Chapter Sixteen: A Bit Lacking in Poise

“Wait a moment, the villain Cao is still outside…” Damn it, in the chaos of escaping, I forgot to warn Cao He—he must still be on the first floor, manning the mechanisms. “No, no, I can’t abandon a loyal follower who’s been with me for over twenty years. My conscience wouldn’t allow it…” With this thought, Ye Qiu turned back, reopened the door, and returned to the tavern.

Originally, Ye Qiu intended to quietly whisk Cao He away without being noticed, but he barely stepped out of the underground palace before he was blocked. “Senior, you’ve finally returned! Where did you go just now? I knew it—how could you possibly abandon us?” Yang Xuan smirked, his face full of slyness.

Ye Qiu felt an urge to land a punch right on that face—the guy was infuriating just to look at. Clearing his throat, Ye Qiu feigned composure and asked, “What are you all doing here?” As if he’d admit that he’d just been trembling in fear, hiding in the underground palace. No way—he had his pride! He wasn’t some coward who ran at the first sign of danger. He absolutely couldn’t let them know he’d just been fleeing for his life, or his reputation would be ruined beyond repair. For someone navigating the martial world, Ye Qiu still needed a bit of face.

“Oh, it’s like this, Senior! After those four beasts appeared, a horde of people gathered in the wastelands, converging here. Looks like they’re fighting over something, and the struggle is fierce. But the real powerhouses are those four monstrous beasts… The battle’s escalating, and we wanted to consult you on what to do next,” Yang Xuan explained.

“Oh?” Ye Qiu was taken aback, then walked over to the counter, where Cao He looked up and said, “Keeper! The whole place is in chaos, with countless factions embroiled in battle. It won’t be long before our tavern gets caught up in it too…”

Through the mirror, Ye Qiu caught a glimpse of the commotion outside. Good heavens—by rough estimate, over a dozen major clans were involved. And this was just one battlefield in the wasteland; elsewhere, more conflicts were brewing.

“Activate the emergency plan—prepare to face any enemy at a moment’s notice…” Ye Qiu didn’t have time to dwell on it. Only now did he remember that besides the visible mechanisms, the tavern had a host of hidden ones as well. At such a critical juncture, there was no retreat; he had to gamble everything.

The beasts closest to the tavern were the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow and the Suan Ni, surrounded by several powerful figures from the sacred grounds. Yet they weren't fighting; they merely watched, hoping to profit when the dust settled.

Cao He hesitated not a moment, pressing the lowest emergency button. “It’s done!” No sooner had he spoken than a bolt of lightning descended, striking with thunderous speed.

“Damn! Run!” The crowd panicked, scrambling in confusion. Everyone knew—this was the Suan Ni’s lightning, more terrifying than Ye Tongtian’s full-force attack.

Even Ye Qiu was flustered. He was about to flee, but suddenly recalled something and hurriedly pulled the lever in front of him.

From the roof of the tavern, a metal rod slowly extended, meeting the lightning head-on.

“What is that?” “Wait… judging by its appearance, it seems to be a treasure of the immortal grade, but… this is the Suan Ni’s lightning! Even immortal artifacts shouldn’t be able to withstand it, right?”

The crowd was astounded. Before their eyes, the lightning struck the iron rod—and then, amazingly, was completely swallowed up. Not a trace remained; it vanished silently.

“Damn, what kind of contraption is this? It can block the Suan Ni’s lightning, and with such ease?” Everyone was dumbfounded. Even if it managed to block the attack, one would expect at least some noise.

“Senior, do you recall the legend? At the dawn of the ancient era, there existed many miraculous treasures, including one immortal artifact capable of devouring anything—even the divine thunder from the nine heavens…” “Hmm? I think there was such a record, but wasn’t that kind of artifact lost ages ago?” Yang Xuan and Fu Yao exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with awe. They never imagined Ye Qiu possessed treasures that far exceeded their expectations.

Watching the lightning disappear, Ye Qiu let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. He said, “Heh, the ancients didn’t lie—master mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and you’ll fear nothing across the heavens. It’s true, after all. No matter whether it’s divine thunder or heavenly lightning—if it’s electricity, it’s under my lightning rod’s control.”

That’s right—the rod atop the tavern was a lightning rod, not some miraculous artifact. Ye Qiu had simply tinkered with it when bored.

Ye Qiu never expected that the lightning rod would work in this world. Well… sorry, but this act, I must pull off. With this move, Ye Qiu’s reputation grew even more impressive in the eyes of the crowd.

