Free Web NovelChapter 321: Chapter 200: You Really Think I’m Weak?
"Frankly, you’re all just too weak. I’m afraid having you support me would just drag me down."
Jiang Man’s reply left the four of them stunned.
They’d imagined all sorts of excuses from Jiang Man, but never this.
’Does he have a death wish?’
"What’s so surprising?" In a flash, Jiang Man dissolved into a wisp of green smoke and reappeared beside Zhao Qiu, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I may be in the Outer Sect, but I’m sure you’ve heard of me.
"You’ve all heard of me one way or another.
"I am, after all, an Unparalleled Celestial Pride.
"At the Same Tier, what makes you think you can fight me?"
The moment he finished speaking, Jiang Man’s hand pressed down like a mountain—this was the weight of Spiritual Qi.
BOOM!
CRACK!
A sickening crack echoed from Zhao Qiu’s shoulder.
He stared at Jiang Man in shock, never having imagined that this man’s Spiritual Qi could be so heavy.
But he was still struggling to hold on.
Jiang Man then increased his strength, pressing down hard. With a loud THUD, he forced Zhao Qiu’s back to bend, bringing him crashing to his knees, his hands braced against the ground.
Freed from the pressure, he struggled to lift his head and spat resentfully, "That was a sneak attack!"
Jiang Man shook his head, then kicked him in the side of the face.
THWACK!
Zhao Qiu’s cheek distorted visibly, his whole face shuddering as several teeth went flying.
WHOOSH!
Zhao Qiu’s head snapped back, dragging his body with it as he was sent flying.
Blood sprayed through the air, splattering onto the other three.
They looked at Jiang Man in terror.
"So, you all really thought I was weak, huh?" Jiang Man’s hand landed on the shoulder of the only woman in the group.
She screamed.
Then, just like Zhao Qiu, she was sent flying.
Her abdomen was caved in, her bones apparently broken and displaced.
The remaining two didn’t hesitate for a second, turning to flee.
But a light had already enveloped them.
Terrified screams echoed from within the Array.
—
「In the mist.」
Shangguan Lingyue and his two companions led their group back toward the Array.
They had acquired quite a few things on their expedition.
They had kept for themselves anything that would help their Cultivation.
Nothing was given to Jiang Man.
Jiang Man had received the Elixirs, so it was only fair that they got to keep these items.
"I wonder if that Zhao Qiu has done anything," Shangguan Lingyue said.
"Are you sure nothing will go wrong?" Hai Lian asked, concerned. "The Zhao Family doesn’t seem to be on good terms with him."
"Is there really a need to put him in his place?" Lin Chenling asked.
We have the absolute advantage right now. There’s no need for that at all.
Shangguan Lingyue sighed. "The more Jiang Man learns, the more important he’ll think he is. We need to put him down a bit to make sure we can control him in the end.
"I just don’t know if those people will actually do anything.
"I deliberately grouped a certain type of person together. They’re the kind who act without considering the consequences, only thinking about what they can gain."
Hai Lian and the others didn’t say much else.
’After all, for the sake of opportunity, some people have to be sacrificed.’
’And it’s better to sacrifice others, of course.’
’Nice guys aren’t cut out for a place like this.’
’After entering the Inner Sect, if you act the same way you did in the Outer Sect, you’ll be eaten alive.’
’Do you think that after people get a few things, they’ll just let you peacefully improve your Cultivation?’
’Impossible.’
’Give an inch, and you’ll have to give a mile, until you’re eventually eliminated.’
’If you want to advance in the Inner Sect, you have to fight.’
’If you want to reach the core of the Sect or even become a Direct Disciple, you have to fight even harder.’
After a long search through the mist, they finally returned to the Array.
It wasn’t easy for others to find this place.
Their trip outside had confirmed one thing: two massive Arrays were expanding out there.
One was the Blood Sacrifice Array, which had everyone worried.
The other was the Celestial Essence Array, whose benefits could be shared.
The rest were smaller Arrays being developed in the shadows.
Theirs was one of them.
Upon entering the Array, Shangguan Lingyue immediately checked on everyone.
He was startled, however, to see a man with a grotesquely twisted face at the entrance.
His face was twisted, half his teeth were gone, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth.
His entire head was tilted at an unnatural angle.
One arm was limp and misshapen, clearly broken.
The other three were no better.
Each one was more miserable than the last.
"Fellow Daoist Shangguan," Zhao Qiu managed to say. "You’re back? A Demon Beast ambushed us. If it hadn’t been so weak, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to defend this place.
"So it would be best to have more people on guard duty."
’Zhao Qiu was inwardly miserable.’
’He had wanted to report what happened and get Shangguan Lingyue to find a way to deal with Jiang Man.’
’But Jiang Man wouldn’t allow it.’
’The reason he wouldn’t allow it was...’
’He—Jiang Man—had discovered for the first time that he could earn Spiritual Source this way.’
’And he wanted to keep earning more.’
Shangguan Lingyue asked, puzzled, "Zhao Qiu?"
"It’s me," Zhao Qiu nodded immediately.
’He was terrified Shangguan Lingyue would speak too loudly.’
