The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 259 I'm afraid you won't dare to do it later (3k)

Only when the young man's arm tensed slightly, as if he was about to strike, did the old man finally speak without raising his head, his voice flat and emotionless:

"The sword at the bottom of the river is still here; it's not wise to commit murder."

Upon hearing this, the young man's lips curled up slightly as he said:

"Uncle-Master, rest assured, I am merely teaching this arrogant mortal a lesson so he knows he can't speak recklessly. I will not let his head be smashed and defile this place."

Upon hearing this, the old man stopped objecting, clearly acquiescing to his actions.

Seeing this, the young man suddenly increased the pressure on his fingertips. The pebbles in his palm instantly transformed into a gray blur, shooting out like a powerful crossbow bolt, even carrying a sharp whistling sound as it hurtled straight towards Wang Chengye's face.

The speed at which the stones broke apart was several times faster than that of a crossbow bolt!
Everyone heard a sharp, piercing sound suddenly explode, but it was too late to react. The pebble, like a gray shadow, hurtled straight towards Wang Chengye's face!
Just as the young cultivator said, this attack was not intended to take Wang Chengye's life, but it was even more ruthless than killing him.

The trajectory of the pebble was clearly aimed at Wang Chengye's left ear. Judging from the momentum, if it really hit, his ear would definitely be torn apart and blood would flow all over his face!
At this critical moment, a figure moved slightly, and Du Yuan's hand suddenly rose, firmly grasping the stone in her palm!

Only when the rubble was caught did the belated, sharp, piercing sound finally reach everyone's ears.

Even now, many people were still in a daze, and even Wang Chengye himself was still confused, staring blankly at Du Yuan's outstretched hand, his tone bewildered: "Young Master, what is this?"

Before she could finish speaking, Du Yuan slowly opened her palm, and a pebble lay quietly inside.

The moment Wang Chengye saw the rubble, his expression changed drastically. He was shocked and furious as he realized that he had only casually rebuked the other party for being rude, yet he had been met with such a ruthless retaliation!

"I only said he was rude, and he actually attacked me so viciously?" Wang Chengye's voice trembled slightly, filled with disbelief.

Even between them and the emperor, it wouldn't be like this!

"The previous disrespect and rudeness can be overlooked; but this deliberate attempt to harm someone cannot be easily let go!"

Du Yuan's voice suddenly turned cold, her posture straightened slightly, and she shouted loudly towards the stone platform on the opposite bank:

"Your actions are far too ruthless; you should apologize immediately!"

The people on the stone platform reacted differently to this:
The old man kept his eyes downcast, his gaze fixed on the bottom of the river, as if he hadn't heard anything and hadn't even lifted his eyelids.

The middle-aged woman looked at Du Yuan with a hint of pity and helplessness in her eyes, and gently shook her head.

The other three young men and women made no attempt to hide their contempt and immediately burst into laughter.

"Ha, does this guy really think he can put on airs in front of us just because he has some cultivation?"

"He must have read too many classic texts and his brain has become rigid. Does he really think the world can still be governed by his set of 'propriety'?"

"It must be some country bumpkin who's never seen anything like it."

As the snicker subsided, the young cultivator who had thrown the stone earlier leisurely dusted off his sleeves, took a step forward, and said with a mocking smile:

"What if I say no?"

Du Yuan's expression remained solemn:

"Although you acted ruthlessly, you ultimately did not actually harm anyone. If you apologize now, this matter will naturally be forgiven. You and I may freely examine each other here."

He paused, his gaze darkening slightly, and looked directly at the cultivator on the opposite bank, saying each word clearly:

"But I must remind you—if you continue to be stubborn and refuse to admit your mistakes, then don't blame me for being ruthless! Also, you'd better not think that I'm just talking big!"

These words only made the other party laugh even more.

The man even made a laughing face, mocking for a long time before finally turning cold and saying:

"Kid, let me give you a piece of advice: cultivation is not easy, don't court death!"

At this point, Du Yuan actually laughed. She casually tossed a pebble in her hand and then said:
"Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The man found it increasingly amusing:

"Come on, I'll stand right here! I won't flinch! I want to see how hard you can go!"

'You little brat, putting on such a show, don't blame me then!'

Du Yuan smiled slightly, said nothing more, and gently placed the pebble on her friend's mountain seal beside her, her fingertips lightly touching the four characters "敕镇坤舆" on it.

Almost at the same moment, in that nameless temple far away in Qingzhou, the white jade bodhi that had been floating in mid-air and being gently played with by people's fingertips suddenly lost its strength and fell down, coming to a steady stop on the cold offering table.

Immediately afterwards, a pebble exactly the same as the one in Du Yuan's hand appeared out of thin air. As Du Yuan raised his hand, it was thrown towards the stone platform on the opposite bank along with the pebble in his palm!
The two threw the same piece of gravel that had been used to injure people, but its speed was completely different from the cultivator's attack.