“Senior is truly remarkable—so effortlessly dissolving the Suan Ni’s attack. Incredible!” “Indeed, Senior’s mastery is unfathomable, beyond measure…” Amidst the flattery, Ye Qiu felt light as air, thoroughly pleased.

Yes, it’s me—it’s me! By now, Ye Qiu had mastered the art of posturing. When the chance arose, it had to be seized, never wasted.

“Whoa, Senior, how did you do it? Can you explain it to us?” The number one Ye fan in the wasteland, Yang Xuan, pressed anxiously.

Ye Qiu glanced at him, then replied with perfect solemnity, “It’s just a matter of having hands, isn’t it?”

Damn, is this how you show off? Just a matter of having hands? So I don’t have hands, then? No, I’m practically limbless below the neck!

Too much—he’s showing off so perfectly, yet there’s no way to refute him! Absolutely masterful.

“Heh, not bad, not bad—that’s a top-tier boast. So unexpected, so effective! Yes, yes, I’ll use this line from now on—whenever I meet someone, I’ll say ‘just a matter of having hands’…” Yang Xuan rejoiced inwardly, having snagged a new routine for showing off. Too delightful!

“Everyone, don’t panic—standard procedure, don’t overdo it. Watch and learn…” Ye Qiu waved his hand, adopting the manner of a lofty expert, his white robes fluttering handsomely. At first glance, he truly looked like an immortal.

“Wow, the Keeper’s act is flawless! If I hadn’t followed him all these years, even I’d believe it! When did he become so good at showing off? No, I must learn this skill myself—when I’m out in the world, I want to show off too…” Cao He felt as though he’d opened the gates to a new world, discovering for the first time that there was something more joyful than marrying a wife—showing off. This had suddenly become his life’s most important goal, making even marriage seem pale in comparison.

Ye Qiu paid no mind to their thoughts. He was having the time of his life.

Though this first act of showing off didn’t quite match the proper aura, it hardly mattered… The tavern’s emergency plan was activated, a blade of energy encircled the building, impervious to the raging fire outside.

Clearly, the commotion had drawn a crowd. Many people flew over to investigate.

“How strange—there’s a tavern here? And it’s completely unaffected by this inferno…” “Patriarch, look—is that giant sword atop the tavern an immortal sword?” “Hmm?” Upon hearing this, Wang Yuan furrowed his brows, his eyes gleaming with greed.

These people had fought desperately for a month without gaining a single immortal artifact, yet here one was—no, not just one.

“Heavens, fortune favors the Wang clan! So many immortal swords here—quick, before anyone else notices, seize them all!” Wang Yuan exclaimed excitedly, not stopping to wonder why so many immortal swords would appear here. Greed clouded his mind, and he cared for nothing else.

As a supreme-level old monster, he looked down on everyone. Even if there were experts inside the tavern, he believed they wouldn’t surpass him by much.

In an instant, the Wang clan’s forces swarmed through the flames, ascending above the tavern.

Bang…

Just as Wang Yuan tried to take a sword, he was blasted away by a blade of energy. “Danger! Fall back—there’s a sword formation below!” Wang Yuan was shocked, staring at the bloody wound on his left arm, his heart racing with fear.

“Damn it, the tavern’s roof hides a terrifying sword formation. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I would have been torn to pieces…” Only now did Wang Yuan emerge from his haze of desire, waking up to reality.

“Patriarch, this sword formation is too formidable—we can’t break through…” Wang Ping spoke in terror. That single assault had cost them over ten men. The formation was truly dreadful.

“Don’t act rashly—something’s wrong with this tavern!” Wang Yuan dared not step forward again. Just then… a chilling cry rang out.

“Heavens, isn’t that the corpse of the Nether Sect’s leader, Ye Tongtian? How did he die here…” “It really is him! The whole Nether Sect—thousands strong—all dead here?”

The crowd erupted. Even Wang Yuan’s face turned pale with shock and dismay. Remembering how he’d been blinded by greed moments ago, he shuddered inside.

“Ye Tongtian is dead! Something’s wrong with this tavern. Thank goodness we didn’t get closer, or—even I might not have escaped alive…” Wang Yuan was stunned. Ye Tongtian’s strength was comparable to his own, and with the Nether Sect wiped out, he couldn’t believe there weren’t powerful figures inside.

“How strange—whose grounds are these? Could it be a hidden master?” Wang Yuan speculated, convinced this was highly likely.

He knew most of the prominent figures in the wasteland, and none matched this description. Therefore… it had to be a hidden expert.