Chapter 1: Deterrence (Part 1)

Ten magnificent flying vehicles lined up in a row and flew over slowly. These vehicles weren’t fast nor particularly defensive, but they were luxurious and comfortable, capable of carrying over a dozen people. Without any protective measures, they flew over leisurely.

Yan Long couldn’t help but laugh. Teasingly, he said, “The people of the Fuyue family are really strange… So many dead, yet they still remain calm. If you didn’t know, you’d think they were the victors. Hehe, interesting… I just don’t understand how such a family has managed to survive until now.”

Fuyue Xiangrong stood beside Guo Shier without any expression, seemingly not hearing Yan Long’s words at all.

Kumu said, “No matter how many low-level disciples die, it won’t shake their foundation. Hmph, once a few experts die, then they’ll know pain.”

Monier stepped back and reached out to hold Guo Shier’s hand. She was instinctively protecting him so that he wouldn’t be caught off guard if danger arose.

Fuyue Xiangrong stood just behind Guo Shier, also on high alert. Kumu’s slave talisman was extremely powerful—just its force turned him completely into Guo Shier’s servant, a loyal one who would even risk his life for him. That was the power of such talismans.

The flying vehicles gradually approached the altar. When they were still dozens of meters away, three people flew down from the vehicles and slowly approached, with the ten vehicles following closely behind and stopping at the altar.

Yan Long laughed and said, “Three holy masters. It’s a pity the strongest one is only an intermediate holy master, while the other two are junior holy masters… Is this the hidden strength of the Fuyue family? I really overestimated them.”

Guo Shier asked, “Fuyue Xiangrong, what are these three people’s names?”

Fuyue Xiangrong replied, “I don’t know them. They must be clan elders.” He truly didn’t know them. Once the slave talisman entered the soul, one couldn’t resist and would say whatever they knew.

Behind those three were a hundred or so people, all experts at the master level or above, including about a dozen at thecrazy master level. It seemed the Fuyue family had mobilized everyone they had.

The three of them were also puzzled, as the strength of the people before them was very high. Two of them were beyond their understanding—Yan Long and Kumu, both of whom exuded extraordinary aura. The only ones they could discern were Monier and Guo Shier.

Some people, upon seeing Fuyue Xiangrong, exclaimed in surprise, “Why is Elder Fuyue Xiangrong here?”

Fuyue Xiangrong said nothing, merely staring at them coldly.

Guo Shier saw an acquaintance unexpectedly, and a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes. It was Fu Yechen, the great talisman martial artist who had almost caught him in the Secret Realm. Monier noticed the change in Guo Shier’s expression and quickly asked, “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Guo Shier said, “I know one of them. He chased me in the Secret Realm for a long time. If it weren’t for my luck, I would have been caught by him…”
“Fu Yechen Xiangrong, what is Fu Yechen’s status in the family?”
Fu Yechen Xiangrong replied honestly, “Fu Yechen is an elder of the clan. His strength is average, but he holds a high position in the family.”
Guo Shier suddenly saw another acquaintance. Staring at the person in the crowd, he called out, “Great Beast Sorcerer Luning!” Monier asked, “Baby, what did you say?”
“Master, it’s nothing. I saw another acquaintance. He’s from our region and was captured by them… right in the crowd.”
Monier smiled and asked, “Do you want me to intervene and rescue him?”
Guo Shier shook his head and said, “No need. That person isn’t my friend. He’s just from the same continent as me. I saw him get captured back then, and now… I’m afraid he’s under their control too.”
Fu Yechen spotted Guo Shier at once and widened his eyes in surprise. He couldn’t gauge Guo Shier’s strength.
Guo Shier stepped forward and called out, “Fu Yechen! Come out!”
Yan Long and Ku Mu looked at Guo Shier in confusion, not expecting him to know the person across from them. The two said nothing and just watched.
Fu Yechen had suffered at Guo Shier’s hands in the Secret Realm before—being tricked by that kid and even forced to let him escape. It was a great humiliation for him. As a proud and arrogant man with a high status in the Fu Ye clan, he was used to being obeyed without question. Hearing this, he immediately rushed out.
“You little brat! You’re still alive!”
Guo Shier said coldly, “You old scoundrel. You’re not only a scoundrel but also a completely shameless one! I was only nine years old back then… and you still had the nerve to attack me. How about you try it now?”
Fu Yechen’s face turned red as he cursed, “You sneaky little brat…”
Monier suddenly stepped forward and slapped Fu Yechen hard, sending him flying two meters away before he crashed to the ground. She swayed slightly before returning to Guo Shier’s side and said, “Daring to insult my baby? You’re getting impatient to die!”

Guo Shier didn’t expect his wife to act suddenly. Fu Yechen was a great talisman martial artist with an extremely strong physique, yet Monier managed to knock out half of his teeth with a single slap. He struggled to get up, spitting out broken teeth, his face covered in distorted talismanic patterns. Being slapped by a frail woman was truly humiliating.

“I’ll kill you!”

