Book 03 Chapter 091.1: He Who Fears Loses, Part 1

Inside the Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Ritual Array:

Boom! Boom!

Loud reports rang out, shaking the ritual array.

Gu Hai, Huangfu Chaoge, Ensnaring Performance, the Foundation Rock Deity, and a group of Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty elites stood at the entrance to the Heptagold Hall, looking coldly into the distance.

“My ritual array is made up of a bewilderment ritual array on the outside and an isolated world on the inside. The things outside cannot easily come in contact with the inside. However, we are experiencing the impacts from the outside. That means that the people outside have a special enchanted treasure and are very strong, strong enough to shake my ritual array?” Gu Hai’s face sank.

“The Heptagold Hall Master? It should not be him. He is only a peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivator,” the Foundation Rock Deity said with a frown.

“We will know when we see,” Gu Hai said.

Gu Hai extended his hand and waved.

Far in the distance, the fog suddenly scattered, opening a large hole in the ritual array.

Rumble…!

A canyon-like tear slowly appeared, and the sounds from the attacks on the ritual array outside stopped.

Buzz!

Suddenly, the ritual array ripped open, showing the situation outside. The outside also could see inside now.

Several Heptagold Sect experts stood on a flying ship with a large number of troops behind them while the azure-clad Ao Shun hovered in the air.

Ao Shun held a sword as he looked in coldly.

“The ritual array finally opened? Ha!” Ao Shun sneered.

Then, Ao Shun looked into the canyon-like tear.

“The one hundred thousand mountains of my Heptagold Sect are destroyed?” Chu Chen’s expression changed.

The Heptagold Sect Master showed rage on his face. When he looked up, he saw that only thirty to forty percent of the blessings remained in the sky, inciting further rage and hatred.

“That is the sword-toothed tiger! The sword-toothed tiger got pinned to a cliff and died?” one of the Heptagold Sect elders said in rage while glaring.

The death of the sword-toothed tiger caused everyone’s eyelids to twitch wildly, including Ao Shun’s.

After all, the sword-toothed tiger had drawn energy from the Heptagold Sect’s citizens, giving it the strength of a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator. To think that it got pinned to a cliff and died? Ao Shun was also a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator. Naturally, he felt grave about this.

However, the Heptagold Sect Master’s gaze focused on the Heptagold Hall as Gu Hai’s group stood there, looking back coldly at him.

“Huangfu Chaoge, you are extremely ruthless! So ruthless that you destroyed my entire sect!” The Heptagold Sect Master immediately saw Huangfu Chaoge.

Huangfu Chaoge showed a cold gaze as he said, “Heptagold Sect Master, would this have happened if you did not attack my Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty? The natural order moves in a cycle. Retribution is never enjoyable. In the end, you have to pay for your sins.”

Ao Shun stood at the very front, looking coldly at Huangfu Chaoge.

Previously, Huangfu Chaoge had drawn on the energy of the Divine Foundation Royal Dynasty’s citizens outside Divine Foundation City to fight Ao Shun. In the end, Huangfu Chaoge won by a bit. Ao Shun still remembered that. Now that he saw Huangfu Chaoge again, he showed an icy expression, naturally wanting to wash away his previous humiliation.

“Gu Hai? It’s Gu Hai. Indeed, it is his ritual array!” Chu Chen suddenly shouted.

Everyone looked towards Gu Hai.

While the Heptagold Sect Master had not seen Gu Hai before, Ao Shun had. Although Duke Lu Yang had shown interest in Gu Hai back at Love Flower Valley, Ao Shun had not cared for Gu Hai. He remained indifferent and did not speak up only because Duke Lu Yang was in charge. Back at Love Flower Valley, Gu Hai had used a ritual array to kill one thousand sub-dragons, all Ao Shun’s subordinates. Later on, he came to know that Gu Hai killed dozens of sin dragons at the Silver Moon Sea. Ao Shun now bore an enormous grudge against Gu Hai.

“Gu Hai? His Majesty treated you with sincerity, inviting you to his official residence, yet you treat His Majesty like that?” Ao Shun said with an icy gaze.

Gu Hai revealed an icy smile. “Are you speaking about Emperor Lu Yang? Ha! Hahahaha! Treat me with sincerity, indeed. What sincerity! I only turned down joining his official residence because I did not want to get involved with his rebellion, yet he sent the Unborn Man to kill me. My wife took the hit for me and died as a result of Duke Lu Yang’s command. Sincerity, indeed. What sincerity!”

“Humph! So, you pit yourself against His Majesty, reducing Ying Province’s blessings and forcing His Majesty to establish his nation?” Ao Shun said coldly.

“Indeed. Pressuring Lu Yang to establish his nation is only the first step. Destroying the Heptagold Sect is the second step. I still have a third step. Do you believe that I will clip off Emperor Lu Yang’s wings one by one? This is only the second step. Hahahahahaha!” Gu Hai laughed coldly.

