Even with my strength at the later stage of Stellar Vortex, I didn’t catch how that man had gotten here. From the moment Zhao Gao finished speaking until now, it was less than a second—even I couldn’t possibly move that fast.
Those thugs earlier said I wasn’t even human, but in my opinion, it’s this sword-wielding guy who isn’t human!
Long Qingyang’s speed, though impressive, is nowhere near the speed of this man!
I don’t know why, but the phrase ‘shrinking the earth into an inch’ suddenly popped into my mind.
This man’s strength is definitely not something an ordinary person can possess. Could it be… that he’s a cultivator?! And not just any cultivator—a top-tier expert! Lunar Reflection-level? Or even Solar Crown-level?
How could Zhao Gao possibly have found such an expert? According to the explanation of the Demon-Slaying Web, cultivators above Lunar Reflection-level aren’t supposed to meddle in worldly affairs. Who on earth is this man?!
“Aren’t you usually so cocky? How did you go from being a dragon to a bug?” Zhao Gao laughed loudly, staring straight at me before growling, “Kill him!”
Hearing Zhao Gao’s words, my heart sank—I was done for!
But the man didn’t attack.
Gritting my teeth and deciding to give it a try, I mustered my mental power and retrieved the black dagger from the Storage Ring. Gripping it tightly, I turned around and lunged at him before he even made a move!
This man is a cultivator; even if I used one of my treasure artifacts, it wouldn’t be a problem. If I could k!ll him with one strike, I’d only have him to blame for being too greedy!
When I turned around, I was stunned to see him smiling at me. With just a single finger, he blocked the tip of my dagger. No matter how much True Qi I poured through my body, I couldn’t even inch forward!
“Eh?” The young man suddenly wore a puzzled expression as his gaze fixed on the black dagger, then burst into laughter, “Nice sword!”
This is clearly a dagger, for crying out loud! What kind of show-off is this? Blocking my attack with a single finger and then acting all disappointed—what a joke!
“What the hell are you doing?! I spent a fortune for you to kill him! Get on with it and kill him already!” Zhao Gao roared as he saw that the man wasn’t attacking me.
Still smiling, the man frowned at Zhao Gao’s words and began to form a sword technique with his hand. My heart pounded—I knew I was doomed this time!
I finally realized there are always people better than you, and higher peaks beyond peaks! But realizing it now… it’s too late.
The moment I closed my eyes, a jaw-dropping wave of energy surged at me as if it were going to tear me to pieces!
Yet after that wave passed, I was completely fine. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the sword technique wasn’t aimed at me at all—it was directed at Zhao Gao standing behind me!
I swallowed hard; the pressure from this man was overwhelming—it seemed he had my life and death in his grasp and could obliterate me without breaking a sweat.
“I absolutely despise being ordered around!” the man said, frowning at Zhao Gao behind me.
Then he turned his gaze toward me, his expression transforming into a smile. “Nine-Life Saint and Nine-Tailed Fox Demon—impressive! Keep it up, kid!”
Oh man! You don’t need to heap all that praise on me, alright?! Wait—no!
Nine-Life Saint again?! Last time it was an old guy, and now it’s someone about my age! Just what kind of strength does this young man have?!
I was just about to ask what the Nine-Life Saint was all about when I realized that the young man had mysteriously disappeared!
Damn! That’s some over-the-top show-off crap!
Only after the young man was gone did I finally dare to turn around.
The sword Qi from that man’s technique earlier was terrifying—could it have shredded Zhao Gao’s little bird?
D*mn! Seriously, the gap between imagination and reality is always huge, but reality seems even funnier.
Seeing Zhao Gao’s state, my buddies and I were dumbfounded!
At that moment, Zhao Gao had one leg on the sofa and the other on the ground. His upper clothes were intact, but his lower garments had been completely shredded into fragments by the sword Qi, leaving him with not even a shred to cover himself.
However, when I saw strands of hair falling on the ground along with the torn fabric, I instantly understood—d*mn! This young man is incredibly badass! He’s practically my idol!
What’s even funnier is that even though his little bird was in that state, Zhao Gao still had the nerve to let it spurt water out—spouting, pausing, spouting again. Sigh… he really chose the wrong master.
Zhao Gao was sniffling and tearful, shaking uncontrollably, to the point where I almost felt sorry for him.
What puzzled me was—wasn’t that young man hired by Zhao Gao to take care of me? So why did he end up unleashing his fury on Zhao Gao instead?
Forget it—dealing with Zhao Gao is his problem. I still haven’t collected what Zhao Gao owes me!
Seeing me advancing toward him, Zhao Gao stuttered, “W-what… what are you planning to do?”
“Uh…” Seeing Zhao Gao in such a pathetic state, I really didn’t feel like striking him. But pitiful people can be detestable too—Lu Sen and Diao Sinan were beaten up by him, and I couldn’t just let that slide!
