"Ah... you pervert! You, stop right there!"The woman immediately screamed in shock, never expecting to be humiliated like this in broad daylight at the foot of the Tianwu Sect's mountain.
"Go ahead and scream! I bet even if you shout your lungs out, no one will come to save you..."Xu Que squinted his eyes, smiling as he watched her.Of course, he was just trying to gross her out, a bit of revenge for the frustration of being chased earlier.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"At that moment, several sounds of something cutting through the air came from afar. Three streams of light shot across the sky, like meteors, heading straight towards them.
"How dare you, scum!""Stop right there!"Two angry shouts rang out at the same time, immediately causing a loud roar in Xu Que's mind. A powerful pressure followed, like a mountain pressing down on him. His face turned pale, and he nearly fell to his knees.
Suddenly, three elderly figures appeared in front of Xu Que.
Among them, an old woman looked the most sinister, glaring coldly at Xu Que. Her gaze made him feel as though he was in hell, as if his life was firmly grasped by someone's hands, and he was as insignificant as an ant.Strong!Damn! These old geezers must be incredibly powerful!Feeling the pressure from the three of them, Xu Que immediately realized that he was no match for them.
"How dare you, you evil scum, wreak havoc at the foot of my Tianwu Sect. Today, I will act on behalf of the heavens!"The old woman snorted coldly, raising her palm. A fire snake shot out from her arm, exuding a scorching and overwhelming aura, charging straight toward Xu Que.
"Damn it! Old hag, you're this ruthless? You're starting a fight just like that?"Xu Que's face changed, and he immediately gathered Earth Elemental Spirit Qi, his feet blending into the earth as he quickly dodged.But the fire snake suddenly split in two, turning and opening its massive mouth to block his retreat, coming straight for him.
Xu Que sucked in a sharp breath. This old woman really wants to kill me!What the hell? What did I do to deserve this?
Xu Que was pissed, but he had to keep running, or else he would end up dead right here.With a whoosh, he nearly exhausted all his Earth Elemental Spirit Qi, barely dodging through the gap between the two fire snakes. He felt like he had just escaped death, and his back was soaked in cold sweat without him even realizing it.
The way he dodged made the three elderly people pause in shock.
"This... how is this possible?""This kid is only at the tenth level of the Qi Refining stage, and he was able to dodge the Crimson Fire Snake's pursuit twice in such a short time. How did he do that?" The two elderly men beside the old woman exclaimed.
The old woman snorted: "Just now, I sensed that this person has Earth Elemental Qi, which is a specialty of people from the Earth Yuan Kingdom, known for their ability to escape through the earth. He must be a spy sent by the Earth Yuan Kingdom."
"Master, wait, that person just claimed to be the prince consort of the Fire Yuan Kingdom, and he had a token," the woman quickly spoke up.She knew that if this guy was really the Fire Yuan Kingdom's prince consort, and if her master killed him, the royal family might use this as an excuse to attack Tianwu Sect.
"The prince consort? Hah, as far as I know, the prince consort of the Fire Yuan Kingdom is a once-in-a-thousand-years genius. At the mere age of eighteen, he already reached the Golden Core stage. He should be in seclusion in the palace right now, not someone like this lowly person. Xue Ru, you have never been down the mountain and have little experience. Remember this: never blindly trust what others say." The old woman looked at the woman with a trace of affection in her eyes.
"So, he's a fraud," the woman, Xue Ru, exclaimed with wide eyes, glaring at Xu Que.
The old woman glanced at Xu Que in the distance, seemingly recalling something. She flipped her palm, and a rope appeared out of nowhere, glowing with a golden light, radiating an aura of legend.
Xu Que stared at it, his eyes nearly bulging out. That glow, that quality... it was a magic treasure! It had to be one of the legendary treasures!
"Xue Ru, borrow this binding celestial rope from me. You handle this," the old woman said as she sent the golden rope fluttering toward Xue Ru.
Xue Ru froze. This was one of her master's most precious treasures! Once this rope was used, even those at the Golden Core stage would be subdued. With her master's cultivation level, capturing this pervert would be a breeze. So why didn't she take action herself?
Soon, Xue Ru figured it out.With her master's cultivation and status, it wouldn't be suitable for her to act directly. If word got out, people would say she was using her power to bully the weak. But if she let Xue Ru use the treasure, it would seem justified, and she could still ensure the pervert was captured. Her master was truly a wise person.
Realizing this, Xue Ru quickly caught the binding celestial rope and glared at Xu Que, shouting in a delicate voice, "You pervert, don't make me say it again. Surrender now!"
Xu Que twitched his mouth!Surrender? You keep calling me a pervert, and now you want me to surrender? Are you asking for death? No way.