Ao Shun, the Heptagold Sect Master, Chu Chen, and the others all inhaled sharply.

Indeed, it is him! Indeed, it is him. He was the one who forced Emperor Lu Yang to establish his nation early, the one responsible for the Ying Imperial Dynasty’s degradation to a royal dynasty. Now, his second step is to destroy the Heptagold Sect? Every step of his caused Emperor Lu Yang heavy damages. Yet, there is a third step?

What is the third step?

“Mister Mo is right. This Gu Hai is too terrifying,” Chu Chen gasped.

Previously, Gu Hai did not seem like anything much to Chu Chen. Gu Hai was just a zitherist, someone not as strong as himself. He had felt unconvinced of Mo Yike’s high evaluation of Gu Hai.

Now, it is no longer a problem of whether Chu Chen felt convinced or not. This Gu Hai’s plans caused Lu Yang to lose too much already.

In just two short steps, he had wreaked great damage to Lu Yang’s foundations. Yet, there was a third step?

“We cannot leave this Gu Hai alive. We absolutely cannot let him survive!” the Heptagold Sect Master said with an unsightly expression.

Ao Shun naturally understood how dangerous Gu Hai was. The more capable one was, the more one was a danger. Since he already came here today, he had to help Lu Yang deal with this problem.

Buzz!

Suddenly, countless sword qi appeared out of nowhere in the ritual array. They appeared like dark, suppressive clouds as they hovered in the air.

Then, a gray-robed swordsman cloud beast slowly appeared amid the sword qi.

“Dugu Qiubai?” Ensnaring Performance’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Dugu Qiubai appeared again.

“You want to kill me? Bring it on. Ao Shun, I heard that you were previously the dragon crown prince. Unfortunately, you were not capable as a successor, ousted from your position with just some small tricks? You are not that strong, either. Had Duke Lu Yang not made a move outside Divine Foundation City, Mister Huangfu would have killed you already. Hahahaha!” Gu Hai leaped onto Dugu Qiubai.

Then, Gu Hai controlled Dugu Qiubai to look coldly at Ao Shun.

“Dragon Crown Prince, don’t fall for it. He is agitating you!” the Heptagold Sect Master called out.

Ao Shun looked at the large ritual array before him. The insides seemed to have formed an independent world, with its space magnified countless times.

“You used this ritual array to destroy the sword-toothed tiger?” Ao Shun asked sullenly.

Ao Shun remained extremely cautious. The sword-toothed tiger had possessed the strength of a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator, yet the ritual array had killed it. How could he not be cautious?

“You are a Heavenly Palace Realm expert, yet you are shrinking back when facing me, a Golden Core Realm cultivator? No wonder you are not worthy of being the dragon crown prince.” Gu Hai continued agitating Ao Shun.

“Humph! Golden Core Realm? How about you come out, and I’ll show you how I squish you?!” Ao Shun said coldly.

Although Ao Shun felt furious, he could tell that Gu Hai was agitating him, so he suppressed his anger as he stared at Gu Hai.

“I know that you have concerns. How about this, Crown Prince Ao Shun? Haha! Crown prince? How about this? I’ll give you a chance to flee. I’ll only leave the framework of this ritual array and scatter the rest of it!” Gu Hai laughed.

Then, Gu Hai waved.

Rumble…!

Suddenly, the ritual array’s fog gathered above, forming a super-large net that crisscrossed over twenty-nine foggy pillars surrounding the entire Heptagold Sect’s one hundred thousand mountains.

This looked like a Go board with a large, empty space in the center as if Gu Hai had scattered a large part of the ritual array.

“Huh?” Ao Shun raised his eyebrows as he looked at Gu Hai, who stood on Dugu Qiubai.

“Now, what do you have to be worried about? Once you lose to me, you can flee at any time, right? There are escape routes all around; what are you worried about? I’ll give you a chance to die? Do you still dare to?” Gu Hai smiled coldly.

At the side, Huangfu Chaoge, Ensnaring Performance, and the Foundation Rock Deity looked at Gu Hai blankly. Can you be any more shameless?

The ritual array clearly has lost a lot of energy, and we are worried that it is not sufficient. You scattered the ritual array only to reduce its consumption, yet you speak of it in such a grand way?

Everyone knew Gu Hai’s plan, but naturally, they would not say it out loud. Instead, they coldly eyed Ao Shun.

Such a scene was simply humiliating for the former dragon crown prince.

A Golden Core Realm cultivator challenged him and even said that he was worried about being unable to flee after losing. That cultivator even left him paths of escape and asked whether he dared to come.

“Gu Hai, you can be arrogant now. However, there has to be a limit to it. Otherwise, it is just plain recklessness!” Ao Shun said coldly.

“So, do you dare to or not?” Gu Hai retorted coldly.