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

Chapter 305 Reprimand (5k)

Surrounded from all sides, this place was a special little world they had created.

With so many cultivators and such a grand display, it's clear that they've given Du Yuan every ounce of respect they can muster in order to intercept her.

Unfortunately, he was ultimately a bit too arrogant.

Du Yuan almost burst out laughing, especially when she saw the mountain and river they pulled out.

Why bring out these things when there are no better options to deal with him?

Even setting aside the natural scenery, their biggest asset was still what they had seen before.

The only pity is that the main people I met that night probably didn't show up.

But that's alright, since I could be more carefree that night. Right now, the Confucian school alone is indeed no match for them.

With all the advantages of timing, location, and people on his side, it would be too wasteful to use some sword-cleansing stones and clean up these scoundrels.

But how can we bring them to their full potential?
Everyone present was convinced that Du Yuan was doomed. Although he still appeared calm and collected, no one took it seriously and thought he was just putting on a brave face.

After all, in their view, this person had no other way to survive! The only way to survive was to keep bluffing until the very end.

So the person carrying the chessboard spoke first:

"Kid, you don't need to pretend to be calm anymore. We've already seen through your true colors. Now that you're in a deadly situation, you might as well be more composed. That way, you won't die a laughable death."

Having said that, he pointed in all four directions and said:
"After all, so many heroes have come to take you away today!"

His intention in saying those two sentences was to mock Du Yuan.

But this also made Du Yuan's eyes light up.

Yes, they now think I'm putting on a brave face. Since that's the case, why not go with the flow?

If I really do something unexpected to them later, these prejudiced individuals will probably immediately gravitate towards the side I suggested.

In this way, he will believe me, how could it not work?
Hmm, how should I put it?

After a brief moment of thought, Du Yuan chuckled and said:

"Do you really think that I am now the fish on the chopping block? Aren't you afraid that you will all die today because of a single misjudgment?"

No one took Du Yuan's words seriously, except for the aloof woman driving the bronze chariot, who coldly remarked:
"If they're really that powerful, why bother talking to us? They're just putting on a show, barking like dogs!"

Du Yuan turned and glanced at the woman who was as beautiful as a celestial being, yet also as cold as an iceberg, and smiled:

"Heh, because I'm genuinely curious: how come you people, who have been timid and cowardly your whole lives, are so incredibly arrogant today?"

"Is it because money can move people's hearts, or because you feel you have a large number of people and are powerful, or because you feel you have no way to bully me and are powerless? I think, for people like you, all three are probably indispensable!"

The cultivators from various factions, who had been verbally abused, mostly remained silent, but their faces certainly looked quite unpleasant.

After all, they are not 'demonic' and still have some sense of shame.

They were a little overwhelmed by such direct criticism.

Immediately, someone retorted:

"You evil fiend, stop spouting nonsense! Don't you even know how many innocent lives you've taken?"

"Since you are evil and heretical, then we must naturally punish you. Our gathering today is merely a precautionary measure!"

At this point, Du Yuan suddenly stopped smiling, then waved her sleeve and rebuked the cultivators in the sky:

"You call me a heretic and evil sect? Putting aside why those people came here, and how much effort you put in, I just want to ask you, how dare you call yourselves the righteous path?"

Upon hearing this, several families immediately expressed their anger:

"If we are not the righteous path, then who are you? How can you slander the thousand-year-old reputation of Cheng Yanlou?"

"What a joke! Our Tianshan Sect has always served the public good, and all our disciples take it upon themselves to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path! How dare you smear us like this?"

"Whether something is right or wrong, the principles of Heaven are clear. How can you, a mere demon, presume to judge?"

Du Yuan had never heard of Tianshan Gate or Chengyan Tower, nor did she know what they had done, but she knew how to curse these scoundrels.

After all, it's impossible for someone to come here today and still be so upside down about right and wrong!
"Very well, then I shall ask you, since you call yourselves the righteous path, what happened when the great calamity struck in the past, and countless lives were shrouded in dust and suffered calamity?"

"Where have you gone, your cultivation levels that once seized the power of heaven and earth to enrich yourselves, and all the magical treasures that were created for this purpose?"

