Pay-to-Win Cultivation: I Get 10,000x Returns Chapter 21

Zhao Jia’s face was the color of ash, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. Elder Song, an expert at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, was just... dead?

He and Elder Song were at the third and eighth levels of Foundation Establishment, respectively. They had assumed that capturing Zhang Xian and Lin Yinyin—both merely at the second level—would be as effortless as turning over a hand. Who could have imagined that before they could even make a move, one would be dead and the other injured?

Zhang Xian paid him no further mind. Instead, he shouted toward a spot not far away, "Old ghost, quit hiding! Come out now, or your little grandson is finished!"

Scarcely had the words left his mouth when a streak of crimson flame descended from the heavens. The ground within a ten-zhang radius instantly melted into glass, and the tremendous impact swept outward like a hurricane. Zhang Xian immediately deployed two spirit talismans; they transformed into earthen shields, blocking the residual shockwaves.

As the flames dissipated, a figure with white hair and a white beard appeared. It was Zhao Chengyue.

"Whoa!" Zhang Xian exclaimed in exaggerated surprise.

Beside him, Lin Yinyin’s face was pale and bloodless; the crushing pressure of a Golden Core cultivator made it difficult for her to even breathe. Even though Zhang Xian had warned her that they might encounter Zhao Chengyue, facing the patriarch in person sent a chill through her limbs.

"Grandfather, save me!" Zhao Jia screamed.

"Shut up!" Zhang Xian raised his hand and slapped Zhao Jia hard across the face. The smack echoed crisply as several teeth flew from Zhao Jia’s mouth.

Zhao Chengyue’s expression remained impassive. He didn’t so much as glance at his pitiful grandson, merely speaking in a cold tone. "Little Friend Zhang, how did you discover my presence?"

"I guessed. A simple bluff, and out you came."

"Hah!" Zhao Chengyue shook his head. He glanced at the headless corpse in the distance and sighed. "Little friend, what ruthless methods. Two Profound-grade Thunder Talismans to take Elder Song’s life. If I am not mistaken, that flying sword you used just now is a top-grade magic artifact."

"Patriarch Zhao has a keen eye." With a thought from Zhang Xian, a fiery red longsword materialized, hovering threateningly directly above Zhao Jia’s head.

Zhao Chengyue fell silent. Zhang Xian’s decisiveness in killing made even his eyelids twitch.

He was particularly disturbed by the second Thunder Talisman that had finished off Elder Song. At that point, Elder Song had already lost his head and any ability to resist, yet Zhang Xian had still thrown out another expensive talisman to ensure his destruction on the spot.

A single Profound-grade Thunder Talisman was worth over a thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't afford one in their entire lifetimes. Yet, this boy tossed them out as if they were free. Coupled with such ruthless decisiveness... Elder Song did not die unjustly.

Furthermore, that fiery red longsword was top-tier, even among top-grade magic artifacts.

Zhao Chengyue pondered this. Even he had only refined three top-grade magic artifacts in his life. This Zhang Xian was extraordinary, carrying heavy treasures far beyond what he had imagined.

"Patriarch Zhao, how about this: I release your grandson and gift you this magic sword as compensation? We act as if we never met today. What do you say?" Zhang Xian proposed, seeing Zhao Chengyue remain silent for so long.

"Agreed! Release Jia’er and sever your blood bond with the magic weapon. This old man might even be willing to befriend you."

"No, no, no! You first dispel this grand formation and let Yinyin and me enter Yiyang City. Once we are safe, I will hand over your grandson and the magic weapon with both hands, respectfully. Then, I’ll set up a banquet to personally apologize to you."

After a long pause, Zhao Chengyue finally snorted. "Are you joking with this old man?"

"You started the joke."

"You don't actually think a few measly spirit talismans and one top-grade magic weapon are enough to challenge this old man, do you?!" Zhao Chengyue said coldly.

His sleeves billowed without wind as the terrifying pressure of his Golden Core cultivation flooded the area like a rising tide.

Without warning, several fiery serpents shot out from cracks in the ground, intertwining in mid-air to form a crimson cage that trapped Zhang Xian inside.

"Grandfather—!"

Zhao Jia’s scream was abruptly cut off as the fiery serpents incinerated him, reducing him to nothing more than a puddle of bloody water.

Zhang Xian had been prepared for this; he had never truly considered Zhao Jia as leverage against a man like this. With swift reflexes, he threw out another spirit talisman. It condensed into stone armor, wrapping around him in a protective sphere to block the assault of the fire serpents.

Simultaneously, Zhang Xian’s red longsword shot out with a sharp whistle, heading straight for Zhao Chengyue’s face.

Zhao Chengyue brought two fingers together, clamping onto the sword tip with ease, and immediately forced it down, binding it to the ground.