’Right now, Jiang Man didn’t know his surname was Zhao. If he found out, Zhao Qiu feared he wouldn’t be able to stay here any longer.’
’Things would get even worse for him.’
Shangguan Lingyue glanced suspiciously at the other three, trying to confirm if there had really been a Demon Beast Attack.
All three nodded.
Shangguan Lingyue remained skeptical.
’But this wasn’t the time for a deep investigation.’
Meanwhile, Jiang Man was counting his gains, feeling quite moved.
’After a lifetime of drifting and struggling to earn Spiritual Source, he’d never imagined he could make it this way.’
’It was like a whole new world had opened up to him.’
’When they came looking for his support, he’d had an idea.’
’They had come seeking his support, so why couldn’t he seek theirs?’
So, after defeating them, he’d sought *their* support.
’He told them the path of an Unparalleled Celestial Pride was a difficult one.’
’He never expected it to actually work.’
They didn’t have any Storage Treasures, so they weren’t carrying much, but it still amounted to twenty thousand.
’If he ran into someone with a Storage Treasure...’
’He couldn’t even imagine it.’
’He might not have to worry about earning Spiritual Source for years.’
Unfortunately, with the Immortal Sects’ strict rule, he didn’t dare go too far, even in a Secret Realm.
If he actually took someone’s Storage Treasure, it would surely lead to trouble.
’But just asking for some of the contents shouldn’t be going too far, right?’
’This meant he would have to be more careful in the future, too.’
’If anyone could do this, then he was also a juicy target in the eyes of others.’
With the Array, however, he wasn’t afraid of the people here.
He had finished setting up his new Array even before he started counting the Spiritual Source.
He had added the Mountain and River Illusion Array to the foundation of the original Array.
Forget those four weaklings; even a top disciple like Shangguan Lingyue would have to stay out of his way.
Besides, the Array could now be expanded over a much larger area.
The larger it grew, the stronger he would become.
He could even contend with that Blood Sacrifice Array.
But there was one fatal flaw: his Physical Body and Visualization Skill still couldn’t keep up with his Cultivation level.
He could sense the deficiency even when fighting those weaker disciples.
A fight against a top disciple would be even more dangerous.
Now he couldn’t be sure how much time was left.
’It was hard to plan ahead.’
Just then, Shangguan Lingyue walked over. "I heard there was a Demon Beast Attack?"
"There wasn’t," Jiang Man replied.
Hearing this, Shangguan Lingyue paused, then pointed at Zhao Qiu’s group. "Then what happened to them?"
"I did it," Jiang Man said simply.
For a moment, Shangguan Lingyue was incredulous. "You did it?"
"Does that seem unreasonable?" Jiang Man looked at Shangguan Lingyue and chuckled. "I know you had your own plans, but you can forget about them now. I’m in charge."
Jiang Man’s words were shocking, and Shangguan Lingyue didn’t dare to take him lightly.
"Not happy about it?" Jiang Man asked.
"Do you really have that kind of power?" ’He still felt he could seize control.’
With a casual wave of his hand, Jiang Man used the Array to block everyone else’s view.
Then his figure vanished, reappearing behind Shangguan Lingyue. "Want to try me?"
Shangguan Lingyue was stunned. He had no idea how Jiang Man had done it; it was completely different from any Magic Skill he knew.
But if a test was what Jiang Man wanted, he wouldn’t hesitate. He circulated his Golden Core, mobilizing the power in his body.
Flames instantly appeared in his palm. Fire surged around his body as a scorching aura erupted, and he thrust his palm forward.
The scorching flames seemed ready to incinerate everything.
Jiang Man didn’t even try to dodge, meeting the attack with a palm strike of his own.
BAM!
A shockwave of power radiated out. The palm strike, like a heavy blade, shattered all the flames around Shangguan Lingyue and sent him staggering back thirteen steps, his feet leaving the ground.
Jiang Man stood on the spot, not moving a muscle.
’It actually hurt quite a lot,’ Jiang Man thought. ’I just used the Array to keep my footing.’
’But it was enough to make him wary of me.’
Having regained his footing, Shangguan Lingyue stared at Jiang Man, sensing the shift in the surrounding Spiritual Qi. A series of emotions flickered in his eyes.
There was impulse, then resentment, but above all, there was wariness.
After a long while, all emotions disappeared.
All that remained was resignation.
He sighed. "I never thought the rumors were wrong. You reached the Middle Stage of Golden Core long ago."
Jiang Man did not answer.
’I’d better not mention I just broke through,’ Jiang Man thought. ’Otherwise, he might think he still has a fighting chance.’
"What do you plan to do?" Shangguan Lingyue asked.
"’What do I plan to do?’" Jiang Man said calmly. "The opportunity in this Immortal Mansion is clearly a regional conflict. Don’t you want to be on the winning side?"
Shangguan Lingyue paused. Was that even something he could hope for?
"Even if you don’t, I do. I’m going to start expanding the Array. You just need to tell me how we can win," Jiang Man said.
’Since I’m involved, why would I hide in a corner?’
’Shouldn’t an Unparalleled Celestial Pride be the center of attention wherever he goes?’
’Now it’s my turn to absorb the others.’
’The tables have turned.’