"Why did you all hide in safe havens when it was your turn to come out, coldly watching the world sink into depravity? I ask you, where is your arrogance from back then? And where is your self-righteousness now?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

This really hit them where it hurts.

After all, they are hypocrites, not true villains, and they have no face to talk nonsense about things they already know.

Before anyone could refute her, Du Yuan continued to rebuke:
"When the great calamity struck, you were nowhere to be seen; when the calamity passed, you sprang up like bamboo shoots after the rain. If we were to learn from our mistakes, that would be one thing—no one is perfect, who can be without fault? But what about you?"

"You all consider yourselves righteous, yet once you've achieved your goal, you can't wait to plunder all living beings. You want the dynasty's fortune, you want rare treasures, you even want the meager blessings of the common people!"

"And what happened after that? The southwest suffered a three-year drought, the Mi River in Qingzhou was overflowing, and everyone in the capital lived in fear. You want everything, yet you're unwilling to do anything. I could have just let it go, after all, that's human nature. But how come all these calamities were brought about by you lot?"

Du Yuan felt extremely satisfied after cursing this far.

I've wanted to give these people a piece of my mind for a while now. It would be one thing if they wanted everything but didn't care about anything, but to insist on having everything is to do the most despicable things imaginable!
The cultivators from all walks of life who were being so vehemently criticized all turned pale.

Some people even exclaimed in shock and anger:

"Aren't you here too? Didn't you run away and hide as well? What right do you have to talk about us? You're not clean yourself!"

Du Yuan wasn't guilty at all; she simply said to the man:
"So, you all admit it?"

The man's expression immediately changed. Yes, he had truly admitted it, but he still emphasized one point:
"I'm asking you, where do you get the nerve to talk about us! Didn't you run away or hide?"

Du Yuan has a clear conscience and is completely at peace:
"I neither ran away nor hid, so your words won't convince me! They'll only make you a laughingstock!"

You didn't run or hide, so you're still alive?

Who do you think you are?
Everyone was utterly shocked by the shamelessness of this guy.

So they all laughed in exasperation:
"You think you have such abilities? Fine, fine. I'll ask you one last thing: no matter how eloquent you are today, I'll ask you this: how do you plan to protect yourself? And how do you plan to escape?"

"After all, don't you see you're already doomed?"

At this point, the expressions of the cultivators, which had been constantly changing between red and green, instantly became much better.

"Yeah, once we pull out your tongue in a bit, will you still be able to spout nonsense?"

"Aside from being sharp-tongued, you're really useless. After all, you can't even see that the situation is more powerful than you!"

"With so many of us here and so many magical treasures on the table, aren't you angry? After all, no matter how righteous and upright you are, you can't do anything to us 'evil and crooked' people!"

Upon hearing the last sentence, all the cultivators burst into laughter, even the aloof woman who seemed like an iceberg couldn't help but chuckle softly.

But Du Yuan, supporting the ash-handle, said:

"But the problem is, what can I do about it!"

All the mockery paused, and before it could erupt, they heard Du Yuan point to the great river hanging beneath the star and the mountain that had been carried out, saying:

"The benevolent find joy in mountains, the wise find joy in water. I possess both benevolence and wisdom. To prevent you from accusing me of bullying the weak, I'll say this in advance: hurry up and move these two things downstairs. Otherwise, you'll be scared out of your wits later!"

"Even facing death, you still dare to spout such nonsense! You have some nerve!!!"

The man with the star above his head immediately manipulated the great river behind him, rushing towards Du Yuan. In an instant, the feeling of a devastating flood swept over him. And in order to kill this madman Du Yuan, even the star followed.

"You madman, let me see how you plan to deal with the Flying Flower River that my great-uncle's father personally refined! If you're so capable, then steal it from me, just like you killed so many of my fellow cultivators!"

The burly man with a savage grin charged forward, accompanied by several cultivators who also attacked in turn. They all unleashed their natal magic weapons, refined over many years.

Swords, spears, throwing knives, pagodas—a motley collection, yet all radiating divine light.

