Chapter 757 - 403: At This Moment

Yang An voluntarily stepped out of his cave-dwelling, but two Guardians moved forward together, preparing to restrain him.

"If you touch me, I will consider your actions a provocation."

Yang An stopped in his tracks, a wide smile on his face as he looked at the men approaching him and spoke.

’If these guys don’t mind a little scuffle before heading to Celestial Pool Peak, then I wouldn’t mind giving them a good thrashing either.’

The two Guardians paused, both looking toward Steward Liao.

Although their rank was a level higher than Steward Liao’s, Steward Liao was the Elder’s Direct Disciple. They were not.

"Let him walk on his own."

Steward Liao merely shot Yang An a cold glance and gave the order to the other Guardians.

’The matter is already settled. Yang An can’t run. So what if he walks on his own? Does he really think he can escape from Emei Mansion?’

’Besides, even if he did manage to escape, that would just give us a perfect reason to attack him.’

However, to Steward Liao’s disappointment, Yang An behaved himself the entire way, not making even the slightest move. The group soon arrived at Celestial Pool Peak.

Celestial Pool Peak, as one of the many peaks of Emei Mansion, boasted beautiful scenery. It towered into the heavens, wreathed in clouds and mist and brimming with abundant Spiritual Qi—truly an Immortal Blessed Land.

But when Yang An entered Celestial Pool Hall on Celestial Pool Peak, the atmosphere was not nearly so harmonious.

Upon entering the hall, Yang An saw three towering stone statues. In front of them were numerous offerings. On a prayer cushion before the statues sat a Cultivator, dressed in a magnificent purple robe with gold trim.

On either side stood more than a dozen Cultivators, arranged in two rows.

The hall was silent. Yang An’s arrival drew the gazes of all the Cultivators, who sized him up from head to toe.

Steward Liao was the first to step forward, kneeling and bowing.

"Master, I have brought him."

Steward Liao then rose and joined the ranks of the Cultivators on either side. The Guardians who had accompanied him all bowed before exiting the hall.

Yang An made no move, simply watching the Elder who sat cross-legged on the prayer cushion with his back to him.

The man had yet to turn around, but his deep, resonant voice filled the air.

"I intended to take you as my Direct Disciple. Why did you refuse?"

Only after this question did the Elder finally reveal his face.

He looked like a man in his prime, around forty or fifty years old. His face was clean-shaven, and though he had white hair, his complexion was youthful. His presence was quite extraordinary.

This was Elder Chang Wang, one of the Elders of Emei Mansion, whose Cultivation Level had already reached the Divinity Transformation realm.

The Cultivators present were all his Direct Disciples. The stronger ones had long since entered the Nascent Soul realm, while the weaker ones, like Steward Liao, had simply started later. But thanks to their considerable talent, they had also reached the Golden Core realm and were not far from Nascent Soul.

Facing the oppressive aura of a Divinity Transformation Elder, Yang An remained utterly placid, his heart as still as water.

’What a joke. How could the Insect Dao be suppressed by the Zombie God?’

"I don’t want to be your disciple."

Yang An’s reply was simple. He rejected the offer outright, without beating around the bush.

"’I don’t want to be anyone’s disciple.’ You were the one who said that, weren’t you?"

Elder Chang Wang asked again, inwardly surprised to see Yang An so composed under his aura.

"Yes."

Yang An replied nonchalantly, but he saw Chang Wang’s Direct Disciples on both sides begin to sneer as they watched him.

"And why is that?"

"No particular reason. It’s simply because none of you are worthy."

Yang An stated it as a simple fact.

But the moment the words left his mouth, a sharp cry came from the side.

"How audacious!"

One of Chang Wang’s Direct Disciples stepped forward. It wasn’t Steward Liao, but someone stronger than him.

"Such arrogant words! Let me see what you’re really made of."

Chang Wang did not stop this, merely watching the scene calmly, tacitly approving of his disciple’s actions.

A powerful aura erupted from the Cultivator who had stepped out. His Cultivation Level was already at the Nascent Soul realm. Seeing that Yang An’s was merely at the Golden Core realm, he snorted coldly. With a casual wave of his hand, a Bronze Cauldron flew from his sleeve, growing larger as it hurtled head-on toward Yang An.

This Bronze Cauldron was his Lifebound Magical Treasure, and he wasn’t holding anything back against this Golden Core Cultivator.

Just as the Bronze Cauldron was about to strike Yang An, it had already swelled from the size of a palm to a three-foot-wide Great Cauldron. It contained an immense, crushing force, powerful enough to smash him to pieces.

But then, with a dull THUD, the Bronze Cauldron stopped dead in front of Yang An. No matter how the Cultivator tried to command it, it couldn’t advance another inch.

The Cultivator’s expression changed, and everyone’s gaze shifted to Yang An.

They saw that Yang An had stopped the Great Cauldron with a single outstretched hand. He hadn’t moved a single step, and his expression was unchanged—still placid, even showing a hint of ease.

Everyone was stunned into silence.

"This is why I said none of you are worthy."

A smile appeared on Yang An’s face. Then, with a sudden exertion of force from his hand, the Great Cauldron shot away from him like a cannonball, flying back toward the attacking Cultivator.

The Cultivator’s face paled. He threw his hands up to block, but no matter how he tried to command it, the Great Cauldron was now out of his control and came crashing toward him.

With a loud BOOM, the Cultivator was unable to withstand the force of the Great Cauldron’s impact. He was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the hall’s inner wall.

The Great Cauldron crashed to the floor with a loud BANG, now covered in a web of cracks.

"Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother Qin!"

The Cultivators on either side were completely blindsided. Their Senior Brother, a master at the Nascent Soul Stage, had been so easily defeated by a mere Golden Core Stage brat.

The Cultivator known as Senior Brother Qin slowly picked himself up from the floor. He was a complete mess, spitting up blood, his face as pale as a sheet.