!" As the sharp sword pierced forward, Daoist master Wan's reaction left everyone dumbfounded. Just as the blade was about to touch his body, he simply tilted his head. The icy sword blade brushed right past his neck.

A few strands of black hair fluttered to the ground. Even Xu Yinglong hadn't anticipated such a close call. "Impossible!"

White robes billowing and hair knot fluttering, the smile on Daoist master Wan's face had vanished at some point.

Sensing the shift in Daoist master Wan's aura, Xu Yinglong felt a surge of panic in his heart. It had been at least several decades since he had last experienced this kind of emotion.

"Fellow Daoist Qingqiu, and you Celestial Masters of the Upper Sects, let's attack together and capture this man!" Xu Yinglong intended to unite the Five Great Upper Sects. Forced by the situation, the several Celestial Masters had no choice but to make a move.

With the exception of the Hemp-Clothed Elder and the Man in the Suit, everyone else present pulled out their talismans and Dharma artifacts.

Only upon seeing this did Xu Yinglong, who was blocking Daoist master Wan's path, feel a sliver of reassurance. "With our sects joining forces, you think you can turn the heavens upside down? Face your death!"

He launched a series of sword strikes, but Daoist master Wan dodged every single one. By the end, even he was somewhat shocked. "You... you can dodge my sword?"

Daoist master Wan swept his gaze over the crowd. Just a single look was enough to send a chill into the hearts of those lofty sect Celestial Masters.

"Attack together! This man came to rescue Gao Jian. He might be the real mastermind behind all this!"

"Right! Capture him!"

"Let's see how many of my sword strikes you can dodge!"

The sect cultivators hurled the talismans and incantation seals meant for dealing with demons and evil spirits at Daoist master Wan. Ye Qingqiu even activated the grand formation, borrowing the power of Jiangcheng's Feng Shui layout to suppress him.

The sound of incantations rang out incessantly as countless talismans fluttered through the air. The sheer number of them was a terrifying sight to behold.

"Originally, I wanted to save you some face, but I never expected the current sects to have fallen so low that only a mob of rabble remains." Daoist master Wan looked at the sky over Jiangcheng, covered in dark clouds where something ominous was awakening. "You are the ones who are truly unrighteous."

He didn't take a single step back. Slowly raising his right hand, he cast a glance at the fierce-looking but ultimately insecure Xu Yinglong. "Frightened before the battle even begins. Are you even worthy of wielding a sword?"

As soon as his words fell, a clap of thunder erupted from the dark clouds. Daoist master Wan glared fiercely at the cloud layer and howled at the sky: "Drifting clouds obscure the moon, leaving all unseen; I shall draw the Yangtze River to wash the heavens clean!"

With a single sword incantation, the clouds shifted and the heavens changed!

The great river churned like a silver dragon. The mountains, the terrain, and even the entire river's water veins all converged into his raised right hand!

"Sword, come!"

A sudden clap of thunder echoed. The Feng Shui layout in this area ground to a momentary halt. Both the Yang Qi and the Yin energy were trembling.

Using the Feng Shui ley lines as a sword and drawing upon the momentum of the great river—who could possibly block this?

All the cultivators present stopped mid-incantation. Xu Yinglong didn't even dare to move a muscle. The sword in his hand was trembling, and the line he had just drawn in front of him now seemed like a complete joke.

Trapped in the main hall of the Three Yin Sect, I was absolutely stunned. I had always known Daoist master Wan was extraordinary, but I never imagined he would be powerful to this extent!

"The livestream chat is truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers." Because I was mentally prepared, I quickly snapped out of my shock. Looking around, I noticed that the circulation of Yin and Yang energies between heaven and earth had slowed down. Elder Chen, standing outside the grand formation, seemed to have been intimidated by Daoist master Wan as well, frozen in place.

"An opportunity!" Having experienced life-and-death crises multiple times, I immediately realized that this was a chance I couldn't miss!

I was a Fate Usurper. Daoist master Wan would definitely be implicated by saving me. Rather than let that happen, it would be better for me to fake my death and escape, then go look for him once things settled down.

Looking toward the north of the Three Yin Sect, I cupped my hands toward Daoist master Wan once more and took out the Realm-Breaking Talisman.

"The circulation of Yin and Yang energies has slowed, and the collapse of the grand formation has been delayed. There should be enough time." Gritting my teeth, I turned and dashed into the underground tunnel behind the shrine.

Yin energy invaded my body, swimming through my meridians like tiny snakes. Forcing down the pain, I charged deep into the ley lines. "Wang Shi!"

Shouting at the top of my lungs, I stumbled toward the core of the grand formation. By now, the stone platform holding the Mountain God Sculpture and the Black Chess Piece had already half-collapsed, and the stone bridge in the middle was covered in cracks.

"Why did you come back?" Seeing me covered in cuts and bruises yet stubbornly charging forward, Wang Shi was dumbfounded. He could hardly believe his own eyes. "Did you come back to save me?"

The outer skin of the Mountain God Sculpture was peeling off. I reached right in and dug out the faintly glowing, beating heart, then shoved the statue over with all my might. "Go! Come with me!"

Wang Shi, sitting on the stone platform, hadn't yet snapped back to reality. An unprecedented expression surfaced on his face—doubt, confusion, and a trace of being touched that perhaps even he was unwilling to admit.

Without wasting any words on Wang Shi, I directly stored him away in the Ghost Ring.

With the Mountain God Sculpture's heart taken away, the balance of Yin and Yang was completely shattered. A massive disaster erupted within the Henshan Yin Vein!

I originally wanted to try and take away that Black Chess Piece as well, but upon seeing this situation, I retreated immediately without any hesitation.

Now was not the time for greed. My little life was more important.

By the time I ran out of the shrine, I arrived just in time to see the complete collapse of the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation. The Three Yin Sect's Daoist temple began to cave in extensively. Crushed under the weight of the Yin and Yang energies, this place would soon be reduced to a pile of rubble.

"Where is Elder Chen?"

I grabbed my leather suitcase. At this point, I couldn't care about anything else. I didn't even have the time to check on Daoist master Wan's situation. Sprinting away from the sect Celestial Masters, I took out the Nine Palaces Realm-Breaking Divine Talisman.