Chapter 5: The Might of the Old Man (Part 1)

The altar was covered in cracks, and the tentacles of the ancient Xibin were also shattered in countless places. But it was a Spirit Beast—after breaking apart, it turned into clusters of spirits that were quickly absorbed by other tentacles, allowing it to grow more tentacles. It was something that couldn’t be killed.
As the Old Man Shuai chanted his spells, the cracks vanished rapidly. Guo Shier didn’t need to worry at all; it wouldn’t be long before the altar was fully restored.
Jin Daya, on the other hand, was in dire straits—the three-story altar had almost collapsed by one layer. Sitting on top of the altar, he could clearly see that a corner of it had been lost, causing such heartache that his soul seemed to tremble. He had no idea how long it would take to repair it. Not only was the altar damaged, but his life treasure and the Dual Dragon Halberd treasure had also suffered heavy losses. Even if he hadn’t lost this battle, the losses would still be enormous.
At this point, Jin Daya no longer wanted to continue. He cursed, “You… you scoundrel! Just wait… Jin Yishou, let’s go!” He activated the altar and flew outward at an awkward angle.
Just then, magical lights flashed in the distance—as many as a hundred disciples from the Jin family flew over.
Jin Daya was shocked and shouted, “Jin Yishou! Stop them!”
Suddenly, an altar appeared not far away. The person sitting on it shouted, “Jin Daya… what’s going on?”
Guo Shier had originally wanted to charge forward and continue fighting, but upon seeing the newly appeared altar, he broke into cold sweat. It was a four-story altar, and the man on it was someone he recognized—Jin Longqing, who had previously clashed with the Ancestor of Nanqiang. Behind him were about a hundred or so mid-to-low-level family disciples.
“Old Man Shuai, this is bad! That’s Jin Longqing… Damn it, a four-story altar! I can’t defeat him. If you don’t step in, we’re both done!”
The Old Man Shuai glanced up and said, “Him? It’s fine. You can keep challenging him!”
Guo Shier cursed in anger, “You old fool, are you trying to kill me? He’s a master of a four-story altar, not a three-story one… Those are two completely different things!”
The Old Man Shuai said cheerfully, “I believe in you. You can do it!”
Guo Shier snapped in frustration, “I can do it? How the hell can I? Even challenging someone beyond my level has limits! A four-story altar… Damn it, even if there were two of me, I still can’t beat him…”
The Old Man Shuai snapped, “Useless! You haven’t even fought yet—how do you know you can’t win?”
Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun quickly retreated to Guo Shier’s side. Nan Ming said, “Elder, let’s retreat first!”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “Can we even retreat?”

Nan Ming also forced a wry smile. He knew there was no way back now. As soon as he saw Jin Longqing appear, he prepared himself to be captured. A four-layer solid altar was something even those skilled in virtual altars rarely saw—it was something only the patriarchs of the ancient clans possessed.

Nan Zhichun sighed. He hadn’t expected the Gu Jin Clan to be so shameless as to send top professionals into the conflict between the two clans.

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out: “It’s him! Release my son immediately!”

Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Uh, Jin Gui? Your son, Jin Guizi, has already been taken away… he’s not here.”

Jin Gui screamed, “Patriarch, catch him! He has my son!”

Jin Longqing said coldly, “Shut up! Get out of the way!” His face was covered in fleshy protrusions, exuding a fierce and murderous aura—he was naturally a master of killing. Glancing at the pitiful Jin Daya, he said coldly, “Brother Daya, what happened? Got beaten up by some kid into such a mess?”

Jin Daya’s face turned red with anger as he snapped, “Jin Longqing, what are you so proud of? If you’re capable, go and teach him a lesson!” Both of them were patriarchs of the Gu Jin Clan. Jin Daya’s status was slightly lower than Jin Longqing’s, but their roles were similar.

Jin Longqing tutted, “Amazing! A master of a two-layer altar daring to challenge someone above his level and even beating that person thoroughly… Hmph, what a disgrace!”

The lower-ranked disciples were all stunned, watching the two patriarchs of their clan curse each other.

Guo Shier didn’t dare to run away either. Although Jin Longqing was arguing with Jin Daya, his altar had already locked onto him. What troubled him even more was Old Shuai, who wanted him to fight against Jin Longqing. He couldn’t even handle Jin Daya—using despicable tactics and relying on his sturdy altar to gain an advantage. Defeating the other party seemed almost impossible, unless Old Shuai stepped in.

Jin Daya snarled, “Jin Longqing, if you’re capable… go and kill him!”

Guo Shier cursed inwardly: This guy is too vile. If you’re capable, fight Jin Longqing yourself. He said, “Old Shuai, that guy has a four-layer altar. Do you really think I can beat him?”

Old Shuai replied seriously, “You can’t!”

Guo Shier was stunned. “Uh… you…”

Old Shuai laughed and said, “Even if I can’t… I still have to fight!”

Jin Longqing glanced at Guo Shier’s altar, which was piled with captives from the Gu Jin Clan. He said coldly, “Release them, and I’ll let you go!”