When the cultivator threw the stone, it had already reached him before the sound of it cutting through the air came too late, so fast that no one had time to react.

This time, however, the pebble that Du Yuan and her friend sent out wasn't particularly fast; in fact, the constables and commoners at Guanshui Tower could clearly see the faint trail it traced through the air. Watching the pebble slowly drift forward, everyone couldn't help but mutter to themselves:
Such a weak force probably wouldn't even reach the center of the Lan River, let alone hurt the people on the other side. This doesn't seem like "hitting hard," it's more like tossing pebbles around!

But the cultivator on the opposite bank felt a sudden jolt of unease the moment he saw the broken stone, an indescribable sense of unease washing over him.

Although the stone was moving slowly, it exuded a sense of oppression that made his soul tremble, and his body almost instinctively wanted to dodge to the side!

But he immediately realized that he had just declared that he would "never dodge" the attack. If he did dodge it now, losing face in front of his fellow disciples would be a small matter, but losing the favor of his two senior uncles would be a much bigger one!

He gritted his teeth, suppressing the unease in his heart, and used the same trick again. With a flick of his finger, another piece of stone flew out from his palm.

With a sharp whooshing sound, it crashed straight into the stone thrown by Du Yuan, clearly intending to scatter it and save face.

Even though the pebble was faster, it shattered the moment it collided with the stone, just like an egg hitting a rock.

Seeing that the pebble was still coming at them with undiminished force, not only the man, but even the people behind him gradually stopped being so dismissive and became more serious.

The man swallowed hard for a moment, then unleashed his magic weapon—a longbow stained with an indescribable blood color!

The moment the bow was drawn and the string pulled back, the arrow tore through the air as it left the bowstring, followed by a blinding flash of light that terrified the people on the opposite bank, who scattered and fled in panic.

But the result remained unchanged! The Heavenly Heart Demon-Slaying Arrow, which he had painstakingly obtained from the sect's treasury, shattered into dust upon contact with the pebbles, just like the previous broken stones!

At this point, the man with a female appearance immediately stepped forward to help, so as to prevent his fellow disciples from being defeated and the sect from being disgraced.

But he had only taken half an inch when his wrist was suddenly tightened. His master, the middle-aged woman, had reached out and grabbed him, her voice cold and sharp:
"Back off! You can't handle this!"

At this point, the three young men felt their hair stand on end and looked at the man standing on the opposite bank with great shock and anger—they had actually misjudged him!

The middle-aged woman took off two pairs of bracelets from her wrists and threw them at the pebble.

Finally, he said:
"Since you're bullying the weak, don't blame me for intervening. Let's see the treasure!"

Du Yuan didn't answer, but just smiled and watched with her hands behind her back.

The bracelet was even faster, carrying immense power, and collided with the pebble in the blink of an eye.

As the bracelet swept across the river, the water surged violently due to the overflowing magical power, and waves crashed against the riverbank incessantly.

Such miraculous skills caused the people to gasp in amazement, but they couldn't help but secretly worry for Du Yuan—the young master must not lose!
Fortunately, although the bracelet came at you fiercely, it was also destined to break at the slightest touch.

Even the middle-aged woman who had propelled this attack was in disbelief when she suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood and essence, her face pale as she staggered backward.

"This person's cultivation level is far above mine!"

She was utterly terrified. Otherwise, there would have been no way she could have ended up in such a sorry state after just one encounter.

Only then did the old man, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly come to his senses and look at Du Yuan on the opposite bank.

He snorted coldly, and with a sudden stomp of his foot, he actually stepped into the air and swept towards the center of the river.

When the foot landed, it carved a deep, bottomless footprint into the river. The river water surged back up the embankment, then suddenly receded, creating a terrifying spectacle.

Although the old man walked towards the pebbles, he ignored them, his eyes fixed intently on Du Yuan.
"Does Your Excellency dare to fight me?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan smiled and said:
"Of course I can do it, but I'm afraid you might not dare to do it right away!"

"Heh, what kind of skill is it to just talk tough? Between us, we'll see who's the real deal when it comes to fighting!"

Having said that, he suddenly slammed his palm down on the stone that was near him, determined to shatter it with a single blow and establish his own power.

Unexpectedly, the moment his palm touched the old man, who had just been solemn, he was instantly horrified.

Because at that moment, he felt as if he had struck not a pebble, but the entire universe with his palm!
"what?"

First came the old man's cry of alarm, followed by the sound of flesh being pierced through.

The imposing old man, like the woman, turned pale and retreated.

The only difference was that the woman only broke her magic weapon, while his palm was completely pierced by that pebble.

Holding his hand, which was covered in blood and flesh, the old man looked at Du Yuan opposite him in disbelief.

The man finally couldn't withstand the immense pressure, let out a wail, and tried to flee.

Strangely enough, the pebble, which was still some distance away, arrived in an instant. It tore off his left ear and then smashed the stone platform beneath their feet.

(End of this chapter)