An old man in white shouted, “Achen, calm down! Step aside!”

“Master… she hit me…”

Guo Shier burst into laughter. “I haven’t even asked my master to intervene yet, and you’re already calling for him. Hehe, you’re not only a jerk but also a coward!”

Fu Yechen was so enraged by Guo Shier’s words that he felt like vomiting blood. The old man in white paled and said calmly, “Young man, don’t be so arrogant! Don’t think just because you’re strong you can act recklessly!”

Unfazed, Guo Shier said, “Arrogant? Haha, I’m not as arrogant as the people of your Fu Yechen family. Hundreds of hunting carts chasing after a kid like me—I can’t think of anything more arrogant than that. Haha, I didn’t expect the disciple to be a jerk; the master isn’t much better either. A bunch of jerks!”

Monier giggled. It was the first time she’d seen Guo Shier swear like this; it felt quite novel. She encouraged him, “Baby, good job! Keep it up!”

The old man in white stepped forward and said, “Whose child is this? If they can’t speak properly, let me teach them a lesson.”

At that moment, Ku Mu stepped forward and said coldly, “It’s not your place to teach my disciple. You… die!” Before his words faded, he took action. Whoever dared insult his disciple, Ku Mu, deserved to die. This guy was even more protective than Monier.

No one expected Ku Mu to act so quickly. A purple chain swiftly wrapped around them. The old man in white was shocked. He roared, clasped his hands together, and instantly, countless silver talismanic patterns surged from his palms, charging straight at the purple chain. Immediately afterward, layers of silver talismanic patterns appeared around him for protection.

Ku Mu snorted and flicked his fingers repeatedly. Guo Shier saw the purple chain transform into a purple spear, which thrust forward violently—the transformation was incredibly fast.

Boom!

The layers of silver protective talismans collapsed one after another. The old man in white kept retreating, each step sinking him deeper into the hard ground as blood sprayed from his mouth. This kind of power was beyond what a low-level Saint Master could withstand. Ku Mu was two levels higher than him—there was a huge difference between a low-level Saint Master and a high-level one.

Kumu’s single strike failed to kill the old man in white, seemingly to his surprise. He said indifferently, “Your strength is not bad. Hmph, consider it luck for you… If you dare talk nonsense again, I won’t hesitate to kill you!” With a gesture of his hand, the purple chains turned into countless runes before gradually disappearing into the air.

The old man in white paled and exclaimed in horror, “A high-ranking Saint Master!” The two Saint Masters beside him also changed expressions. High-ranking Saint Masters were extremely terrifying. They never expected the other side to have one; this made things much harder. Only when both sides were evenly matched could negotiations take place. If one side was too weak, they didn’t even qualify for negotiation.

Yan Long turned to glance at Guo Shier and winked at him. Guo Shier was momentarily stunned, then smiled and nodded slightly, saying, “Fuye Chen! Come out! Stop being a coward! Fight me!”

Monier glanced at Yan Long unhappily, unwilling for him to send her precious one into battle.

In fact, Yan Long didn’t want to start a direct fight, because at their level, once fighting began, the altar might be destroyed. This was also the real reason why Kumu only attacked once, injuring the opponent but not continuing the assault. The best approach was to let Guo Shier engage in a fight to buy time, so that when Zhu Juan arrived with a large force, they could immediately subdue the opponent or use forceful means to eliminate them all.

Fuye Chen frowned darkly and shouted, “Fuye Xiangrong! Come here at once!”

Guo Shier said calmly, “Stop screaming. Fuye Xiangrong is already my rune slave, just like him… If you insist on having him come, I can let him fight you… Is that what you want?” He pointed at the beast mage Luning and said maliciously.

Fuye Chen was instantly speechless. Come on, although Fuye Xiangrong’s status wasn’t as high as his, he was still a master-level expert—he couldn’t possibly defeat him. Going up would be seeking death.

Pushed to this extreme, Fuye Chen couldn’t hide behind others anymore. Filled with hatred, he said, “Fine, you little brat… I’ll fulfill your wish…” He couldn’t say “little bastard” because Monier was standing in front of him. He certainly didn’t want to get another slap—this woman was too fierce.

Guo Shier first spat out a puff of black mist, and a giant dark-winged scorpion appeared. Then he spat out a ball of red light, which quickly transformed into a beautiful firebird. At the same time, two golden lines shot from his eyes, and a layer of golden rune armor appeared on his body, dazzling everyone. This kid had brought out all his most powerful runes, seemingly determined to fight to the death.

Fu Yechen felt his scalp tingle with dread as he inwardly groaned. He hadn’t expected Guo Shier’s strength to reach such a level in such a short time. The old man in white said, “Achen, be careful—he must be a high-level grand talismanist!”
These words completely drained Fu Yechen’s confidence, but he had no choice but to face it. The elites of the Fu family were all here, and he couldn’t refuse a child’s challenge or else he’d lose face. Slowly, he drew out a talisman sword, ready to fight to the death.