Even with my strength at the later stage of Stellar Vortex, I didnât catch how that man had gotten here. From the moment Zhao Gao finished speaking until now, it was less than a secondâeven I couldnât possibly move that fast.
Those thugs earlier said I wasnât even human, but in my opinion, itâs this sword-wielding guy who isnât human!
Long Qingyangâs speed, though impressive, is nowhere near the speed of this man!
I donât know why, but the phrase ‘shrinking the earth into an inch’ suddenly popped into my mind.
This manâs strength is definitely not something an ordinary person can possess. Could it be⌠that heâs a cultivator?! And not just any cultivatorâa 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 arenât supposed to meddle in worldly affairs. Who on earth is this man?!
âArenât you usually so cocky? How did you go from being a dragon to a bug?â Zhao Gao laughed loudly, staring straight at me before growling, âKill him!â
Hearing Zhao Gaoâs words, my heart sankâI was done for!
But the man didnât 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 wouldnât be a problem. If I could k!ll him with one strike, Iâd 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 couldnât even inch forward!
âEh?â The young man suddenly wore a puzzled expression as his gaze fixed on the black dagger, then burst into laughter, âNice sword!â
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 disappointedâwhat a joke!
âWhat the hell are you doing?! I spent a fortune for you to kill him! Get on with it and kill him already!â Zhao Gao roared as he saw that the man wasnât attacking me.
Still smiling, the man frowned at Zhao Gaoâs words and began to form a sword technique with his hand. My heart poundedâI 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⌠itâs 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 wasnât aimed at me at allâit was directed at Zhao Gao standing behind me!
I swallowed hard; the pressure from this man was overwhelmingâit seemed he had my life and death in his grasp and could obliterate me without breaking a sweat.
âI absolutely despise being ordered around!â the man said, frowning at Zhao Gao behind me.
Then he turned his gaze toward me, his expression transforming into a smile. âNine-Life Saint and Nine-Tailed Fox Demonâimpressive! Keep it up, kid!â
Oh man! You donât need to heap all that praise on me, alright?! Waitâno!
Nine-Life Saint again?! Last time it was an old guy, and now itâs 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! Thatâs 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 manâs technique earlier was terrifyingâcould it have shredded Zhao Gaoâs little bird?
D*mn! Seriously, the gap between imagination and reality is always huge, but reality seems even funnier.
Seeing Zhao Gaoâs 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 understoodâd*mn! This young man is incredibly badass! Heâs practically my idol!
Whatâs even funnier is that even though his little bird was in that state, Zhao Gao still had the nerve to let it spurt water outâspouting, 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 wasâwasnât 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 itâdealing with Zhao Gao is his problem. I still havenât collected what Zhao Gao owes me!
Seeing me advancing toward him, Zhao Gao stuttered, âW-what⌠what are you planning to do?â
âUhâŚâ Seeing Zhao Gao in such a pathetic state, I really didnât feel like striking him. But pitiful people can be detestable tooâLu Sen and Diao Sinan were beaten up by him, and I couldnât just let that slide!
âHonestly, I really donât want to offend your Zhao family, but you should never, ever have touched my brother!â I frowned and landed a kick on Zhao Gaoâs face. âThis first kick is for the time you first beat up Lu Sen and made off with your debt!â
Though I only kicked once, I channeled my True Qi, and one of Zhao Gaoâs teeth flew out instantly.
Just because that man didnât make him bleed doesnât mean I wonât!
I kicked Zhao Gao to the ground, and he groaned a few times before pleading, âIâI was wrong! Have mercy, please spare me!â
âThis is for framing me and getting me thrown in jail!â 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 wasnât about to let him off that easily.
I felt his forehead and infused him with True Qi, and Zhao Gao instantly came to.
âOwwâŚâ 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 wasnât about to kill himâI wasnât 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.
âXia Tian, no! Brother Tian! Lord Tian, Iâm sorry! Please spare meâI promise I wonât ever bother you again!â 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 Gaoâs face, and yet another tooth flew out.
âThis slap is on behalf of Lu Sen! But compared to his injuries, itâs really too mild!â And with that, he slapped Zhao Gao again. This time he didnât hold backâhis slap was a bit overdone, though luckily he didnât 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, âBrother Tian, just tell me how much money you wantâwhatever it is, Iâll pay. Please spare me!â
âHmph!â I sneered and extended my Wu Geng Finger.
âFive million, just five million!â Zhao Gao quickly blurted out.
He started with five millionâno wonder he was from a prominent familyâbut it seems Zhao Gao misunderstood my intentions.
Seeing that I remained silent, Zhao Gao hurriedly said, âFifty million, huh? Fifty million it isâjust please spare me!â
D*mn! Fifty million? No wayâIâm 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, âFive hundred million?! I canât come up with five hundred million right now! Just give me timeâgive me time, and Iâll definitely scrape it together!â
Smack!
I delivered another slap to his face, laughing as I said, âYou must have misunderstood meâI only meant to slap you!â
That final slap sent Zhao Gao straight into unconsciousness.
What does Zhao Gao take me for! Thinking that five hundred million can settle this?
Waitâno! Five hundred million! I must have misheard! Brother Zhao, get up, come onâletâs 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 phasesâa total of nine levels.
Cultivation Levels:
Stellar Vortex – ćç (XÄŤngxuĂĄn)
Lunar Reflection – ć役 (YuèyÇng)
Solar Crown – ćĽĺ (RĂŹmÇan)
Celestial Core – ĺ¤Šĺş (TiÄnfÇ)
Equipment Levels:
Mortal Grade – ĺĄĺ (FĂĄnpÇn) – (Divided into Nine Tiers) Basic equipment, ranging from Tier 1 (lowest) to Tier 9 (highest within Mortal Grade).
Spiritual Artifact – çľĺ¨ (LĂngqĂŹ) – (Divided into Low, Middle, High Tiers) Enchanted or spiritually infused items, with three quality levels: Low Tier – ä¸ĺ (XiĂ pÇn), Middle Tier – ä¸ĺ (ZhĹngpÇn), High Tier – ä¸ĺ (ShĂ ngpÇn)
Dharma Artifact – ćłĺ¨ (FÇqĂŹ) – (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 – ĺŽĺ¨ (BÇoqĂŹ) – (Divided into Low, Middle, High Tiers) Rare and powerful treasures, again split into three tiers: Low, Middle, High.
Immortal Artifact – äťĺ¨ (XiÄnqĂŹ) – The highest tier, associated with immortals or divine beings, implying supreme power.