Chapter 160: Justifiable Defense

The few Fusion Stage cultivators sneered with satisfaction, clearly pleased with Bai Hongtu’s performance.
That’s right, this is how the weak should behave in front of the strong—trembling with fear, full of dread.
Unlike in Great Zhou, where the weak dare to sue the strong, with not even a shred of respect.
So what if a strong cultivator kills a few people?
They thought the laws of Great Zhou should be revised: those below Nascent Soul Stage follow one set of laws, those above Nascent Soul follow another. That would be proper.
“What for? Of course to kill you all.” One Fusion Stage cultivator kindly explained, a cold smile curling on his lips—watching a group of geniuses struggle and beg for their lives before dying, what a beautiful sight.
“Why?” Bai Hongtu shouted in terror, but the four Fusion Stage cultivators had already joined forces to block off all sound. It was useless for them to scream, making Bai Hongtu even more desperate. He was a supremely gifted Nascent Soul cultivator, but even so, there was no way he could leap two entire realms and counter-kill Fusion Stage!
He had just made a name for himself, and Great Zhou was destined to be his stage. He still planned to travel the Nine Provinces, leaving behind his legends everywhere. Money, beauties, power—he hadn’t enjoyed any of those things yet, how could he die now!
He wasn’t willing to die just like this!
He wasn’t willing!
Even if it was certain death, a hopeless situation, he would still break through it!
I, Bai Tu, will defy the heavens today!
Bai Hongtu’s eyes turned bloodshot, looking like a mad bull—clearly ready to go all out, perhaps using some kind of life-burning technique.
Yu Yin just quietly watched Bai Hongtu.
“Blame yourselves for being unlucky, for choosing to attend some bulls**t tournament in this disgusting Great Zhou.” Another Fusion Stage picked up, clearly resentful toward Great Zhou. “Next life, learn your lesson—don’t come here again.”
“I’ll use the deaths of you so-called geniuses to ruthlessly slap Great Zhou in the face!” This Fusion Stage cultivator’s hatred for Great Zhou ran deep—his personal disciple had committed a capital offense there and was executed.
He didn’t really care about the disciple’s life; what mattered was the loss of face.
He roared, “I’ll make them understand—Fusion Stage cultivators are not to be insulted!”
The Fusion Stage cultivators had talked themselves out, lost interest in chatting, and decided to act before anything unexpected could happen.
“As agreed, that female cultivator is mine.” The handsome Fusion Stage reached out to grab Yu Yin.
The others said nothing, all striking out at once.
The pressure from Fusion Stage cultivators grew heavier, gradually surpassing the limits of the realm and stepping into the Tribulation Stage. Tribulation Stage pressure engulfed the top-tier suite… Wait, Tribulation Stage?
The four Fusion Stage cultivators snapped to attention. As powerful as they were, there was no way their combined strength could match Tribulation Stage.
“Aaah—”
The handsome Fusion Stage cultivator screamed in pain, clutching his severed arm, stumbling backward, horror in his eyes as he stared at Yu Yin.
Just as he was about to touch Yu Yin, a sharp pain pierced his soul. By the time he realized it, only one arm remained.
What truly terrified him was that as a Fusion Stage cultivator, he should’ve been able to regenerate his limb. This kind of injury shouldn’t have been a big deal. But he had completely lost connection with the severed arm—it was as if he’d lost it on a soul-deep level!
This was a soul-based attack he hadn’t even sensed!
“Bai Hongtu, have you had enough fun yet.” Yu Yin said coldly. She loathed this handsome Fusion Stage cultivator from the bottom of her heart. That look he gave her—treating women like clothes to be toyed with—reminded her of the Crown Prince of the former Tianyuan Dynasty.
Birds of a feather.
“Trib… Tribulation Stage… Bai Hongtu…”
The four suddenly felt dry-mouthed, their foreheads beaded with sweat, hands and feet ice-cold and stiff.
