Chapter Four: An Immortal Artifact?

The entire tavern was enveloped in a curtain of energy—yet, frustratingly, one could only sense its presence upon drawing near. This left Gao Yuan utterly perplexed as to where Yang Xuan's confidence came from.

"Gao Yuan, why are you just standing there? Dare to duel me? If you've got any guts, come over and fight me for three hundred rounds!" Yang Xuan, no longer able to restrain himself, shouted his challenge provocatively.

"Senior brother, have you lost your mind? Taking the initiative now is just asking for death!" The crowd was stunned by Yang Xuan's challenge. No one could believe that he, usually the most cautious among them, would make such a move.

Yang Xuan curled his lip and said, "You think I don't know? In our current predicament, our only chance is to seize Gao Yuan and force these cultists to retreat. These people are nothing short of bloodthirsty maniacs. With our strength, we have no hope of resisting them..."

After hearing Yang Xuan’s words, everyone felt a pang of conflicting emotions, bitterly resenting their own weakness, unable to contribute at this critical juncture. Now, Yang Xuan had become their sole pillar of support. Fuyao was gravely wounded, their sect was scattered, Ye Qiu refused to intervene—they were truly at a dead end.

Goaded by Yang Xuan’s provocation, Gao Yuan finally lost his composure and sneered, "Hmph, you think I'm a fool, Yang? In this situation, I hold the advantage. Why would I fight you one-on-one?"

"Damn it, he won't take the bait! This guy is truly hard to deal with..." Despair settled over Yang Xuan. If Gao Yuan refused his challenge, the plan was doomed. The situation had come to a stalemate.

"Brothers, attack! He’s just bluffing, trying to buy time. Kill them all!" After observing for so long, Gao Yuan could no longer hold back. He gave the order, and in an instant, hundreds surged forward.

In a flash, dozens charged at Yang Xuan, cultists assailing from every direction.

"Get lost!" Yang Xuan roared, golden light bursting forth as he swung his spear, dragons seeming to roar all around. Yet, for all its dazzling spectacle, this dramatic display lasted less than three seconds before Yang Xuan was overwhelmed. Outnumbered, he simply could not withstand the onslaught.

"It's over! At this rate, in less than three seconds, the entire Sacred Land of Yaoguang will be annihilated..." Inside the tavern, Ye Qiu was startled by the scene. He had hoped Yang Xuan might turn the tide, but who could have guessed he'd collapse in less than three seconds?

What the hell? This was beyond disappointing! Just a moment ago, he'd been posturing like a hot-blooded protagonist, but it turned out he was just an ordinary chump.

Below, chaos reigned. Despite the brief skirmish, there were no casualties yet. The cultists, though they held the advantage, were cautious—surrounding without attacking, intent on slowly whittling down the Sacred Land of Yaoguang with zero losses.

"My god, is this what it looks like when immortals clash? Innkeeper, what do we do now? At this rate, Yaoguang won’t hold out much longer. Once they fall, we’re next..." Cao He was terrified. To these cultists, the two of them were nothing but ants, easily crushed to eliminate future trouble.

"What do we do? How should I know..." Ye Qiu was beside himself with anxiety, but soon calmed down. "Go, activate all the mechanisms. Support Yaoguang with everything we have."

"Understood..." Cao He immediately complied, hurrying to the counter and triggering every trap.

In an instant, the entire tavern underwent a dramatic transformation. As beams of light flashed, razor-sharp blades emerged upon the rooftop. As these weapons revealed their true forms, a powerful aura swept outward from the tavern.

"Whoa... Such overwhelming pressure—what’s happening?" Everyone was stunned. The previously chaotic battle came to an abrupt halt.

"Senior brother, look up there..." a cultist suddenly pointed at the roof.

Gao Yuan followed his gaze, and his face turned ashen. "Heavens... Are those... are those immortal weapons?"

"This can't be! The place looks so ordinary—how could it have immortal weapons?" All eyes were transfixed by the swords standing on the rooftop, each person retreating in fear.

"This is unbelievable. Every sword up there is a peerless immortal blade, brimming with supreme sword intent. The aura alone could kill us instantly." Gao Yuan was pale with dread. Now, he understood Yang Xuan’s confidence. So there really was a master hidden in this tavern—an extraordinary one at that.

A collection of such immortal swords was beyond the reach of their entire Underworld Sect, yet here were hundreds atop this tavern—what immense power was at play?

