Chapter 187: Now… Are You Satisfied?
The yellow-robed elder spoke in a trembling voice.
“Profound Sun Holy Son… now… are you satisfied?”
He knew the moment Li Xun appeared that things could no longer end peacefully.
Without the price of a few lives, there was no way they could make him leave.
And even though they had already sacrificed a sect elder, the pain of that loss cut deep. But what choice did they have? If they didn’t appease him… the entire Golden Sun Sect might be buried alongside them.
Li Xun didn’t reply. Instead, he casually flicked his wrist, sending a beam of light streaking down toward Ye Han.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked.
As the light faded, a white jade bottle appeared before Ye Han—it was a bottle of pills.
Ye Han’s eyes lit up. He bowed gratefully toward the divine chariot.
“Thank you, Senior Brother Li!”
He quickly took one of the pills and swallowed it.
In moments, his previously exhausted dantian surged with new life. A wave of powerful true essence coursed through his limbs, restoring his strength.
His injuries—once severe—were already beginning to heal.
And just then, a system notification rang in Li Xun’s mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have invested one bottle of Nine Essence Spirit Pills and received 40 years of cultivation. Would you like to claim it now?]
‘Forty years of cultivation?’
Li Xun smiled faintly.
Though it was only a blue-level investment, to Li Xun, cultivation was more valuable than some rare treasures or techniques.
After all, power is the foundation of everything.
With forty years' worth of cultivation added to his strength, while it might not be enough to break through to the Divine Palace Realm just yet, reaching the peak of the Life and Death Realm would be no issue.
. . . . . . . .
Below.
Ye Han turned again toward Ye Qingyu.
Several Golden Sun Sect elders stepped forward to block his way, their expressions tense.
They wanted to stop him. But then their gazes lifted slightly—toward the divine chariot hovering in the sky.
And just like that, they abandoned the idea completely.
Sure, they could kill Ye Han.
But what then?
They would have to face Li Xun.
And the man who obliterated a fellow elder with a single move could do the same to any of them—easily.
Tap…
Ye Han took a slow, cold step forward.
The elders guarding Ye Qingyu stepped back in unison.
It wasn’t Ye Han himself they feared—It was the mountain-like presence standing behind him.
That invisible pressure, coming from the divine chariot above, was suffocating.
The yellow-robed elder opened his mouth, wanting to say something… but in the end, he swallowed the words.
At this point, there was no turning back.
His only option now… was to retreat with Ye Qingyu back into the core of the sect.
As long as they activated the Mountain Guarding Formation, they might be safe.
After all, Golden Sun Sect was still a major force, and their defensive formation wasn’t just for show. Even someone as strong as Li Xun couldn’t break it easily.
But even so…
For a sect as large as Golden Sun Sect to be forced into retreat and hide behind their formation barriers because of a single Holy Son—
If word of this got out, their reputation would be utterly ruined.
Just as the golden-robed elder was hesitating—
A deep, majestic voice boomed from within the Golden Sun Sect itself.
“Profound Sun Holy Son, you are quite bold. Do you know where you are? Did you really think the Golden Sun Sect was without anyone capable of facing you?”
A thunderous rumble echoed across the skies.
Before the elder could react, a powerful figure had already appeared before him.
A tall and imposing man stood there now.
He wore a fine brocade robe and a crown of violet-gold upon his head. Every movement of his body carried the weight of a mighty force.
His eyes gleamed like divine swords as they swept coldly across the skies—
Fixing on the golden divine chariot above.
“Hissss—!”
Gasps erupted from the surrounding crowd the moment they saw this man appear.
Many drew in a sharp breath of cold air.
“The Sect Master of Golden Sun Sect has actually appeared… That’s a Divine Palace Realm powerhouse! Who would’ve thought that just one Profound Sun Holy Son could force the Golden Sun Sect to this point?”
“So what if it’s the Sect Master? Don’t forget—Li Xun once killed a Divine Palace Realm expert of the Great Chu Dynasty!”
“Exactly. If Golden Sun Sect hands over Ye Qingyu, they might survive this crisis. But if they insist on opposing Profound Sun Holy Land… Golden Sun Sect may very well be wiped from existence.”
“Whether or not the Golden Sun Sect can be saved today depends on whether any Grand Elders still reside in the sect. If one remains, they may survive a while longer. But without one—”
“Golden Sun Sect has long been on the decline. Where would a Grand Elder come from?”
“Just watch… Ye Qingyu is the Golden Sun Sect’s hope for revival. Handing him over would be no different from letting the sect wither and die. No matter what, they won’t give him up.”
The surrounding crowd was in heated discussion.
None of them were optimistic about Golden Sun Sect’s chances.
Li Xun, alone, had already thrown the sect into chaos.
If an actual Saint from Profound Sun Holy Land were to appear… Golden Sun Sect wouldn’t even have room to resist.
The Golden Sun Sect Master’s cold voice boomed out:
“Profound Sun Holy Son, you act far too arrogantly. Have you forgotten whose domain this is? This is the Golden Sun Sect, not your Profound Sun Holy Land!”
“Do you truly believe that, with your strength alone, you’re already invincible in this world?”
His voice shook the heavens.
That declaration instantly boosted the morale of all Golden Sun Sect disciples.
But among the surrounding onlookers, many only shook their heads.
The Sect Master, ultimately, cared too much about face. In trying to uphold the sect’s reputation, he was risking dragging them all into ruin.
By any practical measure, this stance was reckless.
At this point, yielding to Li Xun wouldn’t be shameful—it would be wise.
After all, Li Xun had clearly shown the world his power.
His future was almost guaranteed: at minimum, he would become a Saint. To yield now was simply acknowledging a future Saint’s supremacy—who would dare laugh at that?
And as for Ye Qingyu—
Even if he was highly talented, sacrificing the entire sect for the sake of one person… was the height of foolishness.
From within the golden divine chariot, a cold voice responded:
“Arrogant?”
“As far as I know, the ones being arrogant today… are you, Golden Sun Sect.”
“Had I not arrived in time, wouldn’t my junior brother have already been slain by your so-called ‘elders’?”
As those words fell, a terrifying pressure unfurled from the divine chariot.
It was as though a youthful Immortal sat upon the heavens, invoking awe and reverence.
Li Xun stood up from within the chariot.
Step by step, he walked out into the skies.
His robes billowed in the wind, divine light enveloped him, and he seemed almost divine—like a god descending to earth.
His gaze fell upon the Golden Sun Sect Master, eyes cold and merciless.
In his mind, he spoke one sentence:
‘System, claim the cultivation reward.’
Boom!
In an instant, forty years of cultivation surged into his body. His already formidable strength in the late Life and Death Realm soared to the peak of the realm.
The pressure he radiated reached a new height.
A vast, blazing aura like that of a divine king flooded the skies. It extended for nearly a thousand li, saturating the air itself.
Beneath this overwhelming power, the ground shook violently, and massive cracks split the earth, spidering out in all directions like the approach of some apocalyptic force.