His eyes flickered, and he sneered, "I'm the prince consort of the Fire Yuan Kingdom! You think you can capture me with that broken rope? You really underestimate me! Come, try getting closer. I'll stand right here, and you can try to bind me!"
"Broken rope?"At that moment, not just Xue Ru but even the old woman and the other two elderly men's expressions darkened.This binding celestial rope had been personally crafted by the sect master of Tianwu Sect, a top-tier treasure. To have it called a broken rope by some scum... it was an insult to Tianwu Sect.
"You're asking for death!"Xue Ru immediately shouted, her body leaping into the air as the binding celestial rope shot out like a snake, darting toward Xu Que with lightning speed.
"Ding! Host 'Xu Que' failed at showing off. No rewards for this action.""Damn it... failed to show off and got humiliated! Better run for it."
Xu Que cursed in his mind and quickly turned to run.
"Xue Ru, use the flying sword to seal his retreat!" The old woman spoke up, using Xu Que as a live training exercise for her disciple.
Xue Ru immediately understood, multitasking as she commanded the flying sword to shoot toward Xu Que.
Xu Que was immediately displeased, shouting, "You old hag, do you think your disciple can't beat me? I'm telling you, if you manage to capture me today, I won't believe it!"
"Don't insult my master!"Xue Ru shouted angrily, and the flying sword became even more vicious.
The old woman's face grew even darker.
Xu Que quickly fished out a symbol from his system inventory—one of the rewards, the "Beginner's Swift Escape Rune." With newfound confidence, he recalled a classic line of boasting and shouted:"Thirty years on the East Bank, thirty years on the West Bank, never underestimate a poor young man. Wait for it, one day, you'll be kneeling before me singing 'Conquer'!"
As the binding celestial rope was about to touch his back, Xu Que activated the Swift Escape Rune. A brilliant light burst from it, and with a whoosh, Xu Que disappeared from the spot.
The rope lost its target and fell to the ground.
Xue Ru and the three old people were left stunned.
"What... What kind of treasure was that?""Could it be the long-lost Shrinking Earth Rune? This... how is this possible?""Quick, send someone to search for him. He can't have gone far. This kid must be carrying a rare treasure, we can't let it fall into the wrong hands." The old woman shouted, then turned into a streak of light, soaring into the sky.
...
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit secret room, Xu Que appeared out of nowhere.
"Damn! This rune really works! Hahaha... those old fossils must be stunned right now. Show off and run, this is so damn thrilling!"
Feeling safe for the moment, Xu Que laughed out loud. At the same time, he heard the system's notification sound.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host 'Xu Que' for successfully showing off. You've earned 1 point of Show-off Value."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host 'Xu Que' for achieving the 'Show off and run' achievement. You've earned 10 points of Show-off Value."
Xu Que was stunned and then burst out laughing. "Haha, this was totally worth it!"
In high spirits, he stood up and looked around.He saw various sized boxes and chests scattered on the ground, exuding the fragrance of sandalwood, clearly items of great value.
Xu Que grinned and was about to check them out when he glanced up and noticed a plaque hanging from the rafters. The words "Tianwu Sect Treasure Vault" were carved in large, elegant characters.
"Damn it, I accidentally ran into their treasure vault!"This... this is so awkward! I'm not the kind of person who steals!
With that, Xu Que opened his eyes wide and rushed toward the chests, like a kid in a candy store.
The first box he opened revealed a sword glowing red with light, streams of red energy flowing like lava across the blade. It was clearly not an ordinary item.
"I'll take this. I have to take it."Xu Que was overjoyed, using his mind to control the system and storing the flying sword in his inventory.
He continued opening more boxes and found several bottles labeled "Gathering Yuan Pills."
"This is a fortune!"Xu Que grinned from ear to ear, stuffing the pills into his system inventory and rushing to the next chest.
It wasn't until he had opened most of the treasure vault that he realized the system inventory had limited space. Each item occupied a slot, meaning he couldn't store everything.
"Damn, this is awkward! So many treasures left behind. I can't just let them go to waste!"
"I have to come up with something..."
Xu Que sat down, frowning, thinking.
After a while, his eyes lit up. "Got it! I'll eat all the pills first, and then I'll have more space for the rest."
Without hesitation, he opened the system inventory, pulled out all the pills, and stuffed them into his mouth one by one.
He finished one bottle, then another... and another... until all ten bottles were gone.
Xu Que felt a bit full but didn't experience any other sensations.
"This is strange, no taste, no effect... I don't believe this. I'll try a few more."
He kept eating, one pill after another...
Until suddenly, the door to the treasure vault was thrown open. A young man dressed in a blue robe with a sword at his waist appeared at the door.
Xu Que froze. The two of them locked eyes.
The young man: "..."Xu Que: "..."
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
"Uh..."Xu Que swallowed the last few pills and then looked at the young man, letting out a long burp.