Qing Han’s words gave everyone pause. Defeat him for the right to challenge Lu Yun? Who didn’t know that in Life Province, and Xiankan in particular, Qing Han was the foremost young master to avoid!

While the young master himself didn’t like stirring up trouble and rarely made waves, he was an absolute nightmare when bullied. Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi were two demons who wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone foolish enough to provoke this young master.

Though Qing Han’s cultivation level in the spirit realm was itself an outstanding feat, no one ever took note of it. All they could see was him “throwing his weight around” under the protection of his two elder brothers. Over time, Life Province associated him with ‘good for nothing’, ‘silver spoon’, and ‘plague lord’.

“Qing Han, have you lost your mind?” the true immortal snorted coldly. “Who doesn’t know that you’re the number one hornet’s nest in Nephrite Major? Fight you? If someone really beats you, the two demons behind you will tear them to pieces!

“Hehehe, this so-called number one youth sovereign has quite a few tricks up his sleeve, huh! Hiding behind someone who’s off-limits? In the end, he’s nothing but just a wimp afraid of facing us!”

Qing Han resheathed his sword and placed his hands behind his back. Striking a stance in midair, he surveyed the cultivators and immortals crowding the area. There were about five hundred would-be challengers.

“A youth sovereign is dauntless and indomitable. He forges onward, no matter the dangers,” he murmured. “In Dusk Province, Lu Yun slew a peerless immortal and faced down a dao immortal. He reigned undefeated, overpowering half of the geniuses in the immortal world. Was cowardice ever to be found in him?

“And what of you people? Cowards who don’t even have the courage to fight trash like me. Yet you still dare challenge him? How delusional. You’re out of your minds!” Mockery curved Qing Han’s lips.

“Whatever, talk as much as you want, but it all comes down to him being afraid to fight.” The immortal smirked coolly. “I hear that Lu Yun’s relationship with the Dusk restriction is unclear. Killing a peerless immortal, fighting a dao immortal? Who knows if he’s the one who did it, or that so-called restriction?

“I hardly think that a mere spirit realm cultivator can defeat a peerless immortal! Prove it through accepting my challenge!”

Boom.

The energies of an immortal blossomed from his figure the moment his voice fell, accompanied by the unbridled power of an immortal-level aura. “Come out and fight!”

Qing Han narrowed his eyes as a misty purple glow flared from his hand. Ready to step forward and fight in Lu Yun’s name, the governor’s voice rang out leisurely, “Fine. It seems a fight is unavoidable.”

Many grinned with delight at these words. They weren’t genuinely interested in fighting the governor. All they wanted was to force him out of the fortress ship!

As long as he did so, there would be people enough to deal with him. This was Life Province, after all, a place where any immortal could unleash their true powers without worry.

However, the governor’s ship’s defenses were simply too powerful. Innumerable ninth-rank treasures were mounted on board. Even a dao immortal would need to invest enormous time and effort to breach the vessel’s defenses.

It was impossible to quickly kill Lu Yun this way; Nephrite Major’s powerhouses would arrive in the interim, thereby ruining their plan. Therefore… they’d come not to challenge Lu Yun, but to lure him out of the fortress ship!

This was a scheme solely intended to kill the governor. If Lu Yun were to refuse, a mountain would soon grow out of a molehill. Purposefully disseminated rumors would spread throughout the world, staining Lu Yun’s reputation. That would also provide enough of an excuse so that certain persons could use it as a pretext to force his resignation.

Of course, if he were reckless enough to leave the ship or allow the challengers inside, then his death was all but assured. Whatever he chose, the plot was simply infallible.

“However—” Lu Yun suddenly added, “—just like Qing Han says, the line of people who want to challenge me can run all the way from Dusk City to Xiankan. I’d die from sheer exhaustion if I fought you all one by one.”

The true immortal was about to jeer, but Lu Yun forestalled the man. “Therefore, you have to first earn the right to meet me in battle. Hm, you lot are pretty spineless and chicken-hearted to the point of fearing that Qing Han might accidentally kill or cripple you. How about this, I have an elderly golden core servant. If you can defeat him, I’ll come out and fight you.”

Humiliation and anger roiled in the crowd. Scared of Qing Han? Afraid that he’d kill or cripple them? What the hell was this fool talking about?! They were just unwilling to provoke Qing Han’s two fiendish backers!

His next words inflamed them to new heights and installed an itch to tear the governor apart with their bare hands. Almost all of those present were spirit realm cultivators. Perhaps they weren’t the greatest of geniuses, but they were certainly far from mediocre. Dispatching a golden core servant against them? That was humiliation, pure and simple!

Lu Yun was obviously purposefully shaming them. But what could they say? As long as they could lure him down from the ship, they could force themselves to endure anything.

“Fine!” the true immortal shouted through gritted teeth. “Have your old servant come down and fight me!” Intense humiliation flashed in his eyes, but for the sake of his clan’s grand plan, he would swallow his fury. First, kill the golden core slave, then lure down Lu Yun.

“Tsk tsk, just look at you. You’re scared of a spirit realm cultivator like Qing Han, but you’re full of swagger against my golden core servant… I wonder what kind of clan you grew up in,” Lu Yun’s voice echoed mockingly once again.

Resisting the urge to puke blood, the true immortal snarled like a wild beast. Meanwhile, Qing Han squinted in an attempt not to laugh. A golden core servant? He clearly remembered when said servant’s head beat back the Feng peak august immortal!

On the fortress ship, Ge Long pitifully handed over the spirit key to Lu Yun, shook his blue robes, adjusted the steward’s cap on his head, and stepped off the ship.

“It really is an old servant at the golden core realm!” Many cultivators below inhaled sharply when they saw Ge Long. “Is Lu Yun just trying to humiliate us?”

They’d thought Lu Yun was just exaggerating for effect. Surely, he’d send a spirit realm cultivator, at least, or even an immortal. But there was no mistaking it. The servant was indeed only at the golden core realm!

“Die!!” Fury bubbled to the surface when the true immortal spotted Ge Long. Sword light flashed from his hand and slashed at the ‘ant’s’ neck in a swift and decisive strike, not even giving him a chance to react.

Pff—

Ge Long’s head ejected high into the air. Blood geysered from his neck as his head dropped heavily on the ground, followed by the rest of his corpse.

“Lu Yun, come out and fight!!” The true immortal’s black hair floated proudly in the breeze, his immortal sword growing increasingly brighter. Here and now, he had but one desire: to kill Lu Yun with his own hands.

“You there, what are you talking about? You haven’t even beaten this steward yet, but you’re thinking of challenging His Excellency?” a voice suddenly came from the ground.

Unbidden, eyes swiveled in that direction. To general stupefaction, the old servant who had been decapitated stood back up, the headless corpse juggling his head back and forth.

“Shameless junior, how dare you attack this steward by surprise…. Eat this, Flying Head Technique!” Under dumbstruck stares, the golden core servant threw his head at the true immortal.

Bang!

The head smashed viciously into the immortal’s face, right smack in the middle. The man screamed in pain and fell down from the sky.