Chapter 15 Plundering Lin Chen's Protagonist Fate
"You are unworthy of my sister."
Lin Chen's face darkened. Though Gu Qing had accepted the duel, he had refused the wager. That made Lin Chen feel as if he were choking on blood.
Gu Qing was the only one he had ever met who did not follow his script.
As Gu Qing strolled forward, his blood energy surged like a blazing furnace, his aura terrifying.
Lin Chen roared, merging man and sword into one. His entire being became like a sharp blade, thrusting straight at Gu Qing.
[System Note: Detected Lin Chen's deep malice toward the host. Attempting to plunder host's fate. Super Counter-Armor activated. Lin Chen loses 1000 fate.]
Clang!
Gu Qing casually swept his halberd, sending Lin Chen flying, sword and all.
"Pu!"
A terrifying force tore open the flesh of Lin Chen's palm and shook his organs.
"Impossible!"
Lin Chen was horrified. His 100,000 jin of divine strength, combined with the gate-sized giant sword, should have been enough to smash aside even a Qi Condensation cultivator.
Yet he was so effortlessly struck away.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
They all knew how fearsome Lin Chen's giant-sword technique was. One touch meant disaster, brute strength that shattered all techniques.
That was why none of them could ever resist him.
But Gu Qing had just casually blown him away.
What level of power did Gu Qing possess?
Wasn't his strength supposed to be only 50,000 jin?
Crash!
Lin Zhantian crushed his teacup in fury. His aura erupted, his gaze locked on Gu Qing like a blade.
It was pressure—and a warning.
"Do you mean to interfere in the battles of the younger generation?"
The Great Elder stepped forward without fear, smiling as he blocked him.
Inside, he was ecstatic. He had worried Gu Qing was no match, ready to break rules to intervene if needed.
But now, Gu Qing had hidden himself so deeply—what a pleasant surprise.
"How could this be?"
Having his own words turned back on him, Lin Zhantian's face burned.
He turned to Lin Chen and said, "Chen'er, you are not his match. Losing to someone a whole major realm above you is no shame. Admit defeat."
"Admit defeat?"
The words jolted Lin Chen awake, but instead of surrender, battle flames ignited in his eyes.
Admit defeat? That was impossible. Such words did not exist in his dictionary.
So what if Gu Qing was stronger? He could still win.
Snatching up his giant sword, Lin Chen burned his blood essence, his aura exploding forth with the domineering presence of a Long Aotian.
With a roar, he charged again.
Clang!
Unsurprisingly, he flew out just as fast as he had rushed in.
"I cannot lose!"
Lin Chen burned his blood essence again, this time multiplying his strength fivefold. Surely this would be enough!
Clang!
"Pu!"
He spewed blood, his body flung aside like a broken sack.
"Damn it! No matter how strong you are, today I will defeat you!"
[System Note: Detected Lin Chen's deep malice toward the host. Attempting to plunder host's fate. Super Counter-Armor activated. Lin Chen loses 1000 fate.]
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
"…"
The spectators exchanged looks, baffled.
He knew he wasn't an opponent, yet he kept charging and screaming.
What was this? Did he think his strength came from yelling?
"Pu!"
Once again Lin Chen was swept aside. This time, he finally had to face the truth—Gu Qing's power was beyond his imagination. He could not win.
And yet…
He had not lost.
Not yet.
He still had one last trump card.
"Gu Qing, don't be arrogant. I still have a trump card. Today you will lose!"
Wiping the blood from his lips, his eyes gleamed with the hunger of a wolf.
With a surge, he activated the Flood Dragon Armor. A spectral dragon coiled around him, lifting him up.
Gripping his giant sword, Lin Chen's aura blazed with renewed confidence.
"Gu Qing, today I will defeat you."
"So you finally dare to use the Flood Dragon Armor?"
Gu Qing moved like a dragon, halberd raised high, its edge glowing crimson.
