Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

As the trio heard his orders, they went silent. As for the Origin Core experts surrounding them, they erupted with their full cultivation base inciting a whirlwind of turbulent energy that swept the area. At this point, many residents took shelter at shops protected by a myriad of formations. Those with a sufficient cultivation base simply put some distance so they could enjoy the ensuing show.

Tao and Bai Lufeng immediately stepped closer to Yan Zaizen almost instinctively. Bai Lufeng may have the cultivation base at the mid-Origin Core, but that didn't mean he could handle six initial-Origin Core experts working together as a team easily. If they fought, the victor wouldn't easily be determined. As for the newly ascended Tao, he wouldn't even last a few exchanges under the pressure of six equally powerful experts.

Those in the surroundings who were perceptive saw their acts and calm expressions and felt bewildered by their actions. One must know, Yan Zaizen looked young and gave off a very vibrant lifeforce indicating his life lived was incredibly short, and yet two Origin Core Realm experts were essentially hiding behind a late-Qi Unification expert.

Did they believe he would throw out his profound background and these men would step back? If so, every single person in the surrounding crowds thought they were foolish idiots.

However, Yan Zaizen didn't care about their thoughts. His eyes flickered with a trace of silver-blue aurora light and his soul cultivation base was slowly revealed. The silver-blue light repelled the aura of the six experts, easily eliminating the pressure the trio felt.

"What?! Aurora Soul Realm?" The blue-haired man, named Qiao Jianhong, had a voice filled with shock. As an expert who lived for thousands of years, how could he not recognize that particular type of light emission? His expression turned incredibly solemn and this situation was now serious. The Aurora Soul Realm was essentially the equivalent to a half-step True Essence Realm expert, and only a few people in the entire Sky Heart City could rival such prowess.

Unfortunately for Qiao Jianhong, that was the Initial Aurora Soul, but the Advanced Aurora Soul could rival a mid-True Essence Cultivator! If it wasn't for Yan Zaizen's lack of soul art practice, with his dao infused within, it may even be able to instantly kill those at the mid-True Essence Realm!

A surging wave of telekinetic soul energy exploded outwards like a tidal wave that hit all six experts before they could even react. The aura they released was instantly silenced as they collapsed one by one like puppets with their strings cut. A strand of soul energy immediately robbed them of their spatial possessions and delivered it swiftly to Tao. Tao received them and couldn't help but inwardly shake his head with a smile.

Despite Yan Zaizen's anger, he didn't forget to rob everyone involved. It truly made one realize that everyone has their faults. This young man had acquired a penchant for robbery.

This happened too suddenly and the crowd couldn't react. They all had expressions as if watching a show once more and then their faces slowly, very slowly, transitioned from surprise, confusion, realization, and then to deep, deep fear.

"What just happened?!"

"Are they...dead?"

"Did I...what just...whaaaat?!"

Some of the crowd couldn't even formulate proper sentences as they tried to wrap their heads around what had just occurred. As for Bai Lufeng, he didn't forget to let out a snide comment, "Pssh, Tao's words may have been very arrogant, but they were the truth. Young Lord Zai, is anyone worthy of him?" His words felt nonsensical, but in the Fallen Stars Continent, it would truly be absolutely impossible to find someone who could rival Yan Zaizen's age, talent, and personal prowess.

Qiao Jianhong's widened eyes were aghast at the scene before him. Luckily, he could still sense slight breathing from the six experts indicating they were alive, but the same couldn't be said for him if he stayed. Normally, as one of the Captains of the Sky Heart Guardians, he would fight an enemy to the death, but was there a need to do so if you couldn't even stand up to their breath?

His full cultivation base erupted as he executed a divine-class secret qi-art, causing his blue hair to have grey highlights as if lifeforce was drained from him, but his aura rose to rival that of a late-Origin Core Realm cultivator. With his movement art and concealment art, he went invisible from everyone's sight like a ghost, his body taking off, even leaving Qiao Qinya behind.

"They won't hurt Qiao Qinya, her status is too high. As for me, I could be killed. This is okay!" Qiao Jianhong quietly rationalized within his heart. However, as he traveled several hundred meters away, a silver-blue hand constructed of soul energy that appeared similarly like a ghost wrapped around his fleeing form. To others, he may be invisible to qi-sense and visual perception, but Yan Zaizen's spiritual sense could reach several hundred thousands of meters of distance with the highest clarity possible.

How could he possibly escape?

Like a chicken being brought to the slaughtering table, he was dragged back in a flash and slammed harshly at Yan Zaizen's feet. He tried to struggle, but the soul energy invaded his soul form causing his concentration to be at an all-time low. He couldn't urge his qi-essence or struggle free with his physical body.

Yan Zaizen cold eyes looked at this man as if he was already dead. The hand tightened eliciting shrieking screeches of pain as the bones in Qiao Jianhong's body was slowly crushed.

The entire incident may have took long to describe, but it happened in less than three seconds time. Qiao Qinya could barely react with her current cultivation base. Even Tao felt like everything flashed by his eyes, he didn't see much except a flash of silver-blue light, the collapse of the surrounding experts, arrival of the spatial rings, and Qiao Jianhong being brought before Yan Zaizen forcefully.

"You...you…" Qiao Qinya could barely formulate a sentence as her mind was filled with shock and awe.

