Once a golden elixir enters the belly, only then do I know my fate is not in heaven's hands

"Presumptuous!"

A sea of figures blotted out the sky and covered the sun.

The moment Ye Shu spoke those words, someone flicked their sleeve and pointed at his nose, raging: "Do you know that before you stand the young lords of the eight great hidden families? A backwater bumpkin who only knows dirty tricks—how dare you yap and bark here!"

"I say, we should cut out your tongue first!"

The crowd glared with fury, thoroughly provoked by his arrogant demeanor.

Do they even realize how many people are gathered here?

Nearly every prodigy exploring these ruins—even the lowest among them, placed outside in the Central Continent, would be someone major factions would fight over.

And this backwater bumpkin dared to say what?

Calling all of them wild dogs!

"At death's door and still unrepentant, daring to talk back—he clearly doesn't have any of us in his eyes!"

"I say we strip his skin and pull his sinews, hang him from a tree to air-dry for three days, as a warning to others."

"Not only that—we'll strip that lover of his bare, boil her before killing, kill her and then violate her again, violate and kill, kill and violate!"

"Heh heh! That's still letting him off too easy."

Someone let out a cold, sinister laugh: "I've heard there's a kind of humiliation in this world where you cut off a man's member, grind it up with medicine, and then force-feed it back to him."

"That is—the ultimate humiliation!"

The cultivators were without number, vast and endless, nearly a thousand strong. They argued back and forth, each with their own opinion on Ye Shu and Mu Xi's final fate.

But no matter the outcome, it would certainly be brutal.

Mu Xi's face was pale as death—not from her internal injuries, but from the words of this crowd terrifying her.

She almost dared not imagine what would happen next.

If only she hadn't robbed so many people. She'd originally only planned to snatch a few small fries and then stop, blending into the crowd to escape together. Who would've thought that once she teamed up with Ye Shu, they kept robbing more and more—robbing rogue cultivators, robbing holy lands, even a stray dog by the roadside wasn't spared if it showed even a hint of greed.

Now look where that got them—surrounded and attacked from all sides.

But she didn't regret it.

Because it was her own insatiable greed that led her to walk the same crooked path as Shi Bei, and she would bear the consequences.

Mu Xi took a deep breath, forcing down her fear.

She rose shakily to her feet, walked to Ye Shu's side, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Why did you get up? Didn't I tell you to rest?"

Ye Shu turned and looked at her with heartache. If his precious daughter got hurt, where would he even go to cry?

Mu Xi gently shook her head.

"This is trouble we caused together—how can I let you face it alone?"

She lowered her voice, speaking mysteriously:

"Actually, I still have one ultimate technique."

"Oh? What technique?"

Hearing this, Ye Shu grew intrigued. What technique could get them out of this situation? Did his cheap wife actually give their daughter some kind of trump card?

"It's terrifying. It's called the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, Eight Wastelands, Six Harmonies, Only-I-Am-Supreme Art. Once I use it, the two of us will lose our lives in an instant—without a shred of pain."

"Mm... mm?!"

It sounded convincing at first—until the second half. Ye Shu's eyes bulged wide as he said incredulously: "Wait, so your ultimate technique is just suicide?!"

"What else?"

Mu Xi shrugged, looking perfectly matter-of-fact.

"Would you rather be captured by them, tortured and toyed with, then die in utter humiliation?"

"Either way, dying is the better deal."

"Don't worry, this move is painless and fast. Before they can beat us to death, we'll already be dead as doornails!"

"............"

Watching her puff out her chest with such pride, Ye Shu couldn't help but recall the time back in the little wooden hut when she said she'd find a river to drown herself in.

Could two people in this world really be so alike?

If she wasn't his own flesh and blood, he wouldn't believe it.

"Don't worry, my dear daughter—Daddy will get you out of here alive." Ye Shu gently ruffled Mu Xi's hair, finally speaking the words he'd kept buried for so long.

"Wait, what did you just call me?!"

Mu Xi clutched the top of her head, not even processing it for a moment.

But Ye Shu had already let go and was striding forward.

Wait—since when did she have a random dad popping up out of nowhere? This bastard was still taking advantage of her even at death's door.

The surrounding prodigies saw him approaching and sneered.

"Instead of running, you choose to walk toward us? Haji Bei, you—"

"Won't get close? How else am I supposed to beat you all to death?"