"Senior brother, we’re saved!" The disciples of the Sacred Land of Yaoguang were beside themselves with joy at the sword energy gathering above, startled into hope.

Fuyao trembled inwardly, whispering, "I was right. This man... is ten, even a hundred times more terrifying than I imagined..."

"Heavens! A true master... This must be a true master." Yang Xuan was elated. His lost courage returned in a flash.

"Haha, Gao Yuan! Prepare to die. Do you know who’s inside? That’s a real powerhouse. To show off in front of such a master—you must have a death wish..."

"You—" Gao Yuan’s face was grim, but he could not refute it. Fearfully, he glanced toward the tavern, thoughts racing: "Who could possibly be hidden here? Why has no one in the entire wasteland heard of someone capable of wielding hundreds of immortal swords at once? Not even the ancient clans with millions of years of heritage could match this..."

Gao Yuan was in utter panic, but worse was yet to come.

At the moment the immortal swords appeared, another transformation took place atop the tavern. A massive sword, dozens of meters long, extended from the roof.

"My god... A forty-meter sword?"

"What the hell is this monstrous thing! If that thing came down on you, it’d crush the crap out of you..." Yang Xuan exclaimed in shock, thrilled by the development. Gao Yuan and his men were doomed.

Inside the inn, Ye Qiu stared blankly at the scene outside. "Strange, they seem terrified of those things. Could they really be that powerful?" He simply couldn’t figure it out.

"Impossible. I know the swords I forged! They’re just scrap metal, good for scaring ordinary folks, but how could they threaten cultivators..." Ye Qiu refused to believe it. He knew his own handiwork—these were merely idly forged blades, never meant to slay immortals.

"Innkeeper, all mechanisms are ready—shall we attack?" Cao He’s voice called out. Ye Qiu nodded, "Attack."

No sooner had he spoken than the massive sword came crashing down.

"Holy—"

In an instant, the wasteland before the tavern erupted in chaos—cultists scattering like frightened animals.

"What a spectacular sight!" Under the stunned eyes of the Yaoguang disciples, the once overwhelming cultists were flattened into pulp in less than a second. The spectacle was staggering.

Even Ye Qiu, atop the tavern, was stupefied. "What the hell, that’s insane!"

Impossible! Weren’t these people cultivators? Why didn’t they use their arts, why didn’t they dodge? The sword’s descent was slow—any pig could have evaded it! Were these really cultivators?

Ye Qiu hadn’t realized that under the pressure of the sword’s aura, those below couldn’t even muster their spiritual power. Let alone dodge—they were lucky not to be flattened outright.

"Heh, looks like these so-called cultivators aren’t so tough after all! In front of my forty-meter sword, they’re powerless." Ye Qiu grinned, utterly delighted.

"Little Cao, keep smashing—wipe out these bastards. Let’s see them show off now..." Realizing the sword’s true might, Ye Qiu’s grin grew ever more brazen.

These things really were formidable!

"Will do!" Cao He responded, yanking the lever again. The giant sword on the rooftop swung down once more.

This time, Gao Yuan was directly beneath it.

"It’s over..." With a final cry of unwillingness, Gao Yuan was flattened with a single blow.

The once formidable cultists were wiped out in less than a minute.

"My god! Using immortal swords as sledgehammers—who else would dare..." Yang Xuan stared, dumbfounded, utterly shocked. The others were just as stunned, feeling as though the past decades of their lives had been for nothing.

So... immortal weapons could be used this way? Good grief, what a waste! At least form a sword seal or something for show. Doing it this way left the dead with no dignity at all.

"This is a ruthless man! Thank heavens I didn’t offend him before, or I’d have been the one crushed down there..." Yang Xuan clutched his chest, shaken to the core.

Too terrifying! Was everyone in the Wasteland this insane now? Compared to Ye Qiu, he was nothing but a weakling, liable to topple in a breeze.

"S-Senior brother, what do we do now?" The group looked around in confusion, casting anxious glances at the tightly shut tavern doors, uncertain what to think.

"What are you waiting for? Don’t just stand there like idiots—go curry favor!" Yang Xuan snapped, striding toward the tavern, kneeling before it and calling out, "Thank you, senior, for saving our lives!"

Suddenly, the door creaked open. Ye Qiu poked his head out, surveyed the area, and, only after confirming every cultist was dead, stepped outside at last.