Chapter 283
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Chapter 283: Life and Death on the Stage of Life and Death
Old tricks never get old, as long as they work.
Not only Wang Chen, but also the surrounding stallholders and the onlookers knew it well.
The man with a face full of bloodstains and a terrifying expression was clearly there to cause trouble for Wang Chen.
He only needed to find the slightest fault and insist that Wang Chen’s talismans were defective.
It was indeed hard to argue against.
After all, talismans could occasionally fail or go out of control during actual use.
For instance, a Falling Fire talisman might self-destruct before being launched after activation.
Instead of harming the enemy, it could injure the user.
No matter how high the quality of Wang Chen’s talismans, it was impossible to guarantee they would never malfunction.
This made the situation all the more confusing!
“Damn you, compensate me with spirit stones!”
The burly cultivator with a fierce expression slammed his hairy palm heavily onto Wang Chen’s stall.
Crack!
All four corners of the long table made cracking sounds.
At that moment, two Scarlet Guards pushed through the crowd and approached.
They held long swords and coldly observed the burly cultivator and Wang Chen, showing no intention of intervening.
The Scarlet Guards held a unique position in the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators; they obeyed the city lord and were tasked with maintaining the order and rules of this city of loose cultivators.
Anyone who disrupted the order or violated the rules would be considered an enemy of the Scarlet Guards!
The Scarlet Guards consisted of three thousand official members, each with a cultivation level of at least Qi Training seventh level, overseen by ten Purple Palace leaders.
Most importantly, the Scarlet Guards operated independently, with all members trained internally.
They were also a crucial force in balancing the fifty-seven Purple Palaces.
The marketplace also had Scarlet Guards stationed, but they didn’t intervene because, although the burly cultivator was roaring like thunder, he hadn’t violated the strict ban on private fights.
Such business disputes, regardless of who was in the right, were typically not handled by the Scarlet Guards.
However, if the burly cultivator were to lay a hand on Wang Chen, those two Scarlet Guards would certainly not stand idly by!
All eyes were fixed on Wang Chen.
Some felt sympathy, some mocked, and others reveled in his misfortune…
They were eager to see how he would handle the situation!
Recently, Wang Chen’s talisman business had been thriving, with his stock selling out almost instantly, and many envied him.
They were eager to see Wang Chen face some trouble!
“Compensate with spirit stones?”
Wang Chen stunned everyone: “If you want spirit stones, I have none; if you want a life, I have one!”
Everyone around was left utterly dumbfounded.
Wang Chen had always appeared at the stall in disguises, and his current image was that of a distinguished middle-aged cultivator, radiating an aura of immortal grace.
Who would have thought that such words, commonly used by city ruffians, would come out of his mouth?
It felt utterly out of place!
“What?”
The burly cultivator, who was ready for the next move, was caught off guard: “No spirit stones?”
How could Wang Chen not have spirit stones!
“That’s right!”
Wang Chen coldly laughed, “Stop your prattling, let’s settle this on the Stage of Life and Death!”
The first rule in the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators is that private fights are strictly forbidden.
Anyone who violates this rule, be it a regular loose cultivator or a Purple Palace master, would pay with their life!
Since the establishment of the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators, hundreds of Purple Palace cultivators have died at the hands of the Scarlet Guards.
As for ordinary loose cultivators, the number is countless!
Therefore, the residents in the city, regardless of their cultivation level, strictly adhere to this rule.
However, cultivators are not ordinary people, and there is always a fiery and impulsive group among them.
Thus, the second rule states that to resolve personal grievances, one must either go to the Duel Platform or the Stage of Life and Death.
The Duel Platform is for deciding victories and defeats, while the Stage of Life and Death is for determining life and death!
This rule is also a principle of the world of cultivation—strength is revered.
Wang Chen choosing to resolve the dispute with a duel was understandable; after all, reasoning with someone like this was futile—the other party could be utterly infuriating.
But to go to the Stage of Life and Death was completely against common sense.
The burly cultivator exuded a murderous aura and looked tough to deal with, likely a battle cultivator who had experienced many battles, with a cultivation level at the eighth level of Qi Training.
Wang Chen, as a talisman cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Training, actually wanted to compete for life and death with an eighth-level battle cultivator.
Did he not know that using talismans in the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators would be suppressed by formations?
“Alright!”
The burly cultivator, having regained his composure, let out a sinister laugh, cracking his finger joints. “Since you wish to die, I will grant your wish!”
He wouldn’t kill Wang Chen because doing so would not only deprive him of a spirit fragment but also anger his benefactor.
However, beating Wang Chen nearly to death was no problem at all.
As for losing to Wang Chen, the burly cultivator wouldn’t even consider it.
He was certain of his victory!
In this marketplace, there were both a Duel Platform and a Stage of Life and Death, and as the crowd surrounded Wang Chen and the burly cultivator in front of the Stage of Life and Death, many people ran over to watch the excitement.
Everyone was living their lives well, and very few would foolishly choose to step onto the Stage of Life and Death.
Such excitement was something few would willingly miss.
The initial two Scarlet Guards, joined by additional reinforcements, positioned themselves around the Stage of Life and Death.
They refrained from interfering as Wang Chen and the burly cultivator resolved their enmity through a Life-and-Death Battle.
Such was the law in the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators!
“You still have the chance to surrender and compensate with spirit stones!”
The burly cultivator sneered as he stood upon the Stage of Life and Death. “Otherwise, I…”
Before he could complete his threat, a fist glowing with a faint golden light suddenly loomed large in his vision.
Thud!
The burly cultivator’s head burst like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer, scattering blood and fragments in all directions.
In the next instant, his headless body toppled heavily backward.
Curiously, as he fell, a clear, shimmering light suddenly emanated from his body.
Evidently, the protective artifacts he bore had been activated.
But it was a fraction too late.
A fraction that marked the boundary between life and death!
Crash!
The resounding impact reverberated through the hearts of all present.
The crowd was struck silent.
Many had barely registered the fight before it concluded.
Concluded?
Was this truly a Life-and-Death Battle?
It seemed more like a unilateral massacre!
Had the burly cultivator emerged victorious, it would have been comprehensible; his aura of bloodshed was unmistakably genuine.
Yet it was Wang Chen, with his immortal grace, who had obliterated his opponent’s skull with a single punch!
Numerous cultivators present felt their fundamental beliefs shaken.
Under the collective gaze, Wang Chen detached the storage bag from the burly cultivator’s waist.
He then retrieved a jade pendant.
This was unmistakably the burly cultivator’s protective artifact.
The artifact was indeed remarkable; however, within the unique confines of the City of Ten Thousand Cultivators, its automatic activation was slightly delayed, sealing the burly cultivator’s fate.
After securing the spoils, Wang Chen deployed a Falling Fire talisman to incinerate the corpse to ashes.
He then employed Rebirth Talismans and an Exorcism Talisman to complete the rites.
Wang Chen performed the entire procedure of body retrieval with a fluidity akin to Cloud Walking, instilling a sense of dread in the spectators.
How many such tasks had he undertaken to achieve such mastery!
The onlookers watched as Wang Chen descended from the Stage of Life and Death, returned to his stall, and resumed his tea and reading.
His calm and unperturbed demeanor was as though he had merely stepped out for a brief respite.