The giant carrying the mountain raised it high and roared:
"I also want to see how you can do anything to this Mountain of Questioning Fists, where my father attained enlightenment!"

Seeing that they really used the landscape as their first target, Du Yuan stood still, not looking at the two of them, but instead looking up at the sky, and then said:
"Haven't you realized that you've all come here not to seize treasure, but to face a calamity?"

The moment the words "should face calamity" were uttered, everyone present felt their hearts pound wildly. Before they could react, they were horrified to see that the flying flower that had crashed into them first—the Great River that the Kunshan Ancestor had personally refined—had instantly gone out of control and transformed from a surging river into a ribbon-like plaything.

They circled directly around this person!

It looked like a stray dog ​​that had finally seen its owner; it was so docile that it defied description.

"what?!"

The burly man who had summoned the Flying Flower River was completely speechless. Then, he stared wide-eyed at the sight that the last star he had invited from his great-uncle had been dragged into the Flying Flower River and disappeared without a trace!
Furthermore, the magical treasures unleashed by the other cultivators who followed suit were also absorbed into the Flying Flower River, which transformed into ribbons, and disappeared completely.

"ah--!?"

Everyone gasped in shock, trembling with fear.

The only burly man who reacted quickly shouted at the giant:
"Quick, smash him to death! He's definitely focused on supporting my great-uncle right now! Ah—!"

He originally intended to say that this person must be fighting with all his might against the Flying Flower River that his great-uncle had refined, and that he wanted the giant to use the Questioning Fist Mountain, which his father had used to prove his Dao, to smash this monster to death.

But when she turned around, she saw something terrifying and screamed.

The reason was simple: he saw that the giant who had risen up against the mountain had been forced to kneel on the ground by the pressure of the Fist-Asking Mountain above him.

In what he saw as a fleeting moment, she only had time to throw him a terrified look before being crushed into a bloody pulp by the Wenquan Mountain he was carrying!
At this point, no one can deceive themselves by saying that this person must be exhausted.

They already knew they had misjudged the man before them and were no match for him.

In that instant, they couldn't care less about anything else and all turned around one after another, trying to escape.

At this moment, all they could think about was Du Yuan's words—"It's over, we're really doomed!"
It happened in the instant they turned around.

Du Yuan felt the world suddenly become clear, which made him realize that tonight, he had succeeded!

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Du Yuan said calmly:
"Having come here by divine decree, how can I escape? In the past, a sage spoke of the laws of Heaven. Now, I will presume to follow the example of a sage!"

To emulate a sage once? To speak with the authority of Heaven? What does that mean? Does he intend to make his words law?
Before the cultivators, who were about to vanish in streaks of light, could think further, they heard Du Yuan's melodious voice echoing throughout the entire small world:
"I say, everything I see is the world within my grasp!"

"Oh no! He has stolen the Huan Yuan Tian Di, which our sect's ancestors have painstakingly refined over their entire lives!"

Among the many streaks of light, the first to disappear, the one who thought he could take advantage of his own little world and ran out first, now appeared dejectedly, filled with despair.

Actually, he didn't need to say anything; the others had already dispersed and fled, then looked at each other with extremely unpleasant expressions.

It's sealed off by heaven and earth; there's no way to escape!
What was originally a small haven created to prevent the situation from escalating and to ensure everything was in order has now become a self-destructive act!
No. Since it was just a casual remark, I took away the precious treasure that someone used to suppress the fortune of the mountain.

It seems that if they were in another place, they probably wouldn't be able to leave either.

So the man holding the chessboard immediately shouted:
"My aunt is the current Palace Master of Su'e Palace. My mother died early, and she treats me like her own child. Please forgive me this time, senior. My aunt will definitely come to apologize in person later! Our two families will certainly not let this escalate to an unmanageable situation!"

The aloof woman, who had failed to ram her way out using her bronze chariot, also cried out:
"I am the only daughter of Prince Su. If you, senior, spare my life, I will serve you as a slave or maid!"

His aloof demeanor shattered in an instant.