As the weapon came down, Lin Chen suddenly felt it was inevitable, flawless, impossible to evade.
Clang!
Boom!
Lin Chen fell to his knees, veins bulging on his forehead, blood streaming from his torn palms as he struggled to hold back the halberd.
"How… how are you this strong?"
Despair flickered in his eyes. Even after revealing his trump card, he was still no match.
His so-called grand duel had become nothing more than a joke.
"No… I have not lost yet!"
Eyes bloodshot, Lin Chen roared like a wounded beast.
He thought of his so-called master.
If He Ni would help him, Gu Qing could be slain in one stroke.
"Master, come out and aid me! Today I must defeat Gu Qing!" he howled inwardly.
He Ni: "…"
If you want to defeat Gu Qing, why call me?
"Master! Master! Master!"
Lin Chen screamed within, frantic.
When she never answered, resentment stirred in his heart.
He was humiliated, and she still refused to help. And he had even regarded her as his master!
[System Note: Detected Lin Chen's deep malice toward the host. Attempting to plunder host's fate. Super Counter-Armor activated. Lin Chen loses 1000 fate.]
[System Note: Detected Lin Chen's deep malice toward the host. Attempting to plunder host's fate. Super Counter-Armor activated. Lin Chen loses 1000 fate.]
[System Note: Detected Lin Chen's deep malice toward the host. Attempting to plunder host's fate. Super Counter-Armor activated. Lin Chen loses 1000 fate.]
Gu Qing, hearing the system notifications, was secretly delighted.
Defeating Lin Chen once had earned him 1000 fate.
Now, suppressing him continuously, he could plunder 1000 fate every few seconds.
The influx of fate was intoxicating.
Lin Chen was simply unlucky—his devouring protagonist fate was too domineering, endlessly attempting to steal Gu Qing's fate.
If it had been another protagonist without that fate, Gu Qing would never have been able to plunder theirs.
"Enough! Stop!"
Lin Zhantian could no longer remain still. Murderous intent filled his eyes as he glared at Gu Qing.
With only his blood and qi, Gu Qing had suppressed Lin Chen despite the Flood Dragon Armor's activation. His strength far exceeded anyone's imagination.
Even the onlookers were left stunned.
"That armor… isn't that a supreme spirit-grade artifact with an artifact spirit?"
"Yes, it is."
"But Gu Qing crushed it with just his blood and qi? That's on par with suppressing a Divine Sea Realm cultivator!"
"How can a human body possess such terrifying power? Not even a young divine beast could match this."
"It feels like I'm dreaming…"
Gu Qing's raw vitality had gone beyond their understanding.
The Lin family elders, equally shaken, turned their thoughts to the Great Elder. "Great Elder, what's happening with Lin Chen's armor and Gu Qing's cultivation?"
"I do not know either. We will discuss this later," he replied, baffled himself.
Lin Chuqing's eyes sparkled with joy. "Ah Qing is incredible. His blood and qi are even stronger than mine. How does he do it?"
Her gaze then fell on Lin Chen, crushed to his knees beneath Gu Qing's halberd. "Chen is far too arrogant and unbridled. Perhaps being subdued will temper his pride. If he does not change, sooner or later he will court death."
"Gu Qing, stop!"
Lin Zhantian roared, his aura surging like an enraged lion.
But Gu Qing ignored him entirely. With such an opportunity before him, how could he stop without draining Lin Chen of every drop of fate?
He had no intention of sparing Lin Chen for later.
Once he was finished, he would turn to Lin Zhantian. To scheme against him meant paying the price.
[System Note: Ding! Host has plundered all of Lin Chen's fate. Beginning plunder of Lin Chen's protagonist destiny…]
[System Note: Success! Host has gained one lottery draw. Use it now?]
"Not yet."
Gu Qing withdrew his halberd and his eyes fell on Lin Chen's massive door-board sword. With a gesture, he claimed it into his storage bag.
A surge of intuition told him the sword was no ordinary scrap—it was a treasure.