“Since Sect Master Bai has finished playing, I guess we don’t have to keep pretending.” Li Er and the Sword Sovereign dropped their disguises, revealing their awe-inspiring Tribulation Stage cultivation that countless cultivators looked up to.
“You dare lust after my master—you deserve death!”
The glowing yellow gourd floated in the air, radiating fury. It had only ever been stepped on by its master—how dare this piece-of-trash Fusion Stage cultivator even think such thoughts.
“F-Four… Tribulation Stage… Ruyi Gourd…”
Facing a level of pressure they had never felt before, even their minds were sluggish, struggling to think.
There were only five Tribulation Stage cultivators in the world—and now four were here, plus an Immortal Artifact.
This wasn’t just kicking an iron plate—they’d slammed headfirst into a cremation furnace!
“This is Great Zhou… y-you can’t kill us…”
One of the braver Fusion Stage cultivators struggled to plead for his life, hoping these godlike figures, just toying with the world, might show mercy.
I mean, seriously, why would Tribulation Stage cultivators pretend to be Nascent Soul for no reason?
Now, these Fusion Stage cultivators desperately longed for Great Zhou’s laws, hoping they could protect them.
When they were the strong, they wanted the law to be meaningless. But they forgot—one could be the strong… and also the weak.
“After all, this is Great Zhou’s turf. We should still show Ji Zhi a little respect.”
The Fusion Stage cultivators were just starting to relax at these words, relieved to have narrowly escaped death, when Bai Hongtu continued.
“But we’re just a bunch of poor, helpless, and weak Nascent Soul cultivators. If Fusion Stage cultivators attack us, it’s perfectly normal for us to act in justifiable defense. Not illegal at all.”
The four Fusion Stage cultivators widened their eyes.
In the end, the handsome Fusion Stage cultivator was killed by Yu Yin. The other three had their cultivation forcibly suppressed, falling all the way to Nascent Soul Stage. They could no longer progress in cultivation, nor possess others to restart their path.
These three had long relied on their power to bully and dominate other cultivators, upholding their status with sheer strength. Who knows how many people secretly stabbed dolls with their names on them, dreaming of killing them.
They didn’t even have anyone they truly trusted. Now that they were only at Nascent Soul Stage, if word got out, they would definitely be torn limb from limb, hacked into pieces, fed to pigs!
They were doomed to spend the rest of their lives in fear, hiding and trembling.
……
A shocking conspiracy against Great Zhou was quietly snuffed out in a tiny top-tier suite, without so much as a ripple. The Tournament proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators dazzled on stage, the audience thoroughly entertained. You could never guess what clever new uses Spiritual Treasures might reveal. Many had hidden trump cards in the first round—now they were finally unleashing them.
Take the Luban Sect disciple, for example. Last time he brought out a puppet to battle a Wei Family disciple. This time, he brought out an entire harem—wives and concubines galore.
The stage was instantly filled with beautiful puppet women, a feast for the eyes.
His opponent felt an immense pressure—this was the Luban Sect, famous for spending a lifetime with puppets. So envious.
“Participating cultivators are not allowed to use multiple Spiritual Treasures.” Before the match could begin, the judge stopped the Luban disciple. “You’ve violated the rules. You are hereby ordered to retract all but one—”
“Wait a minute, how are these Spiritual Treasures?” The Luban Sect disciple hugged one puppet, pinching her lifelike cheek, and declared loudly, “I won’t let you insult their dignity—these are my wives and concubines.”
The puppets crafted by Luban Sect were flawless, and once they developed sentience, it was nearly impossible to tell them apart from real people.
The puppet in his arms looked exactly like a shy young lady. Hearing her lover defend her, she blushed and buried her head in his chest.
The judge paused in silence, then continued, “…Participants are not allowed to recruit external help. You’ve brought multiple outsiders into the match, a serious violation. You’re disqualified from this round.”