Put Away Your Little Schemes.

Zhao Wuji's figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Patriarch! Patriarch! Act quickly!"

Zhao Tianyang let out a shrill wail, struggling as he tried to chase after the receding figure.

But a foot kicked him straight to the ground.

It was the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng.

"Stop howling."

The voice of the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng carried a hint of disgust.

He pulled his foot back and rubbed it on the ground, as if he had stepped on something filthy.

Then, he sat down leisurely.

In an instant, baleful aura formed into a chair beneath him.

Those bright eyes fell upon Su Ji with great interest.

"You sent Zhao Wuji away."

His voice was flat, betraying no emotion.

"What is it that you want to say to me?"

"...The Pavilion Master truly has a piercing gaze."

"Nothing escapes you."

"Save the flattery."

He cast a sidelong glance at Su Ji.

"It's quite simple."

"Because from your position, you simply don't have much leverage to negotiate with the Zhao family."

"You are the meat on their chopping block."

"Under such circumstances, to be able to make someone swear a Dao Heart oath, there must be some shady dealings between the two of you."

"And he didn't say it earlier, nor later, but chose to say it exactly at this moment."

"Choosing the stupidest and riskiest method of a face-to-face exposure."

"Other than taking the risk to send Zhao Wuji away, I can't think of any other explanation."

The corners of the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng's mouth curled up in a slight arc.

"Let me guess?"

"You want to strike a deal with me."

"To spare your life once the matter is settled?"

"And your bargaining chip..."

He dragged out his words, those eyes having already seen through all of Su Ji's hidden cards.

"Is to have me take action, wipe out these pesky fools from the Zhao family, and then, the Immortal Venerable's relics will belong to me alone."

"And you only ask for your freedom to fly far away."

At this point, the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng clapped his hands and chuckled softly.

"I must say."

"This proposal... truly tempts me."

The smile on Su Ji's face grew brighter. He was just about to speak when he was mercilessly interrupted by the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng.

"However..."

"No."

The refusal was crisp and decisive, choking back everything Su Ji was about to say.

"What does my Tingfeng Pavilion rely on to stand tall all these years?"

"Integrity."

"We take people's money and do their bidding."

"That is the rule."

"If I were to break my trust today for a mere Golden Core cultivator and attack the employer who hired me, if word got out, would my Tingfeng Pavilion's reputation not be ruined?"

His handsome face wore a majestic, righteous expression.

"How would my Tingfeng Pavilion be any different from those unscrupulous demonic cultivators?"

Changing the subject, those bright eyes locked onto Su Ji once more, carrying a hint of mockery.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

"You, boy, seem to be a demonic cultivator yourself."

"In that case, I can trust you even less."

The smile on Su Ji's face did not change in the slightest.

He just listened quietly until the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng finished speaking, and then he spoke unhurriedly.

"Pavilion Master."

"Those words of yours were truly well spoken."

"Even I almost believed them."

"However, you are wrong."

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng's brows furrowed imperceptibly.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing much."

Su Ji's voice was not loud.

"You refuse to help me simply because you feel the bargaining chips in my hand aren't enough to move you."

"Insolent!"

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng's face darkened, and a terrifying pressure descended with a boom.

Sprawled on the floor, Zhao Tianyang let out a muffled groan, his entire body pinned firmly to the ground, unable to move.

Su Ji's body also swayed violently, his face growing even paler.

But he did not retreat.

He remained standing where he was, looking straight at that lofty True Immortal without a shred of fear.

"If you were truly some paragon of the righteous path, a natural-born saint, you wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place, nor would you be dividing up someone else's relics with the Zhao family."

"Digging up someone's grave and disturbing the peace of the deceased, how is that a glorious deed?"

"In the end, it's just that my status is too low and my words carry no weight."

Seeming to have been poked in a sore spot: "Do you think I dare not kill you?"

"Of course you dare."

Facing that terrifying pressure, Su Ji stepped forward step by step until he was right in front of the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng.

The distance between the two was less than three feet.

"The reward the Zhao family offered you is indeed generous."

"But would you care to listen to my bargaining chip?"

Su Ji's voice was kept extremely low.

"Oh?"

"What you truly desire is an exclusive secret capable of shaking the entire Canghuang Realm."

"You want to use the gimmick of 'Immortal Venerable Haoyue's falling place reappearing in the world and being taken away by a small frontier family' to help your tottering Tingfeng Pavilion regain its footing, don't you?"

A look of yearning appeared on Su Ji's face.

"Pavilion Master, let's not speak in riddles."

"Whatever Zhao Wuji can give you, I can not only match, but offer even more."

"Furthermore, I can give you one thing that he, Zhao Wuji, cannot."

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng fell silent.

Looking at this Golden Core stage boy in front of him, he felt for the first time that he could not see through him.

His calculation, courage, methods...

None of them were anything like what a person of his age should possess.

"Let's hear it."

After a long time, the flat voice of the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng slowly rang out.

Su Ji smiled.

He knew he had made the right bet.

"It's simple."

Su Ji extended a hand, spread his five fingers with the palm facing himself, and then suddenly clenched it into a fist.

"I will take all the Immortal Venerable's inheritance."

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng raised an eyebrow.

"An unknown demonic cultivator boy from the lower realm, who after ascending, was reduced to a mining slave and suffered endless bullying."

"Yet, by a stroke of luck, he discovered the falling place of the Immortal Venerable."

"He wanted to use this to ascend to the heavens in a single bound, but was targeted by the greedy Zhao family, who intended to murder him for his treasures."

"With his Golden Core cultivation, he fought against the odds to slay multiple Soul Formation cultivators, seizing the fortuitous encounter and swaggering away."

"What do you think?"

Su Ji's voice rose and fell in a captivating cadence, full of infectious appeal.

"Once this news spreads, how great of a sensation will it cause?"

He had to admit, the blueprint Su Ji painted for him was indeed somewhat... tempting.

"But, it's not enough."

"It still can't move me."

"You and the Zhao family are all just ants."

"Essentially, it makes no difference which ant the Immortal Venerable's inheritance falls into the hands of."

"Put away your little schemes."