"Pu!"
Lin Chen spat blood, his spirit crumbling, a wave of helpless terror rising within him. Something vital had been torn from him.
When he saw Gu Qing seize his giant sword, he staggered up in a panic.
"What are you doing? Return it to me!"
Though it appeared crude and lifeless, incapable of channeling qi, He Ni had told him it was a complete fragment of Reincarnation Iron Mother—suitable for forging a divine artifact.
Divine artifacts were the mightiest weapons of the Ancient Realm. A single wisp of their aura could shatter mountains and rivers. That was how priceless the sword was.
Bang!
Gu Qing kicked him aside and, in the tone of an elder brother-in-law, scolded, "You have grown far too reckless, endangering the Lin family. Sooner or later you will drag the clan into ruin. This weapon, I will hold onto it. When you change your ways, I may return it."
"Pu!"
"You…"
Lin Chen understood perfectly—Gu Qing meant to rob him outright. Blood spewed from his lips and he collapsed unconscious.
"Patriarch, take him away," Gu Qing said flatly.
He did not bother to hide his disdain. He had never liked Lin Chen—and why should he? The boy never stopped courting death in front of him.
"You… return his weapon at once."
Lin Zhantian's aura flared, voice cold as ice.
But Gu Qing sneered. "Rather than worry about trifles, perhaps you should worry about the Lin family itself. With you and your son, it has been pushed into the fire."
"Insolent! Are you accusing me?"
Lin Zhantian's face darkened. Truth cut deepest. The fact that Gu Qing spoke it aloud only made his fury worse.
For the first time, true killing intent rose in him. Once, he had held back for Lin Chuqing's sake. But now Gu Qing's threat to their father-son dominance was too great.
"It was merely the truth. Or will you deny what the entire city already knows?"
The elders stepped forward one after another.
"Yes! Lin Zhantian, you and your son are the scourge of this clan!"
"Our downfall is because of your indulgence. You are the greatest sinner of the Lin family!"
"Silence!"
Lin Zhantian erupted, the full force of his Divine Sea Realm ninth-level cultivation breaking free.
The elders froze, their eyes wide with shock.
"Ninth-level Divine Sea Realm?"
"You vile man! How many resources have you stolen from the Lin family to reach this realm?"
"And why did you hide it? Where did Lin Chen's armor come from?"
"What are you plotting?"
His hoarded strength, his secret treasures—it was all exposed. The elders seethed, rage boiling hotter.
"You fools!" Lin Zhantian cursed. He had only meant to cow them with power, but instead he had made matters worse.
But saving Lin Chen came first.
He swept his son into his arms and vanished.
Gu Qing's eyes glinted coldly. To posture before him and then flee? How could it be so easy?
Yet he let them go—for now. He left the arena with Lin Chuqing at his side, soaring into the sky.
"Sister Chuqing, do you know why Lin Chen is so desperate to break our engagement?"
"I… don't know," she answered quietly, though deep down she had a guess—that Lin Zhantian simply wanted her free to care for Lin Chen. Such things were better left unspoken.
"It's because Lin Chen desires you. You are not truly siblings."
"What?"
The words struck her like lightning. Could such a thing, against all morals, be true?
"You don't believe me? Then let's ask him directly. I will make sure he admits it."
If he was to sever her bond with that father and son, she needed to see their vileness for herself.
"And do you know why Lin Zhantian indulges Lin Chen's recklessness? Because they are selfish to the bone. They care nothing for the Lin family. They only seek to wring out all they can, then leave for a wider world."
Perhaps Gu Qing could not know their exact thoughts, but their actions spoke clearly enough.
And as for Lin Chuqing—Gu Qing knew her better than anyone. Since childhood they had been inseparable.
If she acknowledged Lin Zhantian as father, it was only as a debt of nurture. For years, she had received no more than the same clan resources as anyone else, while Lin Chen alone hoarded all treasures.
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