"Did you happen to obtain some kind of fortune?"
After a long silence, a cold voice rang out, filled with condescension and interrogation.
Qin Zi turned to look.
A handsome young man in a red feathered robe stood before him. This person wore a phoenix plume on his head, exuding a noble air as if he were born to look down on others.
"Who is he? I don't think I've seen him before."
"I haven't either."
"I know who he is! He's Huang Tian, the young master of the Phoenix Clan. I once saw him at the Xiao family's residence, where the family's divine maiden played the flute for him!"
"What? The Phoenix Clan?! I've heard that they're an ancient and immensely powerful clan, with unfathomable foundations!"
Some people gasped as they revealed the young man's identity.
Qin Zi recalled his previous encounter with the Phoenix Clan, where he was almost deceived into recognizing a thief as his mother. His expression grew cold, and he responded indifferently, "It's none of your business."
Whoosh!
Huang Tian's face stiffened, clearly embarrassed. He coldly said, "Since we all arrived here together, any fortune gained should naturally be shared among us, rather than being hoarded by one person."
After speaking, he stared at Qin Zi, remaining silent.
Gradually, others began to echo his sentiment.
"That's right, it should be shared."
"We're all in this together."
"It's better to enjoy it with everyone than alone. As the Lord of Xuanyuan Heaven, you should have a generous heart and not be too selfish."
"After all, you've already broken through. What harm would it do to tell us your secret? It wouldn't cost you anything."
"Exactly, exactly."
These voices buzzed like flies, persistent and annoying, much like mosquitoes buzzing after lights-out in a dormitory.
Just as cowards hiding behind keyboards are often the loudest, the weak, hidden among the crowd, are also the boldest!
Huang Tian watched this unfold, a slight smirk curling his lips. His goal was to incite the masses and turn everyone against Qin Zi.
"Shut up, all of you!!"
Suddenly, a voice like a lion's roar reverberated through the sky, shaking the heavens.
The crowd fell silent at once.
Everyone turned to see Bai Shuize standing there, hands on his hips, his face filled with fury. "Anyone else wants to speak? I'll tear them apart right here!"
The crowd lowered their heads in submission.
He continued, "Qin Zi already gave you so many World Seeds, and now you still want more? Do you intend to bite the hand that feeds you?"
No one dared to respond.
But moments later, a defiant voice grumbled from the crowd, "Those World Seeds were taken by the prodigies from the major factions. What does that have to do with us?"
Rip!
In the next instant, a spray of blood exploded in the crowd. No one saw how it happened, but a tiger-headed figure was torn in two, his body left dripping with blood as Bai Shuize casually tossed the remains aside.
Hiss!!
Gasps of terror echoed from all around as countless people looked on in shock at the white-haired prodigy from Taiqing Heaven.
Bai Shuize sneered, "So you think the World Seeds have nothing to do with you? Then why would Qin Zi's fortune be any of your business? You bunch of worthless scum, hiding behind numbers to claim righteousness? Are you even worthy?!"
"I'm telling you now, I don't care how many of you there are. Anyone who dares say another word will be dealt with!"
As he spoke, a murderous aura soared to the sky, making many people's faces turn pale.
No one dared to speak again.
The crowd looked distressed, forced to swallow their pride. After all, Bai Shuize could kill them without restraint, while they couldn't retaliate. Even if they banded together and somehow won, who among them would dare to kill him?
The weight of having a strong backing was too much to bear.
Qin Zi glanced at Bai Shuize, surprised that he had stepped in to defuse the situation. He asked, "Why are you helping me?"
Bai Shuize laughed arrogantly, "There are very few people in this world who can fight me on equal footing! If these weaklings target you, they're also targeting the likes of us. That's an insult to me!"
Qin Zi's expression became odd.
It was the first time he had seen someone so shamelessly refer to themselves as a "prodigy."
Meanwhile, Huang Tian frowned at the turn of events. He looked at Bai Shuize and coldly asked, "Are you deliberately trying to make me look bad?"
Bai Shuize glanced Huang Tian up and down, then sneered, "You think you look good?"
"You!!"
Huang Tian's face darkened. As the young master of the Phoenix Clan, he was used to being treated with reverence. No one had ever dared to speak to him like this.
But considering Bai Shuize's power and background, Huang Tian suppressed his anger. The other was equal to, if not stronger than, him in all aspects.
"Heh, feeling offended?"
Bai Shuize mocked, "You want respect? You need to earn it first. Do you have what it takes?"
"I heard that the Xiao family's divine maiden once played the flute for you. I suspect she wasn't playing a tune but... picking her teeth."
Boom!
It was like a volcano erupted inside Huang Tian. Overwhelmed by rage, he lost his composure and roared, "You've gone too far!!"
A scarlet flame burst from his body, forming a massive pillar of fire that shot into the sky like an upside-down waterfall.
"You think you can talk about arrogance? Are you even worthy?"
Bai Shuize scoffed, raising a finger toward Huang Tian. Instantly, behind him appeared the massive forms of nine azure dragons, nine white tigers, nine vermilion birds, and nine black tortoises. All of them roared as they surged toward Huang Tian, blotting out the sky.
"Phoenix Soars!"
Huang Tian shouted, and the flame pillar erupted into a huge phoenix. Its wings spread wide like clouds hanging from the heavens, unleashing a vast, ancient power.
But the thirty-six divine beasts surged forward like bullets, tearing through the massive phoenix and obliterating it instantly.
Boom!
A single thunderous sound echoed as the shattered remains of the phoenix fell backward, dissolving into nothingness.
"This is impossible!!"
Huang Tian shrieked in disbelief, bloodshot eyes filled with despair.
As the Phoenix Clan's young master, he had always regarded himself as a peerless prodigy. But today, he had been defeated in a single move, shattering his pride.
"A ridiculous clown."
Bai Shuize sneered.
"No one can humiliate me! Die!!" Huang Tian's eyes flashed with murderous intent. A golden feather shot from his forehead like an arrow, aimed straight at Bai Shuize.
Whoosh!
The feather rapidly expanded, filling the sky as it released endless flames, turning the sky into a blazing inferno.
The entire plaza felt like a furnace, the heat capable of melting anything.
Clearly, this feather belonged to an ancient elder of the Phoenix Clan, containing unimaginable power, meant to slay Bai Shuize.
Hum!
Just then, the space behind Bai Shuize twisted, and an enormous, indistinct figure appeared. It was so massive that its full form couldn't be seen, ancient, dignified, and unfathomably powerful.
"Begone!"
A voice like thunder boomed out, and the phoenix feather exploded instantly, its flames vanishing into thin air.
"You're courting death!"
A bloodthirsty gleam flashed in Bai Shuize's eyes as he appeared ten meters in front of Huang Tian, a massive black dragon head emerging from his back. Its long neck shot forward, swallowing Huang Tian whole in one bite.
"Aaah!!"
Huang Tian's agonizing scream echoed briefly, then fell silent.
A once-vaunted prodigy, now dead in an utterly humiliating manner.