Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

As the young lord of Tianbao City, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Although Tianbao City is not a top-tier power in the Mirage Realm, or even in Fengyuan Prefecture, it is still considered a dominant force within a radius of a thousand miles.

He was pampered and spoiled since childhood, getting whatever he wanted and never suffering any grievances.

His talent was also considerable. With the abundant resources of Tianbao City, he reached the first level of the Ascension Realm at a young age. Among the younger generation of Tianbao City, he would be a leading figure.

I never imagined that one day, someone would casually crush my cultivation of many years, just like crushing an ant.

This fall from the clouds to the dust is more unbearable than physical pain.

Xia Jin looked down at him, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"I only crippled your cultivation, I didn't kill you, why are you making such a fuss? Looking at you, it's obvious you've never experienced any hardship since childhood! You have no resilience at all."

"Consider this my free help! Giving you some setbacks will help you grow in the future."

"By the way, you probably won't have a future either. Hahahaha!"

"You! What did you say?!" The young city lord of Tianbao City was so angry by Xia Jin's sarcastic remarks that he trembled all over and spat out a mouthful of blood.

After taking several deep breaths, the young master of Tianbao City finally came to his senses, but his expression was surprisingly calm, completely devoid of the excitement he had just displayed.

"I was originally planning to save this for that old bastard in Silver Sand City, but I never expected it would be wasted on you!!"

"What do you mean!?" Xia Jin's eyes turned cold instantly after hearing the words "Silver Sand City".

However, at that moment, the young master of Tianbao City gently clenched his right hand.

A crystal appeared in his palm at some point, and he crushed it in one swift motion.

A large black hand emerged directly from the depths of the cave and grasped the young master on the ground, whose cultivation had been crippled.

The young master of Tianbao City was held captive by the black mist hand, his entire body suspended in mid-air. Although his face was pale and weak due to the destruction of his cultivation, his eyes blazed with an almost crazed light.

He looked down at Xia Jin, his eyes filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"You didn't expect that, did you?" His smile grew even more sinister. "You think you can control me just because you crippled my cultivation? You want to kill me? Dream on!"

"You can't kill me today! Hahahaha!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the large black hand suddenly pulled back, grabbing the young city lord and dragging him inside at an astonishing speed.

"Trying to leave?! Hmph! I won't allow it. Do you really think you can get away?" Xia Jin's expression changed, and a murderous intent ignited on his body. His figure instantly transformed into a blur, relentlessly pursuing Xia Jin.

Before long, the dilapidated underground palace reappeared before their eyes.

The large black hand was dragging the young master of Tianbao City straight into the crack that had opened up the artificial mountain.

But Xia Jin did not hesitate at all and followed them in.

However, he stopped as soon as he rushed in, his eyes darting around as he looked ahead.

Before him stood a huge stone chamber.

The stone chamber was undecorated, except for a circular stone platform in the very center of the floor.

Above the stone platform, a severed hand floated in mid-air. The hand was entirely black, and the wrist of the severed hand was tightly locked by several thick iron chains. The other end of the iron chains disappeared into the darkness of the four corners of the stone chamber, and a faint dark red light flowed on the surface of the iron chains, like some kind of seal.

What made Xia Jin feel most uneasy was that the severed hand was still dripping blood.

The young master of Tianbao City was sitting below the stone platform, leaning against it, his face pale and his breath weak. The black mist hand that had brought him here had dissipated on its own, turning into wisps of black mist that merged back into the mist surrounding the severed hand.

Upon seeing Xia Jin chase after him, the young city lord not only did not panic, but instead threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"Hahaha! You fell for it! I didn't expect you to be so bold as to actually dare to follow me in!"

"Once you're in, you're not getting out!"

He suddenly waved his hand, pointing to the severed hand chained above his head, his eyes flashing with an almost insane light.

Do you know what that is?

Xia Jin ignored the other party's almost manic threat and stared intently ahead.

From the moment he stepped into the stone chamber, a faint sense of oppression enveloped his entire body. And the source of that oppression was the severed hand chained above his head.

A deadly threat.

A sense of unease surged within Xia Jin; he hadn't felt this kind of crisis in a long time.

The young master of Tianbao City struggled to his feet, supporting himself on the stone platform. Although his cultivation had been destroyed, there was no sign of dejection on his face. Instead, he displayed an almost devout fervor.

He turned around and bowed deeply to the severed hand.

"My lord, I am incompetent and have disturbed your peaceful sleep."

He took something out of his pocket—a palm-sized stone shaped like a Pixiu. The Pixiu held a round bead in its mouth, from which a faint red light swirled and emitted a faint smell of blood.

A flicker of pain crossed the young master's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by ruthlessness.

He suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the Pixiu stone. The blood landed on the stone surface and quickly seeped into it. Suddenly, the round bead in the Pixiu's mouth lit up, and a wisp of blood energy shot out from the bead, disappearing straight into the severed hand in mid-air.

The chains around the severed hand began to shake violently, and a dark red light flickered wildly on the surface of the chains, as if it were enduring some enormous impact.

The severed hand itself trembled slightly at that moment, as if something that had been dormant for a long time had finally been awakened.

A violent aura erupted from the severed hand, almost bursting the entire stone chamber apart.

Faced with that aura, Xia Jin felt like a small boat on a vast ocean, which could be swallowed up at any moment.

Immediately afterwards, a deep voice echoed in the stone chamber.

"allow."

The moment that voice rang out, Xia Jin's expression changed completely.

"What bad luck! I haven't found any treasure, and all I keep encountering are these strange things!"

His face darkened, and without much hesitation, he retreated rapidly back the way he came.

However, as soon as he moved, a phantom-like giant hand emerged from the black mist surrounding the severed hand, reaching out to grab him with an overwhelming force.

The hand moved incredibly fast, reaching Xia Jin in the blink of an eye.

Xia Jin's pupils contracted, and a chill instantly rose within her.

Damn it, are we not going to be unable to leave?

He gritted his teeth, watching the large hand getting closer and closer, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

If we can't leave, then we won't leave.

Do you really think I'm a pushover that you can easily manipulate?