"You actually have a Profound-grade Stone Armor Talisman as well." Furious to the extreme, Zhao Chengyue channeled his spiritual power, causing the aura of the crimson serpents to intensify.

"Brother Zhang Xian!" Lin Yinyin, looking deathly pale, moved to help.

Zhao Chengyue flicked his sleeve, sending out a wave of force. However, a water shield suddenly formed in front of Lin Yinyin, blocking the attack.

Yet another Profound-grade spirit talisman!

"Let’s see how many more you have!" Zhao Chengyue’s hair and beard bristled with rage. He suddenly clenched his hand in mid-air. The crimson fiery serpents exploded with a boom, shattering the stone armor... only to reveal another layer of stone armor beneath it.

Another one!

A vein throbbed violently at Zhao Chengyue’s temple. Then, he saw two more streaks of light shoot out from within the broken armor, heading straight for his face.

Two top-grade magic swords: one azure like ice, the other wreathed in green wind energy.

Zhao Chengyue snorted coldly. His hands formed seals, and a layer of crimson light instantly enveloped him. A black short blade flew from his sleeve, slicing through the air to deflect the incoming ice sword. Immediately after, his figure shifted like a ghost; flames gathered at his fingertips as he repelled the wind sword with a blast of force.

However, just as he thought he had blocked every attack...

The two magic swords, along with the fire-attribute sword originally bound to the ground, suddenly trembled violently in unison. Blinding light erupted from their blades simultaneously!

Zhao Chengyue’s pupils contracted sharply. Before he could react—

BOOM!!!

All three swords self-destructed violently!

A chaotic storm of spiritual power swept outward; waves of fire, frost shards, and wind blades intertwined, ravaging everything within a ten-zhang radius. The ground was blasted into fragments, sending dust shooting into the sky. Although Zhao Chengyue managed to deploy his protective spiritual light in time...

He was still blasted staggering backward! His robes were torn, and his hair and beard were singed black—a truly sorry sight.

"You little beast!" Zhao Chengyue roared furiously, killing intent surging in his eyes.

How dare he self-destruct three top-grade magic swords at once?! How could he bear the cost?!

Zhao Chengyue formed a seal with one hand, and his figure abruptly vanished.

The next instant, he appeared directly above them! Both his palms pressed down fiercely, transforming into an enormous fiery palm that smashed down with thunderous force.

Lin Yinyin’s face turned as pale as paper, her pupils contracting violently. The pitch-black depths of her eyes reflected only overwhelming flames. Am I going to die?

In that split second...

Brilliant cyan light erupted around her—it was a directional teleportation Wind Spirit Talisman!

Zhang Xian suddenly appeared by her side. An ancient jade pendant bloomed with dazzling golden light, transforming into a translucent golden barrier that firmly protected both of them.

The fiery palm smashed onto the barrier, exploding with a deafening thunderclap. Scorching waves of fire spread in all directions, instantly turning the ground into scorched earth.

Shock and fury warred within Zhao Chengyue. He actually has top-grade defensive magic equipment too?!

With an enraged roar, Zhao Chengyue channeled every ounce of spiritual energy within him to its limit, hurling his own body against the golden barrier!

The barrier first showed spiderweb cracks... then shattered completely!

Amidst the shower of broken golden light, Zhao Chengyue’s right sleeve burned away completely. His exposed skin was covered in bloody gashes from the backlash damage. But, ignoring his injuries completely, he pressed down ferociously once more!

At the critical moment, a cyan talisman flew from Zhang Xian’s sleeve. As the paper ignited without wind, both he and Lin Yinyin blurred into afterimages, retreating rapidly to a spot dozens of zhang away.

Zhang Xian, holding the shaken Lin Yinyin, spat a mouthful of bloody foam and cursed, "Old thing, impressive, huh? You even smashed my magic equipment!"

Zhao Chengyue forced down the blood rising in his throat—those last two strikes had already inflicted heavy internal injuries. The self-destruction of the three swords, in particular, had nearly taken half his old life.

His mind was roiling with stormy waves. In just this short exchange, Zhang Xian had already expended four top-grade magic weapons and two Wind Talismans!

This kid’s resources were a bottomless abyss!

"This old man doesn’t believe you still have—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw several streaks of light suspended in mid-air behind Zhang Xian, glowing in different colors.

Clearly, five more top-grade magic swords.

Simultaneously, a cyan magical robe draped over Zhang Xian before transforming into a barrier, once again protecting both him and Lin Yinyin.

Zhang Xian swallowed a recovery pill. He raised his left hand, clutching a thick stack of spirit talismans, while his right arm held Lin Yinyin’s slender waist. He looked at the Golden Core patriarch with a sneer.

"COME AT ME!!"

Pfft!!

Zhao Chengyue finally couldn’t withstand it any longer and vomited a large mouthful of blood!