Siheyuan: At the beginning, I can integrate everything!

"Senior! Ancestor! We beg you to have mercy and quickly withdraw your supernatural powers!"

Li Potian knelt on the scorching hot bluestone slab, his forehead already covered in blisters.

His magnificent purple-gold robe was already emitting smoky black smoke from its edges, and it looked like it was about to catch fire.

The hundreds of Golden Core guards behind them fared even worse.

Some clothes were already on fire, and the children were rolling around on the ground in agony; others were blinded by the bright light and were covering their faces and wailing.

The entire Qingyun City Square had become a living hell.

The nuclear fusion fireball that hovered in Zhang Huaimin's palm was only the size of a fist.

However, the light and heat it emitted had completely overwhelmed the defenses of this cultivation city.

After letting out its final mournful cry, the city's protective formation shattered completely into a shower of light with a "crack".

With no obstacles in place, the high temperatures spread unchecked in all directions.

The wooden shops around the square spontaneously combusted without even a spark touching them!

Despair gripped the hearts of every cultivator.

They usually act superior and regard ordinary people as worthless.

But now, they stand before this young man who wields terrifying power that even they cannot comprehend.

Only then did they truly understand what it means to be a real ant!

Just when all the cultivators in the city were on the verge of despair and collapse.

Zhang Huaimin finally made a move.

He looked at Li Potian, who was kneeling on the ground crying and begging for his parents, and a hint of boredom flashed in his eyes.

"Alright, that's enough."

Zhang Huaimin silently recited it in his heart.

The system instantly cut off the energy supply.

That dazzling, terrifyingly hot "miniature sun" was like a light bulb that had been switched on.

With a "whoosh," it vanished into thin air.

Only a faint smell of ozone remained, lingering in the air.

As soon as the fireball disappeared, the temperature in the square plummeted, and the suffocating sense of oppression vanished.

"call--"

Li Potian and his hundreds of guards were overjoyed, collapsing to the ground, panting heavily.

Cold sweat mixed with the hot sweat from before, instantly soaking their tattered clothes.

They looked at Zhang Huaimin standing on the roof of the car, their eyes no longer filled with the arrogance and authority they had shown before.

All that remained was deep fear and the relief of surviving.

At this time.

Standing at the edge of the square, Su Qinghan was completely stunned.

Her beautiful eyes, which usually exuded a cool and aloof air, were wide open at this moment.

He stared intently at Zhang Huaimin, who jumped off the roof of the car.

It felt as if ten thousand thunderous beasts were stampeding wildly in her mind, crushing her proud worldview of cultivating immortality to shreds!

Is this the lowly servant she considered to be devoid of spiritual roots and reeking of worldly filth, who was at the bottom of the spirit boat?!

Is this the ant she ordered thrown to lick the spirit beast's dung pit?!

Su Qinghan felt a burning pain on her face.

She had even been inwardly mocking this mortal's charade, thinking it utterly ineffective.

But reality gave her a resounding slap in the face!

An ordinary person.

Not only does it possess a strange, spiritless vehicle capable of instantly killing a third-grade magic weapon.

He could even summon a fireball more terrifying than the sun with his bare hands, instantly shattering the city's protective array and forcing a Nascent Soul cultivator to kneel and beg for mercy!

You call this a mere mortal?!

If she were just an ordinary person, what would she be, the Holy Maiden of the Tai Xuan Holy Land?

Are they even worse than pets kept by ordinary people?!

Extreme shock, coupled with the shame brought about by his arrogant attitude on the spirit boat.

This caused Su Qinghan's stunningly beautiful face to turn pale and then red.

She even considered turning around and leaving, fleeing this place that had humiliated her.

But Zhang Huaimin did not give her that chance.

He strolled leisurely past Li Potian, who was kneeling on the ground trembling.

He walked straight up to Su Qinghan.

Zhang Huaimin looked the high and mighty saintess up and down.

The snow-white flowing fairy dress had been baked slightly yellow at the hem by the high temperature, and her hair was also a little messy.

