Rage surged within Pei Shishi's heart, but when she looked at the countless spirit stones before her, she realized that the seemingly harmless Li Guanqi was someone she could not afford to provoke.

There were simply too many spirit stones, more than she had ever seen. And Li Guanqi had taken them out on the spot.

Her expression changed repeatedly as she glared venomously at the group. But she couldn’t possibly fulfill the wager in front of everyone. How could someone as proud and arrogant as Pei Shishi honor a bet like that?

Li Guanqi sneered and condensed a lightning bolt at his fingertip.

Boom!

A colossal aura erupted from the base of the mountain, shooting straight toward the heavens.

Clatter clatter! Everyone heard the rattle of chains.

Everyone’s expressions changed. Even Li Guanqi’s face turned stern.

He felt a presence like that of a primordial beast. It moved steadily from the base of the mountain toward the sect gates.

Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured, “Is it him?”

Clatter clatter!

The entire mountain peak trembled, and the overwhelming pressure made it nearly impossible to breathe. Cultivators at the Nascent Soul Realm had already hunched over, struggling not to kneel.

This aura matched that of a late Illusory Refinement Realm cultivator.

Sun Jie paled and pulled out a jade slip to report what was happening.

A crippled figure gradually came into view, a golden chain piercing straight through his chest. He kept his head down, his disheveled hair obscuring his features. The long chain dragged along the ground, clattering behind him.

The young man was powerfully built, his right hand dragging a pitch-black broadsword. The sword scraped across the earth, carving a deep furrow in its wake. The weight had to be crushing.

Beneath his tangled hair, bloodshot eyes occasionally flickered into view. They burned with defiance and hatred.

Upon seeing the youth, Kong Xu’s eyes widened in realization. He murmured, “Zhou Shiyu... how did he end up like this?”

At the same time, Li Guanqi sensed two immensely powerful presences rapidly approaching from within the Six Gates Holy Sect.

However, just as those two presences appeared, Sun Jie realized something was terribly wrong. He grabbed Pei Shishi and moved to enter the barrier.

Thud!

The earth shook, rocks tumbled from the mountain peak, and the ground beneath Zhou Shiyu shattered. Their vision blurred, and the young man was gone.

Li Guanqi sensed Sun Jie and Pei Shishi about to slip inside. His lips curled into a cold smile. He formed an invisible spatial barrier at the entrance of the sect’s barrier.

Bang!

Sun Jie crashed headfirst into the invisible wall, horror contorting his face. Zhou Shiyu’s pressure made him feel trapped, as if he were stuck in mud.

Swoosh!

Boom!

A dark sword light flashed as Zhou Shiyu raised his sword high with both hands. He sprang up, his body arched like a fully drawn bow, then brought the sword down.

Boom!

The strike obliterated Sun Jie.

The mountain peak shook. The sword had carried the crushing weight of earth-element vital force, shattering the mountain gate and collapsing the barrier in a single blow. The sword light extended several hundred zhang upward, carving a wide groove through the earth.

Dust billowed, and the pressure around everyone eased. They fled toward the outer mountains, desperate not to be caught in the crossfire.

Li Guanqi’s eyes flashed. From this aura alone...

Zhou Shiyu, now standing behind Li Guanqi, glanced at him with faint surprise. But he sensed no hostility from Li Guanqi.

In front of Zhou Shiyu, a cold-faced young man stood amidst the dust, sword in hand. It was none other than Sun Tianqi.

At his feet, Pei Shishi lay paralyzed with fear.

Sun Tianqi’s eyes flashed with disgust, and he frowned.

Pei Shishi looked up and grabbed onto him like a lifeline, scrambling to clutch at Sun Tianqi’s robes as she tried to rise.

Sun Tianqi frowned and slapped her across the face. “Don’t touch my clothes with your filthy hands.”

Pei Shishi's cheek swelled visibly. Many people snickered at the sight. Pei Shishi’s eyes darted frantically, and her face shifted in an instant to a tearful, pitiful expression.

But Sun Tianqi merely pointed his sword at her chest, frowning. “Don’t come closer.”

She stopped in her tracks.

The sword pierced her robes, and the cold blade pressed against her skin. The threat was unmistakable. Playing the coquettish, pitiful act wouldn’t save her now. With a strained look, she said, “Alright...”

Sun Tianqi looked past her. His aura erupted, rivaling Zhou Shiyu’s. He stared at the distant Zhou Shiyu, not even glancing at Pei Shishi.

“Pei Shishi, know your place,” he said, his voice ice-cold. “You’re merely a plaything the Heavenly Calamity Sect sent me. Your actions today have displeased me.”

Thud! 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Shaken, Pei Shishi kneeled before him without hesitation, in full view of all the cultivators.

She placed her hands on the ground, her face slightly pale. Her wide eyes flickered with conflicting emotions as she spoke in a trembling, humble voice. “Yes... I... I was wrong...”

Pei Shishi was terrified. Only now, after sensing Sun Tianqi’s full aura, did she snap back to reality. The gap between them was the difference between heaven and earth.

The faction that had suppressed the Heavenly Calamity Sect was merely a branch of the Sun clan. Her sect’s fate hinged on a single word from Sun Tianqi, and she had already overstepped.

Sun Zhen arrived soon after and looked at Pei Shishi with a cold, mocking smile, his eyes full of disdain.

Sun Tianqi gave Li Guanqi a cursory glance before looking away, viewing him as nothing more than a wealthy clan disciple.

“Zhou Shiyu, you lost the wager. You’re no longer the next sect master of the Six Gates Holy Sect. What is the meaning of this?”

In the distance, the young man slowly raised his head, his left hand stroking the golden chain at his chest as a fierce, violent aura shot skyward.

Zhou Shiyu’s low, hoarse voice slowly rang out. “Today... I’ve come to take your life.”