Weren't you knocked unconscious by the chiseling

"It wasn't us who wrecked Anyang City, damn it!"

Wang Hu instinctively cursed in rebuttal.

He then took a step forward, no longer concealing the crushing pressure of a Golden Core cultivator, bearing down on Su Ji like a mountain.

He expected to see Su Ji collapse in terror, begging for mercy on his knees.

But the anticipated scene never happened.

Su Ji merely swayed slightly, yet remained standing tall.

The panic on his face faded, replaced by an insulted, almost hysterical fury.

"I'm warning you, don’t you dare lay a finger on me," Su Ji suddenly raised his voice, his face flushing crimson with rage.

"I’m the illegitimate son of the Great Elder of the Holy Land!"

The air in the stone chamber seemed to freeze in that instant.

Wang Hu’s smirk stiffened.

The disciples behind him exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions shifting from cruel mockery to stunned disbelief.

What was the Holy Land?

An ancient legacy spanning tens of thousands of years, its depths unfathomable—even as the Great Xia cultivation world declined, it remained an untouchable colossus.

And the Great Elder, no less?

Wang Hu’s mind raced.

He stared intently at Su Ji, searching for any trace of deception.

But all he saw was the indignant fury of someone whose secret had been exposed, coupled with a brazen arrogance.

This…

This bastard might actually be telling the truth!

How could some ordinary spoiled brat casually produce a top-tier Golden Core artifact?

Everything made perfect sense if he really was the Holy Land’s Great Elder’s secret son.

Doted on in his father’s old age, given the finest treasures for protection.

Wang Hu’s heart sank.

He recalled Su Ji’s earlier claim in the inn—that his father had forced him to marry some "hideous Holy Maiden," driving him to run away in anger.

Alliances between Holy Lands? Utterly plausible.

The logic was airtight.

"Big brother…" One disciple swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as he transmitted his thoughts, "What… what do we do now?"

Wang Hu ignored him.

Beads of cold sweat had already formed on his forehead.

This was no longer just about murder and robbery.

If this was true, they’d be courting catastrophe!

"You think I’m bluffing?" Su Ji sneered, his confidence swelling at their hesitation.

"Let me make this clear—I bear a soul mark!"

"If I die here, the Holy Land will know exactly who did it, what you look like, and no amount of hiding will save you!"

"By then, it won’t just be you lot—your entire Blood Fiend Sect will burn with me!"

Wang Hu’s resolve wavered.

Kill him?

Or let him go?

Killing him might bring annihilation.

But sparing him?

If the secrets of this altar got out, they’d be just as dead.

"Brother, don’t fall for his act!" Another disciple’s eyes gleamed with madness. "So what if it’s the Holy Land? The emperor is far away, and this is Blood Fiend Sect territory! Break his limbs, let the beasts finish him—who’d ever know it was us?"

"He’s just a bastard. Without solid proof, would his father really wage war on our sect over mere suspicion?"

The words tipped Wang Hu’s wavering heart back toward greed.

Right.

Just a shameful bastard.

"Kid, no one’s saving you today!"

Wang Hu’s eyes flashed with murderous intent. He’d gamble on this!

Fortune favored the bold!

With that supreme artifact in hand, he’d vanish, cultivate in seclusion, and re-emerge as a Golden Core Perfection expert—untouchable!

"Move!"

The fury and arrogance on Su Ji’s face vanished.

In its place was something far colder—pity, as if seeing through their folly.

"Fools."

Su Ji shook his head, uttering just two words.

"I was going to humor you longer, but since you’re in such a hurry to die, fine."

As the words fell—

A figure in red robes, barefoot, materialized soundlessly at the tunnel’s entrance.

Su Jiu.

Wang Hu’s pupils shrank to pinpricks.

He, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, hadn’t sensed her approach at all!

His mouth moved faster than his brain: "Weren’t you knocked out from being—?"

A glacial killing intent flooded the chamber like a tidal wave.

Su Jiu’s fox-like eyes were instantly drowned in an indescribable crimson.

Humiliation.

Rage beyond measure.

Knocked out from being—?

That bastard Su Ji—what the hell had he told these people?!

"You’re dead!"

Her form blurred, leaving an afterimage as she appeared before Wang Hu in the next instant.

No flashy techniques—just a crimson spiritual sword, wielding overwhelming force, slashing toward his chest.

Wang Hu’s instincts screamed danger.

No time to summon an artifact.

He channeled all his spiritual power into his arms, crossing them defensively.

"Boom!"

A deafening impact rocked the chamber.

The shockwave sent the surrounding Foundation Establishment disciples tumbling, extinguishing the wall torches in an instant.

Wang Hu staggered back seven or eight steps, each footprint sinking into the stone, until his back slammed against the wall.

Blood streamed from his arms.

He gaped at the red-clad woman hovering midair, having retreated effortlessly after that single strike.

How?!

He was late-stage Golden Core!

Her aura had just barely entered the Golden Core realm—how could her spiritual power be so overwhelming?

Su Jiu didn’t speak. With a flick of her wrist—

She gave Wang Hu no respite. Her sword danced, weaving a dazzling arc as she became a streak of red light.

Wang Hu finally summoned his lifebound artifact—a bloodied greatsword—parrying desperately.

Clang! Clang! Clash!

The chamber echoed with a frenzied chorus of steel.

But with each exchange, his dread grew.

Every strike carried monstrous weight, her spiritual power unnervingly refined, each clash sending tremors through his soul.

His palms split open, blood slicking the hilt—but he had no time to care.

His defeat was inevitable.

Was this the Holy Land’s might?

A newly ascended Golden Core guardian, overpowering a late-stage expert like him?

This defied all reason!

Yet, at the peak of his terror, Wang Hu’s gaze snapped to Su Ji—cowering in a corner, playing the terrified weakling—and his fear twisted into manic glee.

He understood now!

This guardian’s strength only proved one thing: the pampered young master she protected was utterly useless!

The realization nearly made him laugh aloud.

This was heaven-sent opportunity!

As long as he could find a way to stall this woman, it would be enough for his subordinates to seize that useless brat.

Once she lost her master, wouldn’t she be completely at his mercy?

That top-grade magical artifact, along with whatever other treasures the kid might be hiding—all of it would belong to him!

"What are you all standing around for?!"

Wang Hu roared furiously, putting all his strength into a slash that forced Su Jiu’s sword aside, then used the momentum to leap back and create distance.

He turned and bellowed at his stunned subordinates:

"I’ll keep this woman occupied."

"You lot—grab that kid now!"