The otherworldly aura that I had on the spirit boat was gone.

"Your Highness, what a coincidence, we meet again."

Zhang Huaimin put his hands in his pockets, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Those deep black eyes held an undisguised mockery and ridicule.

"How was it? That little magic trick I just performed for a mortal."

He deliberately emphasized the word "mortal".

"Does it still meet the standards of your Tai Xuan Holy Land?"

boom!

These words were like a heavy hammer blow, striking Su Qinghan's proud heart.

Her face instantly turned bright red, so red it looked like it could bleed.

Shame and indignation!

I am so ashamed!

She recalled the condescending tone in which she looked down at Zhang Huaimin from the funeral boat and uttered the words, "I'm giving you a way to live."

Now look at the opponent's terrifying strength, enough to crush the entire Qingyun City.

Su Qinghan wished she could dig a hole in the ground right now and bury herself deep inside.

She bit her lower lip so hard that it bled, but she couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.

In the world of cultivation, strength is everything.

Her proud identity as a saintess was nothing but a laughable joke in the face of this unfathomable young man.

"S-senpai..."

Su Qinghan spoke with difficulty, her voice trembling slightly, the previous aloofness and arrogance gone.

She lowered her head slightly, her slender neck curving into a humiliating arc.

"It was my fault for being blind; I offended you greatly on the spirit boat..."

"Please forgive me, senior."

Watching this top genius of the cultivation world have his proud spine broken by his most hardcore methods.

Zhang Huaimin remained completely unmoved.

This kind of arrogant woman needs to be shown what a true "dimensional reduction attack" is.

He ignored Su Qinghan and turned to look at Li Potian, who was still kneeling on the ground.

"Lord Li, now that the show is over, shouldn't we talk about compensation?"

Zhang Huaimin walked up to Li Potian and looked down at him.

"Your hundreds of people surrounding my car scared me."

How is compensation for emotional distress calculated?

Li Potian shuddered.

He's a seasoned veteran who's lived for hundreds of years; how could he not understand the meaning behind Zhang Huaimin's words?

This is taking advantage of someone's misfortune!

But circumstances dictate his actions, and he dared not utter a single word of "no" now.

He'd be willing to empty the city lord's mansion if it meant getting rid of this plague god.

"Please calm down, senior! Please calm down, senior!"

Li Potian scrambled forward and pulled an extremely exquisite storage bag from his pocket.

I offered it with trembling hands.

"This junior was blind and disturbed your presence, senior. This small gift is offered to help you calm your nerves."

Zhang Huaimin didn't answer, he just glanced at it indifferently.

"This pittance of spirit stones? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"

Li Potian was so anxious that he was covered in sweat.

He gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind.

With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a tattered map from the deepest part of his storage bag—neither gold nor jade, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.

"Senior! I have another priceless treasure here!"

Li Potian held the map high above his head with both hands, his voice tinged with pain, but more so with the resolute determination to save his life.

"This is a map of a cave dwelling, possibly left behind by the 'Mechanical God Sect' from ancient times!"

"It's said that it contains supreme puppetry techniques and blueprints capable of altering the world and manipulating puppets without the need for spiritual energy!"

"I, a junior, cannot comprehend it even if I keep it, so today I will offer it to you, senior!"

Mechanical God Sect?

Puppetry that requires no spiritual energy?

Upon hearing these words...

Zhang Huaimin's previously indifferent eyes suddenly lit up.

He snatched the tattered map.

My gaze swept quickly over those ancient and intricate lines.

Although this map is a product of the cultivation world.

But in Zhang Huaimin's system-level brain, which integrates countless future technologies, it is clear that...

The so-called "array patterns" on this map are clearly an extremely advanced three-dimensional holographic circuit diagram drawn using spatial folding technology!

Zhang Huaimin's breathing quickened for a rare moment.

He looked at the core location marked on the map, which was called "Star Machine Secret Realm".

A smile, full of ambition and anticipation, slowly crept onto his lips.

"This place seems rather interesting."