Du Yuan simply shook her head and said:
"When they see those in high positions, they bow their heads and listen obediently like dogs; when they see the weak, they bark wildly and incessantly. Before, seeing me alone, they wanted to kill and plunder, while also preaching righteousness. Now, seeing me as bright as the moon in the sky, they immediately grovel and beg for mercy."

In short, everyone bowed their heads and fell silent, trembling with fear.

Then, Du Yuan said to them:
"Is this the Dao heart you have cultivated for so many years? Have you cultivated numbness and indifference, or have you cultivated sycophancy and opportunism? And you want me to let you go this time? Let me ask you, if it weren't me here today, but someone who is truly the 'lucky person' you think he is."

"How dare you release him?!"

Upon hearing this, knowing that Du Yuan was determined not to release them, some of the various families gritted their teeth and unleashed their deadly moves, attempting to fight to the death. This group was led by the man holding the chessboard.

Another group, using whatever they could, turned around and tried to break free of their small world to escape. This group was led by the aloof woman driving the bronze chariot.

The man threw the chessboard in his hand, instantly covering the sky.
"Come on, you innate treasure, what can you do to me?!"

Since there's no way to escape anyway, we might as well go all out!

People on the mountain can only die standing up!
Looking at the seemingly invincible chessboard that was coming on so aggressively, Du Yuan laughed:
"It may be innate, but how can a chessboard be considered a supreme treasure? Do you really think that the changes of heaven and earth, and a few lines of chess, can be calculated?"

"And look again, who has this thing?!"

With a wave of her hand, the chessboard that covered the blue sky fell into Du Yuan's hands.

Seeing that things were going badly, the man was about to turn around and run away when he saw the chessboard that had just been taken away come crashing down on his house.

He barely had time to cry out "Spare me!" before he was smashed to death on the spot!
The man on the mountain still couldn't die standing.

As for the cultivators who followed in the attack, they also perished.

So it seems that the chessboard is indeed quite good, but this person really doesn't know how to use it.

Seeing that his comrades who had intended to retaliate behind him had all died so quickly.

The woman riding the bronze chariot was terrified, her face pale. She continued to move her hands frantically, pouring almost everything she could into the bronze chariot in an attempt to break free of its cage.

But then, a sudden chill ran down her spine.

She knew it was Du Yuan looking over!
'No, no, I can't die here, I absolutely can't die here!'

But the more she did this, the more she couldn't help but burst into loud sobs.

Because there's really no way to escape!
The bronze chariot was her father's vehicle; she could use it, but not skillfully.

At this point, all she could do was turn back, tears streaming down her face, and say:
"Senior, do you truly have no compassion whatsoever for women?"

Du Yuan felt disgusted by this and said:
"You venomous woman, you have the face of a celestial being, but your heart is like a serpent. Everyone should kill you. How dare you speak such nonsense?"

Du Yuan picked up the chessboard and threw it at them again.

After a barrage of attacks, apart from the woman who survived thanks to the bronze chariot, all the other cultivators perished.

Before the woman could even feel a surge of joy, he was already in despair, still severely injured, when he saw Du Yuan smash the chessboard down again.

This time, the bronze chariot was still there, but she could no longer withstand the residual power of the clash between the two top-tier magical treasures, and in an instant, she turned into a blood mist.

Without its master's control, the bronze chariot slowly lost its brilliance and eventually fell into ruin.

Looking at the chessboard in her hand, Du Yuan was very satisfied.

No wonder Liu Qi liked using it; it was really convenient!
Just then, a somewhat helpless voice rang in Du Yuan's ears:

'This chessboard isn't for you to use.'

It was her friend's voice. Du Yuan exclaimed in surprise:
"Really? I think it's a great way to use it!"

It's so useful! Just a few taps and everything's solved!
This answer silenced the truly cool and elegant voice for a long time before it finally uttered:
"Alright, I'll make you two boxes of chess pieces later. You can play with them for a while, and then you'll understand."

"How could I possibly accept this?"

Du Yuan felt a little embarrassed, but then her friend added another sentence:
'She's already prepared a gift for you, how can I not show my appreciation?'

(End of this chapter)