Chen Gensheng looked down at the female cultivator kneeling on the ground, weeping like a pear blossom in the rain. This Joyous Union Sect "cauldron" had certainly lowered her posture as far as it could go.

  Suddenly, the woman, who had been trembling on the earth, snapped her head up. Her eyes erupted with twin jets of crimson flame. They lunged toward Gensheng’s face, covering the distance with incredible, inconceivable speed.

  With a mere thought from Gensheng, a shield shimmering with a faint, clear light materialized out of thin air before him. Simultaneously, a flick of his other two wrists sent two Fire-Dragon Talismans, already pinched between his fingers, whistling outward!

  The woman neither dodged nor retreated, allowing the two fire dragons to completely swallow her petite frame.

  As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, only a massive charred crater remained on the ground. Gensheng’s divine sense swept the area but found no spiritual fluctuations of any escape techniques. Just as he was about to investigate further, the woman’s voice—seductive to the very bone—echoed from behind him.

  "I, your elder sister, simply love a capable young man like you."

  Gensheng whipped around. The woman was standing elegantly exactly where he had been moments ago. At some point, she had changed into a set of tight, translucent crimson step-armor, which outlined her explosive curves to the last detail. Where was the humility of a "cauldron"? She was clearly a soul-reaping demoness.

  "Not speaking? Are you dazed by the sight, or simply scared witless?" The woman covered her lips and let out a light giggle, stepping slowly toward him. The lust in her eyes had vanished, replaced entirely by murderous intent. "Pity. Since you’ve seen what you shouldn't, and taken what you shouldn't... today, you’ll leave your life here and become my new cauldron!"

  With a flip of her wrist, a palm-sized flag appeared in her hand. It was crimson throughout, embroidered with a ferocious fire-fish. The fish seemed like a living thing, swimming restlessly across the fabric, its eyes set with two deep-blue gems.

  "Try my Surging Dragon Fire-Fish Banner."

  She shook the small flag, and the fire-fish let out a hiss, leaping out from the silk and swelling as it met the wind. In an instant, it transformed into a flame-蛟 (dragon-serpent) several yards long, wreathed in tumbling blazes. Simultaneously, the two blue gems atop the flagpole shot out two streaks of grim, frigid air.

  To the left was a pillar of searing heat capable of melting refined steel into liquid iron. To the right was a frigid ice-spike that could freeze the very air into crystals. This display of power was ten times more potent than his two Fire-Dragon Talismans.

  What a formidable Foundation-level rogue cultivator.

  The spiritual energy within Gensheng’s body was already circulating in the shadows. The mental technique of the Sutra of Primordial Stability’s first layer—"Severance of Five Senses"—flowed through his consciousness.

  The first shield of clear light condensed before him. Immediately following was the second, the third, the fourth...

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  In less than a breath, six identical Azure Light Dao-Shields layered themselves around him at profound angles, guarding him in the center. They formed an absolute defense without a single blind spot; he appeared as if enveloped within a sphere of clear, shimmering light.

  Fire and ice slammed into the outermost shield at the exact same moment. The entire hollow vibrated violently, and the shockwave sent the surrounding jagged rocks flying. Yet, that seemingly thin layer of clear light only flickered slightly, blocking the force that should have obliterated everything.

  Gensheng remained standing exactly where he was, his clothes not even fluttering.

  The woman’s Fire-Fish Banner was a High-Grade artifact bestowed by her sect elders. Under a full-strength strike, even ordinary Middle-stage Foundation cultivators wouldn't dare take it head-on. What kind of sinister cultivator is this? He can cast spells with all six hands? Her grip on the flag tightened; she was starting to feel a sliver of dread.

  Gensheng hovered quietly in the air, his six shields rotating slowly, the halo of light making him look like something other than human.

  "Are you playing deaf, or truly a mute?" The woman held the banner across her chest. The fire-fish on the silk swam even more frantically, and the surrounding air grew scorched and dry. "Star-Fall Gorge is no place for the likes of you. Leave now, and I can pretend nothing happened."

  Though her words were sharp, she was merely testing him. If he retreated, it would be for the best. If not, it would be a fight to the death. She was confident that with the Fire-Fish Banner, she could wear him down to nothing.

  Gensheng offered a piece of kind advice. "Behind you... I think something is making a noise."

  The woman’s heart jolted, and her divine sense instantly swept behind her. Empty. Nothing but jagged rocks and scorched earth—not even a living insect.

  "Tricks and shadows!" Her face twisted in rage, and she prepared to trigger her artifact to blast the freak into dust.

  But then, a sound—small, faint, like a swarm of mosquitoes circling in the distance. At first, she thought it was a ringing in her ears. But the sound grew clearer, denser, converging on her location from all directions.

  It was the sound of tens of thousands of spirit-insects vibrating their wings.

  The woman’s face turned deathly pale. In the sky behind her, a massive black cloud had appeared out of nowhere.

  "Corpse-Miasma Wasps!" She had seen these low-level corpse-path insects before; they were normally beneath notice. But she had never seen such a terrifying quantity! Over ten thousand!

  From the very beginning, he had never viewed her as a true opponent.

  "BURN THEM!" the woman shrieked, frantically funneling her entire reserve of spiritual energy into the banner. The fire-fish let out a deafening roar, turning into a flame-dragon several times larger than before, spiraling upward to form a massive vortex of fire above her head.

  Dozens of wasps split from the swarm, plunging like moths into the fire without fear. The acrid scent of char immediately filled the air as they turned to cinders, falling like rain. But the wasps behind them were endless, using their own bodies to drain the strength of the flame-dragon.

  The color of the fire vortex dimmed at a rate visible to the naked eye. Even an artifact of this caliber had only managed to consume a few hundred wasps. Cold sweat broke out on the woman’s forehead; her spiritual energy was draining at a horrific speed.

  She suddenly bit the tip of her tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence-blood onto the flag. The withering flame-dragon exploded with red light upon receiving the nourishment, its power surging as it forcibly tore an opening through the infinite swarm.

  The woman blurred into a streak of red light, attempting to escape through the gap. She hadn't flown even ten yards.

  A golden spear shot out from the shadows on her flank without warning. The tip carried a sharp, wind-breaking whistle, aiming directly for her dantian. It was her unlucky Senior Brother's weapon!

  Terrified out of her mind, the woman could only force her body to twist mid-air, barely dodging her heart.

  Putch!

  The golden spear still pierced through her, leaving a bloody hole in her abdomen. She let out a muffled groan and fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground. Dead as dead could be.

  Gensheng walked over to her, bent down, and picked up the fallen Surging Dragon Fire-Fish Banner. He balanced it in his hand.

  "This is a fine High-Grade artifact. I’ll hold onto it for you."