“Honestly, I really don’t want to offend your Zhao family, but you should never, ever have touched my brother!” I frowned and landed a kick on Zhao Gao’s face. “This first kick is for the time you first beat up Lu Sen and made off with your debt!”
Though I only kicked once, I channeled my True Qi, and one of Zhao Gao’s teeth flew out instantly.
Just because that man didn’t make him bleed doesn’t mean I won’t!
I kicked Zhao Gao to the ground, and he groaned a few times before pleading, “I—I was wrong! Have mercy, please spare me!”
“This is for framing me and getting me thrown in jail!” I ignored his pleas and kicked him in the gut. His eyes bulged as he spat out some white water, and he instantly blacked out.
He got knocked around so easily, but I wasn’t about to let him off that easily.
I felt his forehead and infused him with True Qi, and Zhao Gao instantly came to.
“Oww…” Zhao Gao groaned, writhing on the ground. My kick had been pretty hard, but I managed to avoid any vital areas. I could beat him up, but I definitely wasn’t about to kill him—I wasn’t ready to start a war with the Zhao family yet.
I grabbed Zhao Gao by the collar, hoisted him up, and tossed him onto the sofa.
“Xia Tian, no! Brother Tian! Lord Tian, I’m sorry! Please spare me—I promise I won’t ever bother you again!” Zhao Gao, as the second young master of the Zhao family, was unbelievably spineless. Hmph! Usually so arrogant and overbearing, now he was on his knees begging for mercy.
Smack!
A resounding slap hit Zhao Gao’s face, and yet another tooth flew out.
“This slap is on behalf of Lu Sen! But compared to his injuries, it’s really too mild!” And with that, he slapped Zhao Gao again. This time he didn’t hold back—his slap was a bit overdone, though luckily he didn’t use True Qi, or things would have escalated.
But Zhao Gao still blacked out, so I used my True Qi to revive him again.
Gritting his teeth in pain, Zhao Gao pleaded, “Brother Tian, just tell me how much money you want—whatever it is, I’ll pay. Please spare me!”
“Hmph!” I sneered and extended my Wu Geng Finger.
“Five million, just five million!” Zhao Gao quickly blurted out.
He started with five million—no wonder he was from a prominent family—but it seems Zhao Gao misunderstood my intentions.
Seeing that I remained silent, Zhao Gao hurriedly said, “Fifty million, huh? Fifty million it is—just please spare me!”
D*mn! Fifty million? No way—I’m feeling a bit lightheaded, this happiness is coming too quickly!
Still, I shook my head at Zhao Gao.
Seeing that, his tears started flowing again as he cried, “Five hundred million?! I can’t come up with five hundred million right now! Just give me time—give me time, and I’ll definitely scrape it together!”
Smack!
I delivered another slap to his face, laughing as I said, “You must have misunderstood me—I only meant to slap you!”
That final slap sent Zhao Gao straight into unconsciousness.
What does Zhao Gao take me for! Thinking that five hundred million can settle this?
Wait—no! Five hundred million! I must have misheard! Brother Zhao, get up, come on—let’s talk!
*****
Updated Cultivation Terms: from now on the following changes will be applied and maintained. I will also add it to the DCFD wiki.
Star Radiance to Stellar Vortex
Moon Shadow to Lunar Reflection
Sun Corona to Solar Crown
with each stage further split into Early, Mid, and Late phases—a total of nine levels.
Cultivation Levels:
Stellar Vortex – 星璇 (Xīngxuán)
Lunar Reflection – 月影 (Yuèyǐng)
Solar Crown – 日冕 (Rìmǐan)
Celestial Core – 天府 (Tiānfǔ)
Equipment Levels:
Mortal Grade – 凡品 (Fánpǐn) – (Divided into Nine Tiers) Basic equipment, ranging from Tier 1 (lowest) to Tier 9 (highest within Mortal Grade).
Spiritual Artifact – 灵器 (Língqì) – (Divided into Low, Middle, High Tiers) Enchanted or spiritually infused items, with three quality levels: Low Tier – 下品 (Xiàpǐn), Middle Tier – 中品 (Zhōngpǐn), High Tier – 上品 (Shàngpǐn)
Dharma Artifact – 法器 (Fǎqì) – (Divided into Low, Middle, High Tiers) Tools or weapons imbued with magical laws or techniques, also in three tiers: Low, Middle, High (same as above).
Treasure Artifact – 宝器 (Bǎoqì) – (Divided into Low, Middle, High Tiers) Rare and powerful treasures, again split into three tiers: Low, Middle, High.
Immortal Artifact – 仙器 (Xiānqì) – The highest tier, associated with immortals or divine beings, implying supreme power.