"Wait!" A delicate but powerful female voice resounded from afar. This voice was profoundly familiar to Qiao Qinya as her mental state slightly recovered.

"M-Mother!" Qiao Qinya called out.

Yan Zaizen didn't even pay this voice any mind as the soul hand continued to tighten.

CRACK! CRACK!! CRACK!!!

Each shattered bone was more resounding than the last.

"Please, wait!" The voice spoke once more. A shadow arrived like a flash of brilliance before Qiao Qinya, obviously in a protective stance. Yan Zaizen finally lifted his eyes to see the woman's appearance. She looked like an older more mature version of Qiao Qinya's, with blonde hair, azure eyes, and an explosive body.

"One hundred million." Yan Zaizen said calmly.

What?!

One hundred million? One hundred million of what?

Xinya, a half-step True Essence Cultivator, face darkened and her brows furrowed. Others may not understand what he meant, but she clearly did. The moment her daughter fought with Tao, she had kept her eyes and ears to the situation. Initially, she intended to not interfere, letting things take its course and the trio to die an unfair death for their insult. However, the situation spiraled swiftly out of control.

With her cultivation base, she still required a few seconds before she could arrive on the scene, and when she recognized Yan Zaizen's soul cultivation, she rushed with post-haste. If her daughter died because of this, she would have no one to cry to.

Especially since she knew who this man was. Initially, there was no face to the mask, but after seeing his soul cultivation on full display and its silver-blue appearance, it could only be 'him'. The incident that happened out of Xiāo City occurred nearly two months ago, as a high-ranking cultivator, how could she not know about it?

This man robbed the imperial family, stole the sky-rank mountain of Xiāo City, and defeated the Xiāo City Lord! Each of these feats alone could be considered extraordinary, but together? It was beyond such words.

She was inwardly surprised at his youthfulness, but couldn't let that cloud her judgment or take him any less seriously. "I would first like to apologize for this incident on behalf of the entire Sky Heart City." She said with grace, her eyes containing no trace of arrogance but filled with apologetic intent.

Yan Zaizen couldn't help but snort at her words. If he was weak, wouldn't he have been sentenced to death? Yet, she apologizes. Who would buy such bullshit?

"Two hundred million." His only response was an increase to the number he declared. This caused a shock to Xinya, and she knew that using normal methods on someone like this wouldn't be smart. Taking a deep breath, she nodded in assent. "Agreed. Can you please-" As she looked towards Qiao Jianhong, Yan Zaizen interrupted her with a calm voice.

"He has two choices: cripple himself or I cripple him." His tone may have been calm but his words were vicious. Did they take him for someone who wouldn't go through with his word? This man will regret his actions and they will pay.

Xinya's brow furrowed and she grew angry at his unwillingness to suffer a single loss, but requiring all others to do so. If she agreed to this with the eyes of tens of thousands watching, what face would she have left in Sky Heart City?

"I'll add an additional one hundred million if you can spare him." She offered, obviously willing to lose wealth but not willing to lose face.

"Three hundred million." He said, directly raising the price once more. He turned towards Qiao Jianhong and asked, "What's your choice?" He brought Qiao Jianhong to stand upright, his body still restrained by the giant hand.

"Choi...ce?" From the conversion just now, Qiao Jianhong felt that he was being freed for a price, but he still wanted him to make a choice? It was at that moment that Xinya and the rest realized what had just happened. The crowd sucked in a wad of cold air in response.

Did he just increase the base price for letting this go because she offered to pay him for mercy? How vicious! He even increased it by the same amount she offered, what if she offered more? Would the price be increased by that much?

"You have five seconds." Yan Zaizen declared, ignoring the gazes of Xinya and the crowd.

Qiao Jianhong was filled with fear, turning towards Xinya with hopes of her interfering to handle the situation. However, she stood there with her brows furrowed as if she was calculating the situation. Indeed, she was calculating the situation. Unfortunately, in a world of cultivation, true power exceeds all else.

Her face could only suffer this slap.

Yan Zaizen could rival the peak power of the entire continent, but their Sky Heart City could barely handle a single initial-True Essence Realm Cultivator if they had all their experts together. With one of them missing, and their backer —the Xiāo City Lord — being severely injured, this entire situation could immediately erupt into something irreparable.

Regrettably, she could do nothing for the situation if Yan Zaizen was adamant on taking action.

Qiao Jianhong eyes were filled with deep fear and hopelessness. If he was crippled, his life as a cultivator was essentially over. As your cultivation increases, so does the stakes. To cripple an Origin Core Realm Cultivator, one had to shatter their origin core and thoroughly ravage their origin source. Not only will their bloodline by incomprehensibly weakened, but their very future in cultivation would be hindered as forming another Origin Core was as likely as ruling the heavens.

"Time's up." Yan Zaizen declared, his soul energy seeping viciously inside Qiao Jianhong's pores into his meridians, his pathways, his dantian, and surrounding his Origin Core. With a thought, all of it was severed and crushed into fine powder.

There was loud scream that reached the heavens resounding as a result, Qiao Jianhong's body spewed out blood from all of his orifices and his body went limp shortly after. His breathing was so shallow that even a top-tier doctor would assume he was dead.

Yan Zaizen didn't even bother looking at this bloody body, and simply flung it to the side like garbage. He only spoke four words, "I keep my word."