Ye Shu gave a light chuckle, pulling a blade of dog-tail grass out of nowhere and clamping it between his teeth. He faced them with furrowed brows, his gaze steady and unyielding.

Though facing thousands of prodigies, he remained utterly undaunted.

Looking at this backwater bumpkin chewing on a piece of grass, Yan Lie smiled in spite of his anger: "I want to know—where exactly does your confidence come from? Facing over a thousand of us all alone, and still so composed."

"Does numbers really guarantee victory?"

Ye Shu smiled faintly.

"In my life, I've faced far too many dead ends. If it's just a matter of numbers... I should be able to handle it."

"Shameless boasting!"

At that, even Yan Lie—patient as he was—couldn't help but roar.

"Presumptuous!"

He had already seen it clearly: this man's body was riddled with wounds and holes, barely any real strength left to rely on. He was just putting on a bluff.

But Ye Shu suddenly burst into laughter.

"Presumptuousness requires strength—and as it happens, I have plenty!"

With that, he raised his right hand high, fingers spread apart, revealing a gleaming pill shimmering with rainbow-colored radiance. His hemp robes and his face began to shift under that prismatic glow, revealing a handsome, refined visage for all to see.

He stood in pristine white robes, transcendent and ethereal, a blade of dog-tail grass between his lips, his right hand lightly pinching the pill, his eyes sweeping over the crowd with utter contempt.

"All who have seen my true face... must die."

"Not good!"

Seeing that familiar face, Yan Lie and the others were struck with panic.

"He's going to swallow the pill—tear his mouth apart!"

But it was already too late.

Ye Shu swallowed the pill in one gulp.

A strand of golden light burst forth from within him, rising like a small sun, illuminating the dense forest like broad daylight, bathing him in a sea of gold.

Then, from his lips came a chant:

"Once the Half-Immortal of the Eastern Wasteland, a half-move too late, fallen to the mortal land."

"A single golden pill down the throat—my fate is mine, not heaven's to command!"

The words fell, and the golden light exploded outward.

This terrifying, awe-inspiring presence...

"It's him!"

Yan Lie's eyes split wide, his face stricken with horror.

"It's him?"

Mu Xi covered her mouth, staring dazedly at the figure bathed in golden light. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes, yet she couldn't speak. Her tears shone like crystals—whether sorrow or hatred, none could tell.

"It really is him!"

Seeing everyone in shock, someone chimed in with an exclamation of amazement, then looked around, asking those who seemed to know.

"Wait, who is he?"

"No idea."

"No idea."

Several people shook their heads, all looking equally confused.

"Then why are you all freaking out if you don't know?" The person stared at those around him in exasperation.

"Beats me—they shouted, so I just shouted along."

Everyone nodded as if it were only natural, then turned around one after another to ask, "Who exactly is he?" The scene for a moment was rather ridiculous.

"You lot are hopeless."

In the end, a young man dressed in beggar's rags shook his head with a light chuckle.

"Sit tight now!"

"Coming up next, making his way toward you, is the one who, at the Qi Refining stage, slew a Divine Transformation pinnacle expert; at the Foundation Establishment stage, toyed with four Divine Transformation elders to snatch the Strange Fire; at the Nascent Soul stage, single-handedly waged war against an entire sect, holding his own against countless Nascent Soul experts, a dozen or more Divine Transformation elders, and one Void Refinement elder, destroying the East Wasteland's Cloud Sky Sect; then, besieged by thousands of Divine Transformation and Tribulation Transcendence great experts, as well as the five most powerful Mahayana beings of the age, he forced open the Immortal Gate, took half a step into immortality, and claimed the titles of the youngest Qi Refining practitioner, the youngest Nascent Soul, the youngest Divine Transformation, the youngest Void Refinement, the youngest Void Refinement (Spirit Severing), the youngest Tribulation Transcendence, the youngest Mahayana, and the youngest to step onto the Immortal Gate and become a Half-Immortal. He is also the one who drained the spiritual energy of the entire Eastern Wasteland, leaving it unrecovered to this very day, split the Central Continent into six with a single sword strike, the dream lover of countless beauties and immortal maidens, the idol of countless young prodigies, and the unparalleled, matchless number one genius in the history of the Xuan Tian Continent, with none before and none after — Ye Shu!"