Jin Gui shouted, “Where is my son?” He carefully examined the disciples on the altar and found that his son, Jin Gui Zi, was not there, so he couldn’t help but shout loudly.
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Is that true? I’ve released these kids… and you’ll just let us go? Are you joking?”
Jin Longqing said with a fake smile, “Of course it’s true…”
Jin Gui cried out, “But my son isn’t up there!”
Jin Longqing wanted to punch Jin Gui to death. He snapped, “Shut up!”
Guo Shier whispered to Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun, “You two go up to the altar first. We’re ready to retreat at any time.”
The old man Shi muttered, “Useless. Trapped by experts on the fourth-tier altar—can’t just leave like that. Without a fight… Hmph, it’s not easy to get away…” he said carelessly.
Jin Longqing said, “Well? Release our family’s disciples, and you can leave.”
Guo Shier knew this guy was cheating. He sneered, “If I release these people, your so-called Jin Gui… will still come to me asking for Jin Gui Zi, oh right, his son… Where can I find him? By then… Hehe, if you come up with another excuse, won’t that put me in a difficult position?”
Jin Longqing said calmly, “As long as his son is still alive, I’ll exchange him for someone from the Gu Nan family.”
Guo Shier said, “Alright, I’ll trust you this once.”
Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun were shocked. Nan Zhi Chun said, “Don’t trust him!” Nan Ming said, “His words can’t be trusted!”
Only the old man Shi knew what Guo Shier was thinking. He said, “Kid, don’t play with fire… Hehe.”
Guo Shier didn’t say much. With a wave of his hand, the disciples on the altar flew out. As soon as they left the altar, they fell down like dumplings. Dozens of the opponent’s disciples rushed forward to catch them. Someone reported, “Elder, they’re all alive.”
Jin Longqing said, “Back off all of you.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Then we can leave, right?”
Jin Longqing laughed loudly, “Haha, I didn’t expect you to be so stupid. Good… Haha, hahaha!”
Guo Shier said smilingly, “As expected, a man who doesn’t keep his word.” With the old man Shi around, he wasn’t afraid of Jin Longqing. Although the old man Shi always refused to intervene, he knew very well that if he were in danger, how could the old man Shi stay silent? If he were finished, the old man Shi wouldn’t survive either.

Nan Ming and Nan Zhi Chun turned deathly pale. Both inwardly blamed Guo Shier for releasing those disciples—having hostages meant the other side would be cautious. Now there was no way to stop them; once the hostages were lost, they could attack without restraint.

Jin Daya showed no intention of intervening. With a cold sneer, he said, “Jin Longqing, if you’re capable, go catch him yourself.” He flew to the side and kept chanting spells to slightly repair his altar. His altar wasn’t as sturdy as Guo Shier’s, and its ability to recover after being damaged was far weaker. It could only be stabilized a bit—recovering to its original state would take years, if even possible at all.

Jin Longqing grinned viciously and said, “Kid, are you going to surrender, or do you want me to deal with you personally?”

Guo Shier touched his nose and laughed, “Surrender? Are you crazy? Idiot!”

Jin Longqing wasn’t angry. He knew he couldn’t deceive him again. Without hostages, he wouldn’t be constrained in battle. He said, “Since you want to die, then I’ll personally send you… to death! Haha!”

Jin Longqing’s four-tiered altar was quite unique. Few people used white as the base color for their altars. His altar was white jade-colored, circular, like four discs stacked on top of each other. It was also completely clean, with nothing on it, which was somewhat similar to Guo Shier’s altar.

Jin Longqing didn’t sit cross-legged on the altar but stood at its top, surrounded by his sacrificial treasures. There were four in total: a golden mace that spun above his head, a foot-long wooden needle, a ball of icy flame emitting cold breath, and a set of seven wooden rings.

Guo Shier said, “Elder Shuai, this guy has four sacrificial treasures…”

Elder Shuai replied, “What’s so special about that? A master with a four-tiered altar definitely has at least four sacrificial treasures. He probably has one or two more hidden. Hmm, pay attention to that golden mace—it seems to be his core sacrificial treasure.”

Guo Shier said with a wry smile, “Do we really have to fight? My Moon Blade is only a third-grade sacrificial treasure, while his golden mace is at least fourth-grade… There’s a whole grade difference. Head-on fight… my Moon Blade is no match at all.”

Elder Shuai said, “Who said a third-grade treasure can’t beat a fourth-grade one? It depends on how you fight.” He refused to step in to help, leaving Guo Shier frustrated. He said, “Alright, I’m already tired of living. Even if I die, it’s not a big deal!”

Jin Longqing pointed, and the wooden needle instantly transformed into a giant thorn seven or eight meters long, with blue mist rising from it and tiny runes flowing within the mist. He said, “With one strike of mine… I can destroy your altar. If you don’t want to die, it’s not too late to surrender. Just capture those two from the Gunan family… I know you’re a guest official, but you can also take a position.”